《1997年10月托福考试阅读理解全真试题》_托福真题
question 1-7
hotels were among the earliest facilities that bound the
united states together. they were both creatures and creators
of communities, as well as symptoms of the frenetic quest for
community. even in the first part of the nineteenth century,
americans were already forming the habit of gathering from all
corners of the nation for both public and private, business and
pleasure purposes. conventions were the new occasions, and
hotels were distinctively american facilities making conven-
tions possible. the first national convention of a major party to
choose a candidate for president (that of the national republican
party, which met on december 12, 1831, and nominated
henry clay for president) was held in baltimore, at a hotel
that was then reputed to be the best in the country. the
presence in baltimore of barnum s city hotel, a six-story building
with two hundred apartments helps explain why many other
early national political conventions were held there.
in the longer run, too. american hotels made other national
conventions not only possible but pleasant and convivial.
the growing custom of regularly assembling from afar the
representatives of all kinds of groups - not only for political conventions,
but also for commercial, professional, learned, and
avocational ones - in turn supported the multiplying hotels. by
mid-twentieth century, conventions accounted for over a third
of the yearly room occupancy of all hotels in the nation, about
eighteen thousand different conventions were held annually
with a total attendance of about ten million persons.
nineteenth-century american hotelkeepers, who were no
longer the genial, deferential "hosts" of the eighteenth-century
european inn, became leading citizens. holding a large
stake in the community, they exercised power to make it
prosper. as owners or managers of the local "palace of the
public", they were makers and shapers of a principal community
attraction. travelers from abroad were mildly shocked by this
high social position.
1. the word "bound" in line 1 is closest in meaning to
(a) led
(b) protected
(c) tied
(d) strengthened
2. the national republican party is mentioned in line 10 as an example of a group
(a) from baltimore
(b) of learned people
(c) owning a hotel
(d) holding a convention
3. the word "assembling" in line 19 is closest in meaning to
(a) announcing
(b) motivating
(c) gathering
(d) contracting
4. the word "ones" in line 22 refers to
(a) hotels
(b) conventions
(c) kinds
(d) representatives
5. the word "it" in line 30 refers to
(a) european inn
(b) host
(c) community
(d) public
6. it can be inferred from the passage that early hotelkeepers in the united states were
(a) active politicians
(b) european immigrants
(c) professional builders
(d) influential citizens
7. which of the following statements about early american hotels is not mentioned in the passage?
(a) travelers from abroad did not enjoy staying in them.
(b) conventions were held in them
(c) people used them for both business and pleasure.
(d) they were important to the community.
question 8-17
beads were probably the first durable ornaments humans
possessed, and the intimate relationship they had with their
owners is reflected in the fact that beads are among the most
common items found in ancient archaeological sites. in the
past, as today, men, women, and children adorned them-
selves with beads. in some cultures still, certain beads are
often worn from birth until death, and then are buried with
their owners for the afterlife. abrasion due to daily wear alters
the surface features of beads, and if they are buried for long,
the effects of corrosion can further change their appearance.
thus, interest is imparted to the bead both by use and the
effects of time.
besides their wear ability, either as jewelry or incorporated
into articles of attire, beads possess the desirable characteristics
of every collectible, they are durable, portable, available
in infinite variety, and often valuable in their original cultural
context as well as in today s market. pleasing to look at and
touch, beads come in shapes, colors, and materials that almost
compel one to handle them and to sort them.
beads are miniature bundles of secrets waiting to be
revealed: their history, manufacture, cultural context, economic
role, and ornamental use are all points of information one
hopes to unravel. even the most mundane beads may have
traveled great distances and been exposed to many human
experiences. the bead researcher must gather infor
hotels were among the earliest facilities that bound the
united states together. they were both creatures and creators
of communities, as well as symptoms of the frenetic quest for
community. even in the first part of the nineteenth century,
americans were already forming the habit of gathering from all
corners of the nation for both public and private, business and
pleasure purposes. conventions were the new occasions, and
hotels were distinctively american facilities making conven-
tions possible. the first national convention of a major party to
choose a candidate for president (that of the national republican
party, which met on december 12, 1831, and nominated
henry clay for president) was held in baltimore, at a hotel
that was then reputed to be the best in the country. the
presence in baltimore of barnum s city hotel, a six-story building
with two hundred apartments helps explain why many other
early national political conventions were held there.
in the longer run, too. american hotels made other national
conventions not only possible but pleasant and convivial.
the growing custom of regularly assembling from afar the
representatives of all kinds of groups - not only for political conventions,
but also for commercial, professional, learned, and
avocational ones - in turn supported the multiplying hotels. by
mid-twentieth century, conventions accounted for over a third
of the yearly room occupancy of all hotels in the nation, about
eighteen thousand different conventions were held annually
with a total attendance of about ten million persons.
nineteenth-century american hotelkeepers, who were no
longer the genial, deferential "hosts" of the eighteenth-century
european inn, became leading citizens. holding a large
stake in the community, they exercised power to make it
prosper. as owners or managers of the local "palace of the
public", they were makers and shapers of a principal community
attraction. travelers from abroad were mildly shocked by this
high social position.
1. the word "bound" in line 1 is closest in meaning to
(a) led
(b) protected
(c) tied
(d) strengthened
2. the national republican party is mentioned in line 10 as an example of a group
(a) from baltimore
(b) of learned people
(c) owning a hotel
(d) holding a convention
3. the word "assembling" in line 19 is closest in meaning to
(a) announcing
(b) motivating
(c) gathering
(d) contracting
4. the word "ones" in line 22 refers to
(a) hotels
(b) conventions
(c) kinds
(d) representatives
5. the word "it" in line 30 refers to
(a) european inn
(b) host
(c) community
(d) public
6. it can be inferred from the passage that early hotelkeepers in the united states were
(a) active politicians
(b) european immigrants
(c) professional builders
(d) influential citizens
7. which of the following statements about early american hotels is not mentioned in the passage?
(a) travelers from abroad did not enjoy staying in them.
(b) conventions were held in them
(c) people used them for both business and pleasure.
(d) they were important to the community.
question 8-17
beads were probably the first durable ornaments humans
possessed, and the intimate relationship they had with their
owners is reflected in the fact that beads are among the most
common items found in ancient archaeological sites. in the
past, as today, men, women, and children adorned them-
selves with beads. in some cultures still, certain beads are
often worn from birth until death, and then are buried with
their owners for the afterlife. abrasion due to daily wear alters
the surface features of beads, and if they are buried for long,
the effects of corrosion can further change their appearance.
thus, interest is imparted to the bead both by use and the
effects of time.
besides their wear ability, either as jewelry or incorporated
into articles of attire, beads possess the desirable characteristics
of every collectible, they are durable, portable, available
in infinite variety, and often valuable in their original cultural
context as well as in today s market. pleasing to look at and
touch, beads come in shapes, colors, and materials that almost
compel one to handle them and to sort them.
beads are miniature bundles of secrets waiting to be
revealed: their history, manufacture, cultural context, economic
role, and ornamental use are all points of information one
hopes to unravel. even the most mundane beads may have
traveled great distances and been exposed to many human
experiences. the bead researcher must gather infor
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