最新托福阅读真题2020

陈铃1147由分享时间：2020-08-30 06:09:19

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托福阅读真题1

PASSAGE 16

The first flying vertebrates were true reptiles in which one of the fingers of the front limbs became very elongated, providing support for a flap of stretched skin that served as a wing. These were the pterosaurs, literally the winged lizards. The earliest pterosaurs arose near the end of the Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era, some 70 million years before the first known fossils of true birds occur, and they presumably dominated the skies until they were eventually displaced by birds. Like the dinosaurs, some the pterosaurs became gigantic; the largest fossil discovered is of an individual that had a wingspan of 50 feet or more, larger than many airplanes. These flying reptiles had large, tooth-filled jaws, but their bodies were small and probably without the necessary powerful muscles for sustained wing movement. They must have been expert gliders, not skillful fliers, relying on wind power for their locomotion.

Birds, despite sharing common reptilian ancestors with pterosaurs, evolved quite separately and have been much more successful in their dominance of the air. They are an example of a common theme in evolution, the more or less parallel development of different types of body structure and function for the same reason — in this case, for flight. Although the fossil record, as always, is not complete enough to determine definitively the evolutionary lineage of the birds or in as much detail as one would like, it is better in this case than for many other animal groups. That is because of the unusual preservation in a limestone quarry in southern Germany of Archaeopteryx, a fossil that many have called the link between dinosaurs and birds. Indeed, had it not been for the superb preservation of these fossils, they might well have been classified as dinosaurs. They have the skull and teeth of a reptile as well as a bony tail, but in the line-grained limestone in which these fossils occur there are delicate impressions of feathers and fine details of bone structure that make it clear that Archaeopteryx was a bird. All birds living today, from the great condors of the Andes to the tiniest wrens, trace their origin back to the Mesozoic dinosaurs.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Characteristics of pterosaur wings

(B) The discovery of fossil remains of Archaeopteryx

(D) The development of flight in reptiles and birds

2. Which of the following is true of early reptile wings?

(A) They evolved from strong limb muscles.

(B) They consisted of an extension of skin.

(D) They required fingers of equal length.

3. The word literally in line 3 is closest in meaning to

(A) creating

(B) meaning

(D) simplified

4. It can be inferred from the passage that birds were probably dominant in the skies

(A) in the early Triassic period

(B) before the appearance of pterosaurs

(D) before dinosaurs could be found on land.

5. The author mentions airplanes in line 8 in order to

(A) illustrate the size of wingspans in some pterosaurs

(B) compare the energy needs of dinosaurs with those of modern machines

(D) establish the practical applications of the study of fossils

6. The word They in line 10 refers to

(A) powerful muscles

(B) bodies

(D) flying reptiles

7. According to the passage , pterosaurs were probably not skillful fliers (lines 10-11) because

(A) of their limited wingspan

(B) of their disproportionately large bodies

(D) climate conditions of the time provided insufficient wind power

8. In paragraph 2, the author discusses the development of flight in birds as resulting from

(A) a similarity in body structure to pterosaurs

(B) an evolution from pterosaurs

(D) a separate but parallel development process to that of pterosaurs

9. The word classified in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) perfected

(B) replaced

(D) protected

10. Which of the following helped researchers determine that Archaeopteryx was not a dinosaur?

(A) Its tail

(B) Its teeth

(D) Details of its bone structure

11. What is the significance of the discovery that was made in southern Germany?

(A) It is thought to demonstrate that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

(B) It is proof that the climate and soils of Europe have changed over time.

(D) It supports the theory that Archaeopteryx was a powerful dinosaur.

托福阅读真题2

PASSAGE 17

Aviculturists, people who raise birds for commercial sale, have not yet learned how to simulate the natural incubation of parrot eggs in the wild. They continue to look for better ways to increase egg production and to improve chick survival rates.

When parrots incubate their eggs in the wild, the temperature and humidity of the nest are controlled naturally. Heat is transferred from the bird's skin to the top portion of the eggshell, leaving the sides and bottom of the egg at a cooler temperature. This temperature gradient may be vital to successful hatching. Nest construction can contribute to this temperature gradient. Nests of loosely arranged sticks, rocks, or dirt are cooler in temperature at the bottom where the egg contacts the nesting material. Such nests also act as humidity regulators by allowing rain to drain into the bottom sections of the nest so that the eggs are not in direct contact with the water. As the water that collects in the bottom of the nest evaporates, the water vapor rises and is heated by the incubating bird, which adds significant humidity to the incubation environment.

In artificial incubation programs, aviculturists remove eggs from the nests of parrots and incubate them under laboratory conditions. Most commercial incubators heat the eggs fairly evenly from top to bottom, thus ignoring the bird's method of natural incubation, and perhaps reducing the viability and survivability of the hatching chicks. When incubators are not used, aviculturists sometimes suspend wooden boxes outdoors to use as nests in which to place eggs. In areas where weather can become cold after eggs are laid, it is very important to maintain a deep foundation of nesting material to act as insulator against the cold bottom of the box. If eggs rest against the wooden bottom in extremely cold weather conditions, they can become chilled to a point where the embryo can no longer survive. Similarly, these boxes should be protected from direct sunlight to avoid high temperatures that are also fatal to the growing embryo. Nesting material should be added in sufficient amounts to avoid both extreme temperature situations mentioned above and assure that the eggs have a soft, secure place to rest.

