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TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 25_Question 265-275
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 25_Question 265-275
You have about 15 minutes to finish this passage.
First,use about 3-4 minutes to read the passage, try to understand the main idea of this passage.
Don't read it so slowly or try to remember all details.You need to do "fast reading",and "scan" the passage.
Second, read questions 1-11, and with questions you go back the passage again and look for correct answers.
Questions 265-275
Passage 25
The radical change in the land's surface that results when rural areas are transformed into cities is a significant cause of the rise in temperature in cities that is known as urban heat island. First, the tall buildings and the concrete and asphalt of the city absorb and store greater quantities of solar radiation than do the vegetation and soil typical of rural areas. In addition, because the concrete and asphalt are impermeable, the runoff of water following a rain is rapid, resulting in a severe reduction in the evaporation rate. So heat that once would have been used to convert liquid water to a gas goes instead to increase the surface temperature further. At night, although both city and countryside cool through radiation losses, the stonelike surface of the city gradually releases the additional heat accumulated during the day, keeping the urban air warmer than that of the outlying areas.
Part of the urban temperature rise must also be attributed to waste heat from such sources as home heating and air conditioning, power generation, industry, and transportation. Many studies have shown that the magnitude of human-made energy in metropolitan areas is equal to a significant percentage of the energy received from the Sun at the surface. Investigations in Sheffield, England, and Berlin showed that the annual heat production in these cities was equal to approximately one-third of that received from solar radiation. Another study of the densely built-up Manhattan section of New York City revealed that during the winter the quantity of heat produced from combustion alone was two and one-half times greater than the amount of solar energy reaching the ground. In summer the figure dropped to one-sixth. It is interesting to note that during the summer there is a mutual reinforcement between the higher nighttime temperatures of the city and the human-made heat that helped create them. That is, the higher temperatures result in the increased use of air conditioners, which, in turn, use energy and further increase the amount of urban heat. During the winter the nighttime warmth of urban areas, produced in large part by heavy energy consumption, is beneficial because less energy is needed to heat buildings.
265. What does the passage mainly discuss?
a) The loss of farmland to urban development
b) The causes of increased heat in cities
c) Waste heat generated by home heating and air conditioning
d) How seasonal change affects the temperature of cities
266. All of the following contribute to the urban heat island effect EXCEPT
a) absorption of heat from the Sun
b) storage of heat from the Sun
c) an increased rate of evaporation after a rainfall
d) the release of heat at night from city surfaces
267. The word severe in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) necessary
b) natural
c) simple
d) large
268. The word convert in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) reverse
b) transform
c) reduce
d) compare
269. The word that in the passage refers to
a) city
b) heat
c) day
d) air
270. In which of the following locations would the rate of evaporation probably be highest?
a) A rural area
b) A small town
c) A medium-sized city
d) A big city
271. The word magnitude in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) calculation
b) comprehension
c) extent
d) formation
272. The author mentions Manhattan in order to demonstrate that
a) heat in urban areas can be reduced
b) the conclusions of the investigation in Sheffield were wrong
c) its heat production is smaller than that of Berlin
d) human-made heat can exceed the solar energy that reaches the ground in winter
273. According to the passage, an important consequence of the use of air conditioners at night is
a) greater energy costs
b) higher levels of urban heat
c) serious problems with the energy supply
d) less need for air conditioning in the morning
274. The word beneficial in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) predictable
b) powerful
c) hazardous
d) advantageous
275. Which of the following is true about cities at night in the winter?
a) Solar energy has an increased impact on the urban heat island.
b) They tend to be colder than rural areas.
c) Less energy is required to heat buildings.
d) Human-made energy creates a larger area of total heat than solar energy.
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