托福TPO3阅读真题原文题目及答案Part2

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托福TPO3阅读真题原文题目及答案Part2

托福TPO作为托福的模考工具，它的题目对于我们备考托福很有

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读真题及答案Part2，望喜欢！

托福TPO3阅读真题原文Part2

Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer

The vast grasslands of the High Plains in the central United

States were settled by farmers and ranchers in the 1880s. This

region has a semiarid climate, and for 50 years after its

settlement, it supported a low-intensity agricultural economy of

cattle ranching and wheat farming. In the early twentieth century,

however, it was discovered that much of the High Plains was

underlain by a huge aquifer (a rock layer containing large

quantities of groundwater). This aquifer was named the Ogallala

aquifer after the Ogallala Sioux Indians, who once inhabited the

region.

The Ogallala aquifer is a sandstone formation that underlies

some 583,000 square kilometers of land extending from

northwestern Texas to southern South Dakota. Water from rains

and melting snows has been accumulating in the Ogallala for the

past 30,000 years. Estimates indicate that the aquifer contains

enough water to fill Lake Huron, but unfortunately, under the

semiarid climatic conditions that presently exist in the region,

rates of addition to the aquifer are minimal, amounting to about

half a centimeter a year.

The first wells were drilled into the Ogallala during the

drought years of the early 1930s. The ensuing rapid expansion of

irrigation agriculture, especially from the 1950s onward,

transformed the economy of the region. More than 100,000 wells

now tap the Ogallala. Modern irrigation devices, each capable of

spraying 4.5 million liters of water a day, have produced a

landscape dominated by geometric patterns of circular green

islands of crops. Ogallala water has enabled the High Plains

region to supply significant amounts of the cotton, sorghum,

wheat, and corn grown in the United States. In addition, 40

percent of American grain-fed beef cattle are fattened here.

This unprecedented development of a finite groundwater

resource with an almost negligible natural recharge rate-that is,

virtually no natural water source to replenish the water supply-

has caused water tables in the region to fall drastically. In the

1930s, wells encountered plentiful water at a depth of about 15

meters; currently, they must be dug to depths of 45 to 60 meters

or more. In places, the water table is declining at a rate of a meter

a year, necessitating the periodic deepening of wells and the use

of ever-more-powerful pumps. It is estimated that at current

withdrawal rates, much of the aquifer will run dry within 40 years.

The situation is most critical in Texas, where the climate is driest,

the greatest amount of water is being pumped, and the aquifer

contains the least water. It is projected that the remaining

Ogallala water will, by the year 2030, support only 35 to 40

percent of the irrigated acreage in Texas that is supported in 1980.

The reaction of farmers to the inevitable depletion of the

Ogallala varies. Many have been attempting to conserve water

by irrigating less frequently or by switching to crops that require

less water. Others, however, have adopted the philosophy that it

is best to use the water while it is still economically profitable to

do so and to concentrate on high-value crops such as cotton. The

incentive of the farmers who wish to conserve water is reduced

by their knowledge that many of their neighbors are profiting by

using great amounts of water, and in the process are drawing

down the entire region's water supplies.

In the face of the upcoming water supply crisis, a number of

grandiose schemes have been developed to transport vast

quantities of water by canal or pipeline from the Mississippi, the

Missouri, or the Arkansas rivers.

Unfortunately, the cost of water obtained through any of

these schemes would increase pumping costs at least tenfold,

making the cost of irrigated agricultural products from the region

uncompetitive on the national and international markets.

Somewhat more promising have been recent experiments for

releasing capillary water (water in the soil) above the water table

by injecting compressed air into the ground. Even if this process

proves successful, however, it would almost triple water costs.

Genetic engineering also may provide a partial solution, as new

strains of drought-resistant crops continue to be developed.

Whatever the final answer to the water crisis may be, it is evident

that within the High Plains, irrigation water will never again be

the abundant, inexpensive resource it was during the agricultural

boom years of the mid-twentieth century.

Paragraph 1: The vast grasslands of the High Plains in the

central United States were settled by farmers and ranchers in the

1880s. This region has a semiarid climate, and for 50 years after

its settlement, it supported a low-intensity agricultural economy

of cattle ranching and wheat farming. In the early twentieth

century, however, it was discovered that much of the High Plains

was underlain by a huge aquifer (a rock layer containing large

quantities of groundwater). This aquifer was named the Ogallala

aquifer after the Ogallala Sioux Indians, who once inhabited the

region.

托福TPO3阅读真题题目Part2

ing to paragraph 1, which of the following

statements about the High Plains is true?

○Until farmers and ranchers settled there in the 1880s, the

High Plains had never been inhabited.

