TOEFL托福阅读理解真题精选篇最新.docx

TOEFL托福阅读理解真题精选篇托福阅读真题1 Naturalists and casual observers alike have been struck by the special relationship between squirrels and acorns (the seeds of oak trees). Ecologists, though, cannot observe these energetic mammals scurrying up and down oak trees and eating and burying acorns without wondering about their complex relationship with trees. Are squirrels dispersers and planters of oak forests or pesky seed predators? The answer is not simple. Squirrels may devour many acorns, but by storing and failing to recover up to 74 percent of them as they do when seeds are abundant, these arboreal rodents can also aid regeneration and dispersal of the oaks. Their destructive powers are well documented. According to one report, squirrels destroyed tens of thousands of fallen acorns from an oak stand on the University of Indiana campus. A professor there estimated that each of the large white oaks had produced between two and eight thousand acorns, but within weeks of seed maturity, hardly an intact acorn could be found among the fallen leaves. Deer, turkey, wild pigs, and bears also feed heavily on acorns, but do not store them, and are therefore of no benefit to the trees. Flying squirrels, chipmunks, and mice are also unlikely to promote tree dispersal, as they often store seeds in tree cavities and underground burrows. Only squirrels whose behavior of caching (hiding) acorns below the leaf litter often promote successful germination of acorns, and perhaps blue jays, important long-distance dispersers, seem to help oaks spread and reproduce. Among squirrels, though, there is a particularly puzzling behavior pattern. Squirrels pry off the caps of acorns, bite through the shells to get at the nutritious inner kernels, and then discard them half-eaten. The ground under towering oaks is often littered with thousands of half-eaten acorns, each one only bitten from the top. Why would any animal waste so much time and energy and risk exposure to such predators as red-tail hawks only to leave a large part of each acorn uneaten? While research is not conclusive at this point, one thing that is certain is that squirrels do hide some of the uneaten portions, and these acorn halves, many of which contain the seeds, may later germinate. 1. What does the passage mainly discuss? (A) The ecology of oak trees (B) Factors that determine the feeding habits of Squirrels (C) Various species of animals that promote the dispersal of tree seeds (D) The relationship between squirrels and oak trees 2. The word they in line 7 refers to (A) oak forests (B) acorns (C) squirrels (D) predators 3. According to the passage , what do squirrels do when large quantities of acorns are available? (A) They do not store acorns. (B) They eat more than 74 percent of available acorns. (C) They do not retrieve all the acorns that they have stored. (D) They hide acorns in tree cavities. 4. The word estimated in line 11 is closest in meaning to (A) commented (B) judged (C) observed (D) discovered 5. Why does the author mention the University of Indiana campus in line 10 -11? (A) to provide evidence that intact acorns are hard to find under oak trees (B) to indicate a place where squirrels can aid seed dispersal of oaks (C) to argue in favor of additional studies concerning the destructive force of squirrels (D) to support the claim that squirrels can do great damage to oak stands 6. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that chipmunks do not aid in the dispersal of oak trees because (A) they store their acorns where they cannot germinate (B) they consume most of their stored acorns (C) their stored acorns are located and consumed by other species (D) they cannot travel the long distance required for dispersal 7. According to the passage , which of the following do squirrels and blue jays have in common? (A) They travel long distances to obtain acorns. (B) They promote the reproduction of oak trees. (C) They bury acorns under fallen leaves. (D) They store large quantities of acorns. 8. The phrase pry off in line 21 is closest in meaning to (A) swallow (B) remove (C) squeeze (D) locate 9. The word littered in line 22 is closest in meaning to (A) covered (B) displayed (C) fertilized (D) planted 10. According to the passage , scientists cannot explain which of the following aspects of squirrel behavior? (A) Where squirrels store their acorn caches (B) Why squirrels prefer acorns over other seeds (C) Why squirrels eat only a portion of each acorn they retrieve (D) Why squirrels prefer acorns from a particular species of oak trees PASSAGE 98 DCCBD DBBAC 托福阅读真题2 Scientists have discovered that for the last 160,000 years, at least, there has been a consistent relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and the average temperature of the planet. The importance of carbon dioxide in regulating the Earth's temperature was confirmed by scientists working in eastern Antarctica. Drilling down into a glacier, they extracted a mile-long cylinder of ice from the hole. The glacier had formed as layer upon layer of snow accumulated year after year. Thus drilling into the ice was tantamount to drilling back through time. The deepest sections of the core are composed of water that fell as snow 160,000 years ago. Scientists in Grenoble, France, fractured portions of the core and measured the composition of ancient air released from bubbles in the ice. Instruments were used to measure the ratio of certain isotopes in the frozen water to get an idea of the prevailing atmospheric temperature at the time when that particular bit of water became locked in the glacier. The result is a remarkable unbroken record of temperature and of atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Almost every time the chill of an ice age descended on the planet, carbon dioxide levels dropped. When the global temperature dropped 9 F (5 C°), carb°on dioxide levels dropped to 190 parts per million or so. Generally, as each ice age ended and the Earth basked in a warm interglacial period, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 parts per million. Through the 160,000 years of that ice record, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fluctuated between 190 and 280 parts per million, but never rose much higher-until the Industrial Revolution beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing today. There is indirect evidence that the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperature change goes back much further than the glacial record. Carbon dioxide levels may have been much greater than the current concentration during the Carboniferous period, 360 to 285 million years ago. The period was named for a profusion of plant life whose buried remains produced a large fraction of the coal deposits that are being brought to the surface and burned today. 