托福阅读TPO3(试题+答案+译

托福阅读TPO3(试题+答案+译文)第1篇:Arch托福阅读

TPO3(试题+答案+译文)第1篇:Architecture

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托福阅读原文

Architecture is theart and science of designing structures

that organize and enclose space forpractical and symbolic

purposes. Because architecture grows out of human needsand

aspirations, it clearly communicates cultural values. Of all the

visualarts, architecture affects our lives most directly for it

determines thecharacter of the human environment in major

ways.

Architecture is athree-dimensional form. It utilizes space,

mass, texture, line, light, andcolor. To be architecture, a building

must achieve a working harmony with avariety of elements.

Humans instinctively seek structures that will shelter and

enhance their way of life. It is the work of architects to

createbuildings that are not simply constructions but also offer

inspiration anddelight. Buildings contribute to human life when

they provide shelter, enrichspace, complement their site, suit the

climate, and are economically client who pays for the

building and defines its function is an importantmember of the

architectural

architects.

In order for thestructure to achieve the size and strength

necessary to meet its purpose,architecture employs methods of

support that, because they are based onphysical laws, have

team. The mediocre design of many

contemporarybuildings can be traced to both clients and

changed little since people first discovered them—even while

building materials havechanged ld’s

architecturalstructures have also beendevisedin relation to the

objectivelimitations of materials. Structures can be analyzed in

terms of how they dealwith downward forces created by gravity.

They are designed to withstand theforces of compression

(pushing together), tension (pulling apart), bending, ora

combination of these in different parts of the structure.

Even development in architecture has been the result of

major technological changes. Materials andmethods of

construction are integralparts of the design of

architecturestructures. In earlier times it was necessary to design

structural systemssuitable for the materials that were available,

such as wood, stone, technology has progressed to

the point where it is possible to invent newbuilding materials to

suit the type of structure desired. Enormous changes inmaterials

and techniques of construction within the last few generations

havemade it possible to enclose space with much greater ease

and speed and with aminimum of material. Progress in this area

can be measured by the difference inweight between buildings

built now and those of comparable size built onehundred years

ago.

Modernarchitectural forms generally have three separate

components comparable toelements of the human body: a

supporting skeleton or frame, an outer skinenclosing the interior

spaces, and equipment, similar to the body’s vital organs and

systems. Theequipment includes plumbing, electrical wiring, hot

water, andair-conditioning. Of course in early architecture—

suchas igloos and adobe structures—there was no

suchequipment, and the skeleton and skin were often one.

Much of the world’s great architecture has beenconstructed

of stone because of its beauty, permanence, and availability. Inthe

past, whole cities grew from thearduoustask of cutting and

pilingstone upon. Some of the world’s finest stonearchitecture

can be seen in the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu

Picchuhigh in the eastern Andes Mountains of Peru.

Thedoorways andwindowsare made possible by placing over the

open spaces thick stone beamsthat support the weight from

above. A structural invention had to be madebefore the physical

limitations of stone could be overcome and newarchitectural

forms could be created. That invention was the arch, a

curvedstructure originally made of separate stone or brick

segments. The arch wasused by the early cultures of the

Mediterranean area chiefly for undergrounddrains, but it was the

Romans who first developed and used the arch extensivelyin

aboveground structures. Roman builders perfected the

semicircular arch madeof separate blocks of stone. As a method

of spanning space, the arch cansupport greater weight than a

horizontal beam. It works in compression todivert the weight

above it out to the sides, where the weight is borne by thevertical

elements on either side of the arch. The arch is among the

manyimportant structural breakthroughs that have characterized

architecturethroughout the centuries.

托福阅读试题

1. According toparagraph 1, all of the following statements

about architecture are true EXCEPT:

ecture isvisual art.

ecturereflects the cultural values of its creators.

ecture hasboth artistic and scientific dimensions.

ecture hasan indirect effect on life.

2. The word “feasible”in the passage (paragraph 2) is

closest in meaning to

existence

t question

able

likely

3. The word “enhance”in the passage (paragraph 2) is

closest in meaning to

t

e

ze

4. Which of thesentences below best expresses the essential

information in thehighlightedsentencein the passage (paragragh

3) ? Incorrect choices change themeaning in important ways or

leave out essential information.

gingphysical laws have limited the size and

strength of buildings that can be madewith materials discovered

long ago.

ngmaterials have changed in order to increase

architectural size and strength,but physical laws of structure have

not changed.

people firststarted to build, the structural methods

used to provide strength and size wereinadequate because they

were not based on physical laws.

buildingmaterials, the methods of support used in

architecture have not changed overtime because they are based

on physical laws.

5. The word “devised”in the passage (paragragh 3) is

closest in meaning to

ed

d

uced

ted

6. The word “integral”(paragraph 4) is closest in meaning

to

ial

le

cal

ndent

7. According toparagraph 4, which of the following is true

about materialsused in theconstruction of buildings?

e newbuilding materials are hard to find,

construction techniques have changed verylittle from past

generations.

availabilityof suitable building materials no longer

limits the types of structures thatmay be built.

primarybuilding materials that are available today are

wood, stone, and brick.

ects inearlier times did not have enough building

materials to enclose large spaces.

8. In paragraph 4,what does the author imply about modern

buildings?

occupy muchless space than buildings constructed

one hundred years ago.

are not verydifferent from the building of a few

generations ago.

weigh lessin relation to their size than buildings

constructed one hundred years ago.

take a longtime to build as a result of their complex

construction methods.

9. Which of thefollowing correctly characterizes the

relationship between the human body andarchitecture that is

described in paragraph 5?

x equipmentinside buildings is the one element in

modern architecture that resembles acomponent of the human

body.

components inearly buildings were similar to three

particular elements of the human body.

buildingshave components that are as likely to

change as the human body is.

general,modern buildings more closely resemble the

human body than earlier buildingsdo.

10. The word “arduous”in the passage (paragraph 6) is

closest in meaning to

ult

ary

d

11. Why does theauthor include a description of how the

“doorways and windows”(paragraph 6) ofMachu Picchu were

constructed?

indicate thatthe combined skeletons and skins of the

stone buildings of Machu Picchu weresimilar to igloos and adobe

structures

indicate thedifferent kinds of stones that had to be cut

to build Machu Picchu

provide anillustration of the kind of construction that

was required before arches wereinvented

explain howancient builders reduced the amount of