6.2托福阅读真题-Food Production in the Early Modern World（文章+题目+解析）

Paragraph 1

Starting in the sixteenth century, the population of Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia) began an upward surge that, while the result of many factors, owed much to the new foods just coming out of the New World (the Americas). In China, the arrival of maize and sweet potatoes contributed to an increase in population from 140 million in 1650 to 400 million in1850.Since maize could be grown in areas that were too dry for rice, and on hillsides that could not be irrigated, it added to the food supply and allowed people to live in new places.The uplands of the Yangtze basin were deforested to make way for the production of indigo and jute (nonfood crops) because the peasants who grew them could live on maize and sweet potatoes, which grew well in the hills.▉One practice that allowed food production to keep pace with a growing population was that of multiple cropping.▉When rice is grown in paddies,it absorbs most of its nutrients from water rather than soil, so it can be repeatedly cropped on the same land without the need to leave the land fallow (unplanted) to allow the soil to recover.▉Farmers in southern China could sometimes produce two or even three crops a year from a single plot of land.

1.According to paragraph 1, which of the following was an advantage of planting maize and sweet potatoes?

A.They absorb few of their nutrients from the soil.

B.More than one crop can be produced a year on the same land.

C.They can be grown in places that are not wet enough for some other crops.

D.They grow well together with nonfood crops such as indigo and jute.

【答案】C

根据第一段，种植玉米和甘薯的优势是：

C.它们可以在一些其他作物湿度不够的地方种植。

“Since maize could be grown in areas that were too dry for rice，and on hillsides that could not be irrigated，it added to the food supply and allowed people to live in new places.”（由于玉米可以在太干燥而不适合种植水稻的地区以及无法灌溉的山坡上种植，它增加了食物供应，并允许人们生活在新的地方。）这段话明确指出了玉米和甘薯的种植优势，即它们可以在其他作物无法生长的地方种植，因此选项C是正确的。

A选项（它们从土壤中吸收的养分很少）并未在文中提及，所以不正确。

B选项（在同一块土地上一年可以种植不止一种作物）虽然文中提到了复种的做法，但这是关于水稻的种植，并未特指玉米和甘薯，因此B选项也不正确。

D选项（它们与靛蓝和黄麻等非粮食作物一起生长得很好）并未明确说明是玉米和甘薯的优势，只是说明在长江流域的高地被开垦出来种植靛蓝和黄麻，而农民可以靠吃在山坡上生长良好的玉米和甘薯为生，这并不能说明玉米和甘薯与非粮食作物一起生长得很好，因此D选项也不正确。

综上所述，正确答案是C。

2.According to paragraph 1, what is true about rice grown in paddies?

A.It often does well in areas that are unsuitable for many other crops.

B.It makes effective use of plots of land that cannot be irrigated in other ways.

C.It contributes important nutrients to the soil on which the paddies arelocated.

D.It can yield more than a single crop per year on a given plot of land.

【答案】D

根据第一段，关于水田种植的水稻，以下哪项是正确的？
D.在给定的土地上，它每年可以产出不止一种作物。

“When rice is grown in paddies, it absorbs most of its nutrients from water rather than soil, so it can be repeatedly cropped on the same land without the need to leave the land fallow (unplanted) to allow the soil to recover. Farmers in southern China could sometimes produce two or even three crops a year from a single plot of land.”（当水稻在水田中种植时，它大部分的营养是从水中而非土壤中吸收的，因此可以在同一块土地上反复种植，而无需休耕让土壤恢复。中国南方的农民有时一年可以在一块土地上种植两到三季作物。）这段话明确说明了水田种植的水稻可以在同一块土地上反复种植，甚至一年可以产出两到三季作物，因此D选项正确。

