托福考试托福阅读讲义23

　　The Civil War

　　Involvement in a war is painful to any nation. No nations wants to sent it’s young people to fight and die. It is even worse when the war is fought within the country, but worst of all is when a country finds itself divided, and people of the same nation fight each other. In America’s history, the most painful period is surely the Civil War.

　　The civil war was fought for many complex reasons. Probably the most important was the issue of slavery. The Southern states, dependent on slaves for producing cotton, wanted to continue the practice of slavery while the industrialized Northern states wanted to abolish it. The issue of “States’ Right”, the right of individual states to make laws without interference from the national government, was also very divisive. There were even basic cutural differences which caused friction between Notherners and Southerners. (1) All of these factors led to a war between the North and South which would be the bloodiest in the nation’s history.

　　Both sides suffered terribly in the war. Families were torn apart as fathers, sons, and brothers chose different sides. Hundreds of thousands of young men died on both sides. The city of Atlanta was burned to the ground. Foutune were ruined and the economy of the Southern states was wrecked. (2) The people on both sides suffered, and that suffering was worse because it was inflicted by people who had been their countrymen, and even their brothers. Shortly after the war, a bitter Southerner assassinated the beloved president Abraham Lincoln.

　　After four bloody, terrible years, the North won the war and the country was re-united. The slaves were freed and the nation set about rebuilding. Historians will always argue whether or not the Civil War could have been avoided. And what it’s long term benefits have been. (3) there can be no argument, however, that the Civil War was the most painful period in American’s history.

　　Question 1:

　　Which of the sentences below best express the essential information in the highlighted sentence 1 in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　(A) There are many reasons for the war in which more people died than any other war.

　　(B) During the war, there are more casualties in the south and north than in the east and west.

　　(C) The only one reason contributed to the war which is the worst in the world history.

　　(D) Many people died because of lack of blood transfusion which led to a war.

A

　　Question 2:

　　Which of the sentences below best express the essential information in the highlighted sentence 2 in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　(A) If the war had not been with their brothers, there would have been no pain.

　　(B) If the war had not taken place in the countryside, there would have been less pain.

　　(C) If the war had been with other nations, the results would have been worse.

　　(D) If the war had not been with the same race, the pain would have been much less.

D

　　Question 3:

　　Which of the sentences below best express the essential information in the highlighted sentence 3 in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　(A) Discussing the matter is worthless to everybody.

　　(B) The vast majority of people accept the statement of fact.

　　(C) It is impossible to hold a diffierent opinion.

　　(D) It is illegal to hold a different opinion.

B