1996年5月托福阅读全真试题

　　By the 1820's in the United States， when steamboats were common on western waters， these boats were mostly powered by engines built in the West （Pittsburgh， Cincinnati，or Louisville）， and of a distinctive western design specially suited to western needs. The first steam engines in practical use in England and the United States were of low pressure design. This was the type first developed by James Watt， then manufactured by the firm of Boulton and Watt， and long the standard industrial engine. Steam was accumulated in a large，double-acting vertical cylinder， but the steam reached only a few pounds of pressure per square inch. It was low-pressure engines of this type that were first introduced into the United States by Robert Fulton. He imported such a Boulton and Watt engine from England to run the Clermont. But this type of engine was expensive and complicated， requiring many precision-fitted moving parts.

　　The engine that became standard on western steamboats was of a different and novel design. It was the work primarily of an unsung hero of American industrial progress， Oliver Evans（1755-1819）。 The self-educated son of a Delaware farmer. Evans early became obsessed by the possibilities of mechanized production and steam power. As early as 1802 he was using a stationary steam engine of high-pressure design in his mill. Engines of this type were not unknown， but before Evans they were generally considered impractical and dangerous.

　　Within a decade the high-pressure engine， the new type，had become standard on western waters. Critics ignorant of western conditions often attacked it as wasteful and dangerous. But people who really knew the Ohio， the Missouri， and the Mississippi insisted， with good reasons， that it was the only engine for them. In shallow western rivers the weight of vessel and engine was important； a heavy engine added to the problem of navigation. The high-pressure engine was far lighter in proportion to horsepower， and， with less than half as many moving parts， was much easier and cheaper to repair. The main advantages of low-pressure engines were safe operation and economy of fuel consumption， neither of which meant much in the West.

　　33.What is the passage mainly about？

　　（A） Streamboat engines in the western United States

　　（B） River travel in the western United States

　　（C） A famous United States inventor

　　（D） The world's first practical streamboat

　　34.What was the Clermont （line14）？

　　（A） A river

　　（B） A factory

　　（C） A boat

　　（D） an engine

　　35.Who developed the kind of stream engine used on western streamboats？

　　（A） Watt

　　（B） Boulton

　　（C） Fulton

　　（D） Evans

　　36.The word "novel" in line 18 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） fictional

　　（B） intricate

　　（C） innovative

　　（D） powerful

　　37.What option of Evans is suggested by the use of the term "unsung hero" in line 18？

　　（A） More people should recognize the importance of his work.

　　（B） More of his inventions should be used today.

　　（C） He should be credited with inventing the stream engine.

　　（D） More should be learned about his early life.

　　38.What does the author imply about Evans？

　　（A） He went to England to learn about stream power.

　　（B） He worked for Fulton.

　　（C） He traveled extensively in the West.

　　（D） He taught himself about stream engines.

　　39.The word "stationary" in line 23 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） single

　　（B） fixed

　　（C） locomotoiv

　　（D） modified

　　40.The word "they" in line 25 refers to

　　（A） engines

　　（B） mechanized production and steam power

　　（C） possibilities

　　（D） steamboats

　　41.What does the author imply about the western rivers？

　　（A） It was difficult to find fuel near them.

　　（B） They flooded frequently.

　　（C） They were difficult to navigate.

　　（D） They were rarely used for transportation.

　　42.The word "it" in line 31 refers to

　　（A） decade

　　（B） high-pressure engine

　　（C） weight

　　（D） problem

　　43.The word "vessel" in line 33 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） fuel

　　（B） crew

　　（C） cargo

　　（D） craft

　　44.Which of the following points was made by the critics of high-pressure engines？

　　（A） They are expensive to import.

　　（B） They are not powerful enough for western waters.

　　（C） They are dangerous.

　　（D） They weigh too much.