Paragraph 2

▉In Europe, meanwhile, the new crops played a part in enabling the population to grow from 103 million in 1650to 274 million in 1850. During the sixteenth century.Europe's staple crops, wheat and rye, produced about half as much food per hectare (measured by weight) as maize did in the Americas, and about a quarter as much as rice did in southern Asia. So the arrival of maize and potatoes in Europe provided a way to produce much more food from the same amount of land. The most striking example was that of lreland, where the population increased from around 500,000 in 1660 to9 million in 1840-something that would not have been possible without the potato. Without it, the whole country could only have produced enough wheat to support 5 million people. Potatoes meant that there was enough food to support nearly twice this number, even as wheat continued to be grown for export, and potatoes could be grown on European land that was unsuitable for wheat. Being better fed made people healthier and more resistant to disease, causing the death rate to fall and the birth rate to rise. And what potatoes did to the north of Europe, maize did to the south: the populations of Spain and ltaly almost doubled during the eighteenth century.

3.Paragraph 2 supports which of the following statements about the maize and potato crops that were introduced in Europe?

A.Maize and potatoes were thought to be more nutritious than wheat and rye were.

B.Maize and potatoes were crops that were more resistant to disease than other crops.

C.Maize and potato crops yielded amounts of food in Europe similar to rice yields in southern Asia.

D.Maize and potatoes produced significantly more food per hectare than other crops did.

【答案】D

第二段支持以下关于欧洲引进的玉米和马铃薯作物的哪一项陈述？
D.玉米和马铃薯每公顷的产量明显高于其他作物。

“During the sixteenth century, Europe's staple crops, wheat and rye, produced about half as much food per hectare (measured by weight) as maize did in the Americas, and about a quarter as much as rice did in southern Asia. So the arrival of maize and potatoes in Europe provided a way to produce much more food from the same amount of land.”（在16世纪，欧洲的主食作物小麦和黑麦每公顷的产量（按重量计算）约为美洲玉米的一半，约为南亚水稻的四分之一。因此，玉米和马铃薯在欧洲的出现为在同样数量的土地上生产更多的粮食提供了途径。）这段话明确说明了玉米和马铃薯每公顷的产量明显高于欧洲原有的小麦和黑麦，因此D选项正确。

A选项（玉米和马铃薯被认为比小麦和黑麦更有营养）并未在文中提及，所以不正确。

B选项（玉米和马铃薯是比其他作物更抗病的作物）也未在文中提及，不正确。

C选项（玉米和马铃薯在欧洲的产量与南亚的水稻产量相似）与文中的描述不符，文中说的是玉米和马铃薯的产量明显高于欧洲原有的小麦和黑麦，并未与南亚的水稻产量进行比较，因此C选项也不正确。

4.Which of the following does paragraph 2 suggest occurred in lreland between 1660 and 1840 ?

A.Wheat exports declined significantly.

B.The diets of most people changed and were no longer primarily wheat based.

C.The amount of wheat grown increased enough to support 5 million people.

D.Potatoes were most productive in fields that formerly were used only for wheat.

【答案】B

第二段表明在1660年至1840年间爱尔兰发生了以下哪种情况？

B. 大多数人的饮食发生了改变，不再主要以小麦为主。

“The most striking example was that of Ireland, where the population increased from around 500,000 in 1660 to 9 million in 1840—something that would not have been possible without the potato. Without it, the whole country could only have produced enough wheat to support 5 million people. Potatoes meant that there was enough food to support nearly twice this number, even as wheat continued to be grown for export...”（最引人注目的例子是爱尔兰，其人口从1660年的约50万增加到1840年的900万，如果没有马铃薯，这是不可能的。没有马铃薯，整个国家只能生产足够支持500万人的小麦。马铃薯意味着有足够的食物来支持几乎两倍于此数字的人口，即使小麦继续种植用于出口……）这段话表明，由于马铃薯的引入，爱尔兰人的饮食结构发生了重大变化，不再主要以小麦为主，因此B选项正确。

A选项（小麦出口大幅下降）与文中的描述不符，文中说的是小麦继续种植用于出口，并未提及出口量是否下降，因此A选项不正确。

C选项（种植的小麦数量增加到足够支持500万人）虽然文中提到了这个数字，但这是在没有马铃薯的情况下，整个国家只能生产足够支持500万人的小麦，并不是说实际种植的小麦数量增加了，因此C选项也不正确。

