托福阅读历年真题精选40
Questions 30-39Native Americans probably arrived from Asia in successive waves over several
millennia, crossing a plain hundreds of miles wide that now lies inundated by 160 feet
of water released by melting glaciers. For several periods of time, the first beginning
around 60,000 B.C. and the last ending around 7,000 B.C., this land bridge was open. The
(5 )first people traveled in the dusty trails of the animals they hunted. They brought with them
not only their families, weapons, and tools but also a broad metaphysical understanding,
sprung from dreams and visions and articulated in myth and song, which complemented
their scientific and historical knowledge of the lives of animals and of people. All this they
shaped in a variety of languages, bringing into being oral literatures of power and beauty.
(10) Contemporary readers, forgetting the origins of western epic, lyric, and dramatic
forms, are easily disposed to think of “literature” only as something written. But on
reflection it becomes clear that the more critically useful as well as the more frequently employed sense of the term concerns the artfulness of the verbal creation, not its mode of presentation. Ultimately, literature is aesthetically valued, regardless of language, culture,
(15)or mode of presentation, because some significant verbal achievement results from the
struggle in words between tradition and talent. Verbal art has the ability to shape out a compelling inner vision in some skillfully crafted public verbal form.
Of course, the differences between the written and oral modes of expression are not without consequences for an understanding of Native American literature. The essential
(20)difference is that a speech event is an evolving communication, an “emergent form,” theshape, functions, and aesthetic values of which become more clearly realized over the
course of the performance. In performing verbal art , the performer assumes responsibility
for the manner as well as the content of the performance, while the audience assumes the responsibility for evaluating the performer’s competence in both areas. It is this intense
(25)mutual engagement that elicits the display of skill and shapes the emerging performance.
Where written literature provides us with a tradition of texts, oral literature offers a
tradition of performances.
30. According to the passage, why did the first people who came to North America leave their homeland?
(A) They were hoping to find a better climate.
(B) They were seeking freedom.
(C) They were following instructions given in a dream.
(D) They were looking for food.
31. The phrase “are easily disposed” in line 11 is closet in meaning to
(A) demonstrate reluctance
(B) readily encourage others
(C) have a tendency
(D) often fail
32.The word “Ultimately” in line 14 is closest in meaning to
(A) frequently
(B) normally
(C) whenever possible
(D) in the end
托福阅读历年真题精选40
33.The word “compelling” in line 17 is closest in meaning to </p> (A) joyous (B) intricate (C) competing (D) forceful34. What is the main point of the second paragraph?
(A) Public performance is essential to verbal art.
(B) Oral narratives are a valid form of literature.
(C) Native Americans have a strong oral tradition in art.
(D) The production of literature provides employment for many artists.
35. What can be inferred about the nature of the Native American literature discussed in the passage?
(A) It reflects historical and contemporary life in Asia.
(B) Its main focus is on daily activities.
(C) It is based primarily on scientific knowledge.
(D) It is reshaped each time it is experienced.
36. According to the passage, what responsibility does the audience of a verbal art performance have ?
(A) They provide financial support for performances.
(B) They judge the quality of the content and presentation.
(C) They participate in the performance by chanting responses.
(D) They determine the length of the performance by requesting a continuation.
37. Which of the following is NOT true of the Native American literature discussed in the passage?
(A) It involves acting.
(B) It has ancient origins.
(C) It has a set form.
(D) It expresses an inner vision.
38. What can be inferred from the passage about the difference between written and oral literature?
(A) Written literature reflects social values better than oral literature does.
(B) Written literature involves less interaction between audience and creator during the creative progress than oral literature does.
(C) Written literature usually is not based on historical events, whereas oral literature is.
(D) Written literature is not as highly respected as oral literature is.
39. What is the author’s attitude toward Native American literature?
(A) Admiring of its form
(B) Critical of the cost of its production
(C) Amused by its content
(D) Skeptical about its origins
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