『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 34 Passage 2阅读练习：The word “indispensable” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 34 Passage 2阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 34 Passage 2阅读原文The word “indispensable” in the passage is closest in meaning to题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

到18世纪，英国已经出现了严重的能源短缺。

By the eighteenth century, Britain was experiencing a severe shortage of energy.

人口的增长让中世纪英国的大部分大森林很久以前就被谷物和干草地取代。

Because of the growth of population, most of the great forests of medieval Britain had long ago been replaced by fields of grain and hay.

木材的供应量越来越少，但木材资源仍然非常重要。

Wood was in ever-shorter supply, yet it remained tremendously important.

它是所有家庭和工业的主要热源，也是基本原料。

It served as the primary source of heat for all homes and industries and as a basic raw material.

经过处理的木材（木炭）是在高炉中与铁矿石混合以生产生铁的燃料。

Processed wood (charcoal) was the fuel that was mixed with iron ore in the blast furnace to produce pig iron (raw iron).

钢铁行业对木材的需求很大，到1740年，英国钢铁行业停滞不前。

The iron industry’s appetite for wood was enormous, and by 1740 the British iron industry was stagnating.

广阔的森林使俄罗斯成为世界主要的铁生产国，其中大部分出口到了英国。

Vast forests enabled Russia to become the world’s leading producer of iron, much of which was exported to Britain.

但是俄罗斯的钢铁生产增长潜力也很有限。并且在几十年内，俄罗斯将面临能源不足的问题，这已经使英国陷入困境。

But Russia’s potential for growth was limited too, and in a few decades Russia would reach the barrier of inadequate energy that was already holding England back.

随着能源危机的加剧，英国将其丰富而分散的煤炭储量视为消失木材的替代品。

As this early energy crisis grew worse, Britain looked toward its abundant and widely scattered reserves of coal as an alternative to its vanishing wood.

煤在中世纪晚期首先在英国用作加热能源。

Coal was first used in Britain in the late Middle Ages as a source of heat.

到1640年，伦敦的大多数房屋都由煤炭供暖，并且还用煤炭制造啤酒、玻璃、肥皂和其他产品。

By 1640 most homes in London were heated with it, and it also provided heat for making beer, glass, soap, and other products.

但是，英国人没有使用煤炭来产生机械能或驱动机器。

Coal was not used, however, to produce mechanical energy or to power machinery.

在这方面，煤炭的潜力是巨大的。

It was there that coal’s potential was enormous.

随着煤炭的大量生产，矿井被挖得越来越深，并不断被注满水。

As more coal was produced, mines were dug deeper and deeper and were constantly filling with water.

要抽水，必须安装抽水泵，而这种抽水泵通常由几百匹马在地面上盘旋行走来供能。

Mechanical pumps, usually powered by hundreds of horses walking in circles at the surface, had to be installed.

为了克服这些缺点，托马斯·萨维里在1698年和托马斯·纽科门在1705年发明了第一台原始蒸汽机。

In an attempt to overcome these disadvantages, Thomas Savery in 1698 and Thomas Newcomen in 1705 invented the first primitive steam engines.

两者都燃烧煤产生蒸汽，然后将其用于操作泵。

Both burned coal to produce steam, which was then used to operate a pump.

但是，到1770年代初，许多Savery发动机和成百上千的Newcomen发动机在英国和苏格兰的煤矿中成功运行，尽管效率依然很低。

However, by the early 1770s, many of the Savery engines and hundreds of the Newcomen engines were operating successfully, though inefficiently, in English and Scottish mines.

在1760年代初期，一位名叫詹姆斯·瓦特（James Watt）的才华横溢的年轻苏格兰人开始对蒸汽机进行关键性的研究。

In the early 1760s, a gifted young Scot named James Watt was drawn to a critical study of the steam engine.

瓦特当时在格拉斯哥大学受雇为制作科学仪器的熟练手工艺人。

Watt was employed at the time by the University of Glasgow as a skilled crafts worker making scientific instruments.

1763年，瓦特被要求修理物理课程中使用的Newcomen发动机。

In 1763, Watt was called on to repair a Newcomen engine being used in a physics course.

经过一系列观察，瓦特发现，可以通过添加一个单独的冷凝器来减少Newcomen蒸汽机的能源浪费。

After a series of observations, Watt saw that the Newcomen’s waste of energy could be reduced by adding a separate condenser.

这项出色的发明于1769年获得专利，并大大提高了蒸汽机的效率。

This splendid invention, patented in 1769, greatly increased the efficiency of the steam engine.

瓦特及其追随者的蒸汽机是一项巨大的技术进步，它至少在一段时间内为人们提供了无限的动力，并让人们可以发明和使用各种动力设备。

The steam engine of Watt and his followers was the technological advance that gave people, at least for a while, unlimited power and allowed the invention and use of all kinds of power equipment.

蒸汽机很快在英国的多个行业投入使用。

The steam engine was quickly put to use in several industries in Britain.

它排干了矿井，使生产更多的煤炭成为可能，而更多的煤炭又进一步为其他地区的蒸汽机提供能源。

It drained mines and made possible the production of ever more coal to feed steam engines elsewhere.

18世纪80年代，蒸汽发电厂开始取代棉纺厂以及其他行业的水力发电，从而推动了工业化的显着增长。

The steam power plant began to replace waterpower in the cotton-spinning mills as well as other industries during the 1780s, contributing to a phenomenal rise in industrialization.

英国的钢铁业发生了根本性的转变。

The British iron industry was radically transformed.