D选项（马铃薯在以前只用于种植小麦的田地里产量最高）并未在文中提及，文中只是说马铃薯可以在不适合种植小麦的土地上种植，并未说马铃薯在以前只种小麦的田地里产量最高，因此D选项也不正确。

Paragraph 3

As well as adopting the new crops, European farmers increased production by bringing more land under cultivation and developing new agricultural techniques.In particular, they introduced new crop rotations involving clover and turnips (most famously, in Britain,the "Norfolk four-course rotation" of turnips, barley.clover, and wheat). Turnips were grown on land that would otherwise have been left fallow, and then fed to animals, whose manure enhanced the barley yields the following year. Feeding animals with turnips also meant that land used for pasture could instead be used to grow crops for human consumption. Similarly, growing clover helped to restore the fertility of the soil to ensure a good wheat harvest in the following year. Another innovation was the adoption of the seed drill, a horse-drawn device that placed seeds into holes at a precise depth. Sowing seeds in this way, rather than scattering them in the traditional manner, meant that crops were properly spaced in neat rows, making weeding easier and ensuring that adjacent plants did not compete for nutrients. Again, this helped increase the yields of cerea crops.

5.The phrase 'adjacent plants in the passage is closest in meaning to plants that are
A.located next to each other

B.dependent on each other

C.similar in needs to one another

D.competitive with each other

【答案】A

段落中的“adjacent plants”短语最接近的意思是位于什么的植物？

A. 彼此相邻的

“adjacent plants”指的是彼此相邻的植物，即紧挨着的植物。在文中提到，“Sowing seeds in this way, rather than scattering them in the traditional manner, meant that crops were properly spaced in neat rows, making weeding easier and ensuring that adjacent plants did not compete for nutrients.”（以这种方式播种，而不是以传统方式撒种，意味着作物被适当地间隔成整齐的行，使得除草更容易，并确保相邻的植物不会争夺养分。）这里明确指出了“adjacent plants”是指相邻的植物，因此A选项“彼此相邻的”是最接近的意思。

B选项“彼此依赖的”并没有在文中提及，且与“adjacent”的意思不符。

C选项“需求相似的”也没有在文中提到，且不是“adjacent”的直接意思。

D选项“相互竞争的”虽然在文中提到了相邻植物不会竞争养分，但这是对“adjacent plants”的一个描述，并不是其意思。因此，D选项也不正确。

综上所述，A选项“彼此相邻的”是最接近“adjacent plants”在文中的意思。

6.All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as improvements in farming practices EXCEPT

A.the introduction of new crops into a rotation system

B.the use of animal fertilizer to increase crop yields

C.the feeding of animals with barley

D.the growing of clover to add nutrients to soil and increase future crop yields

【答案】C

下列哪一项不是第三段中提到的农业实践改进？

C. 用大麦喂养动物

第三段中提到了多项农业实践的改进，我们来逐一分析选项：

A. 引入新作物到轮作系统中 - 文中明确提到了“they introduced new crop rotations involving clover and turnips”，说明引入了新的作物到轮作中，所以A是提到的改进之一。

B. 使用动物肥料来增加作物产量 - 文中提到“whose manure enhanced the barley yields the following year”，说明动物肥料被用来提高作物产量，因此B也是文中提到的改进。

C. 用大麦喂养动物 - 文章中虽然提到了喂养动物，但并未直接提及用大麦来喂养。实际上，文中提到的是用芜菁（turnips）来喂养动物，因此C选项并不是文中提到的农业实践改进。

D. 种植三叶草为土壤增加营养，提高未来作物产量 - 文中提到“growing clover helped to restore the fertility of the soil to ensure a good wheat harvest in the following year”，说明种植三叶草是为了提高土壤肥力和未来的作物产量，所以D也是提到的改进之一。

综上所述，C选项“用大麦喂养动物”是唯一一个没有在第三段中被提及作为农业实践改进的内容。

7.Select the TWO answer choices that, according to paragraph 3, were benefits of planting a turnip crop. To receive credit, you must select Two answer choices.

