1、Toefl iBT Practice Test TPO 17 Reading Section 1No. of Questions: 14 Time: 20 minutesBegin TestYou can use the countdown timer at the left bottom corner of the screen totime your test.press this button to set the timer Input a numberstart countdownpause countdownCONTINUE17Europes Early Sea Trade wit

2、h AsiaIn the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out o

3、f the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with E

4、uropeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.If you cannot see the timer or if you cannot set the timer, you

5、ll need to install flash player. Visit /flashplayer/ to download and install adobe flash player.Set the timer before doing the test. Standard time for doing this test is 20 minutes.The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime trad

6、ition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sh

7、eer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture

8、perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the gall

9、ey, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 1 of 14E

10、uropes Early Sea Trade with AsiaThe word 【impetus】 in the passage is closestin meaning toIn the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the t

11、welfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an【impetus】 to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous tra

12、veler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade withEuropeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new

13、way had to be found.The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans

14、. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-af

15、ter commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the A

16、frican continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when

17、driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 2 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade with Asia In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had

18、 had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported,

19、if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope

20、 existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.Paragraph 1 is marked with The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic,

21、 and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the imm

22、ensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be tr

23、ansported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys

24、had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 3 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade with AsiaIn the fourteenth century, a number of political developm

25、ents cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desi

26、re to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by suc

27、h contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the

28、 context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investmen

29、t it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medic

30、ines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitte

31、d with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 4 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade wit

32、h AsiaIn the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out o

33、f the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with E

34、uropeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to

35、reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques f

36、or financing so vast a scheme.【 The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East- West trade could create. 】 Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the Europe

37、an diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship us

38、ed throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voya

39、ge to the East. Even if17Question 5 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade with AsiaThe word 【dramatically】in the passage is closest in meaning toIn the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important an

40、d highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distr

41、usted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for main

42、taining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea betw

43、een England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West tr

44、ade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only 【 dramatically 】 improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to just

45、ify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had

46、 relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 6 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade with AsiaParagraph 2 is marked with In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Euro

47、pes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure

48、direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact mad

49、e the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found. The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of

50、easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to

51、 begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But ev

52、en high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails

53、 but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water: hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if17Question 7 of 14Europes Early Sea Trade with AsiaParagr

54、aph 3 is marked with In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europes overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom h

55、ad fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice. Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China

56、to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land A new way had to be found.The chief problem was technological: How were th

57、e Europeans to reach the East? Europes maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seasthe Mediterranean, the Baltic, and. to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continentnot of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding ones way, n

58、ew techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicine