『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 10 Passage 3阅读练习：The word “meager” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 10 Passage 3阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 10 Passage 3阅读原文The word “meager” 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

Seventeenth-Century European Economic Growth

在16世纪末到17世纪，欧洲（经济）持续增长，使其摆脱了相对不太繁荣的中世纪时期（从5世纪中期到14世纪末）。

In the late sixteenth century and into the seventeenth, Europe continued the growth that had lifted it out of the relatively less prosperous medieval period (from the mid 400s to the late 1400s).

这一增长背后的关键因素是农业生产力的提高和贸易的扩张。

Among the key factors behind this growth were increased agricultural productivity and an expansion of trade.

除非农村经济能够生产足够的额外粮食来养活更多的人，否则人口就不会增长。

Populations cannot grow unless the rural economy can produce enough additional food to feed more people.

在16世纪，农民以牺牲森林和沼泽（低洼湿地）为代价，开垦了更多的土地来进行耕种。

During the sixteenth century, farmers brought more land into cultivation at the expense of forests and fens (low-lying wetlands).

16世纪和17世纪荷兰的土地开垦提供了农田扩张的最为惊人的例子：仅从1590年到1615年，荷兰人就开垦了超过36000英亩的土地。

Dutch land reclamation in the Netherlands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries provides the most spectacular example of the expansion of farmland: the Dutch reclaimed more than 36,000 acres from1590 to1615 alone.

欧洲经济发展的大部分潜力，在于那些乍看之下只是冷冷清清的村庄。

Much of the potential for European economic development lay in what at first glance would seem to have been only sleepy villages.

然而，这样的村庄通常位于农业生产相对发达的地区，那里不仅允许农民生存，而且还可以积累农业剩余用于投资。

Such villages, however, generally lay in regions of relatively advanced agricultural production, permitting not only the survival of peasants but also the accumulation of an agricultural surplus for investment.

他们可以接触城市商人、进入市场和使用贸易路线。

They had access to urban merchants, markets, and trade routes.

农业生产的增加反过来又促进了农村工业，这是工业扩张的内在部分之一。

Increased agricultural production in turn facilitated rural industry, an intrinsic part of the expansion of industry.

尤其是羊毛和纺织品制造商，利用农村平房（家庭式）生产，这些生产利用了廉价且充足的农村劳动力。

Woolens and textile manufacturers, in particular, utilized rural cottage (in-home) production, which took advantage of cheap and plentiful rural labor.

在德国各州，三十年战争（1618-1648）造成的破坏进一步促使纺织生产转移到了农村。

In the German states, the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) further moved textile production into the countryside.

贫穷的农民家庭成员在家中纺织布匹或编织布料和亚麻制品，来获取很少的报酬，试图以此补充微薄的家庭收入。

Members of poor peasant families spun or wove cloth and linens at home for scant remuneration in an attempt to supplement meager family income.

更广泛的贸易网络也帮助发展了这一时期的欧洲经济。

More extended trading networks also helped develop Europe’s economy in this period.

携带黑麦的英国和荷兰船只从波罗的海诸国抵达西班牙和葡萄牙。

English and Dutch ships carrying rye from the Baltic states reached Spain and Portugal.

人口增长导致了小规模制造业的扩张，尤其是英格兰、佛兰德斯、意大利北部部分地区、德国西南部各州和西班牙部分地区的手工艺品、纺织品和金属生产。

Population growth generated an expansion of small-scale manufacturing, particularly of handicrafts, textiles, and metal production in England, Flanders, parts of northern Italy, the southwestern German states, and parts of Spain.

只有炼铁和采矿需要大量的资本（为创造更多财富而进行的财富投资）。

Only iron smelting and mining required marshaling a significant amount of capital (wealth invested to create more wealth).

银行业和其他金融服务业的发展促进了贸易的扩张。

The development of banking and other financial services contributed to the expansion of trade.

到了16世纪中叶，金融家和贸易商普遍接受用汇票代替黄金或白银来换取其他商品。

By the middle of the sixteenth century, financiers and traders commonly accepted bills of exchange in place of gold or silver for other goods.

汇票起源于中世纪的意大利，是可以出售给第三方的本票（在特定日期前支付特定金额的书面承诺）。

Bills of exchange, which had their origins in medieval Italy, were promissory notes (written promises to pay a specified amount of money by a certain date) that could be sold to third parties.

在本世纪中叶，安特卫普的一位金融家声称：“没有汇票就不能进行贸易，就像航行不能没有水一样。”这句话仅是略微夸张了一点。

At mid-century, an Antwerp financier only slightly exaggerated when he claimed, “One can no more trade without bills of exchange than sail without water.”

商人不再需要携带黄金和白银进行漫长而危险的旅行。

Merchants no longer had to carry gold and silver over long, dangerous journeys.

阿姆斯特丹的商人从马赛的商人那里购买肥皂，可以去交易所向交易所支付等值的荷兰盾，荷兰盾是荷兰的货币。

An Amsterdam merchant purchasing soap from a merchant in Marseille could go to an exchanger and pay the exchanger the equivalent sum in guilders, the Dutch currency.

然后，交易所会向马赛的一位同事发送汇票，授权这位同事在实际进行货物交换后，用该商人自己的货币向马赛商人付款。

The exchanger would then send a bill of exchange to a colleague in Marseille, authorizing the colleague to pay the Marseille merchant in the merchant’s own currency after the actual exchange of goods had taken place.

随着交易所开始提供贷款，汇票便促进了银行的发展。

Bills of exchange contributed to the development of banks, as exchangers began to provide loans.

