12月8日托福考情 阅读口语均压中原题！

12月8日托福考试落下帷幕，考情速递也已经出炉了！

听力开始上强度了！写作现旧题哦～阅读口语均压中原题！

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套 1

1. 系统原题Mexican Mural Art

P1:

The first major modern art movement in Latin America was Mexican muralism, which featured large-scale wall paintings on civic buildings. After the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the land was finally in the hands of its own workers, but there was so much to be done: the new government sought to establish a brand new Mexican society, founded on its rich traditions but very much forward-looking. Since most of the population was illiterate, an effective way to change that would be through the creation of visual messages that would not only appeal aesthetically, but that would also promote certain political and social ideals, including the struggle for social justice. This in turn had been accompanied by a desire for authentic forms of self-expression and freedom from cultural dependency. Muralism flourished in Mexico in the years immediately following the Mexican Revolution as a result of a unique combination of circumstances: a climate of revolutionary optimism and cultural experimentation that challenged traditional Eurocentrism; a small but strong group of relatively mature artists of energy, ideas, and ability; and a visionary minister of education, Jose Vasconcelos. Vasconcelos commissioned works of public art, allocated the funds and granted permission for artists to use public buildings for murals to affirm the values of the revolution.

P2:

One of the most persistent themes of Latin American art in the last 80 years has been an engagement with issues. Mexican muralism is representational and often narrative in form, but it should be recognized as a modern movement; it was certainly modernizing in intent, in that it challenged the old order—culturally, socially, and politically. Although these sentiments have taken many different forms in many difficult cultures, Mexican muralism was the first, and its influence was the most far-reaching.

P3:

The muralist movement was not a unified force, however. Out of a host of Mexican artists, three emerged as its most devoted, celebrated, and prolific, to the extent that they came to be referred to as "the three greats." These artists all differed in their style of painting and their outlook on life. Diego Rivera (1886-1957), inspired by Mexico's bright colors, sought to promote a pluralistic vision of Mexican society by drawing on the rich heritage of the pre-Columbian past (before Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492). He incorporated I much of European Modernism in his work, particularly elements of Cubism, which he later toned down on in an effort to recreate the flair of indigenous murals. He was deeply influenced by native pictographic traditions of communication in which pictures represent written words and ideas, and he sought to develop a modern equivalent, a visual language that could be read like a book. The art of Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) was less optimistic: in the manner of a dark prophet, he emphasized human suffering and cruelty, leaving nothing unsaid when it came to the horrors of the Mexican Revolution, in which he fought. He offers no comforting narratives and his expressive, aggressive technique serves as a metaphor for Mexico's harsh, contradictory reality. His murals were often defaced and even threatened with whitewashing by the government for their explicitly straight-forward content, and he himself was proclaimed “sick” by a number of art critics. David Alfaro Siqueiros (1898-1976) was the most politically active of the three and was an internationalist both ideologically and artistically. In his art he deliberately avoided traditional materials and methods, preferring to experiment with modern industrial paints and spray tools. His works looked forward to a fully socialist future where the workers would have won the right to the benefits of the modern industrial era. His art evoked progress, yet also the kind of political vision that was not well-received by the authorities in Mexico, or the United States - which is why today most of his murals can be found in South America.

P4:

The Mexican muralist movement is undoubtedly one of the most important manifestations of twentieth-century Mexican culture. Its ideas also found their way to other parts of the Americas, like Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil. The influence of the Mexicans on the modern Spanish painter Picasso's first mural and almost his only major explicitly propagandist work of art—his famous Guernica of 1937—is unmistakable even though the artist would have denied it. Mexican muralists also served as an inspiration for the Works Progress Administration program introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s, whose 1933 Public Works of Art Project saw 3600 artists create murals and sculptures for public buildings across the United States. Although their depictions weren't political, the intention to make art public and accessible to all remained the same.

