1995年8月托福考试阅读理解全真试题（下）
The desperate plight of the South has eclipsed the fact that reconstruction had to be undertaken also in the North，though less spectacularly. Industries had to adjust to peacetime conditions， factories had to be retooled for civilian needs.
Financial problems loomed large in both the North and the South. The national debt had shot up from a modest $65 million in 1861， the year the ear started to nearly $3 billion in 1865， the year the war ended. This was a colossal sum for those days but one that a prudent government could pay. At the same time， war taxes had to be reduced to less burdensome levels.
Physical devastation caused by invading armies， chiefly in the South and border states， had to be repaired. This herculean task was ultimately completed， but with discouraging slowness.
Other important questions needed answering. What would be the future of the four million black people who were freed from slavery？ On what basis were the Southern states to be brought back into the Union？
What of the Southern leaders， all of whom were liable to charges of treason？ One of these leaders， Jefferson Davis，President of the Southern Confederacy， was the subject of an insulting popular Northern song，"Hang Jeff Davis from a Sour Apple Tree." And even children sang it. Davis was temporarily chained in his prison cell during the early days of his two- year imprisonment. But he and the other Southern leaders were finally released， partly because it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia， a Southern Confederate state， would convict them. All the leaders were finally pardoned by President Johnson in 1868 in an effort to help reconstruction efforts proceed with as little bitterness as possible.
41. What does the passage mainly discuss？
（A） Wartime expenditures
（B） Problems facing the United States after the war
（C） Methods of repairing the damage caused by the war
（D） The results of government efforts to revive the economy
42. The word " Staggering" in line 1 is closest in meaning to
（A） specialized
（B） confusing
（C） various
（D） overwhelming
43. The word "devastated" in line 4 is closest in meaning to
（A） developing
（B） ruined
（C） complicated
（D） fragile
44. According to the passage， which of the following statements about the damage in the South is correct？
（A） It was worse than in the North.
（B） The cost was less than expected
（C） It was centered in the border states.
（D） It was remedied rather quickly.
45. The passage refers to all of the following as necessary steps following the Civil War EXCEPT
（A） helping soldiers readjust
（B） restructuring industry
（C） returning government to normal
（D） increasing taxes
46. The word "task" in line 21 refers to
（A） raising the tax level
（B） sensible financial choices
（C） worse decisions about former slaves
（D） reconstruction of damaged areas
47. Why does the author mention a popular song in lines 30？
（A） To give attitude towards the South
（B） To illustrate the Northern love of music
（C） To emphasize the cultural differences between the North and the South
（D） To compare the Northern and Southern presidents
48. The word "them" in line 36 refers to
（A） charges
（B） leaders
（C） days
（D） irons
49. Which of the following can be inferred from the phrase " _____it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia . a Southern Confederate state ，would convict them" （lines 25-26）？
（A） Virginians felt betrayed by Jefferson Davis
（B） A popular song insulted Virginians
（C） Virginians were loyal to their leaders
（D） All of the Virginia military leaders had been put in chains.
50. It can be inferred from the passage that President Johnson pardoned the Southern leaders in order to
（A） raise money for the North
（B） repair the physical damage in the South
（C） prevent Northern leaders from punishing more Southerners
（D） help the nation recover from the war