1996年5月托福阅读全真试题
Question 1-12
Orchids are unique in having the most highly developed of all blossoms， in which the usual male and female reproductive organs are fused in a single structure called the column. The column is designed so that a single pollination will fertilize hundreds of thousands， and in some cases millions， of seeds，so microscopic and light they are easily carried by the breeze. Surrounding the column are three sepals and three petals，sometimes easily recognizable as such， often distorted into gorgeous，weird， but always functional shapes. The most noticeable of the petals is called the labellum， or lip. It is often dramatically marked as an unmistakable landing strip to attract the specific insect the orchid has chosen as its pollinator.
To lure their pollinators from afar， orchids use appropriately intriguing shapes， colors， and scents. At least 50 different aromatic compounds have been analyzed in the orchid family，each blended to attract one， or at most a few， species of insects or birds. Some orchids even change their scents to interest different insects at different times.
Once the right insect has been attracted， some orchids present all sorts of one-way obstacle courses to make sure it does not leave until pollen has been accurately placed or removed. By such ingenious adaptations to specific pollinators，orchids have avoided the hazards of rampant crossbreeding in the wild， assuring the survival of species as discrete identities. At the same time they have made themselves irresistible to collectors.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss？
（A） Birds
（B） Insects
（C） Flowers
（D） Perfume
2.The orchid is unique because of
（A） the habitat in which it lives
（B） the structure of its blossom
（C） the variety of products than can be made from it
（D） the length of its life
3.The word "fused" in line 3 is closet in meaning to
（A） combined
（B） hidden
（C） fertilized
（D） produced
4.How many orchid seeds are typically pollinated at one time？
（A） 200
（B） 2，000
（C） 20，000
（D） 200，000
5.Which of the following is a kind of petal？
（A） The column
（B） The sepal
（C） The stem
（D） The labellum
6.The labellum（line10） is most comparable to
（A） a microscope
（B） an obstacle course
（C） an airport runway
（D） a racetrack
7.The word "lure" in line 13 is closet in meaning to
（A） attract
（B） recognize
（C） follow
（D） help
8.Which of following is NOT mentioned as a means by which an orchid attracts insects？
（A） Size
（B） Shape
（C） Color
（D） Perfume
9.The word "their" in line 17 refers to
（A） orchids
（B） birds
（C） insects
（D） species
10.Which of the following statements about orchids' scents does the passage support？
（A） They are effective only when an insect is near the blossom.
（B） Harmful insects are repelled by them.
（C） They are difficult to tell apart.
（D） They may change at different times.
11.The word "placed" in line 21 is closet in meaning to
（A） estimated
（B） measured
（C） deposited
（D） identified
12.The word "discrete" in line 24 is closet in meaning to
（A） complicated
（B） separate
（C） inoffensive
（D） functional
Question 13-22
One of the most important social developments that helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the baby boom of the 1950's and 1960's on the schools. In the 1920's， but especially in the Depression conditions of the 1930's， the United States experienced a declining birth rate -every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920， 89.2 in 1930， 75.8 in 1936， and 80 in 1940. With the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that followed it， young people married and established households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth rates rose to 102 per thousand in 1946， 106.2 in 1950， and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant， it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates. The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid-1940's and became a flood by 1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions， these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the flood. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and 1945. Moreover， during the war and in the boom times that followed， large numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy.