2017年新託福閱讀真題及答案解析

凡事欲其成功,必要付出代價:奮鬥。以下是小編爲大家搜整理的2017年新託福閱讀真題及答案解析,希望能給大家帶來幫助!更多精彩內容請及時關注我們應屆畢業生考試網!

2017年新託福閱讀真題及答案解析

Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes or shops by skilledartisans. As master craft workers, they imparted the knowledge of their trades to apprenticesand journeymen. In addition, women often worked in their homes part-time, making finishedarticles from raw material supplied by merchant capitalists. After 1815 this older form ofmanufacturing began to give way to factories with machinery tended by unskilled orsemiskilled laborers. Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, and the availability ofcapital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production.

The creation of a labor force that was accustomed to working in factories did not occur re the rise of the factory, artisans had worked within the home. Apprentices wereconsidered part of the family, and masters were responsible not only for teaching theirapprentices a trade but also for providing them some education and for supervising their moralbehavior. Journeymen knew that if they perfected their skill, they could become respectedmaster artisans with their own shops. Also, skilled artisans did not work by the clock, at asteady pace, but rather in bursts of intense labor alternating with more leisurely time.

The factory changed that. Goods produced by factories were not as finished or elegant asthose done by hand, and pride in craftsmanship gave way to the pressure to increase rates ofproductivity. The new methods of doing business involved a new and stricter sense of ory life necessitated a more regimented schedule, where work began at the sound of a belland workers kept machines going at a constant pace. At the same time, workers were requiredto discard old habits, for industrialism demanded a worker who was alert, dependable, andself-disciplined. Absenteeism and lateness hurt productivity and, since work was specialized,disrupted the regular factory routine. Industrialization not only produced a fundamentalchange in the way work was organized; it transformed the very nature of work.

The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily. Thefactory clock became the symbol of the new work rules. One mill worker who finally quitcomplained revealingly about "obedience to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though we are somany living machines." With the loss of personal freedom also came the loss of standing in thecommunity. Unlike artisan workshops in which apprentices worked closely with the masterssupervising them, factories sharply separated workers from management. Few workers rosethrough the ranks to supervisory positions, and even fewer could achieve the artisan's dreamof setting up one's own business. Even well-paid workers sensed their decline in status.

In this newly emerging economic order, workers sometimes organized to protect their rightsand traditional ways of life. Craft workers such as carpenters, printers, and tailors formedunions, and in 1834 individual unions came together in the National Trades' Union. The labormovement gathered some momentum in the decade before the Panic of 1837, but in thedepression that followed, labor's strength collapsed. During hard times, few workers werewilling to strike* or engage in collective action. And skilled craft workers, who spearheadedthe union movement, did not feel a particularly strong bond with semiskilled factory workersand unskilled laborers. More than a decade of agitation did finally bring a workday shortenedto 10 hours to most industries by the 185O’s, and the courts also recognized workers' right tostrike, but these gains had little immediate impact.

Workers were united in resenting the industrial system and their loss of status, but they weredivided by ethnic and racial antagonisms, gender, conflicting religious perspectives,occupational differences, political party loyalties, and disagreements over tactics. For them, thefactory and industrialism were not agents of opportunity but reminders of their loss ofindependence and a measure of control over their lives. As United States society becamemore specialized and differentiated, greater extremes of wealth began to appear. And as thenew markets created fortunes for the few, the factory system lowered the wages of workers bydividing labor into smaller, less skilled tasks.

Paragraph 1: Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes orshops by skilled artisans. As master craft workers, they imparted the knowledge of their tradesto apprentices and journeymen. In addition, women often worked in their homes part-time,making finished articles from raw material supplied by merchant capitalists. After 1815 thisolder form of manufacturing began to give way to factories with machinery tended byunskilled or semiskilled laborers. Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, and theavailability of capital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production.

  1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about articles manufactured before1815?

○They were primarily produced by women.

○They were generally produced in shops rather than in homes.

○They were produced with more concern for quality than for speed of production.

○They were produced mostly in large cities with extensive transportation networks.

