托福阅读理解真题整合

时间：2024年04月09日

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下面是小编为大家推荐的托福阅读理解真题整合，本文共9篇，欢迎阅读，希望大家能够喜欢。本文原稿由网友“yao991”提供。

篇1：托福阅读理解真题整合

In the North American colonies, red ware, a simple pottery fired at low temperatures, and stone ware, a strong, impervious grey pottery fired at high temperatures, were produced from two different native clays. These kinds of pottery were produced to supplement imported European pottery. When the American Revolution (1775-1783) interrupted the flow of the superior European ware, there was incentive for American potters to replace the imports with comparable domestic goods. Stoneware, which had been simple, utilitarian kitchenware, grew increasingly ornate throughout the nineteenth century, and in addition to the earlier scratched and drawn designs, three-dimensional molded relief decoration became popular. Representational motifs largely replaced the earlier abstract decorations. Birds and flowers were particularly evident, but other subjects — lions, flags, and clipper ships — are found. Some figurines, mainly of dogs and lions, were made in this medium. Sometimes a name, usually that of the potter, was die-stamped onto a piece.

As more and more large kilns were built to create the high-fired stoneware, experiments revealed that the same clay used to produce low-fired red ware could produce a stronger, paler pottery if fired at a hotter temperature. The result was yellow ware, used largely for serviceable items; but a further development was Rockingham ware — one of the most important American ceramics of the nineteenth century. (The name of the ware was probably derived from its resemblance to English brown-glazed earthenware made in South Yorkshire.) It was created by adding a brown glaze to the fired clay, usually giving the finished product a mottled appearance. Various methods of spattering or sponging the glaze onto the ware account for the extremely wide variations in color and add to the interest of collecting Rockingham. An advanced form of Rockingham was flint enamel, created by dusting metallic powders onto the Rockingham glaze to produce brilliant varicolored streaks. Articles for nearly every household activity and ornament could be bought in Rockingham ware: dishes and bowls, of course; also bedpans, foot warmers, cuspidors, lamp bases, doorknobs, molds, picture frames, even curtain tiebacks. All these items are highly collectible today and are eagerly sought. A few Rockingham specialties command particular affection among collectors and correspondingly high prices.

1. Why did the potters discussed in the passage change the kind of pottery they made?

A) They discovered a new kind of clay.

B) They were compensation for the loss of an overseas supplier.

C) They studied new techniques in Europe.

D) The pottery they had been producing was not very strong.

2. The word ornate in line 7 is closest in meaning to

A) elaborate

B) puzzling

C) durable

D) common

3. The passage suggests that the earliest stoneware

A) was decorated with simple, abstract designs

B) used three-dimensional decorations

C) was valued for its fancy decorations

D) had no decoration

4. How did yellow ware achieve its distinctive color?

A) by sponging on a glaze

B) by dusting on metallic powders

C) by brown-glazing

D) by firing at a high temperature

5. The phrase derived from in line 19 is closest in meaning to

A) ruined by

B) warned against

C) based on

D) sold by

6. The word It in line 20 refers to

A) red ware

B) yellow ware

C) Rockingham ware

D) English brown-glazed earthenware

7. The word Various in line 21 is closest in meaning to

A) complicated

B) accepted

C) careful

D) different

8. The phrase account for in line 22 is closest in meaning to

A) explain

B) restrict

C) finance

D) supplement

9. What was special about flint enamel?

A) its even metallic shine

B) its mottled appearance

C) its spattered effect

D) its varicolored streaks

10. Which of the following kinds of Rockingham ware were probably produced in the greatest

quantity?

