1、TOEFL词汇题精选440题58001. Most of these leaders were involved in public life as reformers, activists working for womens right to vote, or authors, and were not representative at all of the great of ordinary women.The word representative is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) typical(B) satisfied
2、(C) supportive(D) distinctive002. In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1843-1933) was the most noted exponent of this style, producing a great variety of glass forms and surfaces, which were widely copied in their time and are highly prized today. The word prized is closest in meaning to whi
3、ch of following?(A) valued(B) universal(C) uncommon(D) preserved003. The Art Nouveau style was a major force in the decorative arts from 1895 until 1915, although its influence continued throughout the mid-1920s. It was eventually to be overtaken by a new school of thought known as Functionalism tha
4、t had been present since the turn of the century.The word overtaken is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) surpassed(B) inclined(C) expressed(D) applied004. During most of their lives, surge glaciers behave like normal glaciers, traveling perhaps only a couple of inches per day. However, at
5、 intervals of 10 to 100 years, these glaciers move forward up to 100 times faster than usual.The word intervals is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) records(B) speeds(C) distances(D) periods005. The increasing water pressure under the glacier might lift it off its bed, overcoming the fric
6、tion between ice and rock, thus freeing the glacier, which rapidly sliders downhill surge glaciers also might be influenced by the climate, volcanic heat, or earthquakes.The word freeing is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) pushing(B) releasing(C) strengthening(D) draining006. A flood of
7、ice would then surge into the Southern Sea. With the continued rise in sea level, more ice would plunge into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise even higher, which in turn would release more ice and set in motion a vicious cycle. The word plunge is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) drop
8、(B) extend(C) melt(D) drift007. Group members look to instrumental leaders to get things done. Expressive leadership, on the other hand, is leadership that emphasizes the collective well-being of a social groups members.The word collective is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) necessary(B)
9、 typical(C) group(D) particular008. They offer sympathy when someone experiences difficulties or is subjected to discipline, are quick to lighten a serious moment with humor, and try to resolve issues that threaten to divide the group.The word resolve is closest in meaning to which of following?(A)
10、avoid repeating(B) talk about(C) avoid thinking about(D) find a solution for009. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site.The word noticed
11、 is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) predicted(B) announced(C) corrected(D) observed010. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses. The word tangled is closest in m
12、eaning to which of following?(A) buried beneath(B) twisted together(C) quickly formed(D) easily dated011. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust.The word concealed is closest in meaning
13、to which of following?(A) highlighted(B) covered(C) transformed(D) contaminated012. The ocean bottom - a region nearly 2. 5 times greater than the total land area of the Earth - is a vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted, until about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor wa
14、s completely inaccessible, hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep.The word inaccessible is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) unrecognizable(B) unreachable(C) unusable(D) unsafe013. The DSDPs drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a steady position on the o
15、ceans surface and drill in very deep waters, extracting samples of sediments and rock from the ocean floor.The word extracting is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) breaking(B) locating(C) removing(D) analyzing014. Today, largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Chall
16、engers voyages, nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes that shape the Earth.The word strength is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) basis(B) purpose(C) discovery(D) endurance015. For every thr
17、ee Canadians in 1945, there were over five in 1966. In September 1966 Canadas population passed the 20 million mark. Most of this surging growth came from natural increase. The word surging is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) new(B) extra(C) accelerating(D) surprising016. When the prairi
18、es were being settled, undoubtedly, the good economic conditions of the 1950s supported a growth in the population, but the expansion also derived from a trend toward earlier marriages and an increase in the average size of families. The word trend is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) ten
19、dency(B) aim(C) growth(D) directive017. After the peak year of 1957, the birth rate in Canada began to decline. It continued falling until in 1966, it stood at the lowest level in 25 years.The word peak is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) pointed(B) dismal(C) mountain(D) maximum018. Alth
20、ough the growth in Canadas population had slowed down by 1966 (the increase the first half of the 1960s was only nine percent) , another large population wave was coming over the horizon. It would be composed of the children who were born during the period of the high birth rate prior to 1957.The ph
21、rase prior to is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) behind(B) since(C) during(D) preceding019. Advocates of organic foods - a term whose meaning varies greatly - frequently proclaim that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.The word Advocates is closest in meaning to whi
22、ch of following?(A) Proponents(B) Merchants(C) Inspectors(D) Consumers020. There are numerous unsubstantiated reports that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains, an
