托福阅读修辞目的题实例解析（八）

w在托福阅读的十大题型中，修辞目的题(rhetorical purpose questions)是新托福阅读中难度较大的题型之一。这种题型对于国内考生来说较为陌生，在考场上时间紧张的情况下考生往往不知该在文中什么地方找答案。那么，对于这样一种类型的题目我们究竟该从何入手呢?在以下的一些例题中，我们就为大家进行详细的分析。

托福阅读修辞目的题例题

例题8：

Paragraph 3: The first wells were drilled into the Ogallala during the drought years of the early 1930’s. The ensuing rapid expansion of irrigation agriculture, especially from the 1950’s onward, transformed the economy of the region. More than 100,000 wells now tap the Ogallala. Modern irrigation devices, each capable of spraying 4.5 million liters of water a day, have produced a landscape dominated by geometric patterns of circular green islands of crops. Ogallala water has enabled the High Plains region to supply significant amounts of the cotton, sorghum, wheat, and corn grown in the United States. In addition, 40 percent of American grain-fed beef cattle are fattened here.

Q:In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the information that 40 percent of American cattle are fattened in the High Plains?

A:To suggest that crop cultivation is not the most important part of the economy of the High Plains

To indicate that not all economic activity in the High Plains is dependent on irrigation

To provide another example of how water from the Ogallala has transformed the economy of the High Plains

To contrast cattle-fattening practices in the High Plains with those used in other region of the United States

托福阅读修辞目的题练习题答案：3