A) picture frames

B) dishes and bowls

C) curtain tiebacks

D) doorknobs

11. The passage would most probably continue with a discussion of

A) what bedpans, foot warmers, and cuspidors were used for

B) well-known, modern-day potters who make Rockingham ware

C) examples of Rockingham ware that collectors especially want

D) pieces of Rockingham ware that are inexpensive in today's market

PASSAGE 68 BAADC CDADB C

篇2：托福阅读理解真题整合

Newspaper publishers in the United States have long been enthusiastic users and distributors of weather maps. Although some newspapers that had carried the United States Weather Bureau's national weather map in 1912 dropped it once the novelty had passed, many continued to print the daily weather chart provided by their local forecasting office. In the 1930's, when interest in aviation and progress in air-mass analysis made weather patterns more newsworthy, additional newspapers started or resumed the daily weather map. In 1935, The Associated Press (AP) news service inaugurated its WirePhoto network and offered subscribing newspapers morning and afternoon weather maps redrafted by the AP's Washington, B.C., office from charts provided by the government agency. Another news service, United Press International (UPI), developed a competing Photowire network and also provided timely weather maps for both morning and afternoon newspapers. After the United States government launched a series of weather satellites in 1966, both the AP and UPI offered cloud-cover photos obtained from the Weather Bureau.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's, the weather map became an essential ingredient in the redesign of the American newspaper. News publishers, threatened by increased competition from television for readers' attention, sought to package the news more conveniently and attractively. In 1982, many publishers felt threatened by the new USA Today, a national daily newspaper that used a page-wide, full-color weather map as its key design element. That the weather map in USA Today did not include information about weather fronts and pressures attests to the largely symbolic role it played. Nonetheless, competing local and metropolitan newspapers responded in a variety of ways. Most substituted full-color temperature maps for the standard weather maps, while others dropped the comparatively drab satellite photos or added regional forecast maps with pictorial symbols to indicate rainy, snowy, cloudy, or clear conditions. A few newspapers, notably The New York Times, adopted a highly informative yet less visually prominent weather map that was specially designed to explain an important recent or imminent weather event. Ironically, a newspaper's richest, most instructive weather maps often are comparatively small and inconspicuous.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The differences between government and newspaper weather forecasting in the United

States.

(B) The history of publishing weather maps in United States newspapers

(D) Information that forms the basis for weather forecasting in the United States

2. The word resumed in line 7 is closest in meaning to

(A) began again

(B) held back

(D) referred to

3. According to the passage , one important reason why newspapers printed daily weather maps

during the first half of the twentieth century was

(A) the progress in printing technology

(B) a growing interest in air transportation

(D) the improvement of weather forecasting techniques

4. What regular service did The Associated Press and United Press International begin to offer

subscribing newspapers in the 1930's?

(A) A new system of weather forecasting

(B) An air-mass analysis

(D) Cloud-cover photographs

5. The phrase attests to in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) makes up for

(B) combines with

(D) gives evidence of

6. The word others in line 24 refers to

(A) newspapers

(B) ways

(D) weather maps

7. The word drab in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) precise

(B) poor

(D) dull

8. In contrast to the weather maps of USA Today, weather maps in The New York Times tended to

(A) printed in foil color

(B) included for symbolic reasons

(D) filled with detailed information

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

(A) complex

(B) noticeable

(D) perfect

10. The author uses the term Ironically in line 28 to indicate that a weather map's appearance

(A) is not important to newspaper publishers

(B) does not always indicate how much information it provides

(D) often can improve newspaper sales

PASSAGE 69 BABCD ADDBB

篇3：托福阅读理解真题整合

The origins of nest-building remain obscure, but current observations of nest-building activities provide evidence of their evolution. Clues to this evolutionary process can be found in the activities of play and in the behavior and movements of birds during mating, such as incessant pulling at strips of vegetation or scraping of the soil. During the early days of the reproductive cycle, the birds seem only to play with the building materials. In preparation for mating, they engage in activities that resemble nest-building, and continue these activities throughout and even after the mating cycle. Effective attempts at construction occur only after mating.

Although nest-building is an instinctive ability, there is considerable adaptability in both site selection and use of materials, especially with those species which build quite elaborate constructions. Furthermore, some element of learning is often evident since younger birds do not build as well as their practiced elders. Young ravens, for example, first attempt to build with sticks of quite unsuitable size, while a jackdaw's first nest includes virtually any movable object. The novelist John Steinbeck recorded the contents of a young osprey nest built in his garden, which included three shirts, a bath towel, and one arrow.