A.it could be grown on land that would not otherwise be useful.

B.lt reduced the need for frequent barley plantings.

C.lt allowed pasture lands to be converted into crop fields.

D.lt could be grown in fields together with clover.

【答案】A C

根据第三段，选择两个种植芜菁作物的好处。为了获得分数，你必须选择两个答案。

A. 它可以在本来无用的土地上种植。
C. 它允许将牧场转化为农田。

解释：

A选项正确，因为文中提到：“Turnips were grown on land that would otherwise have been left fallow.”（芜菁种植在原本会闲置的土地上。）这说明芜菁可以在那些原本不被利用或闲置的土地上种植，从而提高了土地的利用率。

C选项也正确，因为文中指出：“Feeding animals with turnips also meant that land used for pasture could instead be used to grow crops for human consumption.”（用芜菁喂养动物也意味着原本用于牧场的土地可以用来种植供人类消费的作物。）这表明种植芜菁可以将原本用于放牧的土地转化为农田，用于种植更多供人类食用的作物。

B选项不正确，因为文中没有提到芜菁的种植减少了频繁种植大麦的需要。

D选项也不正确，因为文中没有提及芜菁可以和三叶草一起在同一块田地里种植。

因此，根据第三段的描述，种植芜菁的两个好处是A和C选项。

Paragraph 4

By the end of the eighteenth century, however, there were signs that the European surge in agricultural productivity could no longer keep up with population growth. The problem was most noticeable in England,which had been more successful than other European countries in increasing food production and so had difficulty maintaining the pace it had set itself once the population expanded. During the first half of the century,England had exported grain to the rest of Europe; but after 1750 the growing population, and a succession of bad harvests, led to shortages and higher prices.

8.The author discusses England's agricultural productivity in paragraph 4 in order to

A.highlight England's continuing success in increasing food production

B.bring attention to the difficulty of providing adequate food for steadily increasing populations

C.defend the claim that England was Europe's largest exporter of grains

D.help explain why England charged higher prices for grain than the rest of Europe

【答案】B

在这段文字中，作者描述了18世纪末欧洲农业生产力的提升与人口增长之间的不平衡。特别强调了英格兰的情况，指出尽管该国在增加粮食生产方面取得了相对较大的成功，但随着人口的增加，它仍然面临着维持生产速度的困难。文中还提到，由于人口增长和连续的歉收，导致粮食短缺和价格上涨。

现在来分析选项：

A. 强调英格兰在增加粮食生产方面的持续成功：文中虽然提到英格兰在增加粮食生产上的成功，但这并不是段落的主要讨论点。作者更多的是在指出，即便有这样的成功，仍然面临挑战。

B. 引起人们对为持续增长的人口提供充足食物的困难的注意：这个选项与段落的主题相吻合。作者通过讨论英格兰的农业生产力，实际上是为了突出随着人口增长，提供足够食物所面临的挑战。

C. 捍卫英格兰是欧洲最大的谷物出口国的说法：文中没有提及英格兰是欧洲最大的谷物出口国，也未试图捍卫此观点。

D. 解释为什么英格兰的谷物价格高于欧洲其他国家：文中虽然提到了价格上涨，但并未将此作为重点讨论，也没有直接与欧洲其他国家进行比较。

综上所述，作者在第4段中讨论英格兰的农业生产力，主要是为了强调为持续增长的人口提供充足食物的困难。因此，正确答案是B。

9.Look at the four squares [▇] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?

Improved farming methods also played a role.