Paragraph 2: The creation of a labor force that was accustomed to working in factories did notoccur easily. Before the rise of the factory, artisans had worked within the home. Apprenticeswere considered part of the family, and masters were responsible not only for teaching theirapprentices a trade but also for providing them some education and for supervising their moralbehavior. Journeymen knew that if they perfected their skill, they could become respectedmaster artisans with their own shops. Also, skilled artisans did not work by the clock, at asteady pace, but rather in bursts of intense labor alternating with more leisurely time.

  2. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlightedsentence in the passage?

Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essentialinformation.

○Masters demanded moral behavior from apprentices but often treated them irresponsibly.

○The responsibilities of the master to the apprentice went beyond the teaching of a trade.

○Masters preferred to maintain the trade within the family by supervising and educating theyounger family members.

○Masters who trained members of their own family as apprentices demanded excellence fromthem.

Paragraph 3: The factory changed that. Goods produced by factories were not as finished orelegant as those done by hand, and pride in craftsmanship gave way to the pressure toincrease rates of productivity. The new methods of doing business involved a new and strictersense of time. Factory life necessitated a more regimented schedule, where work began at thesound of a bell and workers kept machines going at a constant pace. At the same time,workers were required to discard old habits, for industrialism demanded a worker who wasalert, dependable, and self-disciplined. Absenteeism and lateness hurt productivity and,since work was specialized, disrupted the regular factory routine. Industrialization not onlyproduced a fundamental change in the way work was organized; it transformed the verynature of work.

  3. The word disrupted in the passage is closest in meaning to

○Prolonged

○Established

○Followed

○Upset

Paragraph 4: The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudeseasily. The factory clock became the symbol of the new work rules. One mill worker who finallyquit complained revealingly about "obedience to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though weare so many living machines." With the loss of personal freedom also came the loss of standingin the community. Unlike artisan workshops in which apprentices worked closely with themasters supervising them, factories sharply separated workers from management. Fewworkers rose through the ranks to supervisory positions, and even fewer could achieve theartisan's dream of setting up one's own business. Even well-paid workers sensed their declinein status.

  4. In paragraph 4, the author includes the quotation from a mill worker in order to

○Support the idea that it was difficult for workers to adjust to working in factories

○To show that workers sometimes quit because of the loud noise made by factory machinery

○Argue that clocks did not have a useful function in factories

○Emphasize that factories were most successful when workers revealed their complaints

5. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as consequences of the new system forworkers EXCEPT a loss of

○Freedom

○Status in the community

○Opportunities for advancement

○Contact among workers who were not managers

Paragraph 5: In this newly emerging economic order, workers sometimes organized toprotect their rights and traditional ways of life. Craft workers such as carpenters, printers,and tailors formed unions, and in 1834 individual unions came together in the National Trades'Union. The labor movement gathered some momentum in the decade before the Panic of1837, but in the depression that followed, labor's strength collapsed. During hard times, fewworkers were willing to strike* or engage in collective action. And skilled craft workers, whospearheaded the union movement, did not feel a particularly strong bond with semiskilledfactory workers and unskilled laborers. More than a decade of agitation did finally bring aworkday shortened to 10 hours to most industries by the 185O’s, and the courts alsorecognized workers' right to strike, but these gains had little immediate impact.

6. The phrase gathered some momentum in the passage is closest in meaning to

○Made progress

○Became active

○Caused changes

○Combined forces

7. The word spearheaded in the passage is closest in meaning to

○Led

○Accepted

○Changed

○Resisted

8. Which of the following statements about the labor movement of the 1800's is supported byparagraph 5?

○It was most successful during times of economic crisis.

○Its primary purpose was to benefit unskilled laborers.

○It was slow to improve conditions for workers.

○It helped workers of all skill levels form a strong bond with each other.

Paragraph 6: Workers were united in resenting the industrial system and their loss of status,but they were divided by ethnic and racial antagonisms, gender, conflicting religiousperspectives, occupational differences, political party loyalties, and disagreements over them, the factory and industrialism were not agents of opportunity but reminders of theirloss of independence and a measure of control over their lives. As United States societybecame more specialized and differentiated, greater extremes of wealth began to as the new markets created fortunes for the few, the factory system lowered the wages ofworkers by dividing labor into smaller, less skilled tasks.

9. The author identifies political party loyalties, and disagreements over tactics as two of severalfactors that

○Encouraged workers to demand higher wages

○Created divisions among workers

○Caused work to become more specialized

○Increased workers' resentment of the industrial system

10. The word them in the passage refers to

○Workers

○Political patty loyalties

○Disagreements over tactics

○Agents of opportunity

Paragraph 1: Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes orshops by skilled artisans. ■As master craft workers, they imparted the knowledge of theirtrades to apprentices and journeymen. ■In addition, women often worked in their homespart-time, making finished articles from raw material supplied by merchant capitalists. ■After181 5 this older form of manufacturing began to give way to factories with machinery tendedby unskilled or semiskilled laborers. ■Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, andthe availability of capital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production.

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

This new form of manufacturing depended on the movement of goods to distant locations anda centralized source of laborers.

Where would the sentence best fit?

12. Directions: Complete the table below by indicating which of the answer choices describecharacteristics of the period before 1815 and which describe characteristics of the 181 5-1 850 period. This question is worth 3 points.

Before 1815 1815-1850

● ●

Answer choices

1.A united, highly successful labor movement took shape.

ers took pride in their workmanship.

income gap between the rich and the poor increased greatly.

sportation networks began to decline.

asis was placed on following schedules.

ers went through an extensive period of training.

workers expected to own their own businesses.

  參考答案:

  1. ○3

This is an Inference question asking for an inference that can be supported by the passage. Thecorrect answer is choice 3, "They were produced with more concern for quality than for speedof production." A number of statements throughout the passage support choice 3. Paragraph 1states that "Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes or shopsby skilled artisans . . . After 18 15 this older form of manufacturing began to give way tofactories with machinery tended by unskilled or semiskilled laborers." Paragraph 2 states that"Before the rise of the factory . . . skilled artisans did not work by the clock, at a steady pace,but rather in bursts of intense labor alternating with more leisurely time." Paragraph 3 states, "The factory changed that. Goods produced by factories were not as finished or elegant asthose done by hand, and pride in craftsmanship gave way to the pressure to increase rates ofproductivity."

Taken together, these three statements, about production rates, the rise of factories after 18 15, and the decline of craftsmanship after 18 15, support the inference that before 18 15, theemphasis had been on quality rather than on speed of production. Answer choices 1, 2, and 4are all contradicted by the passage.

2. ○2

This is a Sentence Simplification question. As with all of these items, a single sentence in thepassage is highlighted:

Apprentices were considered part of the family, and masters were responsible not only forteaching their apprentices a trade but also for providing them some education and forsupervising their moral behavior.

The correct answer is choice 2. Choice 2 contains all of the essential information in thehighlighted sentence. The highlighted sentence explains why (part of the family) and how(education, moral behavior) a master's responsibility went beyond teaching a trade. Theessential information is the fact that the master's responsibility went beyond teaching a efore, choice 2 contains all that is essential without changing the meaning of thehighlighted sentence.

Choice 1 changes the meaning of the highlighted sentence b~ stating that masters oftentreated apprentices irresponsibly.

Choice 3 contradicts the essential meaning of the highlighted sentence. The fact that"Apprentices were considered part of the family . . . " suggests that they were not actual familymembers.

Choice 4, like choice 3, changes the meaning of the highlighted sentence by discussing familymembers as apprentices.

3. ○4

This is a Vocabulary question. The word being tested is disrupted. It is highlighted in thepassage. The correct answer is choice 4, "upset." The word "upset" here is used in the contextof "hurting productivity." When something is hurt or damaged, it is "upset."