Birds also display remarkable behavior in collecting building materials. Crows have been seen to tear off stout green twigs, and sparrowhawks will dive purposefully onto a branch until it snaps and then hang upside down to break it off. Golden eagles, over generations of work, construct enormous nests. One of these, examined after it had been dislodged by high winds, weighed almost two tons and included foundation branches almost two meters long. The carrying capacity of the eagles, however, is only relative to their size and most birds are able to carry an extra load of just over twenty percent of their body weight.

1. The word obscure in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) interesting

(B) unclear

(D) complex

2. According to the passage , which of the following activities is characteristic of the early part of the reproductive cycle of birds?

(A) Selecting a mate

(B) Collecting nest-building materials

(D) Building a nest

3. The word display in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) communicate

(B) imitate

(D) exhibit

4. The novelist John Steinbeck is mentioned in line 14 because he

(A) conducted a scientific study on the behavior of ospreys

(B) was the first to describe where ospreys built their nests

(D) compared the size of osprey nests with the nests of other species

5. Which of the following birds are mentioned as those that build nests that include unusual

objects?

(A) Ravens

(B) Ospreys

(D) Sparrowhawks

6. According to the passage , when gathering materials to build their nests, sparrowhawks do

which of the following?

(A) Hang upside down

(B) Select only green twigs

(D) Collect more branches than necessary

7. The word these in line 20 refers to

(A) golden eagles

(B) generations

(D) nests

8. The word load in line 23 is closest in meaning to

(A) weight

(B) number

(D) level

9. The author mentions twenty percent in line 23 to indicate that

(A) eagles are twenty percent bigger than most birds

(B) twenty percent of all nests include foundation branches

(D) birds can carry twenty percent more of their own weight

PASSAGE 70 BCDCB ADAD

篇4：TOEFL托福阅读理解真题整合

托福阅读真题1

A survey is a study, generally in the form of an interview or a questionnaire that provides information concerning how people think and act. In the United States, the best-known surveys are the Gallup poll and the Harris poll. As anyone who watches the news during presidential campaigns knows, these polls have become an important part of political life in the United States.

North Americans are familiar with the many person-on-the-street interviews on local television news shows. While such interviews can be highly entertaining, they are not necessarily an accurate indication of public opinion. First, they reflect the opinions of only those people who appear at a certain location. Thus, such samples can be biased in favor of commuters, middle-class shoppers, or factory workers, depending on which area the newspeople select. Second, television interviews tend to attract outgoing people who are willing to appear on the air, while they frighten away others who may feel intimidated by a camera. A survey must be based on a precise, representative sampling if it is to genuinely reflect a broad range of the population.

In preparing to conduct a survey, sociologists must exercise great care in the wording of questions. An effective survey question must be simple and clear enough for people to understand it. It must also be specific enough so that there are no problems in interpreting the results. Even questions that are less structured must be carefully phrased in order to elicit the type of information desired. Surveys can be indispensable sources of information, but only if the sampling is done properly and the questions are worded accurately.

There are two main forms of surveys: the interview and the questionnaire. Each of these forms of survey research has its advantages. An interviewer can obtain a high response rate because people find it more difficult to turn down a personal request for an interview than to throw away a written questionnaire. In addition, an interviewer can go beyond written questions and probe for a subject's underlying feelings and reasons. However, questionnaires have the advantage of being cheaper and more consistent.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The history of surveys in North America

(B) The principles of conducting surveys

(D) The importance of polls in American political life

2. The word they in line 8 refers to

(A) North Americans

(B) news shows

(D) opinions

3. According to the passage , the main disadvantage of person-on-the-street interviews is that

they

(A) are not based on a representative sampling

(B) are used only on television

(D) reflect political opinions

4. The word precise in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) planned

(B) rational

(D) accurate

5. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is most important for an effective survey?

