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28 托福 托福阅读·考前刷题
0911 班
第 5 次课前作业
时间 安排
Before Class 1. 观看 CCtalk 教室群内的“黎老师理论录屏 1”

2. 完成本 word 后附的一套托福阅读真题，含三

篇阅读，可不计时，完成题目并自对答案，三篇
阅读题目为：
Earth’s Atmosphere
Disease and History
Artisans in Sixteenth-Century Europe
In Class 9 月 15 日 Coco 老师第五次直播课，讲解托福阅读“三大逻
晚 20:00-22:00 辑”，以及讲解课前作业的三篇阅读。

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Earth’s Atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere has changed through time. Compared to the Sun, whose
composition is representative of the raw materials from which Earth and other planets
in our solar system formed, Earth contains less of some volatile elements, such as
nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and helium. These elements were lost when the envelope
of gases, or primary atmosphere, that surrounded early Earth was stripped away by
the solar wind or by meteorite impacts, or both. Little by little, the planet generated a
new, secondary atmosphere by volcanic outgassing of volatile materials from its
interior.

1..In paragraph 1, why does the author state that Earth has less nitrogen, argon,
hydrogen, and helium than the Sun
A. To argue that these elements were once part of an early atmosphere, which
disappeared
B. To suggest that these elements were drawn into the Sun's atmosphere
C. To provide evidence that Earth's original atmosphere came primarily from
meteorites
D. To support the claim that Earth's atmosphere would have changed even more if it
had contained more volatile elements

Volcanic outgassing continues to be the main process by which volatile materials are
released from Earth—although it is now going on at a much slower rate. The main
chemical constituent of volcanic gases (as much as 97 percent of volume) is water
vapor, with varying amounts of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. In fact, the
total volume of volcanic gases released over the past 4 billion years or so is believed
to account for the present composition of the atmosphere with one important
exception: oxygen. Earth had virtually no oxygen in its atmosphere more than 4
billion years ago, but the atmosphere is now approximately 21 percent oxygen.

2.The word constituent in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. source
B. equivalent
C. component
D. product

3.According to paragraph 2, the history of volcanic outgassing cannot explain which

of the following
A. The lack of oxygen in the atmosphere 4 billion years ago
B. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere today
C. The proportions of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today
D. The present abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere

Traces of oxygen were probably generated in the early atmosphere by the breakdown
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of water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen by ultraviolet light (a process called
photodissociation). Although this is an important process, it cannot begin to account
for the present high levels of oxygen in the atmosphere. Almost all of the free oxygen
now in the atmosphere originated through photosynthesis, the process whereby plants
use light energy to induce carbon dioxide to react with water, producing
carbohydrates and oxygen.

4.Paragraph 3 suggests which of the following about the process of photodissociation

A. It is more common today than it was in the early history of the atmosphere.
B. It is responsible for only a small amount of the oxygen in the atmosphere today.
C. It removes trace amounts of oxygen from the atmosphere.
D. It produces more free oxygen than photosynthesis does.

Oxygen is a very reactive chemical, so at first most of the free oxygen produced by
photosynthesis was combined with iron in ocean water to form iron oxide-bearing
minerals. The evidence of the gradual transition from oxygen-poor to oxygen-rich
water is preserved in seafloor sediments. The minerals in seafloor sedimentary rocks
that are more than about 2.5 billion years old contain reduced (oxygen-poor) iron
compounds. In rocks that are less than 1.8 billion years old, oxidized (oxygen-rich)
compounds predominate. The sediments that were precipitated during the transition
contain alternating bands of red (oxidized iron) and black (reduced iron) minerals.
These rocks are called banded-iron formations. Because ocean water is in constant
contact with the atmosphere, and the two systems function together in a state of
dynamic equilibrium, the transition from an oxygen-poor to an oxygen-rich
atmosphere also must have occurred during this period.