2. 恐龙是恒温动物还是冷血动物

哺乳动物大多是恒温动物 (endothermic），身体保证器官有很高的温度。这样的优点是可以让器官更好地工作，食物也可以更好地消化，并且幼崽可以更快的成长。而且恒温动物还可以更好地在寒冷的情况下来进行生活，即使在夜晚也可以活动。而爬行动物则多是冷血动物，它们需要外界的热量来维持自己的体温。因此他们的体型往往比较小，耗能也更少。爬行动物和两栖动物主要是冷血动物居多。但是研究表明对于这些动物来说，依靠外界的温度其实是他们很成功的生存策路。当然科学家们主要研究的就是恐龙到底是温血动物还是冷血动物：有一些科学家认为恐龙是冷血动物，另一些科学家则认为恐龙是像哺乳动物一样，是温血动物。

对于骨骼的研究发现恐龙生长得特别迅速，很有可能接近于哺乳动物的生长速度。而且很多的科学家也支持恐龙能够快速生长，而因为只有像哺乳动物这样的温血动物才有如此高的生长速度，所以这也支持恐龙是温血动物。这都表明早期的恐龙很像是鸟类，应该是温血动物，而不是冷血动物。恐龙的大小也相差很大，因此没有一条生物学规则能适用于所有恐龙。有一些活跃期的恐龙体型特别大，耗能也非常大，他们生活在炎热或者严寒的环境当中。而且几乎所有的翼龙都拥有与现代鸟类相似的气囊系统和中空的骨骼，这可以为肌肉和器官提供大量的氧气。但是有一些科学家认为恐龙的生长速度与一些鱼类更相似。这些动物也会部分地产生热量，但是他们对于体温的控制不如哺乳动物。

当然有可能我们永远也无法确定恐龙到底是温血动物还是冷血动物，而且我们也不应该假设所有的恐龙都是以相同的方式来生存。但是，现在有越来越多的证据表明恐龙的新陈代谢速度并不像爬行动物那样慢，也不像现在的鸟类或者哺乳动物那样快，很有可能它是一个介于二者之问的体温保持策略。

套 2

1. China's Twelfth-Century intellectual Influence on japanAlthough Japan's official relations with China's Tang dynasty ended in the late ninth century, contacts with the continent were never completely severed, and throughout the tenth and eleventh centuries, private traders continued to operate out of Kyushu (western japan) particularly the ancient port of Hakata.Moreover, the imperial court, even though it steadfastly refused to dispatch its own missions again to China, kept officials permanently stationed at a command post near Hakata to oversee the import trade and to requisition choice luxury goods for sale and distribution among aristocrats. And when the Tara warrior clan became influential in the western provinces in the twelfth century, they naturally took a keen interest in-and eventually monopolized-the highly profitable maritime trade with China. This trade would lead to a renewed influence of China on the intellectual life of Japan.

China of the Sung dynasty (960-1279) was a changed country from the expansionist, cosmopolitan land of Tang times that the Japanese had so assiduously copied several centuries earlier.

Yet despite political difficulties and territorial losses, the Sung was a time of great advancement in Chinese civilization. No doubt most of the developments of the Sung in art, religion, and philosophy would in time have been transmitted to Japan. But the fortuitous combination of desire on the part of the Sung to increase its foreign trade with japan and the vigorous initiative taken in maritime activity by the Taira clan greatly speeded the process of transmission.

One of the earliest and most important results of this new wave of cultural transmission from the continent was a revival of interest in Japan of pure scholarship, The imperial court at Nara, following the Chinese model, had founded a central college in the capital and directed that branch colleges be established in the various provinces. The ostensible purpose of this system of colleges, which by the mid-Nara period (710-784) had evolved a fourfold curriculum of Confucian classics, literature, law, and mathematics, was to provide a channel of advancement in the court bureaucracy for the sons of the lower(including the provincial) aristocracy. But in actual practice very little opportunity to advance was provided.and bestowal of courtier ranks and offices continued to be made almost entirely on grounds of birth. Before long, the college system languished, and the great courtier families assumed responsibility through private academies for the education of their own children.Moreover, as the courtiers of the early Heian period (794-1185) became increasingly infatuated with literature, they almost totally neglected the other fields of academic or scholarly pursuit. Courtier society offered little reward to the individual who, say patiently acquired a profound knowledge of the works of Confucius; yet it liberally heaped laurels upon and promised literary

The Sung period in China, on the other hand, was an exceptional age for scholarship, most notably perhaps in history and in the compilation of encyclopedias and catalogs of artworks This scholarly activity was greatly facilitated by the development of printing, invented by the Chinese several centuries earlier. Indeed, Japanese visitors to Sung China were much impressed by the general availability of printed books on a great variety of subjects, including history,

Buddhism,

Confucianism, literature, medicine, and geography, and carried them in ever greater numbers back to Japan. By the time of the Taira supremacy, collections of Chinese books had become important status symbols among upper-class Japanese.