然而，直到18世纪，像阿姆斯特丹银行和英格兰银行这样的银行才开始为商业投资提供资本。

Not until the eighteenth century, however, did such banks as the Bank of Amsterdam and the Bank of England begin to provide capital for business investment.

它们的主要职能是为国家提供资金。

Their principal function was to provide funds for the state.

国际贸易的快速扩张也得益于资本的注入，这主要源于西班牙船只从美洲带来的黄金和白银。

The rapid expansion in international trade also benefitted from an infusion of capital, stemming largely from gold and silver brought by Spanish vessels from the Americas.

这些资本为整个欧洲和海外的商品生产、仓储、贸易甚至信贷提供了资金。

This capital financed the production of goods, storage, trade, and even credit across Europe and overseas.

此外，增加的信贷供应来自于银行家和富商对各州的投资和贷款，以及股份制合伙企业——这是英国的一项创新（第一家大公司始于1600年）。

Moreover, an increased credit supply was generated by investments and loans by bankers and wealthy merchants to states and by joint-stock partnerships– an English innovation (the first major company began in 1600).

与单一商业企业投资者之间的短期金融合作不同，股份制公司通过利用商人和其他购买公司股份的投资者的投资，提供永久性资本资金。

Unlike short-term financial cooperation between investors for a single commercial undertaking, joint-stock companies provided permanent funding of capital by drawing on the investments of merchants and other investors who purchased shares in the company.

According to paragraph 1, what was true of Europe during the medieval period?

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

According to paragraph 2, one effect of the desire to increase food production was that

According to paragraph 3, what was one reason villages had such great economic potential?

Paragraph 4 supports the idea that increased agricultural production was important for the expansion of industry primarily because it

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

Why does the author mention that “English and Dutch ships carrying rye from the Baltic states reached Spain and Portugal”?

By including the quotation in paragraph 6 by the financier from Antwerp, the author is emphasizing that

According to paragraph 6, merchants were able to avoid the risk of carrying large amounts of gold and silver by

According to paragraph 7, until the eighteenth century, it was the principal function of which of the following to provide funds for the state

The phrase “an English innovation” in the passage is closest in meaning to

According to paragraph 8, each of the following was a source of funds used to finance economic expansion EXCEPT

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. They could also avoid having to identify and assess the value of a wide variety of coins issued in many different places.  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.

Seventeenth-Century European Economic Growth In the late sixteenth century and into the seventeenth, Europe continued the growth that had lifted it out of the relatively less prosperous medieval period (from the mid 400s to the late 1400s). Among the key factors behind this growth were increased agricultural productivity and an expansion of trade. Populations cannot grow unless the rural economy can produce enough additional food to feed more people. During the sixteenth century, farmers brought more land into cultivation at the expense of forests and fens (low-lying wetlands). Dutch land reclamation in the Netherlands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries provides the most spectacular example of the expansion of farmland: the Dutch reclaimed more than 36,000 acres from 1590 to 1615 alone. Much of the potential for European economic development lay in what at first glance would seem to have been only sleepy villages. Such villages, however, generally lay in regions of relatively advanced agricultural production, permitting not only the survival of peasants but also the accumulation of an agricultural surplus for investment. They had access to urban merchants, markets, and trade routes. Increased agricultural production in turn facilitated rural industry, an intrinsic part of the expansion of industry. Woolens and textile manufacturers, in particular, utilized rural cottage (in-home) production, which took advantage of cheap and plentiful rural labor. In the German states, the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) further moved textile production into the countryside. Members of poor peasant families spun or wove cloth and linens at home for scant remuneration in an attempt to supplement meager family income. More extended trading networks also helped develop Europe’s economy in this period. English and Dutch ships carrying rye from the Baltic states reached Spain and Portugal. Population growth generated an expansion of small-scale manufacturing, particularly of handicrafts, textiles, and metal production in England, Flanders, parts of northern Italy, the southwestern German states, and parts of Spain. Only iron smelting and mining required marshaling a significant amount of capital (wealth invested to create more wealth). The development of banking and other financial services contributed to the expansion of trade. By the middle of the sixteenth century, financiers and traders commonly accepted bills of exchange in place of gold or silver for other goods. Bills of exchange, which had their origins in medieval Italy, were promissory notes (written promises to pay a specified amount of money by a certain date) that could be sold to third parties. In this way, they provided credit.  At mid-century, an Antwerp financier only slightly exaggerated when he claimed, “One can no more trade without bills of exchange than sail without water.”  Merchants no longer had to carry gold and silver over long, dangerous journeys.  An Amsterdam merchant purchasing soap from a merchant in Marseille could go to an exchanger and pay the exchanger the equivalent sum in guilders, the Dutch currency.  The exchanger would then send a bill of exchange to a colleague in Marseille, authorizing the colleague to pay the Marseille merchant in the merchant’s own currency after the actual exchange of goods had taken place. Bills of exchange contributed to the development of banks, as exchangers began to provide loans. Not until the eighteenth century, however, did such banks as the Bank of Amsterdam and the Bank of England begin to provide capital for business investment. Their principal function was to provide funds for the state. The rapid expansion in international trade also benefitted from an infusion of capital, stemming largely from gold and silver brought by Spanish vessels from the Americas. This capital financed the production of goods, storage, trade, and even credit across Europe and overseas. Moreover, an increased credit supply was generated by investments and loans by bankers and wealthy merchants to states and by joint-stock partnerships–an English innovation (the first major company began in 1600). Unlike short-term financial cooperation between investors for a single commercial undertaking, joint-stock companies provided permanent funding of capital by drawing on the investments of merchants and other investors who purchased shares in the company.