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TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 11_Question 111-121
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 2_Passage 11_Question 111-121
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 111-121
Passge 11
The objective of agriculture is to collect and store solar energy as food energy in plant and animal products, which are then distributed to serve as food for the human population. To collect solar energy in plants and animals and to help crops convert this solar energy into food energy and then to distribute the food products, farmers spend fossil-fuel energy and electric energy in tilling the soil, fertilizing, irrigating, harvesting, and processing.
New kinds of energy have helped to make a revolution in farm life, farmwork, and farm output since 1900. Only a hundred years ago in the United States most people were rural people: farmers, planters, trappers, and pioneers. In the nineteenth century, most work was done on farms by muscle power, human or animal. The chief sources of energy for heating were wood and coal. Many farms were fortunate enough to have a windmill for pumping water.
In 1900 one farmworker was able to supply the needs of about seven people. In contrast, a farmworker today supplies the needs of 50 people.
The first major contributions that energy made to farming were in the use of commercial fertilizer, an energy-intensive product, and in factory-made farm machinery, which required energy to produce.
Motorized farm machinery, which also required energy for its operation, first became practical for the farmer around 1910 when farm tractors became available.
During the period of 1900 to 1971, the size of the average farm in the United States more than doubled while the farm population declined to one-third of its 1900 level. This change was made possible by the introduction of new technologies to the farming process, including the use of tractors, commercial fertilizers, motorized harvesters, and new
scientific methods of farming. By 1975 there were approximately 5 million tractors in use in the United States with a total capacity of 250 million horsepower, consuming 21 gallons of gasoline and 20 gallons of diesel fuel per capita in the United States. The use of commercial fertilizer grew by a factor of approximately 14 during the period 1900 to 1970 and is a critical factor in the ability to increase crop yield per unit of land cultivated.
111. What does the passage mainly discuss?
a) The contributions of different types of energy to the development of farming
b) The importance of solar energy to successful farming
c) The increase in crop yield since 1900
d) The objective of agriculture since the early 1900's
112. The word which in the passage refers to
a) agriculture
b) solar energy
c) plant and animal products
d) food energy
113. The word convert in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) convince
b) gather
c) link
d) transform
114. The word spend in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) process
b) pay for
c) collect
d) use
115. Which of the following does the author imply about pumped water?
a) It was a luxury some farms did not have.
b) It was introduced on farms after 1900.
c) It was of better quality than water taken directly from a stream.
d) It was unknown in the United States before the 1900's.
116. Between 1900 and today, the efficiency of the farmworker has increased
a) less than four times
b) approximately seven times
c) by 50 percent
d) by almost 100 percent
117. The word practical in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) capable
b) realistic
c) influential
d) visible
118. According to the passage, the increase in farm size is the result of which of the following?
a) The availability of new technologies
b) The increased market for farm products
c) The change in the kinds of farm products generated
d) The increase in the number of people who lived on farms
119. According to the passage, commercial fertilizer is responsible for which of the following?
a) The increased cost of farm maintenance
b) Increased crop yield
c) Lower energy consumption
d) The decreased need for tractors and harvesters
120. The word critical in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) accurate
b) historical
c) special
d) important
121. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the passage?
a) Motorized farm equipment will become powered by solar energy sometime in the near future.
b) Farm output increased more from 1970 to the present than during the period from 1900 to 1970.
c) As new technologies become available, farms may become more efficient.
d) Because of the increased size of farms, there is a greater demand for farmworkers than there was in the past.
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