托福阅读tpo 3 Architecture建筑原题解析

阅读原文：

Architecture is the art and science of designing structures that organize and

enclose space for practical and symbolic purposes. Because architecture grows out

of human needs and aspirations, it clearly communicates cultural values. Of all the

visual arts, architecture affects our lives most directly for it determines the

character of the human environment in major ways.

建筑是一门出于实用和象征的双重目的，通过组织和利用空间来实现设计结构的艺术和

科学。。因为建筑源于人类的需求和愿望，同样也可以清楚地传达文化价值。在所有的视觉

艺术中，建筑最直接地影响了我们的生活，因为它在很多方面决定了我们生存的环境特征。

Architecture is a three-dimensional form. It utilizes space, mass, texture, line,

light, and color. To be architecture, a building must achieve a working harmony with

a variety of elements. Humans instinctively seek structures that will shelter and

enhance their way of life. It is the work of architects to create buildings that are not

simply constructions but also offer inspiration and delight. Buildings contribute to

human life when they provide shelter, enrich space, complement their site, suit the

climate, and are economically feasible. The client who pays for the building and

defines its function is an important member of the architectural team. The

mediocre design of many contemporary buildings can be traced to both clients and

architects.

建筑是一种利用空间、质量、纹理、线条、光线和颜色的三维立体形式。一幢建筑物必

须实现各种要素的和谐搭配。人类本能地希望可以提供居住并且改善他们生活 质量的建筑。

建筑师们创造出来的建筑物不单纯的是建筑物，还为人们带来了灵感和喜悦。建筑物为人类

的生活提供了遮蔽处和丰富的空间、增加人们的活动场所、 完善人们的居所、帮助人们适

应气候的变化，同时在经济上也可承受。建筑团队中，最重要的是那些为建筑支付建设费用

并且设计其功能的人，许多当代建筑平庸的 根源在于客户和建筑师双反。

In order for the structure to achieve the size and strength necessary to meet its

purpose, architecture employs methods of support that, because they are based on

physical laws, have changed little since people first discovered them—even while

building materials have changed dramatically. The world’s architectural structures

have also been devised in relation to the objective limitations of materials.

Structures can be analyzed in terms of how they deal with downward forces created

by gravity. They are designed to withstand the forces of compression (pushing

together), tension (pulling apart), bending, or a combination of these in different

parts of the structure.

为了达到建筑的目的，一定的大小和强度是必须的。尽管建筑材料已经发生了翻天覆地

的变化，建筑采用的各种支撑方法自从人们发现它们以来鲜有改变，因为这些 方法都建立

在物理定律的基础上。世界的建筑结构也因为克服材料限制的目的而发展起来。建筑师们在

设计建筑结构的时候需要将重力对材料的影响考虑在内，通过 结构设计使建筑不同部分能

抵抗压力、拉力、弯曲力或混合的压力。

Even development in architecture has been the result of major technological

changes. Materials and methods of construction are integral parts of the design of

architecture structures. In earlier times it was necessary to design structural systems

suitable for the materials that were available, such as wood, stone, brick. Today

technology has progressed to the point where it is possible to invent new building

materials to suit the type of structure desired. Enormous changes in materials and

techniques of construction within the last few generations have made it possible to

enclose space with much greater ease and speed and with a minimum of material.

Progress in this area can be measured by the difference in weight between

buildings built now and those of comparable size built one hundred years ago.

甚至建筑的发展也是由重大的技术变革造成的。材料和建设方法是建筑结构设计整体的

组成部分。早期，人们必须设计结构系统来配合当前可用的材料，如木头、石 头和砖。现

今的技术已经发展到能够创造新的建筑材料来适应想要应用的建筑结构。近几代建筑材料和

科技的巨大变化使得包围空间更加简单、快速，并且用更少的 材料。在这一领域的进步可

以用现在修建的建筑和100年前建造的同规模建筑之间的重量差异来衡量。

Modern architectural forms generally have three separate components

comparable to elements of the human body: a supporting skeleton or frame, an

outer skin enclosing the interior spaces, and equipment, similar to the body’s vital

organs and systems. The equipment includes plumbing, electrical wiring, hot water,

and air-conditioning. Of course in early architecture—such as igloos and adobe

structures—there was no such equipment, and the skeleton and skin were often

one.