5.According to paragraph 4, what can be learned from the type of iron compounds in
seafloor rocks
A. How the process of photosynthesis has changed over time
B. The level of oxygen in the water at a certain time in history
C. How levels of iron in ocean water decreased over time
D. The overall mineral content of the ocean water

6.The word predominate in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. are in the majority
B. are present
C. are increasing
D. first appear

7.According to paragraph 4, banded-iron formations are found in what kind of rocks

A. Those that are more than 2.5 billion years old
B. Those that do not contain oxidized compounds
C. Those that are from a transitional period in terms of oxygen richness
D. Those that are less than 1.8 billion years old
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8.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.
【 Because ocean water is in constant contact with the atmosphere, and the two
systems function together in a state of dynamic equilibrium, the transition from an
oxygen-poor to an oxygen-rich atmosphere also must have occurred during this
period.】
A. Since the oceans and the atmosphere function together, the atmosphere must have
become oxygen rich during this period.
B. Because ocean water is in constant contact with the atmosphere, the two systems
maintain a dynamic equilibrium.
C. The transition to an oxygen-rich atmosphere could not have happened without
constant contact with the oceans.
D. Much of the oxygen in the oceans must have been pulled out of the atmosphere
during this period.

Along with the buildup of molecular oxygen (O2) came an eventual increase in ozone
(O3) levels in the atmosphere. Because ozone filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation,
this made it possible for life to flourish in shallow water and finally on land. This
critical state in the evolution of the atmosphere was reached between 1100 and 542
million years ago. Interestingly, the fossil record shows an explosion of life forms 542
million years ago.

9.According to paragraph 5, which of the following happened sometime between

1100 and 542 million years ago
A. A sudden explosion of life forms on land occurred together with a sharp decline of
life in the water.
B. Ultraviolet radiation became more harmful to living organisms.
C. Molecular oxygen levels in the atmosphere stabilized, and ozone levels began to
rise.
D. Ozone reduced ultraviolet radiation to a level acceptable for life on land.

Oxygen has continued to play a key role in the evolution and form of life. Over the
last 200 million years, the concentration of oxygen has risen from 10 percent to as
much as 25 percent of the atmosphere, before settling (probably not permanently) at
its current value of 21 percent. This increase has benefited mammals, which are
voracious oxygen consumers. Not only do we require oxygen to fuel our high-energy,
warm-blooded metabolism, our unique reproductive system demands even more. An
expectant mother’s used (venous) blood must still have enough oxygen in it to diffuse
through the placenta into her unborn child’s bloodstream. It would be very difficult
for any mammal species to survive in an atmosphere of only 10 percent oxygen.

10.According to paragraph 6, which of the following is NOT true of the connection

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between mammals and oxygen

A. Mammals are able to survive only because oxygen levels are relatively high.
B. Mammals first emerged when atmospheric oxygen levels reached 10 percent.
C. A mammal's unborn child receives oxygen through the mother's placenta.
D. Mammals use a lot of oxygen partly because they are warm-blooded.

Geologists cannot yet be certain why the atmospheric oxygen levels increased, but
they have a hypothesis. First, photosynthesis is only one part of the oxygen cycle. The
cycle is completed by decomposition, in which organic carbon combines with oxygen
and forms carbon dioxide. But if organic matter is buried as sediment before it fully
decomposes, its carbon is no longer available to react with the free oxygen. Thus there
will be a net accumulation of carbon in sediments and of oxygen in the atmosphere.

11.The word gradual in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. crucial
B. original
C. beneficial
D. slow

12.The word diffuse in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. spread
B. break
C. squeeze
D. speed

13..Look at the four squares that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.

The timing strongly suggests that atmospheric changes were responsible for this
sudden increase in new life.
Where would the sentence best fit?

Along with the buildup of molecular oxygen (O2) came an eventual increase in ozone
(O3) levels in the atmosphere. 【 A 】 Because ozone filters out harmful ultraviolet
radiation, this made it possible for life to flourish in shallow water and finally on land.
【B】This critical state in the evolution of the atmosphere was reached between 1100
and 542 million years ago.【C】 Interestingly, the fossil record shows an explosion of
life forms 542 million years ago.【D】

14..Drag your choices to the spaces where they belong. To review the passage, click
on View Text .
Answer Choices
A. Over the last 4 billion years, outgassing destroyed Earth's primary atmosphere of
volatile elements and replaced it with nonvolatile materials including carbon dioxide.
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B.The small amount of oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere was due to

photodissociation and, later, photosynthesis created free oxygen.
C. Mammals could not have survived without an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and
land-based life would not be possible without the ozone layer to filter solar radiation.
D. When oxygen levels in the ocean water reached a critical level about 542 million
years ago, life emerged in the oceans, as shown by sedimentary rocks.
E. Although they are currently at about 21 percent, oxygen levels will probably not
always remain this high.
F. The breakdown of organic matter removes free oxygen, but if this process is
interrupted, extra oxygen may accumulate in the atmosphere.