•The great Taira leader Kiyomori is said, for example, to have gone to extravagant lengths to obtain a1,000-volume encyclopedia whose export was prohibited by the Sung. Some courtiers confided in their diaries that they had little or no personal interest in these books but nevertheless felt constrained to acquire them for the sake of appearances. Yet the Chinese books brought to Japan at this time, in the thousands and even in the tens of thousands, not only provided the basis for many new libraries but also motivated the Japanese to print their own books and to a great extent stimulated the varied and energetic scholarly activities of the coming medieval age.

2.恐龙是在水里还是地上生活

在远古的时候，地球上有非常庞大的恐龙，他有可能有上百吨重。最初，科学家认为这些恐龙是生活在沼泽 (swamp）中的，因为它需要水来承载它的一部分体重。为了能够进行很通畅的呼吸，所以他们的鼻孔(nostrils) 全都位于头顶，哪怕他把绝大多数的身子都埋在水中的时候，他高高的脖子也能够让他的头在水面外来进行呼吸。

但是最新的一些科学家并不同意。因为那个时候的恐龙的腿很粗壮，类似于现在的大象的腿，很有可能这些腿已经足以支撑他体重，不屏在水里生活。虽然这种动物的脚趾很小，但是它很有可能会张开自己的脚趾，来分担自己的体重。如果他们在沼泽中行走的话，那么他们很有可能会被淤泥给卡住，而无法向前行进。

这种恐龙生活在陆地上的话，那么它的脖子其实就很有用，因为它可以像长颈鹿一样吃到高处的树叶。而且这些恐龙的化石的残骸都是与陆地上的生物一起被发现的。并且从当时的化石遗迹看来，这些恐龙是成群结队的一起移动的。而且当时的恐龙很有可能像今天的大象一样，也是长而灵活的鼻子的。今天的大象之所以鼻子位于头部的顶部而且鼻子还可以高高的举过头顶，很有可能是遗传下来的而非巧合。

当越来越多的证据表明这些动物其实生活在陆地上，那么关于这种动物的生活习性就需要被重新研究。一种理论认为恐龙像爬行动物一样是冷血动物，另一种理论认为它像哺乳动物一样是温血动物。如果是冷血动物的话，它要想办法来保证自己的体温，例如要尽量多的去晒太阳，相应的他们无法适应冬季的寒冷。

听力

C 1

女生找教授探讨做作业的方式，原先教授建议做slides presentation, 但是女生想拍视频，作业主题关于印象派和后印象派的画家介绍，最后讨论了一个叫M. C.的一个女画家

L1

Art History 维纳斯雕像的意义

C 2

男生找the dean of housing ，学期结束了男生的实验没有完成，需要继续住校，请求帮忙找地方住

L 2

Astronomy 月球上的磁场

C 1

Jake向学生事务主任汇报了历史俱乐部的华盛顿之行计划，并表示由于报名人数超过预期，他们决定确定行程。主任告知他只需要填写一份补充表格，而不是重新填写完整的提案表格。接着，Jake提出希望为这次旅行筹集一些资金，于是提出了通过举办“神秘晚宴秀”来作为筹款活动。历史俱乐部的成员将参与演出，而剧本由戏剧俱乐部编写并愿意提供支持。主任对这一合作表示支持，并提醒Jake这个活动规模庞大，需要在餐厅找到合适的场地，并进行宣传，这需要额外的资金。Jake解释说，俱乐部已经做了不少准备工作，找到了一家愿意提供折扣的本地餐厅，并且计算了成本和门票费用，认为活动具有潜力。最终主任认为这个计划很有前景，虽然很有挑战，但值得尝试。

L 3

Psychology 做决定的策略 unconscious strategy: decision without attention

C 3

学生Emma和艺术史教授之间的交流。Emma谈到她参观了博物馆的印象派和后印象派展览，并表示非常喜欢这些艺术家将日常时刻呈现得既美丽又特殊。她希望能通过制作一部纪录片来展示这些画作，而不是做幻灯片展示。

L 1

地质学，博德尔洼地对亚马逊雨林的影响。

L 2

考古学，可能是王室遗迹的东西

口语

TASK 1独立口语题

Some people think that because of changes in technology, such as the Internet and electronic books, libraries will no longer be needed in the future. Others think that libraries will always be necessary. Which do you agree with and why?

