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1、AProblemSetfortheReadingoftheTOEFLBeautifiedbyJeanhwea1/196Thispageisleftblankintentionally2/196SinceEnglishhurtsmethousandtimes,Istillregarditastheone.ThesamestatementisthatEnglishishardtomaster,however,wehavetolearnit.Tolearnistopractice.ThereforeIprintedt
2、hisProblemSettoenhancemybasicskillsbydoingreadingcomprehension.Jeanhwea3/196Thispageisleftblankintentionally4/196PASSAGE1Bythemid-nineteenthcentury,theterm"icebox"hadenteredtheAmericanlanguage,buticewasstillonlybeginningtoaffectthedietofordinarycitizensinthe
3、UnitedStates.Theicetradegrewwiththegrowthofcities.Icewasusedinhotels,taverns,andhospitals,andbysomeforward-lookingcitydealersinfreshmeat,freshfish,andbutter.AftertheCivilWar(1861-1865),asicewasusedtorefrigeratefreightcars,italsocameintohouseholduse.Evenbefor
4、e1880,halftheicesoldinNewYork,Philadelphia,andBaltimore,andone-thirdofthatsoldinBostonandChicago,wenttofamiliesfortheirownuse.Thishadbecomepossiblebecauseanewhouseholdconvenience,theicebox,aprecursorofthemodernrefrigerator,hadbeeninvented.Makinganefficientic
5、eboxwasnotaseasyaswemightnowsuppose.Intheearlynineteenthcentury,theknowledgeofthephysicsofheat,whichwasessentialtoascienceofrefrigeration,wasrudimentary.Thecommonsensenotionthatthebesticeboxwasonethatpreventedtheicefrommeltingwasofcoursemistaken,foritwasthem
6、eltingoftheicethatperformedthecooling.Nevertheless,earlyeffortstoeconomizeiceincludedwrappingtheiceinblankets,whichkepttheicefromdoingitsjob.Notuntilneartheendofthenineteenthcenturydidinventorsachievethedelicatebalanceofinsulationandcirculationneededforaneff
7、icienticebox.Butasearlyas1803,aningeniousMarylandfarmer,ThomasMoore,hadbeenontherighttrack.HeownedafarmabouttwentymilesoutsidethecityofWashington,forwhichthevillageofGeorgetownwasthemarketcenter.Whenheusedaniceboxofhisowndesigntotransporthisbuttertomarket,he
8、foundthatcustomerswouldpassuptherapidlymeltingstuffinthetubsofhiscompetitorstopayapremiumpriceforhisbutter,stillfreshandhardinneat,one-poundbricks.Oneadvantageofhisicebox,Mooreexplained,wasthatf