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Disease and History

Paragraph 1
Epidemiology is the study of the causes, distribution, and control of diseases in
populations. Throughout history, there have been general trends in the relationship
between diseases and the human species. Anthropologist George Armelagos has
outlined these trends and refers to them as three “epidemiological transitions”.

Paragraph 2
For most of our species’ history, we lived in small, widely dispersed, nomadic groups.
Our ancestors certainly experienced diseases of various sorts and would have come
into contact with new diseases as they migrated to new environments. But infectious
disease may not have had serious effects on large numbers of people or many different
populations, since diseases would have had little chance of being passed on to many
other humans.

1. The word “ dispersed “ in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. active
B. scattered
C. varied
D. linked

2. According to paragraph 2, why were infectious diseases not a serious problem for
most of human history?
A. There were very few infectious diseases early in human history.
B. Population groups did not move around enough to be exposed to new diseases.
C. Many disease-causing organisms had features that made them difficult to pass on
to other humans.
D. Population groups did not have enough contact with each other to spread diseases
widely.

Paragraph 3
When some people began to settle down and produce their food through farming and
animal domestication – starting about 10,000 years ago – the first epidemiological
transition occurred. Infectious diseases increased in impact, as larger and denser
concentrations of people provided greater opportunity for disease to be passed from
host to host. Animal domestication may have brought people into contact with new
diseases previously limited to other species. Working the soil would have exposed
farmers to insects and other pathogens. Irrigation in some areas provided breeding
places for mosquitoes, increasing the incidence of malaria and other mosquito-borne
diseases. Sanitation problems caused by larger, more sedentary populations would
have helped transmit diseases in human waste, as would the use of animal dung for
fertilizer. In addition, agriculture also led to a narrowing of food sources, as compared
to the varied diets of hunters and gatherers. This could have resulted in nutritional
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deficiencies, moreover, the storage of food surpluses attracted new disease carriers
such as insects and rats. Trade between settled communities helped spread diseases
over large geographic areas, as in the case of the Black Death in Europe. Epidemics,
in the sense of diseases that affect a large number of populations at the same time,
were essentially nonexistent until the development of agricultural economies.

3. The word “ deficiencies “ in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. complications
B. illnesses
C. shortages
D. irregularities

4. According to paragraph 3, which of the following contributed to the rise of

epidemics?
A. The development of more deadly forms of human disease
B. The spread of ineffective treatments for infectious disease
C. The spread of mosquito-borne diseases to other disease carriers
D. The practice of exchanging goods between settled areas

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 3 as a reason that

agriculture led to greater exposure to disease?
A. Irrigation created areas where disease-carrying mosquitoes could reproduce.
B. People increasingly came into contact with disease-carrying animals attracted to
food storage areas.
C. Agricultural products spoiled more readily, leading to more frequent episodes of
disease.
D. Farming exposed humans to disease-carrying insects in the soil.

6. According to paragraph 3, how did sanitation problems in early farming societies

lead to the spread of infectious diseases?
A. Water used for irrigating crops was not always clean.
B. Larger populations were increasingly exposed to human and animal waste.
C. Farm products that spoiled in fields attracted insects and animals with diseases.
D. Lack of varied food sources occasionally forced communities to eat food that
carried diseases.

Paragraph 4
Beginning in the last years of the nineteenth century and continuing into the twentieth,
we experienced the second epidemiological transition. With modern medical science
providing immunizations and antibiotics and with better public health measures and
improved nutrition, many infectious diseases were brought under control, or even
eliminated. In terms of what ailed and killed us, there was a shift to chronic diseases
such as heart and lung diseases. The increase in many of these came not only from the
fact that fewer people were dying from infectious disease and were living longer but
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also from the results of modern lifestyles in developed countries and among the upper
classes of developing countries – a more sedentary life leading to less physical
activity, more stress; environmental pollution, and high-fat diets. But at least, we
thought, many of these problems were things we could potentially control; all those
infectious epidemics were of the past.

