【威学教育】王鑫托福阅读TPO3-2⽂本
【王鑫托福阅读】托福TPO3-2阅读⽂本
TPO3
TPO3-2 Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer
1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following statements about the High Plains is true?
A. Until farmers and ranchers ttled there in the 1880s, the High Plains had never been inhabited.
B. The climate of the High Plains is characterized by higher-than-average temperatures.
C. The large aquifer that lies underneath the High Plains was discovered by the Ogallala Sioux Indians.
D. Before the early 1900's there was only a small amount of farming and ranching in the High Plains.
2. According to paragraph 2, all of the following statements about the Ogallala aquifer are true EXCEPT:
基友是什么A. The aquifer stretches from South Dakota to Texas.
B. The aquifer ’ s water comes from underground springs.
C. Water has been gathering in the aquifer for 30,000 years.
D. The aquifer’s water is stored in a layer of sandstone.
3. Which of the ntences below best express the esntial information in the highlighted ntence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out esntial information.
A. Despite the current impressive size of the Ogallala aquifer, the region ’ s climate keeps the rates of water addition very small.
B. 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.
C. Becau of the region’ s pre nt climatic conditions, water is being added each year to the aquifer.
D. Even when the region experiences unfortunate climatic conditions, the rates of addition of water continue to increa.
T h e vast gras s lands o f the High Plains in the central United States were ttled by farmers and ranchers in the 1880s. This region has a miarid climate, and for 50 years after its ttlement, 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 miarid climatic conditions that prently exist in the region, rates of addition to the aquifer are minimal, amounting to about half a centimeter a year.
4. The word “ensuing” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A. continuing
B. surprising
C. initia⼁
D. subquent
5.In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the information that 40 percent of American cattle are fattened in the High Plains?
A. To suggest that crop cultivation is not the most important part of the economy of the High Plains
B. To indicate that not all economic activity in the High Plains is dependent on irrigation
C. To provide another example of how water from the Ogallala has transformed the economy of the High Plains
D. To contrast cattle-fattening practices in the High Plains with tho ud in other region of the United States
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, ea
朝鲜族美食ch 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.
6. The word “ unprecedented ” in the passage is c lost in meaning to
A. difficult to control
B. without any restriction
C. unlike anything in the past
D. rapidly expanding
7. The word “virtually” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A. clearly
B. perhaps
C. frequently
D. almost
8. According to paragraph 4, all of following are conquences of the heavy u of the Ogallala aquifer for irrigation EXCEPT:
共享英文A The recharge rate of the aquifer is decreasing.
B Water tables in the region are becoming increasingly lower.
三上兄弟C Wells now have to be dug to much greater depths than before.
D Increasingly powerful pumps are needed to draw water from the aquifer
正装一定是西装吗
9. According to paragraph 4, compared with all other states that u Ogallala water for irrigation, Texas
A. has the greatest amount of farmland being irrigated with Ogallala water
B. contains the largest amount of Ogallala water underneath the soil
C. is expected to face the worst water supply crisis as the Ogallala runs dry
D. us the least amount of Ogallala water for its irrigation needs
This unprecedented development of a finite g roundwater resource with an almost negligible natural recharge rate—that is, virtually no natural water source to replenish the water supply —has caud 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 u of ever-more-powerfu ⼁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.
10. The word “inevitable” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A. unfortunate
B. predictable
C. unavoidable
D. final
11. Paragraph 5 mentions which of the following as a source of difficulty for some farmers who try to conrve water?
A. Crops that do not need much water are difficult to grow in the High Plains.
B. Farmers who grow crops that need a lot of water make higher profits.
C. Irrigating less frequently often leads to crop failure.
D. Few farmers are convinced that the aquifer will eventually run dry.
12. According to paragraph 6, what is the main disadvantage of the propod plans to transport river water to the High Plains?
A. The rivers cannot supply sufficient water for the farmer’ s needs.
电脑开机密码
B. Incread irrigation costs would make the products too expensive.
C. The costs of using capillary water for irrigation will increa.
D. Farmers will be forced to switch to genetically engineered crops.
The reaction of farmers to the inevitable depletion of the Ogallala varies. Many have been attempting to conrve 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 u 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 conrve water is reduced by their knowledge that many of their neighbors are profiting by using great amounts of water, and in the proces s are drawing down the entire region’ s water supplies.
In the face of the upcoming water supply crisis, a number of grandio 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 the schemes would increa pumping costs at least tenfold, making the cost of irrigated agricultural products from the region uncompetitive on the national and international markets. Somewhat more p
romising have been recent experiments for releasing capillary water (water in the soil) above the water table by injecting compresd 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.
The reaction of farmers to the inevitable depletion of the Ogallala varies. Many have been attempting to conrve 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 u the water while it is still economically profitable to do so and to concentrate on high-value crops such as cotton. ■The incen tive of the farmers who wish to conrve 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 grandio 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 the schemes would increa 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 compresd 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. 13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following ntence could be added to the passage. Where would the ntence best fit?
But even if uncooperative farmers were to join in the conrvation efforts, this would only delay the depletion of the aquifer.
14. Directions: An introductory ntence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by lecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ide
大黄米饭
as in the passage. Some ntences do not belong in the summary becau they express ideas that are not prented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points. The Ogallala aquifer is a large underground source of water in the High Plains region of the United States.
A. The u of the Ogallala for irrigation has allowed the High Plains to become one of the most productive agricultural regions in the United States.
B. Given the aquifer’ s low recharge rate, its u for irrigation is causing water tables to drop and will eventually lead to its depletion.
C. Releasing capillary water and introducing drought-resistant crops are less-promising solutions to the water supply crisis than bringing in river water
D. The periodic deepening of wells and the u of more-powerful pumps would help increa the natural recharge rate of the Ogallala.
E. In Texas, a great deal of attention is being paid to genetic engineering becau it is there that the most critical situation exists.
F. Several solutions to the upcoming water supply crisis have been propod, but none of them promis to keep
the costs of irrigation low.
>乡土情
