『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 37 Passage 3阅读练习：According to paragraph 4, why were terra-cotta tiles used in buildings with steel beams?真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 37 Passage 3阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 37 Passage 3阅读原文According to paragraph 4, why were terra-cotta tiles used in buildings with steel beams?题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

在19世纪末，美国基本上有两种建筑。

At the end of the nineteenth century, there were basically two kinds of buildings in the United States.

一种是为富人或市民建造的建筑，往往与过去的建筑风格相呼应，并使用传统风格的装饰。

On one hand were the buildings produced for the wealthy or for civic purposes, which tended to echo the architecture of the past and to use traditional styles of ornamentation.

另一种是纯粹的实用主义建筑，如工厂和谷仓，它们以不加装饰和朴实的方式使用钢梁和平板玻璃等现代材料。

On the other hand were purely utilitarian structures, such as factories and grain elevators, which employed modern materials such as steel girders and plate glass in an undisguised and unadorned manner.

然而，这样的建筑被视为与“精致”建筑不同，而且实际上它们通常是由工程师和建筑商设计的，而不是建筑师。

Such buildings, however, were viewed in a category separate from “fine” architecture, and in fact were often designed by engineers and builders rather than architects.

现代建筑的发展在很大程度上可以看作是对这种功能性建筑及其在日常生活中广泛应用的一种适应。

The development of modern architecture might in large part be seen as an adaptation of this sort of functional building and its pervasive application for daily use.

事实上，瑞士建筑师勒·柯布西耶（Le Corbusier）在他颇有影响力的《迈向新建筑》（Toward a New Architecture）一书中，用美国工厂和粮仓的照片，以及船舶、飞机和其他工业物品的照片来阐释他的内容。

Indeed, in his influential book Toward a New Architecture, the Swiss architect Le Corbusier illustrated his text with photographs of American factories and grain storage silos, as well as ships, airplanes, and other industrial objects.

尽管如此，现代建筑师并不是简单地以一种严格实用的方式来使用这些新材料——他们有意识地利用它们美学上的可能性。

Nonetheless, modern architects did not simply employ these new materials in a strictly practical fashion—they consciously exploited their aesthetic possibilities.

例如，玻璃可以用来打开墙壁，淘汰掉石头和砖石，因为大空间现在可以用钢梁来跨越。

For example, glass could be used to open up walls and eliminate their stone and brick masonry because large spaces could now be spanned with steel beams.

现代建筑的基本前提是，建筑的外观应该展示其材料的性质和物理支撑的形态。

The fundamental premise of modern architecture was that the appearance of the building should exhibit the nature of its materials and forms of physical support.

从传统的角度来看，这常常会导致一些奇怪的效果，但正是因为这个原因，这些效果成为了现代建筑的标志。

This often led to effects that looked odd from a traditional standpoint but that became hallmarks of modern architecture for precisely this reason.

例如，在传统建筑中，石头或砖墙起着结构的作用，但在钢梁建筑中，墙壁基本上是悬挂在钢梁的内部骨架上，这意味着墙壁和角落不再需要是坚固的，而可以以意想不到的方式打开。

For example, in traditional architecture, stone or brick walls served a structural role, but in a steel-beam building the walls were essentially hung from the internal skeleton of steel beams, which meant that walls and corners no longer needed to be solid but could be opened up in unexpected ways.

例如，在德国法格斯鞋厂，德国建筑师沃尔特·格罗皮乌斯（Walter Gropius）在角落里放置了玻璃墙，有效地打破了传统建筑的桎梏，创造了一种新的光感和开放感。

At the Fagus shoe factory in Germany, for example, German architect Walter Gropius placed glass walls in the corners, effectively breaking open the box of traditional architecture and creating a new sense of light and openness.

类似地，钢梁可以用来建造阳台，从建筑中向外突出，没有任何支撑。

Similarly, steel beams could be used to construct balconies that projected out from the building without any support beneath them.

这些引人注目的阳台很快成为弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特（Frank Lloyd Wright）等现代建筑师的标志。

These dramatic balconies quickly became a signature of modern architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright.

莱特最引人注目的住宅是落水别墅，它的阳台伸入小溪之上，远远超出了地心引力的范围。

Wright’s most dramatic residence, Fallingwater, has balconies that thrust far out over a stream in a way that seems to defy gravity.

新技术改变建筑设计的方式通过高层办公楼的演变得到了夸张的展示。

The ways in which new technology transformed architectural design are dramatically illustrated through the evolution of the high-rise office building.

10层或12层之后，砌体结构达到了最高可能高度，因为它遇到了挤压和抗风剪切侧向强度不足的困难。

After ten or twelve stories, masonry construction reaches a maximum possible height, since it runs into difficulties of compression and of inadequate lateral strength to combat wind shear.

另一方面，钢结构可以毫不费力地支撑50层或100层的建筑。

Steel construction, on the other hand, can support a building of 50 or 100 stories without difficulty.

这些建筑与以往任何一种建筑形式都截然不同，因此它们很快获得了一个新名字——摩天大楼。

Such buildings were so different from any previous form of architecture that they quickly acquired a new name—the skyscraper.

从房地产开发商的角度来看，摩天大楼的目的是在有价值的城市地段增加出租空间。

From the standpoint of real estate developers, the purpose of skyscrapers was to increase rental space in valuable urban locations.

但是，要建造可用的高层建筑，需要解决许多技术挑战。

But to create usable high-rise buildings, a number of technical challenges needed to be solved.

一个问题是要把人送到楼上去，因为爬五六层楼梯会让人筋疲力尽。

One problem was getting people to the upper floors, since after five or six stories it becomes exhausting to climb stairs.