类似人类的身体结构，现代建筑可以划分为三个独立的部分：支撑骨架或框架、围住内

部空间的外壳以及像人体内器官一样重要的设施。这些设施包括管道、电线、热水和空调。

当然，在早期的圆顶建筑和土坯建筑中并没有这样的设施，皮肤和骨骼也往往是合在一起的。

Much of the world’s great architecture has been constructed of stone because

of its beauty, permanence, and availability. In the past, whole cities grew from the

arduous task of cutting and piling stone upon. Some of the world’s finest stone

architecture can be seen in the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu high

in the eastern Andes Mountains of Peru. The doorways and windows are made

possible by placing over the open spaces thick stone beams that support the

weight from above. A structural invention had to be made before the physical

limitations of stone could be overcome and new architectural forms could be

created. That invention was the arch, a curved structure originally made of separate

stone or brick segments. The arch was used by the early cultures of the

Mediterranean area chiefly for underground drains, but it was the Romans who first

developed and used the arch extensively in aboveground structures. Roman

builders perfected the semicircular arch made of separate blocks of stone. As a

method of spanning space, the arch can support greater weight than a horizontal

beam. It works in compression to divert the weight above it out to the sides, where

the weight is borne by the vertical elements on either side of the arch. The arch is

among the many important structural breakthroughs that have characterized

architecture throughout the centuries.

世界上大多数伟大的建筑都是石料建筑，因为石料建筑不仅外形漂亮、持久耐用，而且

石头随处可得。在过去，整个城市的建筑物都是从艰苦的石块切割和堆砌发展 起来的。在

秘鲁安第斯山脉东部的马丘比丘印加古城遗址，可以看到世界上最棒的石质建筑。在开阔的

空间上放置厚石板来支撑上面的石头，使门和窗的修建成为可 能。设计师们必须在克服石

头的物理限制以及新建筑形式发展之前发明出建筑结构，这就是拱形结构，即最初由分段的

石头或砖块构成的弧形结构。拱最初在地中海 早期文化中用来建设地下水渠，但古罗马人

最先开发和广泛的利用它作为地上建筑的结构，他们完善了由分段的石块组成的半圆形拱。

作为跨越空间的一种方式，拱 可以比水平横梁支撑更大的重量。它使得其上的压力转移到

两侧，由两侧垂直的部分来承担压力。拱形结构只是近百年来众多重要建筑结构的突破之一。

第1题：

According to paragraph 1, all of the following statements about architecture

are true EXCEPT:

A：Architecture is visual art.

B：Architecture reflects the cultural values of its creators.

C：Architecture has both artistic and scientific dimensions.

D：Architecture has an indirect effect on life.

题目解析

EXCEPT题排除法，以visual art做关键词定位至本段最后一句，A对，不选；以cultural

values做关键词定位至第二句，B对，不选；以artistic and scientific dimensions做关

键词定位至第一句，C对，不选；D选项与A选项在同一句，indirect effect和directly

的原文说反，错，选。

第2题：

The word “feasible” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A：in existence

B：without question

C：achievable

D：most likely

EXCEPT题排除法，以visual art做关键词定位至本段最后一句，A对，不选；以cultural

values做关键词定位至第二句，B对，不选；以artistic and scientific dimensions做关

键词定位至第一句，C对，不选；D选项与A选项在同一句，indirect effect和directly

的原文说反，错，选

第3题：

The word “enhance” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A：protect

B：improve

C：organize

D：match

题目解析

词汇题，问的是第二段第三句中的enhance，备选项分别是protect, improve,

organize, match，enhance提高，原文中与enhance their way of life并列的动词是

shelter，庇护之意，所以再选protect的话重叠，而且也不应该是保护他们的生活方式；

organize组织match搭配都不能与庇护并列，所以improve改善生活方式最靠谱。

第4题：

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the

highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in

important ways or leave out essential information.

