【托福真题_英语外教一对一培训】栏目更新了TOEFL托福阅读真题及答案（64），以下为具体内容：

　　TOEFL托福阅读真题文章：

　　Meteorological features in Japan are mainly shaped by two factors. On one hand, tropical cyclone activity peaks in the late summer, when the difference between temperatures aloft and sea surface temperatures is the greatest. On the other hand, during winter months heavy masses of cold air from Siberia dictate the weather around Japan. Persistent cold winds skim across the Sea of Japan from the northwest, picking up moisture that they deposit as several feet of snow on the western side of the mountain ranges on Honshu Island. As the cold air drops its moisture, it flows over high ridges and down eastern slopes to bring cold, relatively dry weather to valleys, coastal plains, and cities.

　　In spring, the Siberian air mass warms and loses density, enabling atmospheric currents over the Pacific to steer warmer air into northeast Asia. This warm, moisture-laden air covers most of southern Japan during June and July. The resulting late spring rains then give way to a drier summer that is sufficiently hot and muggy, despite the island chain’s northerly latitude, to allow widespread rice cultivation. In addition to the rain and sweltering temperatures of summer, the months of August and early September are also considered typhoon season, when high pressure systems formed in the tropical areas of the western Pacific Ocean occasionally strike Japan’s southern regions, inflicting torrential rain and strong wind. The arrival of autumn in late September usually brings drier conditions and a drop in temperatures.

　　Each season has its own characteristics, with the highest precipitation in most areas falling during the rainy season, when temperatures can soar into the high 90’s daily with almost 100% humidity. While the moisture fosters an exceptionally abundant forest, the combination of precipitous slopes and heavy rainfall also gives the islands one of the world’s highest rates of natural erosion, intensified by both human activity and the natural shocks of earthquakes and volcanism. These factors have in turn contributed to mountainsides that are extremely susceptible to erosion and landslides, and hence generally unsuitable for agricultural manipulation.

　　The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but varies greatly from north to south and Japan’s geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones. Generally sunny winters along the Pacific seaboard have made habitation there relatively pleasant. Along the Sea of Japan, on the other hand, cold, snowy winters have discouraged settlement. Furthermore, the combination of warm waters and monsoons results in strong evaporation of the relatively high annual precipitation, leaving little moisture for farming.

　　In the summer, the region of Honshu is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn. This has also discouraged agriculture. The area is subject to the yamase effect, when cool air from the north sometimes lowers temperatures sharply and damages farm production. As the the rice grown in Japan requires a mean summer temperature of 20°C or higher, a drop of 2°C -3°C can lead to a 30-50 percent drop in rice yield, and the yamase effect is capable of exceeding that level. This yamase effect does not, however, extend very far south, where most precipitation comes in the form of rain rather than snow and the bulk of it in spring, summer, and fall, when most useful for cultivation. Even the autumn typhoons, which deposit most of their moisture along the southern seaboard, are beneficial because they promote the start of the winter crops that for centuries have been grown in southern Japan.

　　To conclude, meteorological factors, including both climate on a large scale and precipitation patterns, have forced the Japanese to cluster their settlements along the southern coast, most densely along the sheltered Inland Sea, moving out of the northeast in the past two millennia. There the limits that topography imposed on production have been tightened by climate, with the result that agricultural output has been more modest and less reliable, making the risk of crop failure and hardship greater.

　　TOEFL托福阅读真题题目：

　　1．According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of the cold air from Siberia EXCEPT:

　　A．It gathers moisture as it moves across the Sea of Japan.

　　B．It is responsible for the snow that falls on the western side of Honshu Island.

　　C．It determines the weather in winter by the tropical cyclone activity.

　　D．It is responsible for the cold, dry weather of the eastern valleys and coastal plains and cities.

　　2．The word “enabling” in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A．preparing

　　B．requiring

　　C．allowing

　　D．distributing

　　3．Why does the author include the phrase “despite the island chain’s northerly latitude” in the paragraph?

　　A．To indicate that one would not expect such hot, muggy weather at Japan’s latitude

　　B．To compare Japan’s climate to the climates of more northerly latitudes

　　C．To give a reason for the hot, muggy weather experienced in Japan during the summer

　　D．To explain why Japan’s climate is only suitable for rice cultivation

　　4．All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as contributing to the high rate of erosion in the Japanese islands EXCEPT:

　　A．very steep slopes and heavy rainfall

　　B．intense agricultural manipulation

　　C．earthquakes and volcanic activities

　　D．human activity

　　8．The word “susceptible to” in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A．slow to recover from

　　B．likely to be affected by

　　C．unable to benefit from

　　D．well-known for

　　6．According to paragraph 4, which of the following is a major factor in the limited habitation in the area along the Sea of Japan?

　　A．It has too many mountains.

　　B．It is vulnerable to floods during spring runoff.

　　C．Its climate is highly irregular and unpredictable.

　　D．It is cold and snowy during winter.

　　7．According to paragraph 5, how can the yamase effect lead to lower rice

　　production in northern Honshu?

　　A．It can cause temperatures to drop below the level required for rice to grow well.

　　B．It can limit the amount of summer rainfall, resulting in less water for cultivation.

　　C．It can damage a large portion of the land on which rice is grown.

　　D．It can prevent rice cultivation during sessions other than summer.

　　8．Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 5 about farming in southern Japan?

　　A．Farming is limited to rice cultivation.

　　B．Farming is difficult because of the yamase effect.

　　C．Farming takes place throughout the year.

　　D．Farming suffers from the effects of autumn typhoons.

　　9．The word “exceeding” in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A．almost reaching

　　B．going beyond

　　C．maintaining

　　D．reducing

　　10．The word “cluster” in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A．build

　　B．group

　　C．move

　　D．expand

　　11．Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　A．Agricultural production has been more successful in northeastern Japan than

　　along the Inland Sea, where topography and climate make life difficult for people.

　　B．Topography and climate have combined to limit agricultural production in northeastern Japan, resulting in an increased risk of crop failure and hardship.

　　C．Along the Inland Sea, where topography makes the climate more severe, decreased agricultural output has resulted from crop failure and hardship.

　　D．The risk of crop failure in northeastern Japan has caused greater hardship than have climate and topography.

　　12．Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. apan’s yearly weather cycle influences settlement patterns and agriculture across the islands.

　　A Cold, westerly winds from Siberia and cyclonic airflows from the Pacific Ocean provide ample rainfall for farming but contribute to high rates of erosion.

　　B Settlements are most concentrated along the Pacific seaboard to the south, where climate and topography are more suitable for crop cultivation.

　　C The yamase effect has a great impact on rice growing in northern Japan but does not affect cultivation in southern Japan, where precipitation comes in the form of rain rather than snow.

　　D Japan’s yearly weather cycle makes farming possible only in the summer, as the effects of the Siberian air mass result in winters that are too cold and snowy for agriculture.

　　E Agricultural practices that stabilize sediments have reduced erosion and landslides and allowed the growth of lush forests in Japan.

　　F Climate changes during the last two millennia have caused the Japanese to move their settlements toward the northeast, where the climate is more favorable to agriculture.

　　TOEFL托福阅读真题参考答案：

　　1. C

　　2. C

　　3. A

　　4. B

　　5. B

　　6. D

　　7. A

　　8. C

　　9. B

　　10. B

　　11. B

　　12. A，B，C

　　以上就是TOEFL托福阅读真题答案（64），欢迎大家进入说客英语官网的【托福真题_英语外教一对一培训】栏目，了解更多托福真题、托福考试内容等相关资讯。