7. According to paragraph 4, what is true about chronic diseases during second

epidemiological transition?
A. They were common among people with high living standards.
B. They could be controlled with antibiotics.
C. They affected more people than infectious diseases did.
D. They led people to seek healthier lifestyles.

8. According to paragraph 4, which of the following best describes the second

epidemiological transition?
A. Modern medicine made it possible for people to live longer even if they had an
infectious disease.
B. Infectious diseases were harder to cure due to factors like stress and pollution.
C. New infectious diseases appeared as quickly as modern medical science was able
to control old ones.
D. Chronic diseases replaced infectious diseases as the major cause of human sickness
and death.

9. According to paragraph 4, all of the following likely contributed to chronic disease

EXCEPT
A. longer life expectancies
B. decreased physical activity
C. higher rates of poverty
D. changes in diet

Paragraph 5
But on the heels of the second transition had come the third epidemiological transition,
and we are in it now. New diseases are emerging, and old ones are returning. Both of
these phenomena can be understood in terms of evolutionary theory.

10. The word “ emerging “ in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. appearing
B. spreading
C. becoming more serious
D. replacing others

Paragraph 6
The return of old diseases is the result of the fact that microorganisms are evolving
species themselves. For example, new and serious antibiotic-resistant strains of
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tuberculosis have recently appeared. This evolution may have been encouraged by
what some authorities consider our overuse of antibiotics, giving microorganisms a
greater chance to evolve resistance by exposing them to a constant barrage of
selective challenges. Some bacteria reproduce hourly,
and so the processes of genetic mutation and natural selection are speeded up in these
species.

11. What can be inferred from the discussion of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria
in paragraph 6?
A. Most microorganisms cannot survive multiple exposures to antibiotics.
B. Tuberculosis strains are much more likely to be antibiotic-resistant than are other
microorganisms.
C. Bacteria that reproduce quickly are more likely to become resistant to antibiotics.
D. Exposing microorganisms to a constant barrage of antibiotics prevents them from
evolving resistance.

Paragraph 7
Emerging diseases are also the result of human activity in the modern world, which
brings more people into contact with more diseases, some of which were unheard of
even a few decades ago. As people and their products become more mobile, and as
our populations spread into previously little-inhabited areas, cutting down forests and
otherwise altering ecological conditions, we contact other species that may carry
diseases to which they are immune but that prove deadly to us.

12. 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.
A. Humans contact other species during population growth into previously
little-inhabited areas.
B. Species that carry diseases deadly to humans live in areas with small, mobile
populations.
C. Increased mobility and population expansion into new areas exposes humans to
new, deadly diseases carried by other species.
D. Some species that humans contact in little-inhabited areas are immune to diseases
that are deadly to humans.

13.Look at the four squares [ ] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
But the denser populations of agricultural communities were only one of many factors
contributing to the increased risk of disease.

When some people began to settle down and produce their food through farming and
animal domestication – starting about 10,000 years ago – the first epidemiological
transition occurred. 【A】Infectious diseases increased in impact, as larger and denser
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concentrations of people provided greater opportunity for disease to be passed from

host to host.【B】Animal domestication may have brought people into contact with
new diseases previously limited to other species. 【C】Working the soil would have
exposed farmers to insects and other pathogens. Irrigation in some areas provided
breeding places for mosquitoes, increasing the incidence of malaria and other
mosquito-borne diseases.【D】

14.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 the express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor
ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Throughout history, the impact of diseases on humans has changed as human

societies have developed.

Answer choices
A. In early human history, nomadic groups started encountering diseases when they
moved to new environments.
B. The transition to farming meant that humans had both more contact with one
another and with other species that carried diseases, leading to disease epidemics.
C. Once advances in medical science resulted in better control or elimination of many
infectious diseases, diseases resulting from the modern lifestyle became a major
problem.
D. Infectious diseases have increased steadily in impact and severity from the
agricultural revolution through today as a result of contact between human societies.
E. During the second epidemiological transition, better public health measures and
improved nutrition helped control chronic diseases.
F. Humans today are at risk for contracting both new diseases and old diseases that
have reemerged and, in some cases, have become resistant to antibiotics.

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Artisans in Sixteenth-Century Europe

Paragraph 1
For centuries European artisans had operated in small, autonomous handcraft
businesses, but by the sixteenth century an evolving economic system—moving
toward modern capitalism, with its free-market pricing, new organization of
production, investments, and so on—had started to erode their stable and relatively
prosperous position. What forces contributed to the decline of the artisan?

