『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 20 Passage 1阅读练习：The word “proliferation” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 20 Passage 1阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 20 Passage 1阅读原文The word “proliferation” 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

美国人口西进运动的故事基本上就是美国农业扩张的故事，即一场开拓新土地用以饲养牲畜并种植小麦、玉米、烟草和棉花的运动。

The story of the westward movement of population in the United States is, in the main, the story of the expansion of American agriculture—of the development of new areas for the raising of livestock and the cultivation of wheat, corn, tobacco, and cotton.

1815年后，运输系统的改善使得越来越多的西部农民摆脱了自给自足的生活方式并参与到国家市场经济之中。

After 1815 improved transportation enabled more and more western farmers to escape a self-sufficient way of life and enter a national market economy.

在物价较高的年代，西迁速度的增长引人注目。

During periods when commodity prices were high, the rate of westward migration increased spectacularly.

“看起来旧美国正在瓦解并向西发展。”一位英国游客于1817年如此评论道，当时正值第一波迁移浪潮。

“Old America seemed to be breaking up and moving westward,” observed an English visitor in 1817, during the first great wave of migration.

西进运动于十九世纪三十年代达到顶峰。

Emigration to the West reached a peak in the 1830’s.

然而在1810年，仅有七分之一的美国人生活在阿巴拉契亚山脉以西，但到了1840年这一数字超过了三分之一。

Whereas in 1810 only a seventh of the American people lived west of the Appalachian Mountains, by 1840 more than a third lived there.

这数十万的移居者（大多数是农民，有些是工匠）为何会远离东部已经开垦好的田地和建立好的城市和乡村呢？

Why were these hundreds of thousands of settlers—most of them farmers, some of them artisans—drawn away from the cleared fields and established cities and villages of the East?

美国社会的某些特质有助于解释这一举世注目的迁移运动。

Certain characteristics of American society help to explain this remarkable migration.

有些美国人的欧洲祖先会在同一个村落或同一块土地上扎根数百年，直到宗教、政治或经济危机才会迫使他们背井离乡并跨越大西洋。

The European ancestors of some Americans had for centuries lived rooted to the same village or piece of land until some religious, political, or economic crisis uprooted them and drove them across the Atlantic.

在经历过这场巨变后，很多人都失去了那个把他们祖先束缚于一个地方的纽带。

Many of those who experienced this sharp break thereafter lacked the ties that had bound them and their ancestors to a single place.

此外，欧洲社会阶层相对分明，职业和社会地位也是传承的。

Moreover, European society was relatively stratified; occupation and social status were inherited.

然而在美国社会，阶级结构没并没有如此严格，一些人可以轻松地变换职业，并认为提升社会和经济地位是他们的职责。

In American society, however, the class structure was less rigid; some people changed occupations easily and believed it was their duty to improve their social and economic position.

因此很多美国人在骨子里就是不安于现状、无所寄托且雄心勃勃的人。

As a result, many Americans were an inveterately restless, rootless, and ambitious people.

因此这些社会特质有助于造就那些越过定居地边缘并向西推进的勇敢的游牧开拓者。

Therefore, these social traits helped to produce the nomadic and daring settlers who kept pushing westward beyond the fringes of settlement.

另外，还有一些移民西迁是为了寻找新的家园，寻求物质上的成功，并过上更好的生活。

In addition, there were other immigrants who migrated west in search of new homes, material success, and better lives.

对于在布满岩石且贫瘠的土地上耕作的新英格兰农民和饱受土壤损耗和流失折磨的东南部农民来说，西部有很多诱人的地方：冲积河床、起伏林地下的沃土、大草原上的黑土地。

The West had plenty of attractions: the alluvial river bottoms, the fecund soils of the rolling forest lands, the black loams of the prairies were tempting to New England farmers working their rocky, sterile land and to southeastern farmers plagued with soil depletion and erosion.

根据1820年的新土地法，100美元就可以买下一个农场。

In 1820 under a new land law, a farm could be bought for $100.

银行的持续扩张使得那些没有现金的人更容易取得贷款。

The continued proliferation of banks made it easier for those without cash to negotiate loans in paper money.

西部农民在贷款时都信心满满地期待着经济的发展会使农场的价格持续走高，因此到期偿还贷款就会比较容易。

Western farmers borrowed with the confident expectation that the expanding economy would keep farm prices high, thus making it easy to repay loans when they fell due.

对于那些想要西迁的人以及拥有过剩农产品可以供给市场的人来说，交通也不算什么问题。

Transportation was becoming less of a problem for those who wished to move west and for those who had farm surpluses to send to market.

1815年以前，那些远离通航水道的西部农民只能通过土路和山道前往市场。

Prior to 1815, western farmers who did not live on navigable waterways were connected to them only by dirt roads and mountain trails.

家畜可以用来穿越群山，但是以这种方式运输大量谷物的成本比这些谷物在东部市场上的价格贵好几倍。

Livestock could be driven across the mountains, but the cost of transporting bulky grains in this fashion was several times greater than their value in eastern markets.

收费高速公路的建设是改善西部交通的第一步。

The first step toward an improvement of western transportation was the construction of turnpikes.

这些公路使得降低运输成本成为可能，并因此刺激了沿途农业的商业化。

These roads made possible a reduction in transportation costs and thus stimulated the commercialization of agriculture along their routes.