(A) A high number of respondents

(B) Carefully worded questions

(D) A sociologist who is able to interpret the results

6. The word exercise in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) utilize

(B) consider

(D) defend

7. The word elicit in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) compose

(B) rule out

(D) bring out

8. It can be inferred from the passage that one reason that sociologists may become frustrated

with questionnaires is that

(A) respondents often do not complete and return questionnaires

(B) questionnaires are often difficult to read

(D) respondents are too eager to supplement questions with their own opinions

9. According to the passage , one advantage of live interviews over questionnaires is that live

interviews

(A) cost less

(B) can produce more information

(D) minimize the influence of the researcher

10. The word probe in line 26 is closest in meaning to

(A) explore

(B) influence

(D) apply

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

(A) Survey (line 1)

(B) Public opinion (line 8)

(D) Response rate (line 24)

PASSAGE 80 BCADB ADABA A

托福阅读真题2

The largest of the giant gas planets, Jupiter, with a volume 1,300 times greater than Earth's, contains more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined. It is thought to be a gaseous and fluid planet without solid surfaces, Had it been somewhat more massive, Jupiter might have attained internal temperatures as high as the ignition point for nuclear reactions, and it would have flamed as a star in its own right. Jupiter and the other giant planets are of a low-density type quite distinct from the terrestrial planets: they are composed predominantly of such substances as hydrogen, helium, ammonia, and methane, unlike terrestrial planets. Much of Jupiter's interior might be in the form of liquid, metallic hydrogen. Normally, hydrogen is a gas, but under pressures of millions of kilograms per square centimeter, which exist in the deep interior of Jupiter, the hydrogen atoms might lock together to form a liquid with the properties of a metal. Some scientists believe that the innermost core of Jupiter might be rocky, or metallic like the core of Earth.

Jupiter rotates very fast, once every 9.8 hours. As a result, its clouds, which are composed largely of frozen and liquid ammonia, have been whipped into alternating dark and bright bands that circle the planet at different speeds in different latitudes. Jupiter's puzzling Great Red Spot changes size as it hovers in the Southern Hemisphere. Scientists speculate it might be a gigantic hurricane, which because of its large size (the Earth could easily fit inside it), lasts for hundreds of years.

Jupiter gives off twice as much heat as it receives from the Sun. Perhaps this is primeval heat or heat generated by the continued gravitational contraction of the planet. Another starlike characteristic of Jupiter is its sixteen natural satellites, which, like a miniature model of the Solar System, decrease in density with distance — from rocky moons close to Jupiter to icy moons farther away. If Jupiter were about 70 times more massive, it would have become a star, Jupiter is the best-preserved sample of the early solar nebula, and with its satellites, might contain the most important clues about the origin of the Solar System.

1. The word attained in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) attempted

(B) changed

(D) reached

2. The word flamed in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) burned

(B) divided

(D) grown

3. The word they in line 7 refers to

(A) nuclear reactions

(B) giant planets

(D) substances

4. According to the passage , hydrogen can become a metallic-like liquid when it is

(A) extremely hot

(B) combined with helium

(D) under great pressures

5. According to the passage , some scientists believe Jupiter and Earth are similar in that they

both have

(A) solid surfaces

(B) similar masses

(D) metallic cores

6. The clouds surrounding Jupiter are mostly composed of

(A) ammonia

(B) helium

(D) methane

7. It can be inferred from the passage that the appearance of alternating bands circling Jupiter is

caused by

(A) the Great Red Spot

(B) heat from the Sun

(D) Storms from the planet's Southern Hemisphere

8. The author uses the word puzzling in line 17 to suggest that the Great Red Spot is

(A) the only spot of its kind

(B) not well understood

(D) a problem for the planet's continued existence

9. Paragraph 3 supports which of the following conclusions?

(A) Jupiter gives off twice as much heat as the Sun.

(B) Jupiter has a weaker gravitational force than the other planets.

(D) Scientists might learn about the beginning of the Solar System by Studying Jupiter.