【答案】B

考虑到文章的结构和内容，我们需要找到一个合适的位置插入句子“Improved farming methods also played a role.”（改进的耕作方法也起到了作用。）

原文段落主要讨论了18世纪末欧洲农业生产力的提升与人口增长之间的不平衡，特别关注了英格兰的情况。在这个背景下，我们需要找到一个与“改进的耕作方法”相关，且能够逻辑上承接前后文的位置。

第一个方框前主要描述了欧洲农业生产力与人口增长的不平衡，这里插入关于改进耕作方法的句子可能显得突兀，因为它没有直接关联到前文的主题。

第二个方框前讨论了英格兰在增加粮食生产方面的成功和面临的困难，这里插入“改进的耕作方法也起到了作用”可以很好地衔接前文，说明英格兰之所以能在粮食生产上取得成功，部分原因是由于改进了耕作方法。

第三个方框和第四个方框分别位于描述人口增长和粮食短缺、价格上涨的句子之后，这里插入关于改进耕作方法的句子可能不太合适，因为它会打断对人口增长和粮食问题直接后果的叙述。

综合考虑，第二个方框前是插入“Improved farming methods also played a role.”的最佳位置。因为这里可以顺畅地引出英格兰在粮食生产上的成功部分归功于改进的耕作方法，同时也为后文讨论人口增长带来的挑战做了铺垫。

因此，该句子最适合放在第二个方框的位置。

10.Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some answer choices do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This questions is worth 2 points.Between 1650 and 1850, the population of Eurasia grew enormously, due in part to new foods from the Americas.

A.In China, the arrival of maize and sweet potatoes allowed food to grow where it could not before and, along with multiple cropping of rice, enabled food production to keep up with rapid population growth

B.Population in China grew at a much higher rate than in Europe, but because China continued steadily to increase its rice yields, food production there was better able to keep up with population increases
C.Improved farming techniques and more under cultivation helped increase European agricultural productivity but, by the end of the eighteenth century, it could no longer keep up with population growth

D.In Europe, the arrival of the potato and maize increased the food supply way beyond what was possible with traditional crops and resulted in healthier people, lower death rates, and higher birth rates
E.In northern Europe, traditional cereal grains, particularly wheat,continued to be important, but in southern Europe. where the population had almost doubled, maize had almost entirely replaced wheat.

F.The Norfolk rotation system made England the most successful European country in increasing food production, but eventually that system led to bad harvests and could no longer be used.

【答案】A C D

在给出的选项中，我们需要选择三个最能表达文章中重要思想的答案。

A. 在中国，玉米和红薯的引入使得食物能够在以前无法种植的地方生长，同时配合水稻的多重种植，使得食物生产能够跟上人口的快速增长。

这个选项描述了新食物引入对中国人口增长和食物生产的重要影响，是文章中的一个重要观点。

B. 中国的人口增长率远高于欧洲，但由于中国持续稳定地提高稻谷产量，其食物生产更能够跟上人口的增长。

虽然这个选项描述了中国的情况，但原文中并没有直接比较中国和欧洲的人口增长率，也没有明确指出中国食物生产跟上人口增长的主要原因是稻谷产量的提高。因此，这个选项可能不是文章的核心观点。

C. 改进的耕作技术和更多的耕地帮助提高了欧洲的农业生产力，但到18世纪末，它已经无法跟上人口的增长。

这个选项明确指出了欧洲农业生产力提高与人口增长之间的关系，并强调了到18世纪末，这种提高已经无法跟上人口的增长。这是文章中的一个重要观点。

D. 在欧洲，土豆和玉米的引入使得食物供应远远超过了传统农作物所能提供的，从而导致了更健康的人民、更低的死亡率和更高的出生率。

这个选项描述了新食物引入对欧洲人口和健康的重要影响，也是文章中的一个重要观点。

E. 在北欧，传统的谷物，特别是小麦，仍然很重要，但在人口几乎翻了一番的南欧，玉米几乎完全取代了小麦。

虽然这个选项提供了关于欧洲农作物种植的一些具体信息，但它更多地描述了一个地区性的现象，而不是文章的核心观点。

F. 诺福克轮作制使英国成为欧洲在增加粮食生产方面最成功的国家，但最终这个制度导致了歉收，无法再使用。

原文中并没有提到诺福克轮作制最终导致了歉收和无法再使用，这个选项与原文内容不符，因此不是文章的重要观点。

综上所述，选项A、C和D最能表达文章中的重要思想。因此，答案是A、C、D。