1. What is the main idea of the passage ?

(A) Nesting material varies according to the parrots' environment.

(B) Humidity is an important factor in incubating parrots' eggs.

(D) Wild parrots' nests provide information useful for artificial incubation.

2. The word They in line 2 refers to

(A) aviculturists

(B) birds

(D) rates

3. According to paragraph 2, when the temperature of the sides and bottom of the egg are cooler

than the top, then

(A) there may be a good chance for successful incubation

(B) the embryo will not develop normally

(D) the incubation process is slowed down

4. According to paragraph 2, sticks, rocks, or dirt are used to

(A) soften the bottom of the nest for the newly hatched chick

(B) hold the nest together

(D) make the nest bigger

5. According to paragraph 2, the construction of the nest allows water to

(A) provide a beneficial source of humidity in the nest

(B) loosen the materials at the bottom of the nest

(D) touch the bottom of the eggs

6. All of the following are part of a parrot's incubation method EXCEPT

(A) heating the water vapor as it rises from the bottom of the nest

(B) arranging nesting material at the bottom of the nest

(D) maintaining a constant temperature on the eggshell

7. The word suspend in line 18 is closest in meaning to

(A) build

(B) paint

(D) move

8. The word fatal in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) close

(B) deadly

(D) hot

9. The word secure in line 27 is closest in meaning to

(A) fresh

(B) dry

(D) warm

10. According to paragraph 3, a deep foundation of nesting material provides

(A) a constant source of humidity

(B) a strong nest box

(D) protection against cold weather

11. Which of the following is a problem with commercial incubators?

(A) They lack the natural temperature changes of the outdoors.

(B) They are unable to heat the eggs evenly

(D) They are expensive to operate.

12. Which of the following terms is defined in the passage ?

(A) Aviculturists (line 1)

(B) gradient (line 8)

(D) embryo (line 22)

托福阅读真题3

PASSAGE 18

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, almost nothing was written about the contributions of women during the colonial period and the early history of the newly formed United States. Lacking the right to vote and absent from the seats of power, women were not considered an important force in history. Anne Bradstreet wrote some significant poetry in the seventeenth century, Mercy Otis Warren produced the best contemporary history of the American Revolution, and Abigail Adams penned important letters showing she exercised great political influence over her husband, John, the second President of the United States. But little or no notice was taken of these contributions. During these centuries, women remained invisible in history books.

Throughout the nineteenth century, this lack of visibility continued, despite the efforts of female authors writing about women. These writers, like most of their male counterparts, were amateur historians. Their writings were celebratory in nature, and they were uncritical in their selection and use of sources.

During the nineteenth century, however, certain feminists showed a keen sense of history by keeping records of activities in which women were engaged. National, regional, and local women's organizations compiled accounts of their doings. Personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, and souvenirs were saved and stored. These sources from the core of the two greatest collections of women's history in the United States one at the Elizabeth and Arthur Schlesinger Library at Radcliff Céol lege, and the other the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. Such sources have provided valuable materials for later generations of historians.

Despite the gathering of more information about ordinary women during the nineteenth century, most of the writing about women conformed to the great women theory of history, just as much of mainstream American history concentrated on great men. To demonstrate that women were making significant contributions to American life, female authors singled out women leaders and wrote biographies, or else important women produced their autobiographies. Most of these leaders were involved in public life as reformers, activists working for women's right to vote, or authors, and were not representative at all of the great of ordinary woman. The lives of ordinary people continued, generally, to be untold in the American histories being published.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The role of literature in early American histories

(B) The place of American women in written histories

(D) The great women approach to history used by American historians

2. The word contemporary in line 6 means that the history was

(A) informative

(B) written at that time

(D) faultfinding

3. In the first paragraph, Bradstreet, Warren, and Adams are mentioned to show that

(A) a woman's status was changed by marriage

(B) even the contributions of outstanding women were ignored

(D) poetry produced by women was more readily accepted than other writing by women

4. The word celebratory in line 12 means that the writings referred to were

(A) related to parties

(B) religious

(D) full of praise

5. The word they in line 12 refers to

(A) efforts

(B) authors

(D) sources

6. In the second paragraph, what weakness in nineteenth-century histories does the author point

out?

(A) They put too much emphasis on daily activities

(B) They left out discussion of the influence of money on politics.

(D) They were printed on poor-quality paper.

7. On the basis of information in the third paragraph, which of the following would most likely

have been collected by nineteenth-century feminist organizations?

(A) Newspaper accounts of presidential election results

(B) Biographies of John Adams

(D) Books about famous graduates of the country's first college

8. What use was made of the nineteenth-century women's history materials in the Schlesinger

Library and the Sophia Smith Collection?

(A) They were combined and published in a multivolume encyclopedia

(B) They formed the basis of college courses in the nineteenth century.

(D) They were shared among women's colleges throughout the United States.

9. In the last paragraph, the author mentions all of the following as possible roles of nineteenth-century great women EXCEPT

(A) authors

(B) reformers

(D) politicians

10. The word representative in line 29 is closest in meaning to

(A) typical

(B) satisfied

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