10. Why does the author mention primeval heat (lines 21)?

(A) To provide evidence that Jupiter is older than the Sun

(B) To provide evidence that Jupiter is older than the other planets

(D) To suggest a possible source of the quantity of heat that Jupiter gives off

11. According to the passage , Jupiter's most distant moon is

(A) the least dense

(B) the largest

(D) very rocky on the surface

12. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage ?

(A) If Jupiter had fewer satellites, it would be easier for scientists to study the planet itself.

(B) If Jupiter had had more mass, it would have developed internal nuclear reactions.

(D) if Jupiter were larger, it would give off much less heat

PASSAGE 81 DABDD ACBDD AB.

托福阅读真题3

Ethology is concerned with the study of adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history. Ethological theory began to be applied to research on children in the 1960's but has become even more influential today. The origins of ethology can be traced back to the work of Darwin. Its modern foundations were laid by two European zoologists, Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen.

Watching the behaviors diverse animal species in their natural habitats, Lorenz, and Tinbergen observed behavior patterns that promote survival. The most well-known of these is imprinting, the early following behavior of certain baby birds that ensures that the young will stay close to their mother and be fed and protected from danger. Imprinting takes place during an early, restricted time period of development. If the mother goose is not present during this time, but an object resembling her in important features is, young goslings may imprint on it instead. Observations of imprinting led to major concept that has been applied in child development — the critical period. It refers to a limited times span during which the child is biologically prepared to acquire certain adaptive behaviors but needs the support of suitably stimulating environment. Many researchers have conducted studies to find out whether complex cognitive and social behaviors must be learned during restricted time periods. For example, if children are deprived of adequate food or physical and social stimulation during the early years of life, will their intelligence be permanently impaired? If language is not mastered during the preschool years, is the child's capacity to acquire it reduced?

Inspired by observations of imprinting, in 1969 the British psychoanalyst John Bowlby applied ethological theory to the understanding of the relationship between an infant and its parents. He argued that attachment behaviors of babies, such as smiling, babbling, grasping, and crying, are built-in social signals that encourage the parents to approach, care for, and interact with the baby. By keeping a parent near, these behaviors help ensure that the baby will be fed, protected from danger, and provided with the stimulation and affection necessary for healthy growth. The development of attachment in human infants is a lengthy process involving changes in psychological structures that lead to a deep affectional tie between parent and baby.

1. What was Darwin's contribution to ethology?

(A) Darwin improved on the original principles of ethology.

(B) Darwin was the professor who taught Lorenz and Tinbergen.

(D) Darwin was the first person to apply ethological theory to children.

2. The word diverse in line 6 is closest in meaning to

(A) small

(B) varied

(D) particular

3. The word ensures in line 8 is closest in meaning to

(A) guarantees

(B) proves

(D) assumes

4. According to the passage , if a mother goose is not present during the time period when

imprinting takes place, which of the following will most likely occur?

(A) The gosling will not imprint on any object.

(B) The gosling may not find a mate when it matures.

(D) The gosling may imprint on another object.

5. The word it in line 12 refers to

(A) development

(B) goose

(D) object

6. The word suitably in line 16 is closest in meaning to

(A) willingly

(B) moderately

(D) emotionally

7. The author mentions all of the following as attachment behaviors of human infants EXCEPT

(A) grasping

(B) crying

(D) smiling

8. According to the passage , attachment behaviors of infants are intended to

(A) get the physical, emotional and social needs of the infant met

(B) allow the infant to become imprinted on objects that resemble the parent

(D) prepare the infant to cope with separation

9. The phrase affectional tie in line 30 is closest in meaning to

(A) cognitive development

(B) emotional attachment

(D) behavioral change

10. It can be inferred from the passage that ethological theory assumes that

(A) to learn about human behavior only human subjects should be studied

(B) failure to imprint has no influence on intelligence

(D) there are similarities between animal and human behavior

PASSAGE 82 CBADD CCABD

篇5：托福阅读真题整合

PASSAGE 7

As Philadelphia grew from a small town into a city in the first half of the eighteenth century, it became an increasingly important marketing center for a vast and growing agricultural hinterland.

