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TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 6_Question 56-66
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 6_Question 56-66
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 56-66
Passage 6
In 1860 the United States was predominantly rural. Most people were engaged in agriculture, and about 80 percent of the population actually resided on farms or in small villages. Only 20 percent lived in towns and cities of 2,500 or more, the census definition of an urban area after 1880. New York alone in 1860 had more than 1 million people, and only 8 cities could boast about a population of more than 100,000. Thereafter the transition from a rural to a predominantly urban nation was especially remarkable because of its speed. By 1900 urbanization, with all of its benefits, problems, and prospects for a fuller life, became the mark of modern America.
The changing physical landscape reflected the shift to an urbanized society. Railroad terminals, factories, skyscrapers, apartment houses, streetcars, electric engines, department stores, and the increased pace of life were all signs of an emerging urban America. Indeed, the vitality, dynamic quality, variety, and restless experimentalism in society centered in the urban communities where the only constant factor was change itself.
Urbanization did not proceed uniformly throughout the nation. New England and the Middle Atlantic states contained the highest percentage of city dwellers. In the Middle West, the growth of cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and St. Louis showed the importance of urbanization in that region. The three West Coast states also experienced rapid urban growth. In the South, urbanization developed much more slowly, although by 1910 the expansion of transportation, commerce, and industry had greatly increased the population of older cities such as New Orleans and stimulated the growth of new urban centers such as Birmingham. However, the South remained predominantly rural. Only somewhat more than 20 percent of the population in that region was urban by 1910.
In some regions the urban impact had a depressing effect upon the surrounding rural communities. Much of New England in the late nineteenth century presented a discouraging picture of abandoned farms and sickly villages as people forsook the countryside and rushed to the larger towns and cities. In the Middle West, particularly
Ohio and Illinois, hundreds of townships lost population in the 1880's.
56.What does the passage mainly discuss?
a) The benefits brought about by urbanization in the 1800's
b) The population of large urban areas in the 1800's
c) The problems associated with urban areas in the United States
d) The history of the urbanization of the United States
57. According to the passage, which of the following was the census definition of an urban area after 1880 ?
a) An area with a population that had recently increased by 20 percent
b) A city with a population of 1 million or more people
c) A town or city with a population of at least 2,500
d) An area or region with a population of at least 100,000
58. In paragraph 1, the author implies that people were attracted to urban areas for which of the following reasons?
a) The existence of public transportation
b) The possibility for a fuller life
c) The lack of agricultural work
d) The availability of housing
59. The word shift in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) position
b) resource
c) change
d) return
60. Which of the following are mentioned in the passage as a sign of urbanized society in the United States in the late 1800's?
a) Streetcars
b) Schools
c) Cultural activities
d) Roads and highways
61. In paragraph 2, the author characterizes life in urban
communities as
a) dangerous
b) competitive
c) increasingly expensive
d) constantly changing
62. According to the passage, New Orleans differed from
Birmingham in
a) size
b) age
c) geography
d) industry
63. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following areas of the United States was the most urbanized at the end of the 1800's?
a) The states in the Middle West
b) The three states on the West Coast
c) The New England and the Middle Atlantic states
d) The states in the South
64. The author's main purpose in paragraph 4 is to do which of the following?
a) Establish that urban areas were important in contributing to the economic growth of the United States
b) Demonstrate that the population of the United States increased dramatically during the late nineteenth century
c) Prove that the Middle West was the most adversely affected by large shifts in population
d) Acknowledge that urbanization had a negative impact on some communities in the United States
65. The word forsook in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) left
b) forewarned
c) used
d) populated
66. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?
a) The percentage of the population of the United States engaged in agriculture decreased between 1860 and 1900.
b) The economic factors that caused large population shifts in the 1800's were unique to the United States.
c) The changing physical landscape that resulted from urbanization created more disadvantages than advantages.
d) The number of people who lived in the southern region of the United States in 1900 was significantly less than in 1860.
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