TASK 2校园题

阅读：Student Art Gallery at Maxwell Library Closing —— The recent large donation to Maxwell Library has enabled an expansion of the library's book collection, but it has also meant that the library has needed to rethink its layout. Library Director Helen Krantz announced that in order to accommodate the new books, it will be necessary to close the Student Art Gallery currently located on the third floor of the library. "There's simply nowhere else to put the new books." said Krantz." However, we certainly value the student artwork, and we're planning on displaying the paintings and photographs on many different walls throughout the library so that students and visitors can continue to enjoy them."

TASK 3学术讲座题

Reading Material: Holiday Paradox

Definition: The holiday paradox refers to the phenomenon that when people are engaged in novel activities, they feel that time passes quickly. However, when they recall those activities later, it may seem that they spent a longer time on them. (Afterward, however, when they remember the activity, it may seem like they spent a longer time engaged in it.)

Listening Lecture: Psychology

Example: The professor went on a trip to Italy with his wife. During their first vacation there, time seemed to pass very quickly, especially when they were visiting architectures. They had to move on to other places before they had fully enjoyed themselves. During their second trip, time passed slowly, and they visited many places that should have taken three or four days to visit within just one day.

TASK 4 学术讲座题

Listening Lecture: Biology

Topic: Two ways in which parent animals protect their young from predators.

D1: Parent animals will place their young on the other side of physical barriers that they (the young) can pass through but predators cannot. This can reduce the risk of predation and protect the young. Example: Seagulls. Seagulls live in coastal areas and they may fly to small islands to prepare for hatching their chicks. Since most predators cannot swim or fly across the ocean to reach these small islands, young seagulls can stay on the islands safely.

D2: Some animals will migrate to places with harsh environmental conditions to avoid predators, because predators cannot survive in such environments. When the young are no longer so vulnerable, they will return to their normal living environments. Example: Penguins. Penguins will go to the coldest parts of Antarctica to lay eggs. Because there is no food there and most predators cannot survive, young penguins can survive because adult penguins can go out to bring back food for them.

写作

综合写作

In the quest for healthier living, individuals often seek dietary changes to enhance their well-being. One popular lifestyle choice involves the exclusion of certain components found in wheat products, but others advocate for increased consumption of these substances. While the reading argues for the benefits of avoiding these components, the reading challenges these points by providing counter ideas.

The reading states that the human digestive system may not be well-equipped to handle certain substances found in wheat products due to the relatively recent introduction of these components in the human diet. However, the listening response rebuts this claim by highlighting the adaptability of the human digestive system. It emphasizes that our digestive system relies on bacteria for processing food, and these bacteria can efficiently digest the substances present in wheat products. Therefore, the argument that our digestive system is ill-suited for these components lacks a solid foundation.

Moreover, the reading suggests that consuming wheat products containing these substances can lead to stomach pain and fatigue. It attributes these symptoms solely to the presence of the substances. However, the listening challenges this assumption by introducing the possibility that other factors, such as different types of carbohydrates in the bread, could be responsible for these adverse effects. This explanation undermines the notion that the substances in wheat products are the primary cause of digestive discomfort and fatigue.

Another claim made in the reading is that consuming these substances can negatively impact memory function by causing rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. It implies a direct link between these substances and cognitive decline. In contrast, the listening response refutes this claim by explaining that temporary increases in blood sugar levels after consuming these substances quickly normalize. Furthermore, it clarifies that elevated blood sugar levels only pose a risk to brain health and memory function when they persist over extended periods. This refutation exposes the flawed reasoning behind the argument that avoiding these substances is essential for mitigating brain-related diseases.

学术讨论

Doctor Diaz

Today, we will discuss a topic that is important for students and the public at large:namely, how to prioritize spending, given the limited funding available for schools. Some people think schools should spend more money on school teachers' salaries because it would attract more qualified individuals to the profession.On the other hand, others believe that the money should be allocated towards additional resources such as books and computers.Which viewpoint do you agree with and why？

Kelly

I believe that increasing teachers' salaries will improve the quality of education. If they earn more money,people will consider teaching as a viable profession rather than opting for private sector jobs. We need the brightest minds in the classrooms.

Paul

I acknowledge that schoolteachers already earn a decent salary and provide high-quality education. I'm not certain how much of an impact increasing their salaries would have. Nonetheless, schools always require new equipment or facilities. Knowledge and technology are constantly evolving, and we need to prepare students with the most up-to-date materials possible.