1. 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.
 In the sixteenth century, the European economy moved toward a system of
free-market pricing, new ways of production, and investments.
 Before the sixteenth century, European makers of handcrafts enjoyed stability,
autonomy, and relative prosperity.
 By the sixteenth century, the rise of capitalism began to weaken the autonomy
and relative prosperity of European artisans.
 European artisans operated small, autonomous businesses before modern
capitalism emerged in the sixteenth century.

Paragraph 2
In a few industries there appeared technological innovations that cost more to install
and operate than artisans—even associations of artisans—could afford. For example,
in iron production, such specialized equipment as blast furnaces, tilt hammers,
wire-drawing machines, and stamping, rolling, and slitting mills became more
familiar components of the industry. Thus the need for fixed capital (equipment and
buildings used in production) soared. Besides these items, expensive in their own
right, facilities for water, storage, and deliveries were needed. In addition, pig (raw)
iron turned out by blast furnaces could not be forged until refined further in a new
intermediate stage. In late sixteenth-century Antwerp, where a skilled worker earned
125 to 250 guilders a year, a large blast furnace alone cost 3,000 guilders, and other
industrial equipment was equally or more expensive.

2. The word “Besides” in the passage is closet in meaning to

A. In addition to
B. More important than
C. Different from
D. Together with

3. According to paragraph 2, how did technological advances contribute to the

economic decline of artisans?
A. Artisans had no place to store or use the new machines.
B. Goods produced by the new technology were cheaper than those produced by
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artisans.
C. The fixed costs of remaining in business became very high.
D. Artisans did not know how to use the new machines.

Paragraph 3
Raw materials, not equipment, constituted artisans’ major expense in most traders,
however. Whereas in 1583 an Antwerp silk weaver paid 12 guilders for a loom (and
made small payments over many years to pay off the debt for purchasing the loom),
every six weeks he or she had to lay out 24 guilders for the 2 pounds of raw silk
required to make a piece of cloth. Thus access to cheap and plentiful primary
materials was a constant preoccupation for independent producers. Using local
materials might allow even the poorest among them to avoid reliance on merchant
suppliers. The loss of nearby sources could therefore be devastating. As silk
cultivation waned around the Spanish cities of Cordoba and Toledo, weavers in these
cities were forced to become employees of merchants who put out raw silk from
Valencia and Murcia provinces. In the Dutch Republic, merchants who imported
unprocessed salt from France, Portugal, and Spain gained control of the salt-refining
industry once exploitation of local salt marshes was halted for fear that dikes (which
held back the sea from the low-lying Dutch land) would be undermined.

4. The word “preoccupation” in the passage is closet in meaning to

 necessity
 concern
 struggle
 uncertainty

5. In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the information about an Antwerp silk
weaver’s costs in 1583?
 To describe some typical costs in the silk-weaving industry
 To support the statement that artisans’ main expense was materials, not equipment
 To argue against the view that artisans did not have to borrow money to buy
equipment
 To show that materials were cheap and plentiful for most artisans

6. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about local materials?

 They were of higher quality than imported materials.
 They were usually more plentiful than imported materials.
 They remained available even after merchants began to control the industries.
 They tended to be more affordable than materials supplied by merchants.

7. According to paragraph 3, which of the following was sometimes an effect on

artisans of the loss of local sources of their primary materials?
 They had to sell their products to merchants.
 They needed to take loans in order to buy the materials from merchants.
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 They could no longer afford to be independent producers.

 They imported the materials from distant sources.

Paragraph 4
Credit was necessary for production but created additional vulnerabilities for artisans.
Prices for industrial products lagged behind those of raw materials and foodstuffs, and
this, coupled with rising taxes, made it difficult for many producers to repay their
creditors. Periodic downturns, when food prices shot up and demand for manufactures
fell off, drove them further into debt or even into bankruptcy, from which they might
emerge only by agreeing to sell their products exclusively to merchants or fellow
artisans who extended them loans. Frequent enough during periods of growth, such
credit crises became deeper and lasted longer after about 1570, as did war-related
disruptions of raw-material supplies and markets.