A：Unchanging physical laws have limited the size and strength of buildings

that can be made with materials discovered long ago.

B：Building materials have changed in order to increase architectural size and

strength, but physical laws of structure have not changed.

C：When people first started to build, the structural methods used to provide

strength and size were inadequate because they were not based on physical laws.

D：Unlike building materials, the methods of support used in architecture have

not changed over time because they are based on physical laws.

题目解析

(PDF版3题) In order for只是一个表目的的状语，暂时放弃不看，同时because那

部分插入语不看，整个句子就变成了建筑师们采用的方法是不变的，尽管建筑材料发生了很

大变化。A没说原文的建筑材料发生了很大变化，而且law没有限制size and strength，

所以完全不对；B错在in order的那个状语部分，increase原文没说；C说not based on

physical laws与原文相反，错，D正确

第5题：

The word “devised” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A：combined

B：created

C：introduced

D：suggested

题目解析

devise设计，所在句说全世界的建筑也要怎么样根据简直材料的限制，因为有also，

所以是接着前一句的，前句在上题中已经分析过了，说建筑师为了达到要求采用了多种方法，

说明建筑的产生应该是一个从无到有的过程，所以B选项create最合适，A联合C介绍，

引进D建议，表明都不对。

第6题：

The word “integral” is closest in meaning to

A：essential

B：variable

C：practical

D：independent

题目解析

integral完整的，有机的，构成整体的，原文说建筑材料和建筑方法是建筑什么样的部

分，代入选项也知道应该是A重要的部分，B可变的C实际的都不靠谱，D独立的虽然意

思基本说的通，但明显违反原文，建筑材料和方法应该是互相影响的，不能独立。

第7题：

According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true about materials used

in the construction of buildings?

A：Because new building materials are hard to find, construction techniques

have changed very little from past generations.

B：The availability of suitable building materials no longer limits the types of

structures that may be built.

C：The primary building materials that are available today are wood, stone, and

brick.

D：Architects in earlier times did not have enough building materials to enclose

large spaces.

题目解析

material为关键词定位至本段第二句和第三句，说以前必须根据建筑材料来设计建筑，

现在我们可以发明新材料，A说不容易找到新材料，反了；C的三种材料应该是以前不是现

在；D没说；B说现在建筑材料充分，不会再影响建筑设计，是原文的意思，正确。

第8题：

In paragraph 4, what does the author imply about modern buildings?

A：They occupy much less space than buildings constructed one hundred years

ago.

B：They are not very different from the building of a few generations ago.

C：They weigh less in relation to their size than buildings constructed one

hundred years ago.

D：They take a long time to build as a result of their complex construction

methods.

题目解析

以modern buildings做关键词定位至最后两句，说比较现在和一百年前大小相似的建

筑的重量我们就能发现建筑技术所取得的进步，也就是以前的重现在的轻，所以答案是C，

其他的都没说。

第9题：

Which of the following correctly characterizes the relationship between the

human body and architecture that is described in paragraph 5?

A：Complex equipment inside buildings is the one element in modern

architecture that resembles a component of the human body.

B：The components in early buildings were similar to three particular elements

of the human body.

C：Modern buildings have components that are as likely to change as the

human body is.

D：In general, modern buildings more closely resemble the human body than

earlier buildings do.

题目解析

本段将建筑结构与人体的结构进行了比较，发现；额三个共同点，排除法，A强调 复

杂的equipment，原文没有；B选项，以early building做关键词定位至文章最后一句，

skeleton和skin是一样的，所以和人不同；C的change原文没说；D正确因为原文说现

代建筑像人体，以前的建筑的skeleton和skin是一个，所以现代建筑比之前的建筑更像人

体。

第10题：

The word “arduous” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A：difficult

B：necessary

C：skilled

D：shared

题目解析

arduous艰巨的，困难的。原文说过去整个城市都是靠切割和堆积石头搞定的，这个

任务肯定是比较困难的，而代入原文的话似乎有技巧的和有必要的也是靠谱的，但D分享

的一定不对，如果说切割是需要技巧的话，堆积应该是不需要的，注意不要联想。堆积和切

割石头一定是造城市的必要任务么？可以用木头和其他的建筑材料，所以necessary太偏

了，正确答案difficult。

第11题：

Why does the author include a description of how the “doorways and

windows” of Machu Picchu were constructed?

A：To indicate that the combined skeletons and skins of the stone buildings of

Machu Picchu were similar to igloos and adobe structures

B：To indicate the different kinds of stones that had to be cut to build Machu

Picchu

C：To provide an illustration of the kind of construction that was required

before arches were invented

D：To explain how ancient builders reduced the amount of time necessary to

construct buildings from stone

题目解析

修辞目的题，读doorways and windows所在的一句话，说门窗是通过把承的石头横

梁放在space上面形成的，读前一句的时候发现也是个例子，所以不是答案，往下句看，

说想克服石头带给建筑的障碍，必须有一个新发明。按照原文，门窗的形成是一种克服石头

带来的障碍的一种方法，所以答案是C。

第12题：

According to paragraph 6, which of the following statements is true of the

arch?

A：The Romans were the first people to use the stone arch.

B：The invention of the arch allowed new architectural forms to be developed.

C：The arch worked by distributing the structural load of a building toward the

center of the arch.

D：The Romans followed earlier practices in their use of arches.

题目解析

以arch为关键词定位至that invention was the arch句，接上题看到的那句，想克服

石头带给建筑的障碍，必须有一个新发明，这个发明就是arch，所以说arch的出现使得其

他建筑方法成为可能，B正确。罗马人是第一个把arch广泛用在地上建筑的，不是第一个

用arch的，A错，也没follow前人的方法，D错；是把压力分散，divert，不是往中点集

中，C说反。

第13题：

Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be

added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?

However, some modern architectural designs, such as those using folded plates

of concreter or air-inflated structures, are again unifying skeleton and skin.

题目解析

however和again unifying都说明正确插入点之前必须说把skeleton and skin合并，

D位置之前说道早期的合并，所以D正确。A和B不对，C之后的such equipment指代

C之前的内容，过渡紧密，不适合插入句子。

第14题：

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is

provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices

that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not

belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the

passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Architecture uses forms and space to express cultural values.

A. Architects seek to create buildings that are both visually appealing and well

suited for human use.

B. Over the course of the history of building, innovations in material and

methods of construction have given architects ever greater freedom to express

themselves.

C. Throughout history buildings have been constructed like human bodies,

needing distinct “organ” systems in order to function.

D. Both clients and architects are responsible for the mediocre designs of some

modern buildings.

E. Modern buildings tend to lack the beauty of ancient stone buildings such as

those of Machu Picchu.

F. The discovery and use of the arch typifies the way in which architecture

advances by developing more efficient types of structures.

题目解析

Architects选项对应全文首段首句，正确Over选项对应第四段第三句和第三段首句，

正确Throughout选项与第五段首句相反，错Both选项是细节，不选Modern选项错，

因为原文没说现代的建筑不好看，不选The discovery选项第六段最后一句，正确。

答案：

第1题：D

第2题：C

第3题：B

第4题：D

第5题：B

第6题：A

第7题：B

第8题：C

第9题：D

第10题：A

第11题：C

第12题：B

第13题：D

第14题：ABF