Reading Toefl
As many as one thousand years ago in the southwest, the
Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe-sun-baked brick
plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartement
houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a
thousand people, along with storerooms for grain and other goods. These
buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier
and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later
Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them “pueblos” which is
Spanish for towns. (Line 5)
The people of the pueblos raised what are called “the three sisters”-corn,
beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some
so fine that they could hold water. The southwest has always been a dry
country. Where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to
their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important
that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate
ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain. (Line 10)
The way of life of less-settled groups was simpler and more strongly
influenced by nature. Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the
dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Montains and the Pacific Ocean.
They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as rabbits and snakes. In the
far North the ancertors of today’s Inuit hunted seals, walruses and the great
whales. They lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of
blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the
lordly caribou. (Line 15)
The Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Sioux tribes, known as the
Plains Indian, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the
Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was
the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing
and the covering of their tents and tipis. (Line 20)
1.
What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A)
The architecture of early American Indian buildings
(B)
The movement of America Indians across North American
(C)
Ceremonies and rituals of American Indians
(D)
The way of life of American Indian tribes in early North America
2.
According to the passage, the Hopi and Zuni typically built their homes?
(A)
In valleys
(B)
Next to streams
(C)
On open plains
(D) Against
cliffs
3.
The word “They” in line 6 refers to?
(A)
Goods
(B)
Buildings
(C)
Cliffs
(D)
Enemies
4.
It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zumi
were?
(A)
Very small
(B)
Highly advanced
(C)
Difficult to defend
(D)
Quickly constructed
5. The author uses the phrase “the three sisters” in line 8 to
refer to
(A) Hopi Women
(B) Family Members
(C) Important Crops
(D) Rain Ceremonies
6. The Word “Scare” in line 10 is closet in meaning to
(A) Limited
(B) Hidden
(C) Pure
(D) Necessary
7.
Which of the following is true of the Shoshone and Ute?
(A)
They were not as settled as the Hopi and Zuni
(B)
They hunted caribou
(C)
They built their homes with adobe
(D)
They did not have many religious ceremonies
8.
According to the passage, which of the following tribes lived in the
grasslands?
(A)
The Shoshone and Ute
(B)
The Cheyenne and Sioux
(C)
The Hopi and Zuni
(D)
The pawnee and Inuit
9.
Which of the following animals was most important to the Plains Indians?
(A)
The salmon
(B)
The caribou
(C)
The seal
(D)
The buffalo
10.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the author as a dwelling place of
early North Americans?
(A)
Log cabins
(B)
Adobe houses
(C)
Tipis
(D)
Igloos
