1997年5月托福阅读全真试题
While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA （by 1969 there were 233 of them），social scientists were also using new terms to describe the elusive， vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple "town" and "cities". A host of terms came into use： "metropolitan regions"， "polynucleated population groups"， "conurbations"， "metropolitan clusters"，"megalopolises"， and so on.
39.What does the passage mainly discuss？
（A） How cities in the United States began and developed
（B） Solutions to overcrowding in cities
（C） The changing definition of an urban area
（D） How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census
40.According to the passage， the population of the United States was first classified as rural or urban in
（A） 1870
（B） 1900
（C） 1950
（D） 1970
41.The word "distinguished" in line 3 is closest in meaning to
（A） differentiated
（B） removed
（C） honored
（D） protected
42.Prior to 1900， how many inhabitants would a town have to have before being defines as urban？
（A） 2，500
（B） 8，000
（C） 15，000
（D） 50，000
43.According to the passage， why did the Census Bureau revise the definition of urban in 1950？
（A） City borders had become less distinct.
（B） Cities had undergone radical social change
（C） Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition.
（D） New businesses had relocated to larger cities.
44.The word "those" in line 9 refers to
（A） boundaries
（B） persons
（C） units
（D） areas
45.The word "constituting" in line 16 is closest in meaning to
（A） located near
（B） determine by
（C） calling for
（D） marking up
46.The word "which" in line 18 refers to a smaller
（A） population
（B） city
（C） character
（D） figure
47.Which of the following is NOT true of an SMSA？
（A） It has a population of at least 50，000
（B） It can include a city's outlying regions
（C） It can include unincorporated regions
（D） It consists of at least two cities.
48.By 1970， what proportion of the population in the United States did NOT live in an SMSA？
（A） 3/4
（B） 2/3
（C） 1/2
（D） 1/3
49.The Census Bureau first used the term "SMSA" in
（A） 1900
（B） 1950
（C） 1969
（D） 1970
50.Where in the passage does the author mention names used by social scientists for an urban area？
（A） Lines 4-5
（B） Lines 7-8
（C） Lines 21-23
（D） Lines 27-29.