4. ○1

This is a Factual Information question asking for specific information that can be found inparagraph 4. The correct answer is choice I, "support the idea that it was difficult for workers toadjust to working in factories." The paragraph begins by stating that workers did not adoptnew attitudes toward work easily and that the clock symbolized the new work rules. The authorprovides the quotation as evidence of that difficulty. There is no indication in the paragraphthat workers quit due to loud noise, so choice 2 is incorrect. Choice 3 (usefulness of clocks) iscontradicted by the paragraph. The factory clock was "useful," but workers hated it. Choice 4 (workers complaints as a cause of a factory's success) is not discussed in this paragraph.

5. ○4

This is a Negative Factual Information question asking for specific information that can befound in paragraph 4. Choice 4, "contact among workers who were not managers," is thecorrect answer. The paragraph explicitly contradicts this by stating that "factories sharplyseparated workers from management." The paragraph explicitly states that workers lostchoice I (freedom), choice 2 (status in the community), and choice 3 (opportunities foradvancement) in the new system, so those choices are all incorrect.

6. ○1

This is a Vocabulary question. The phrase being tested is "gathered some momentum." It ishighlighted in the passage. The correct answer is choice I, "made progress." To "gathermomentum" means to advance with increasing speed.

7. ○1

This is a Vocabulary question. The word being tested is spearheaded. It is highlighted in thepassage. The correct answer is choice 1, "led." The head of a spear leads the rest of the spear,so the crafts workers who "spearheaded" this movement led it.

8. ○3

This is a Factual Information question asking for specific information that can be found inparagraph 5. The correct answer is choice 3, "It was slow to improve conditions for workers."The paragraph states, "More than a decade of agitation did finally bring a workday shortenedto 10 hours to most industries by the 1850's, and the courts also recognized workers' right tostrike, but these gains had little immediate impact." This statement explicitly supportschoice 3. All three other choices are contradicted by the paragraph.

9. ○2

This is a Factual Information question asking for specific information about a particularphrase in the passage. The phrase in question is highlighted in the passage. The correctanswer is choice 2, "created divisions among workers." The paragraph states (emphasisadded): " . . . they (workers) were divided by ethnic and racial antagonisms, gender; conflictingreligious perspectives, occupational differences, political part loyalties, and disagreements overtactics." So "political party loyalties and disagreements over tactics'' are explicitly stared as twocauses of division among workers. The other choices are not stated and are incorrect.

10. ○1

This is a Reference question. The word being tested is them. It is highlighted in the is a simple pronoun-referent item. The word them in this sentence refers to those peopleto whom "the factory and industrialism were not agents of opportunity but reminders of theirloss of independence and a measure of control over their lives." Choice 1, "Workers," is theonly choice that refers to this type of person, so it is the correct answer.

  11. ○4

This is an Insert Text question. You can see the four black squares in paragraph 1 thatrepresent the possible answer choices here.

Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes or shops by skilledartisans. ■ As master craft workers, they imparted the knowledge of their trades toapprentices and journeymen. ■ In addition, women often worked in their homes part-time,making finished articles from raw material supplied by merchant capitalists. W After 1815 thisolder form of manufacturing began to give way to factories with machinery tended byunskilled or semiskilled laborers. ■ Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, and theavailability of capital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production.

The sentence provided, "This new form of manufacturing depended on the movement of goodsto distant locations and a centralized source of laborers," is best inserted at square 4. Theinserted sentence refers explicitly to "a new form of manufacturing." This "new form ofmanufacturing" is the one mentioned in the sentence preceding square 4, "factories withmachinery tended by unskilled or semiskilled laborers." The inserted sentence then explainsthat this new system depended on "the movement of goods to distant locations and acentralized source of laborers." The sentence that follows square 4 goes on to say, "Cheaptransportation networks, the rise of cities, and the availability of capital and credit allstimulated the shift to factory production." Thus the inserted sentence contains references toboth the sentence before square 4 and the sentence after square 4. This is not true of any ofthe other possible insert points, so square 4 is the correct answer.

12. ○○Before 1815: 2 6 1815-1850: 3 5 7

This is a Fill in a Table question. It is completed correctly below. The correct choices for the"Before 18 15" column are 2 and 6. Choices 3, 5, and 7 belong in the "1815-1 850" ces 1 and 4 should not be used in either column.

