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TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 17_Question 177-187
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 17_Question 177-187
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.
Question 177-187
Passge 17
During the late nineteenth century, many architects in the United States considered wood, an abundant North American building product, to be nature's true material, and they anticipated that a native style of architecture would emerge from its proper use. Other architects, however, thought that wood had serious liabilities and were thus attracted to solid construction of stone, brick, or concrete. Their choice was based on economic reasons--- when the price of wood soared, as it occasionally did, they questioned the financial advantages of timber and predicted that it would be even more expensive as American forests became depleted. They also argued that even though the initial cost of a timber house was less than that of one in brick, stone, or concrete (and they often disputed this point), the long-term expense was greater. They pointed out that unlike the materials used in solid construction, timber deteriorated quickly, needed constant upkeep, and attracted harmful insects and rodents. More important, timber was combustible. At a time when major areas of American cities were frequently destroyed by fires and when new suburbs did not have efficient fire-fighting systems, the fact that masonry was fireproof was a compelling argument in favor of solid construction.
The ephemeral nature of wood was more than an economic liability; it also had serious aesthetic disadvantages. In The Architecture of Country Houses, architect Andrew Jackson Downing argued that the idea of eternal duration added incalculably to the effect of any work of art, including a building. He felt that masonry gave the impression of permanence, whereas wood always looked temporary.
These arguments were reinforced by the fact that masonry could be considered just as natural as wood. After all, stones came from the ground, and bricks and concrete were made from earth products. There were also many fruitful historical precedents for the use of these materials, not only in the domestic architecture of Europe but also in early American architecture.
177. What does the passage mainly discuss?
a) The popularity of wood as a building material in the nineteenth century
b) The difficulty in obtaining wood to use as a building material
c) The disadvantages of wood as a building material
d) The aesthetic appeal of wood as a building material
178. The word anticipated in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) required
b) expected
c) denied
d) proposed
179. The word liabilities in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) ements
b) limitations
c) parts
d) solutions
180. Which of the following is true of architects who argued against the use of wood for economic reasons?
a) They were considering the possibility of future shortages of timber.
b) They were considering advantages and disadvantages of importing timber from abroad.
c) Their arguments were weaker than the arguments of those who showed the economic advantages of wood construction.
d) Their arguments were based on the prices of timber in their own day.
181. The word it in the passage refers to
a) solid construction
b) choice
c) price
d) timber
182. What point was being disputed among some architects in the late nineteenth century?
a) The public's preference for stone houses
b) The time required to build stone houses
c) The expense of building wood houses
d) The danger to animals caused by the construction of wood houses
183. The author mentions American cities in the passage to
a) illustrate the vulnerability of wooden construction to fire
b) point out the location of the first use of stone and brick as building materials
c) prove that wood buildings were especially poorly constructed and maintained
d) describe how buildings were designed in modern architectural styles
184. The word compelling in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) supported
b) necessary
c) frequent
d) powerful
185. The word nature in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) weight
b) danger
c) beauty
d) quality
186. Andrew Jackson Downing thought that buildings made from wood looked
a) impermanent
b) solid
c) exotic
d) expensive
187. The word reinforced in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) submitted
b) popularized
c) strengthened
d) complicated
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