另外两个发展预示着收费高速公路时代的终结，并开启了一场运输革命，从而导致了地区专业化的增强以及国家市场经济的发展。

Two other developments presaged the end of the era of turnpikes and started a transportation revolution that resulted in increased regional specialization and the growth of a national market economy.

首先是蒸汽船，尽管平底船和龙骨船直到十九世纪五十年代之前一直是重要的交通工具，但蒸汽船最终取代了所有其它的船只来运送乘客和货物。

First came the steamboat; although flatboats and keelboats continued to be important until the 1850’s, steamboats eventually superseded all other craft in the carrying of passengers and freight.

蒸汽船不仅速度快，而且向上游运输货物的成本大约是此前用手划龙骨船的十分之一。

Steamboats were not only faster but also transported upriver freight for about one tenth of what it had previously cost on hand-propelled keelboats.

其次是伊利运河，它在当时是一项庞大的工程，跨越了约350英里。

Next came the Erie Canal, an enormous project in its day, spanning about 350 miles.

在运河投入运营之后，从水牛城向纽约运输一吨货物的成本从每英里20美分下降到了不到1美分。

After the canal went into operation, the cost per mile of transporting a ton of freight from Buffalo to New York City declined from nearly 20 cents to less than 1 cent.

西部各州最终将大量农产品从水路转到了伊利运河这条通往东部市场的捷径上来。

Eventually, the western states diverted much of their produce from the rivers to the Erie Canal, a shorter route to eastern markets.

What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about western farmers prior to 1815?

What is the purpose of the statement, “Whereas in 1810 only a seventh of the American people lived west of the Appalachian Mountains, by 1840 more than a third lived there.”?

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

According to paragraph 2, all of the following are reasons why Americans migrated westward EXCEPT

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.

According to paragraph 3, what was the significance of the land law passed in 1820?

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

Paragraph 4 suggests that turnpikes affected farmers by

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

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

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 5 about flatboats and keelboats?

Paragraph 5 mentions that the Erie Canal led to a reduction in all of the following EXCEPT

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. In fact, goods could be shipped more cheaply across the much greater distance of the Atlantic Ocean than they could from western New York to coastal cities.  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.

Westward Migration The story of the westward movement of population in the United States is, in the main, the story of the expansion of American agriculture—of the development of new areas for the raising of livestock and the cultivation of wheat, corn, tobacco, and cotton. After 1815 improved transportation enabled more and more western farmers to escape a self-sufficient way of life and enter a national market economy. During periods when commodity prices were high, the rate of westward migration increased spectacularly. “Old America seemed to be breaking up and moving westward,” observed an English visitor in 1817, during the first great wave of migration. Emigration to the West reached a peak in the 1830’s. Whereas in 1810 only a seventh of the American people lived west of the Appalachian Mountains, by 1840 more than a third lived there. Why were these hundreds of thousands of settlers—most of them farmers, some of them artisans—drawn away from the cleared fields and established cities and villages of the East? Certain characteristics of American society help to explain this remarkable migration. The European ancestors of some Americans had for centuries lived rooted to the same village or piece of land until some religious, political, or economic crisis uprooted them and drove them across the Atlantic. Many of those who experienced this sharp break thereafter lacked the ties that had bound them and their ancestors to a single place. Moreover, European society was relatively stratified; occupation and social status were inherited. In American society, however, the class structure was less rigid; some people changed occupations easily and believed it was their duty to improve their social and economic position. As a result, many Americans were an inveterately restless, rootless, and ambitious people. Therefore, these social traits helped to produce the nomadic and daring settlers who kept pushing westward beyond the fringes of settlement. In addition, there were other immigrants who migrated west in search of new homes, material success, and better lives. The West had plenty of attractions: the alluvial river bottoms, the fecund soils of the rolling forest lands, the black loams of the prairies were tempting to New England farmers working their rocky, sterile land and to southeastern farmers plagued with soil depletion and erosion. In 1820 under a new land law, a farm could be bought for $100. The continued proliferation of banks made it easier for those without cash to negotiate loans in paper money. Western farmers borrowed with the confident expectation that the expanding economy would keep farm prices high, thus making it easy to repay loans when they fell due. Transportation was becoming less of a problem for those who wished to move west and for those who had farm surpluses to send to market.  Prior to 1815, western farmers who did not live on navigable waterways were connected to them only by dirt roads and mountain trails.  Livestock could be driven across the mountains, but the cost of transporting bulky grains in this fashion was several times greater than their value in eastern markets.  The first step toward an improvement of western transportation was the construction of turnpikes.  These roads made possible a reduction in transportation costs and thus stimulated the commercialization of agriculture along their routes. Two other developments presaged the end of the era of turnpikes and started a transportation revolution that resulted in increased regional specialization and the growth of a national market economy. First came the steamboat; although flatboats and keelboats continued to be important until the 1850’s, steamboats eventually superseded all other craft in the carrying of passengers and freight. Steamboats were not only faster but also transported upriver freight for about one tenth of what it had previously cost on hand-propelled keelboats. Next came the Erie Canal, an enormous project in its day, spanning about 350 miles. After the canal went into operation, the cost per mile of transporting a ton of freight from Buffalo to New York City declined from nearly 20 cents to less than 1 cent. Eventually, the western states diverted much of their produce from the rivers to the Erie Canal, a shorter route to eastern markets.