由艾丽师·格雷福斯·奥的斯（Elish Graves Otis）在1853年（摩天大楼建造前的几十年）引进的货运电梯的更新和电气化版本解决了这个问题。

Updated and electrified versions of the freight elevator that had been introduced by Elish Graves Otis in 1853 (several decades before skyscraper construction) solved this problem.

金属支撑的建筑物在火灾中变软，并很快倒塌。

The metal supporting buildings became soft when exposed to fire and collapsed relatively quickly.

（它们可以在2700华氏度融化，而大型火灾的温度可达到3000华氏度）。

(They could melt at 2,700 Fahrenheit, whereas major fires achieve temperatures of 3,000 degrees).

然而，当金属包裹在阻燃材料中时，其防火脆弱性大大降低。

However, when the metal is encased in fire-retardant materials, its vulnerability to fire is much decreased.

在芝加哥，人们发明了一种用类似砖的赤陶制成的空心瓦片包围金属部件的构造。

In Chicago, a system was developed for surrounding the metal components with hollow tiles made from brick-like terra-cotta.

陶土砖既可以用来包裹支撑构件，也可以用作地板。

The terra-cotta tiles were used both to encase the supporting members and as flooring.

用陶土砖保护的钢梁结构仍然比用砖石结构的同等大小的建筑轻三倍，所以砖的重量不是问题。

A structure built with steel beams protected by terra-cotta tiles was still three times lighter than a comparably sized building that used masonry construction, so the weight of the tiles was not a problem.

The word “pervasive” in the passage is closest in meaning to

The word “eliminate” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Why does the author mention that Le Corbusier included “photographs of American factories and grain storage silos, as well as ships, airplanes, and other industrial objects” in Toward a New Architecture?

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as distinguishing the two kinds of buildings in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century?

The word “exhibit” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that all of the following features of modern architecture seemed odd from the standpoint of traditional architecture EXCEPT

According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of steel-frame buildings?

The phrase “impervious to” in the passage is closest in meaning to

According to paragraph 4, who benefited from solving problems associated with skyscraper construction?

In paragraph 4, the author provides information about the melting point of metal in order to

According to paragraph 4, why were terra-cotta tiles used in buildings with steel beams?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Even the air space within the tiles served to insulate the metal from the heat of fire.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

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 sentences 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 question is worth 2 points.

Modern Architecture in the United States At the end of the nineteenth century, there were basically two kinds of buildings in the United States. On one hand were the buildings produced for the wealthy or for civic purposes, which tended to echo the architecture of the past and to use traditional styles of ornamentation. On the other hand were purely utilitarian structures, such as factories and grain elevators, which employed modern materials such as steel girders and plate glass in an undisguised and unadorned manner. Such buildings, however, were viewed in a category separate from “fine” architecture, and in fact were often designed by engineers and builders rather than architects. The development of modern architecture might in large part be seen as an adaptation of this sort of functional building and its pervasive application for daily use. Indeed, in his influential book Toward a New Architecture, the Swiss architect Le Corbusier illustrated his text with photographs of American factories and grain storage silos, as well as ships, airplanes, and other industrial objects. Nonetheless, modern architects did not simply employ these new materials in a strictly practical fashion—they consciously exploited their aesthetic possibilities. For example, glass could be used to open up walls and eliminate their stone and brick masonry because large spaces could now be spanned with steel beams. The fundamental premise of modern architecture was that the appearance of the building should exhibit the nature of its materials and forms of physical support. This often led to effects that looked odd from a traditional standpoint but that became hallmarks of modern architecture for precisely this reason. For example, in traditional architecture, stone or brick walls served a structural role, but in a steel-beam building the walls were essentially hung from the internal skeleton of steel beams, which meant that walls and corners no longer needed to be solid but could be opened up in unexpected ways. At the Fagus shoe factory in Germany, for example, German architect Walter Gropius placed glass walls in the corners, effectively breaking open the box of traditional architecture and creating a new sense of light and openness. Similarly, steel beams could be used to construct balconies that projected out from the building without any support beneath them. These dramatic balconies quickly became a signature of modern architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright’s most dramatic residence, Fallingwater, has balconies that thrust far out over a stream in a way that seems to defy gravity. The ways in which new technology transformed architectural design are dramatically illustrated through the evolution of the high-rise office building. After ten or twelve stories, masonry construction reaches a maximum possible height, since it runs into difficulties of compression and of inadequate lateral strength to combat wind shear. Steel construction, on the other hand, can support a building of 50 or 100 stories without difficulty. Such buildings were so different from any previous form of architecture that they quickly acquired a new name—the skyscraper. From the standpoint of real estate developers, the purpose of skyscrapers was to increase rental space in valuable urban locations. But to create usable high-rise buildings, a number of technical challenges needed to be solved. One problem was getting people to the upper floors, since after five or six stories it becomes exhausting to climb stairs. Updated and electrified versions of the freight elevator that had been introduced by Elish Graves Otis in 1853 (several decades before skyscraper construction) solved this problem. Another issue was fire safety. The metal supporting buildings became soft when exposed to fire and collapsed relatively quickly. (They could melt at 2,700 Fahrenheit, whereas major fires achieve temperatures of 3,000 degrees). However, when the metal is encased in fire-retardant materials, its vulnerability to fire is much decreased.  In Chicago, a system was developed for surrounding the metal components with hollow tiles made from brick-like terra-cotta.  Such tiles are impervious to fire.  The terra-cotta tiles were used both to encase the supporting members and as flooring.  A structure built with steel beams protected by terra-cotta tiles was still three times lighter than a comparably sized building that used masonry construction, so the weight of the tiles was not a problem.