1815年以前,美國的製造業僅限於技術高超的工匠在自己家中和作坊中進行生產。作爲師傅,工匠們將自己的手藝傳授給徒弟和僱工。此外,婦女們在家中通常也會兼職從事一些生產活動,將商業資本家提供的原料製成成品。1815年以後,這種古老的生產模式逐漸消失,僱傭沒有技術或半技術勞動者的機械化工廠開始興起。廉價的交通運輸網絡城市的興起和資本借貸的可行性都促進了製造業從手工作坊到工廠生產的轉變。

想要獲得適應在工廠工作中勞動力並不容易。在工廠興起之前,工匠們只是呆家裏進行生產,學徒們被視爲家庭的一份子,師傅不光負責傳授他們手藝,還要教育並監督他們的道德行爲。僱工也明白如果他們的技藝足夠精湛,就會成爲受人尊敬的工匠師傅並擁有自己的作坊。同時,老練的工匠師傅們並不會按照時間計劃安排生產,他們更習慣於時而閒暇,時而爲了交單連夜趕工的生產方式。

工廠化生產改變了這一切。工廠生產的商品沒有手工製作的那麼完美和精緻,工廠要求工人們提高生產效率,導致工人們對自身技藝的自豪感逐漸弱化。工廠化生產方式要求工人們加強之前沒有的時間觀念,要求他們嚴格遵守工作時間的安排,鈴聲響起,工人們開始操控機器穩速運轉。工人們在適應新的生產方式的同時,還要摒棄舊習慣。產業主義要求工人們具備機敏、可靠和自律的素質。既然工廠生產已經專業化,曠工與遲到就會降低勞動生產率,也會影響工廠的正常運轉。工業化進程不僅促成了一種工作組織形式的根本改變,而且改變了工作的本質。

適應新的生產方式對第一代經歷產業革命的工人來說是一件非常困難的事情。工廠的時鐘變成了新工作規定的象徵。一名最終辭職的磨坊工人袒露真情地抱怨道:“讓我們聽從於叮叮噹噹的鐘表,簡直就把我們當成了活生生的機器。”工人們不僅喪失了人身自由,他們的社會地位也開始下降。和手工作坊裏徒弟與監督他們的師傅之間的`密切工作關係不同,工廠將工人階層與管理層明顯地區分開。很少有工人能夠僭越等級被提升到管理層的崗位,甚至基本沒有人能夠實現身爲工匠時的夢想:經營自己的生意。那些待遇優厚的工人也開始感到他們的社會地位在下降。

在這種新的經濟秩序中,有時工人們會組織起來共同去保護他們的權利和傳統的生活方式。比如木匠、印刷工人和裁縫等技術工人成立了聯盟,並且,在1834年,各個獨立的聯盟組織成立了國家職工聯盟。在1837年大恐慌前之的十年中,工人運動聚集了一些力量,不過隨後而來的經濟大蕭條最終導致了工人力量的瓦解。那段時間,很少有人願意罷工或者參與工人運動。身爲工人運動先鋒隊的技術工匠們,並沒有感到他們與半技術工人和非技術勞動者之間有顯著密切的聯繫。直到19世紀50年代,超過十年的抗爭最終使得大多數行業的工作時間縮短至10小時,法院也承認了工人罷工的權利,但這些權利的影響並沒有立即顯現。

因爲對工業體系和他們社會地位喪失的不滿,工人們開始聯合起來,但他們內部又被另外的因素分裂:民族和種族的敵對、性別差異、宗教信仰的衝突、職位差別、對不同政黨的忠誠和工作策略的分歧等。對於工人們來說,工廠和工業化不代表着機遇,卻時刻提醒着他們自身的喪失,併成爲一種控制他們生活的手段。隨着美國社會生產變得更加專業化和差異化,更大規模的極端財富開始出現。並且由於新興市場只給少數人創造財富,工業體系不得不通過將勞動分割成更小的、技術含量更低的工作來降低工人們的工資。