Market days saw the crowded city even more crowded, as farmers from within a radius of 24 or more kilometers brought their sheep, cows, pigs, vegetables, cider, and other products for direct sale to the townspeople. The High Street Market was continuously enlarged throughout the period until 1736, when it reached from Front Street to Third. By 1745 New Market was opened on Second Street between Pine and Cedar. The next year the Callowhill Market began operation.

Along with market days, the institution of twice-yearly fairs persisted in Philadelphia even after similar trading days had been discontinued in other colonial cities. The fairs provided a means of bringing handmade goods from outlying places to would-be buyers in the city. Linens and stockings from Germantown, for example, were popular items.

Auctions were another popular form of occasional trade. Because of the competition, retail merchants opposed these as well as the fairs. Although governmental attempts to eradicate fairs and auctions were less than successful, the ordinary course of economic development was on the merchants' side, as increasing business specialization became the order of the day. Export merchants became differentiated from their importing counterparts, and specialty shops began to appear in addition to general stores selling a variety of goods.

One of the reasons Philadelphia's merchants generally prospered was because the

surrounding area was undergoing tremendous economic and demographic growth. They did their business, after all, in the capital city of the province. Not only did they cater to the governor and his circle, but citizens from all over the colony came to the capital for legislative sessions of the assembly and council and the meetings of the courts of justice.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Philadelphia's agriculture importance

(B) Philadelphia's development as a marketing center

(D) The administration of the city of Philadelphia

2. It can be inferred from the passage that new markets opened in Philadelphia because

(A) they provided more modem facilities than older markets

(B) the High Street Market was forced to close

(D) farmers wanted markets that were closer to the farms.

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

(A) tradition

(B) association

(D) region

4. The word it in line 6 refers to

(A) the crowded city

(B) a radius

(D) the period

5. The word persisted in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) returned

(B) started

(D) continued

6. According to the passage , fairs in Philadelphia were held

(A) on the same day as market says

(B) as often as possible

(D) whenever the government allowed it

7. It can be inferred that the author mentions Linens and stockings in line 12 to show that they were items that

(A) retail merchants were not willing to sell

(B) were not available in the stores in Philadelphia

(D) could easily be transported

8. The word eradicate in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) eliminate

(B) exploit

(D) operate

9. What does the author mean by stating in lines 15-16 that economic development was on the merchants' side ?

(A) Merchants had a strong impact on economic expansion.

(B) Economic forces allowed merchants to prosper.

(D) Specialty shops near large markets were more likely to be economically successful.

10. The word undergoing in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) requesting

(B) experiencing

(D) including

篇6：托福阅读真题整合

PASSAGE 8

The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a plethora of climbing mammals of moderately large size, which may include monkeys, cats, civets, and porcupines.

Smaller species, including such rodents as mice and small squirrels, are not as prevalent overall in high tropical canopies as they are in most habitats globally.

Small mammals, being warm blooded, suffer hardship in the exposed and turbulent environment of the uppermost trees. Because a small body has more surface area per unit of weight than a large one of similar shape, it gains or loses heat more swiftly. Thus, in the trees,where shelter from heat and cold may be scarce and conditions may fluctuate, a small mammal may have trouble maintaining its body temperature.

Small size makes it easy to scramble among twigs and branches in the canopy for insects,flowers, or fruit, but small mammals are surpassed, in the competition for food, by large ones that have their own tactics for browsing among food-rich twigs. The weight of a gibbon (a small ape) hanging below a branch arches the terminal leaves down so that fruit-bearing foliage drops toward the gibbon's face. Walking or leaping species of a similar or even larger size access the outer twigs either by snapping off and retrieving the whole branch or by clutching stiff branches with the feet or tail and plucking food with their hands.