23、d the like.The word unsubstantiated is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) unbelievable(B) uncontested(C) unpopular(D) unverified021. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foo
24、ds. So there is real cause for concern if consumers, particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the regular food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.The word maintain is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) improve(B) monitor(C) preserve(D) restore022. In addition, the
25、re were performers and since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.The word considerable is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) thoughtful(B) substantial(C) relational(D) ceremonial023. In addition, t
26、here were performers and since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.The word enactment is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) establishment(B) performance(C) authorization(D) season024. Staggering ta
27、sks confronted the people of the United States, North and South, when the Civil War ended. About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated economy. The word Staggering is closest in meaning to which of following
28、?(A) specialized(B) confusing(C) various(D) overwhelming025. About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated economy. The word devastated is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) developing(B) ruined(C) c
29、omplicated(D) fragile026. Some botanists hypothesized that the living cells of plants acted as pumps. But many experiments demonstrated that the stems of plants in which all the cells are killed can still move water to appreciable heights.The word demonstrated is closest in meaning to which of follo
30、wing?(A) ignored(B) showed(C) disguised(D) distinguished027. As water is lost from the surface of the leaves, a negative pressure, or tension, is created. The evaporated water is replaced by water moving from inside the plant in unbroken columns that extend from the top of a plant to its roots. The
31、same forces that create surface tension in any sample of water are responsible for the maintenance of these unbroken columns of water.The word extend is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) stretch(B) branch(C) increase(D) rotate028. By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential e
32、xpansion, the omnibuses, horse railways, commuter trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant from city centers than they were in the premodern era.The word vast is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) large(B) basic(C) new(D) urban029. The new
33、 accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located
34、in outlying areas.The word sparked is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) brought about(B) surrounded(C) sent out(D) followed030. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty y
35、ears-lots that could have housed five to six million people.The word potential is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) certain(B) popular(C) improved(D) possible031. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing p
36、reserved embryos.The word outstanding is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) extensive(B) surprising(C) vertical(D) excellent032. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzamden, suggesting that a specific site was used by l
37、arge numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time.The word site is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) example(B) location(C) development(D) characteristic033. The quality of preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the val
38、ue of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.The phrase account for is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) record(B) descr
39、ibe(C) equal(D) explain034. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century.The words a supremacy in line 9 are closest in me
40、aning to(A) a suggestion(B) an improvement(C) a dominance(D) a development035. A series of mechanical improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or to soften it, the perfection of a metal frame, and steel wire of the finest quality,
41、 finally produced an instrument capable of myriad tonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to a ship, percussive brilliance.The word myriad is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) noticeable(B) many(C) loud(D) unusu
42、al036. Each one was virtually a stone town, which is why the Spanish would later call them pueblos, the Spanish word for towns. These pueblos represent one of the Anasazis supreme achievements. At least a dozen large stone houses took shape below the bluffs of Chiaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico.T
43、he word supreme is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) most common(B) most outstanding(C) most expensive(D) most convenient037. They functioned as sanctuaries where the elders met to plan festivals, perform ritual dances, settle pueblo affairs, and impart tribal lore to the younger generati
44、on.The word settle is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) sink(B) decide(C) clarify(D) locate038. Then, to connect the pueblos and to give access to the surrounding tableland, the architects laid out a system of public roads with stone staircases for ascending cliff faces.The word ascending
45、 is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) arriving at(B) carving(C) connecting(D) climbing039. Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the fil
46、m.The word solemn is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) simple(B) serious(C) short(D) silent040. Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these early special scores was that composed and arranged for D. W. Griffiths film Birth of a Nation, which was released
47、 in 1915.The word composed is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) selected(B) combined(C) played(D) createdThe word scores is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) totals(B) successes(C) musical compositions(D) groups of musicians041. The Earth comprises three principal layers: the dense, iron-rich core, the mantle made of silicate rocks that are semimolten at depth, and the thin, solid-surface crust.The word comprises is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) adapts to(B) benefit