○The climate of the High Plains is characterized by higher-

than-average temperatures.

○The large aquifer that lies underneath the High Plains was

discovered by the Ogallala Sioux Indians.

○Before the early 1900s there was only a small amount of

farming and ranching in the High Plains.

Paragraph 2: The Ogallala aquifer is a sandstone formation

that underlies some 583,000 square kilometers of land extending

from northwestern Texas to southern South Dakota. Water from

rains and melting snows has been accumulating in the Ogallala

for the past 30,000 years. Estimates indicate that the aquifer

contains enough water to fill Lake Huron, but unfortunately,

under the semiarid climatic conditions that presently exist in the

region, rates of addition to the aquifer are minimal, amounting

to about half a centimeter a year.

2. According to paragraph 2, all of the following statements

about the Ogallala aquifer are true EXCEPT:

○The aquifer stretches from South Dakota to Texas.

○The aquifer's water comes from underground springs.

○Water has been gathering in the aquifer for 30,000 years.

○The aquifer's water is stored in a layer of sandstone.

3. 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.

○Despite the current impressive size of the Ogallala aquifer,

the region's climate keeps the rates of water addition very small.

○Although the aquifer has been adding water at the rate of

only half a centimeter a year, it will eventually accumulate enough

water of fill Lake Huron.

○Because of the region's present climatic conditions, water is

being added each year to the aquifer.

○Even when the region experiences unfortunate climatic

conditions, the rates of addition of water continue to increase.

Paragraph 3: The first wells were drilled into the Ogallala

during the drought years of the early 1930s. The ensuing rapid

expansion of irrigation agriculture, especially from the 1950s

onward, transformed the economy of the region. More than

100,000 wells now tap the Ogallala. Modern irrigation devices,

each capable of spraying 4.5 million liters of water a day, have

produced a landscape dominated by geometric patterns of

circular green islands of crops. Ogallala water has enabled the

High Plains region to supply significant amounts of the cotton,

sorghum, wheat, and corn grown in the United States. In addition,

40 percent of American grain-fed beef cattle are fattened here.

4. The word "ensuing" in the passage is closest in meaning

to

○continuing

○surprising

○initial

○subsequent

5. In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the

information that 40 percent of American cattle are fattened in the

High Plains?

○To suggest that crop cultivation is not the most important

part of the economy of the High Plains

○To indicate that not all economic activity in the High Plains

is dependent on irrigation

○To provide another example of how water from the Ogallala

has transformed the economy of the High Plains

○To contrast cattle-fattening practices in the High Plains with

those used in other region of the United States

Paragraph 4: This unprecedented development of a finite

groundwater resource with an almost negligible natural recharge

rate-that is, virtually no natural water source to replenish the

water supply-has caused water tables in the region to fall

drastically. In the 1930s, wells encountered plentiful water at a

depth of about 15 meters; currently, they must be dug to depths

of 45 to 60 meters or more. In places, the water table is declining

at a rate of a meter a year, necessitating the periodic deepening

of wells and the use of ever-more-powerful pumps. It is estimated

that at current withdrawal rates, much of the aquifer will run dry

within 40 years. The situation is most critical in Texas, where the

climate is driest, the greatest amount of water is being pumped,

and the aquifer contains the least water. It is projected that the

remaining Ogallala water will, by the year 2030, support only 35

to 40 percent of the irrigated acreage in Texas that is supported

in 1980.

6. The word "unprecedented" in the passage is closest in

meaning to

○difficult to control

○without any restriction

○unlike anything in the past

○rapidly expanding

7. The word "virtually" in the passage is closest in meaning

to

○clearly

○perhaps

○frequently

○almost

8. According to paragraph 4, all of following are

consequences of the heavy use of the Ogallala aquifer for

irrigation EXCEPT:

○The recharge rate of the aquifer is decreasing.

○Water tables in the region are becoming increasingly lower.

○Wells now have to be dug to much greater depths than

before.

○Increasingly powerful pumps are needed to draw water

from the aquifer.

9. According to paragraph 4, compared with all other states

that use Ogallala water for irrigation, Texas

○has the greatest amount of farmland being irrigated with

Ogallala water

○contains the largest amount of Ogallala water underneath

the soil

○is expected to face the worst water supply crisis as the

Ogallala runs dry

○uses the least amount of Ogallala water for its irrigation

needs

Paragraph 5: The reaction of farmers to the inevitable

depletion of the Ogallala varies. Many have been attempting to

conserve water by irrigating less frequently or by switching to

crops that require less water. Others, however, have adopted the

philosophy that it is best to use the water while it is still

economically profitable to do so and to concentrate on high-

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