【正文】 the early eighteenth century by a harpsichord maker in Italy (though musicologists point out several previous instances of the instrument). This instrument was called a piano e forte(soft and loud), to indicate its dynamic versatility。 failure to find an easy passageway to the western part of the continent?(A) Lines12(B) Lines45 (C) Lines911 (D) Lines1214Questions 4250For a century and a half the piano has been one of the most popular solo instruments for Western music. Unlike string and wind instrument, the piano is pletely selfsufficient, as it is able to play both the melody and its acpanying harmony at the same time. For this reason, it became the favorite household instrument of the nineteenth century.The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early keyboard instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries – the spinet, the dulcimer, and the virginal. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century. The clavichord39。 their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains theremains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.23. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?(A) Some species of ichthyosaurs decayed more rapidly than other species. (B) Ichthyosaur newborns are smaller than other newborn marine reptiles. (C) Ichthyosaurs were more advanced than terrestrial creatures.(D) Ichthyosaurs may have gathered at Holzmaden to give birth.24. The word they in line 2 refers to(A) skeletons (B) scavengers (C) creatures(D) environments25. All of the following are mentioned as factors that encourage fossilization EXCEPT the(A) speed of burial(B) conditions of the water(C) rate at which soft tissues decay(D) cause of death of the animal.26. Which of the following is true of the fossil deposits discussed in the passage? (A) They include examples of newly discovered species.(B) They contain large numbers of wellpreserved specimens(C) They are older than fossils found in other places(D) They have been analyzed more carefully than other fossils. 27. The word outstanding in line 11 is closest in meaning to(A) extensive (B) surprising (C) vertical(D) excellent28. The word site in line 13 is closest in meaning to(A) example(B) location(C) development(D) characteristic29. Why does the author mention the specimen preserved in the birth canal (line 15)? (A) To illustrate that the embryo fossils are quite advanced in their development(B) To explain why the fossils are well preserved(C) To indicate how the ichthyosaurs died(D) To prove that ichthyosaurs are marine animals.30. The word they in line 17 refers to(A) pregnant females and young(B) quarry operations(C) the value of the fossils(D) these factors31. The phrase account for in line 18 is closest in meaning to(A) record (B) describe (C) equal (D) explain32. Which of the following best expresses the relationship between the first and second paragraphs? (A) The first paragraph describes a place while the second paragraph describes a field of study.(B) The first paragraph defines the terms that are used in the second paragraph.(C) The second paragraph describes a specific instance of the general topic discussed in the first paragraph. (D) The second paragraph presents information that contrasts with the information given in the first paragraph.33. Where in the passage does the author mentions the variety of fossils found at Holzmaden? (A) Line 8(B) Lines 910 (C) Lines 1415 (D) Lines 1719Questions 3441The Lewis and Clark expedition, sponsored by President Jefferson, was the most important official examination of the high plains and the Northwest before the War of 1812. The President39。 by the turn of the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who could afford it could live far removed from the old city center and still mute there for work, shopping, and entertainment. The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located in outlying areas. Over the same period, another 550,000 were plotted outside the city limits but within the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of muting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty years – lots that could have housedfive to six million people.Of course, many were never occupied。1995年托福閱讀真題Questions 113Atmospheric pressure can support a column of water up to 10 meters high. But plants can move wat er much higher, the sequoia tree can pump water to its very top, more than 100 meters above the ground. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the movement of water in trees and other tall plants was a mystery. Some botanists hypothesized that the living cells of plants acted as pumps, But many experiments demonstrated hat the stems of plants in which all the cells are killed can still move water to appreciable heights. Other explanations for the movement of water in plants have been based on root pressur e, a push on the water from the roots at the bottom of the plant. But ro