1770年以后，在高炉中使用强大的，由蒸汽驱动的鼓风炉帮助炼铁厂在冶炼生铁（精炼不纯铁的过程），在此过程中所使用的能源从有限的木炭迅速转变为无限的焦炭（由煤制成）。

The use of powerful, steam-driven bellows in blast furnaces helped iron makers switch over rapidly from limited charcoal to unlimited coke (which is made from coal) in the smelting of pig iron (the process of refining impure iron) after 1770.

1780年代，亨利·科特（Henry Cort）开发了水坑炉，使生铁依次用焦炭精炼。

In the 1780s, Henry Cort developed the puddling furnace, which allowed pig iron to be refined in turn with coke.

科特还开发了重型、蒸汽驱动的轧机，能够生产各种形状和格式的成品铁。

Cort also developed heavy-duty, steam-powered rolling mills, which were capable of producing finished iron in every shape and form.

这些蒸汽动力技术创新的经济方面的影响是英国钢铁业的繁荣。

The economic consequence of these technical innovations in steam power was a great boom in the British iron industry.

1740年，英国的年铁产量仅为17,000吨，但是到1844年，由于焦炭冶炼的普及以及科特的发明，铁产量增加到了3,000,000吨。

In 1740 annual British iron production was only 17,000 tons, but by 1844, with the spread of coke smelting and the impact of Cort’s inventions, it had increased to 3,000,000 tons.

曾经稀缺和昂贵的铁变得便宜，基础且对经济来说不可或缺。

Once scarce and expensive, iron became cheap, basic, and indispensable to the economy.

What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about Britain’s short supply of wood in the eighteenth century?

Select the TWO answer choices that, according to paragraph 1, are true statements about Russia’s iron industry in the eighteenth century. To obtain credit, you must select TWO answer choices.

Why are “beer, glass, soap, and other products” mentioned in the discussion of Britain’s energy?

According to paragraph 4, what was James Watt’s major achievement?

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 5 as a development that greatly changed the production of iron?

In paragraph 6, why does the author compare British iron production in 1740 with that of 1844?

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

According to the passage, which of the following is true about the development of steam power?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Energy had not been a problem for Britain in the past because it relied on a rich source of energy: its vast forests.  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.

The Development of Steam Power By the eighteenth century, Britain was experiencing a severe shortage of energy.  Because of the growth of population, most of the great forests of medieval Britain had long ago been replaced by fields of grain and hay.  Wood was in ever-shorter supply, yet it remained tremendously important.  It served as the primary source of heat for all homes and industries and as a basic raw material.  Processed wood (charcoal) was the fuel that was mixed with iron ore in the blast furnace to produce pig iron (raw iron). The iron industry’s appetite for wood was enormous, and by 1740 the British iron industry was stagnating. Vast forests enabled Russia to become the world’s leading producer of iron, much of which was exported to Britain. But Russia’s potential for growth was limited too, and in a few decades Russia would reach the barrier of inadequate energy that was already holding England back. As this early energy crisis grew worse, Britain looked toward its abundant and widely scattered reserves of coal as an alternative to its vanishing wood. Coal was first used in Britain in the late Middle Ages as a source of heat. By 1640 most homes in London were heated with it, and it also provided heat for making beer, glass, soap, and other products. Coal was not used, however, to produce mechanical energy or to power machinery. It was there that coal’s potential was enormous. As more coal was produced, mines were dug deeper and deeper and were constantly filling with water. Mechanical pumps, usually powered by hundreds of horses walking in circles at the surface, had to be installed. Such power was expensive and bothersome. In an attempt to overcome these disadvantages, Thomas Savery in 1698 and Thomas Newcomen in 1705 invented the first primitive steam engines. Both engines were extremely inefficient. Both burned coal to produce steam, which was then used to operate a pump. However, by the early 1770s, many of the Savery engines and hundreds of the Newcomen engines were operating successfully, though inefficiently, in English and Scottish mines. In the early 1760s, a gifted young Scot named James Watt was drawn to a critical study of the steam engine. Watt was employed at the time by the University of Glasgow as a skilled crafts worker making scientific instruments. In 1763, Watt was called on to repair a Newcomen engine being used in a physics course. After a series of observations, Watt saw that the Newcomen’s waste of energy could be reduced by adding a separate condenser. This splendid invention, patented in 1769, greatly increased the efficiency of the steam engine. The steam engine of Watt and his followers was the technological advance that gave people, at least for a while, unlimited power and allowed the invention and use of all kinds of power equipment. The steam engine was quickly put to use in several industries in Britain. It drained mines and made possible the production of ever more coal to feed steam engines elsewhere. The steam power plant began to replace waterpower in the cotton-spinning mills as well as other industries during the 1780s, contributing to a phenomenal rise in industrialization. The British iron industry was radically transformed. The use of powerful, steam-driven bellows in blast furnaces helped iron makers switch over rapidly from limited charcoal to unlimited coke (which is made from coal) in the smelting of pig iron (the process of refining impure iron) after 1770. In the 1780s, Henry Cort developed the puddling furnace, which allowed pig iron to be refined in turn with coke. Cort also developed heavy-duty, steam-powered rolling mills, which were capable of producing finished iron in every shape and form. The economic consequence of these technical innovations in steam power was a great boom in the British iron industry. In 1740 annual British iron production was only 17,000 tons, but by 1844, with the spread of coke smelting and the impact of Cort’s inventions, it had increased to 3,000,000 tons. This was a truly amazing expansion. Once scarce and expensive, iron became cheap, basic, and indispensable to the economy.