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TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 15_Question 155-165
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 15_Question 155-165
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 155-165
Passge 15
The mineral discoveries of the nineteenth century in the United States stimulated settlement, forced the early formation of laws and government, created a demand for transportation, and lured labor and capital westward. Waves of pioneers swept into California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and the Dakota Territory seeking gold and silver. The prospectors who flocked to Sutter's Mill found gold nuggets or gold dust in the rivers and streams. Placer mining---washing the dirt from the stream in a pan, leaving the heavy grains of gold in the bottom ---required little labor, capital, or skill. If there was a large quantity of gold in the dirt, a wooden box, or cradle, could be used to wash larger amounts of sand and dirt as it was rocked to and fro. Wooden cleats in the bottom of the box held the gold as the water and earth washed away. A group of prospectors might build a sluice, a series of long wooden boxes fitted with riffle bars across the bottom. They diverted water from the creeks through the sluice, and the flowing water carried away the dirt and sand dumped into the sluice by the miners. Nuggets and dust remained trapped in the riffle bars. Muscle and sweat produced wealth for a few and created a true cornucopia of publicity to lure thousands to the West.
The days of gold placer mining proved short- lived, however. As prospectors moved into the interior, into the mountain range called the Sierra Nevada and the area known as the Great Basin, gold and silver were found, but the minerals were locked in quartz lodes, or deposits, buried deep in the earth. To reach this treasure, miners had to dig tunnels, install timber supports, and use pumps to remove water seeping into these subterranean labyrinths. Capital for mills to crush the quartz and for vessels of mercury to dissolve the gold came not from the prospectors but from investors in San Francisco, hiladelphia, and London. These investors formed the mining corporations that controlled the mills, tunnels, machinery, and transportation at the mines as well as the army of laborers.
155. It can be inferred that the mineral discoveries created a demand for transportation because
a) people and equipment needed to be moved west
b) the mountains could not be crossed without railways
c) large amounts of dirt and rock had to be dumped into a sluice
d) the precious minerals had to be mined quickly
156. The word Waves in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) groups
b) rivers
c) curves
d) signals
157. It can be inferred that Sutter's Mill is
a) a mining corporation
b) the name of a prospector
c) a machine used in mines
d) a place where gold was found
158. The word rocked in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) built
b) moved
c) buried in sand
d) filled with stones
159. According to paragraph 2, wooden cleats and riffle bars are both used to
a) stabilize the cradle
b) increase the amount of water
c) separate the sand from the dirt
d) prevent gold from being washed away
160. What does the author mean by stating, Muscle and sweat produced wealth for a few?
a) Mining was hard work with uncertain rewards.
b) Prospectors usually worked together in small groups.
c) It was difficult to remove the gold from the sluice.
d) Most prospectors were not strong enough to continue placer mining.
161. What happened when prospectors looked for gold and silver in the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin?
a) They did not find any gold or silver.
b) They had to use different techniques to extract the minerals.
c) They decided to leave the gold and silver and mine the quartz instead.
d) They discovered that the minerals were under so much water that they could not be extracted.
162. It can be inferred that the type of mining described in paragraph 3
a) was too difficult to be profitable
b) was not appropriate for mountainous regions
c) was too expensive for a single individual to do alone
d) required less equipment than placer mining
163. The word Capital in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) labor
b) plans
c) money
d) space
164. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a consequence of the mineral discoveries of the nineteenth century?
a) Increased migration
b) Expanded military activity
c) Additional publicity about the West
d) New patterns of settlement
165. Look at the 4 terms highlighted in the passage. Which of the terms is NOT defined in the passage?
a) Placer mining
b) sluice
c) lodes
d) labyrinths
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