1. Which of the following does the passage mainly discuss? (A) Chemical causes of ice ages (B) Techniques for studying ancient layers of ice in glaciers (C) Evidence of a relationship between levels of carbon dioxide and global temperature (D) Effects of plant life on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere 2. The word accumulated in line 6 is closest in meaning to. (A) spread out (B) changed (C) became denser (D) built up 3. According to the passage , the drilling of the glacier in eastern Antarctica was important because it (A) allowed scientists to experiment with new drilling techniques (B) permitted the study of surface temperatures in an ice-covered region of Earth (C) provided insight about climate conditions in earlier periods (D) confirmed earlier findings about how glaciers are formed 4. The phrase tantamount to in line 7 is closest in meaning to A) complementary to (B) practically the same as (C) especially well suited to (D) unlikely to be confused with 5. According to the passage , Grenoble, France, is the place where (A) instruments were developed for measuring certain chemical elements (B) scientists first recorded atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (C) scientists studied the contents of an ice core from Antarctica (D) the relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature was discovered 6. According to the passage , scientists used isotopes from the water of the ice core to determine which of following? (A) The amount of air that had bubbled to the surface since the ice had formed (B) The temperature of the atmosphere when the ice was formed (C) The date at which water had become locked in the glacier (D) The rate at which water had been frozen in the glacier 7. The word remarkable in line 14 is closest in meaning to (A) genuine (B) permanent (C) extraordinary (D) continuous 8. The word link in line 23 is closest in meaning to (A) tension (B) connection (C) attraction (D) distance 9. The passage implies that the warmest temperatures among the periods mentioned occurred (A) in the early eighteenth century (B) 160,000 years ago (C) at the end of each ice age (D) between 360 and 285 million years ago 10. According to the passage , the Carboniferous period was characterized by (A) a reduction in the number of coal deposits (B) the burning of a large amount of coal (C) an abundance of plants (D) an accelerated rate of glacier formation 11. The passage explains the origin of which of the following terms? (A) glacier (line 5) (B) isotopes (line 11) (C) Industrial Revolution (line 21) (D) Carboniferous period (lines 26) PASSAGE 99 CDCBC BCBAC D 托福阅读真题3 Of all modern instruments, the violin is apparently one of the simplest. It consists in essence of a hollow, varnished wooden sound box, or resonator, and a long neck, covered with a fingerboard, along which four strings are stretched at high tension. The beauty of design, shape, and decoration is no accident: the proportions of the instrument are determined almost entirely by acoustical considerations. Its simplicity of appearance is deceptive. About 70 parts are involved in the construction of a violin. Its tone and its outstanding range of expressiveness make it an ideal solo instrument. No less important, however, is its role as an orchestral and chamber instrument. In combination with the larger and deeper-sounding members of the same family, the violins form the nucleus of the modern symphony orchestra. The violin has been in existence since about 1550. Its importance as an instrument in its own right dates from the early 1600's, when it first became standard in Italian opera orchestras. Its stature as an orchestral instrument was raised further when in 1626 Louis XIII of France established at his court the orchestra known as Les vingt-quatre violins du Roy (The King's 24 Violins), which was to become widely famous later in the century. In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet tone resulting from the fact that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical changes were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain. Accordingly, a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes. 1. The word standard in line 12 is closest in meaning to (A) practical (B) customary (C) possible (D) unusual 2. The King's 24 Violins is mentioned in line 15 to illustrate (A) how the violin became a renowned instrument (B) the competition in the 1600's between French and Italian orchestras (C) the superiority of French violins (D) why the violin was considered the only instrument suitable to be played by royalty 3. What is the main idea presented in paragraph 3? (A) The violin has been modified to fit its evolving musical functions. (B) The violin is probably the best known and most widely distributed musical instrument in the world. (C) The violin had reached the height of its popularity by the middle of the eighteenth century. (D) The technique of playing the violin has remained essentially the same since the 1600's. 4. The author mentions Vivaldi and Tartini in line 19 as examples of composers whose music (A) inspired more people to play the violin (B) had to be adapted to the violin (C) demanded more sophisticated violins (D) could be played only by their students 5. The word they in line 22 refers to (A) Civaldi and Tartini (B) thinner strings and a higher string tension (C) small changes (D) internal structure and fingerboard 6. The word strain in line 22 is closest in meaning to (A) struggle (B) strength (C) strategy (D) stress 7. The word Accordingly in line 23 is closest in meaning to (A) However (B) Consequently (C) Nevertheless (D) Ultimately 8. According to the passage , early violins were different from modern violins in that early violins (A) were heavier (B) broke down more easily (C) produced softer tones (D) were easier to play 9. According to the passage , which of the following contributes to a dull sound being produced by a violin? (A) A long fingerboard (B) A small body (C) High string tension (D) Thick strings 10. Which of the following terms is defined in the passage ? (A) resonator (line 2) (B) solo (line 7) (C) left-hand technique (line 25) (D) fingering patterns (lines 24-25) 11. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as contributing to the ability to play modern violin music EXCEPT (A) more complicated techniques for the left hand (B) different ways to use the fingers to play very high notes (C) use of rare wood for the fingerboard and neck (D) minor alterations to the structure of the