8. The phrase “coupled with” in the passage is closet in meaning to

 caused by
 compared with
 affected by
 combined with

9. According to paragraph 4, all of the following caused economic difficulties for

artisans EXCEPT
 decreasing availability of credit
 decreased demand for manufactured goods
 increased taxes
 problems caused by wars

Paragraph 5
Artisans’ autonomy was imperiled, too, by restrictions on their access to markets.
During the sixteenth century, a situation like this often resulted from the concentration
of export trade in a few great storage and distribution centers. The disappearance of
regional markets where weavers in Flanders (what is now northern Belgium) had
previously bought flax and sold linen left them at the mercy of big-city middlemen,
who quickly turned them into domestic workers. In a similar fashion, formerly
independent producers in southern Wiltshire in England, who had bought yarn from
spinners or local brokers and sold their cloth to merchants in nearby Salisbury,
became subject to London merchants who monopolized both wool supplies and
woolens exports.

10. The word “autonomy” in the passage is closet in meaning to

 independence
 influence
 ability to make a living
 ability to adapt
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11. Paragraph 5 supports which of the following statements about artisans during the
sixteenth century?
 They had difficulty transporting their goods to the best markets.
 They were at a disadvantage because the concentration of supplies and exports
was in the hands of big-city merchants.
 They received higher wages as employees of big-city merchants.
 They were able to obtain raw materials from local merchants.

Paragraph 6
With good reason, finally, urban artisans feared the growth of industries in the
countryside. For one thing, they worried that the spread of village crafts would reduce
their supply of raw materials, driving up prices. City producers also knew that rural
locations enjoyed lower living costs, wages, and taxes, and often employed fewer or
simplified processes. These advantages became a major preoccupation as competition
intensified in the 1570s and 1580s

12. All of the following are identified in paragraph 6 as concerns that urban artisans
had about the growth of industry in the countryside EXCEPT
 a decrease in the supply of raw materials
 a cheaper cost of living in the countryside
 a more manageable level of competition
 less complex production processes in the countryside

13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence can be
added to the passage.

This was possible because when transportation costs were low, the price of raw
materials was generally also low.

Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [■] to add the sentence to the
passage.

Paragraph 3
Raw materials, not equipment, constituted artisans’ major expense in most traders,
however. ■Whereas in 1583 an Antwerp silk weaver paid 12 guilders for a loom (and
made small payments over many years to pay off the debt for purchasing the loom),
every six weeks he or she had to lay out 24 guilders for the 2 pounds of raw silk
required to make a piece of cloth. ■Thus access to cheap and plentiful primary
materials was a constant preoccupation for independent producers. ■Using local
materials might allow even the poorest among them to avoid reliance on merchant
suppliers. ■The loss of nearby sources could therefore be devastating. As silk
cultivation waned around the Spanish cities of Cordoba and Toledo, weavers in these
cities were forced to become employees of merchants who put out raw silk from
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Valencia and Murcia provinces. In the Dutch Republic, merchants who imported
unprocessed salt from France, Portugal, and Spain gained control of the salt-refining
industry once exploitation of local salt marshes was halted for fear that dikes (which
held back the sea from the low-lying Dutch land) would be undermined.

14. 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 question is worth 2 points.
Drag your choices to the spaces where they belong. To review the passage, click on
View Text.

European artisans experienced a decline during the sixteenth century as result of a

number of developments.
●
●
●

Answer choices

A. Artisans’ ability to earn profits was restricted by their dependence on creditors, to

whom they were forced to sell their goods, and by competition from rural areas.
B. As industries came under the control of merchants, artisans lost access to cheap
raw materials, and they had to borrow money to buy the materials they needed from
merchant suppliers.
C. In the new industrial system from which skilled artisans were progressively
excluded, the quality of manufactured items gradually declined.
D. Advances in technology in some industries increased the cost of the equipment,
buildings, and facilities that artisans needed for producing and selling their goods.
E. Iron production in the sixteenth century depended on new inventions such as blast
furnaces, tilt hammers, wire-drawing machines, and stamping, rolling, and silting
mills.
F. The rising prices of food and other necessities often left artisans without enough
money to pay their taxes and other business expenses.

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【答案】

Earth’s Atmosphere
答案：A C D B B; A C A D B; D A D; BCF

Disease and History

答案：B D C D C B A D C A C C D BCF

Artisans in Sixteenth-Century Europe

答案：CACBB, DCDAA,BCD, ABD

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