Small climbing animals may reach twigs readily, but it is harder for them than for large climbing animals to cross the wide gaps from on tree crown to the next that typify the high canopy. A macaque or gibbon can hurl itself farther than a mouse can: it can achieve a running start, and it can more effectively use a branch as a springboard, even bouncing on a climb several times before jumping. The forward movement of a small animal is seriously reduced by the air friction against the relatively large surface area of its body. Finally, for the many small mammals that supplement their insect diet with fruits or seeds, an inability to span open gaps between tree crowns may be problematic, since trees that yield these foods can be sparse.

1. The passage answers which of the following questions?

(A) How is the rain forest different from other habitats?

(B) How does an animal's body size influence an animal's need for food?

(D) Why do large animals tend to dominate the upper canopy of the rain forest?

2. Which of the following animals is less common in the upper canopy than in other environments?

(A) Monkeys

(B) Cats

(D) Mice

3. The word they in line 4 refers to

(A) trees

(B) climbing mammals of moderately large size

(D) high tropical canopies

4. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the small mammals in the rain

forest?

(A) They have body shapes that are adapted to live in the canopy.

(B) They prefer the temperature and climate of the canopy to that of other environments.

(D) They use the trees of the canopy for shelter from heat and cold.

5. In discussing animal size in paragraph 3, the author indicates that

(A) small animals require proportionately more food than larger animals do

(B) a large animal's size is an advantage in obtaining food in the canopy

(D) small animals and large animals are equally adept at obtaining food in the canopy

6. The word typify in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) resemble

(B) protect

(D) divide

7. According to paragraph 4, what makes jumping from one tree crown to another difficult for

small mammals?

(A) Air friction against the body surface

(B) The thickness of the branches

(D) The inability to use the front feet as hands

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

(A) control

(B) replace

(D) add to

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

(A) canopy (line 1)

(B) warm blooded (line 5)

(D) springboard (line 21)

篇7：托福阅读真题整合

PASSAGE 9

Prehistoric mammoths have been preserved in the famous tar pits of Rancho La Brea (Brea is the Spanish word for tar) in what is now the heart of Los Angeles, California. These tar pits have been known for centuries and were formerly mined for their natural asphalt, a black or brown petroleum-like substance. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site. The tar pits were found to contain the remains of scores of species of animals from the last 30,000 years of the Ice Age.

Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated and tangled masses. The creatures found range from insects and birds to giant ground sloth's, but a total of 17 proboscides (animals with a proboscis or long nose) — including mastodons and Columbian mammoths — have been recovered, most of them from Pit 9, the deepest bone-bearing deposit, which was excavated in 1914. Most of the fossils date to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago.

The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust. Unwary animals would become trapped on these thin sheets of liquid asphalt, which are extremely sticky in warm weather. Stuck, the unfortunate beasts would die of exhaustion and hunger or fall prey to predators that often also became stuck.

As the animals decayed, more scavengers would be attracted and caught in their turn. Carnivores greatly outnumber herbivores in the collection: for every large herbivore, there is one saber-tooth cat, a coyote, and four wolves. The fact that some bones are heavily weathered shows that some bodies remained above the surface for weeks or months. Bacteria in the asphalt would have consumed some of the tissues other than bones, and the asphalt itself would dissolve what was left, at the same time impregnating and beautifully preserving the saturated bones, rendering them dark brown and shiny.

1. What aspect of the La Brea tar pits does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The amount of asphalt that was mined there

(B) The chemical and biological interactions between asphalt and animals

(D) Scientific methods of determining the age of tar pits

2. In using the phrase the heart of Los Angeles in line 2, the author is talking about the city's

(A) beautiful design

(B) central area

(D) supplies of natural asphalt

3. The word noticed in line 5 closest in meaning to

(A) predicted

(B) announced

(D) observed

4. The word tangled in line 10 is closest in meaning to

(A) buried beneath

(B) twisted together

(D) easily dated

5. The word them in line 13 refers to

(A) insects

(B) birds

(D) proboscideans

6. How many proboscideans have been found at the La Brea tar pits?

(A) 9

(B) 17

(D) 2.5 million

7. The word concealed in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) highlighted

(B) covered

(D) contaminated

8. Why does the author mention animals such as coyotes and wolves in paragraph 4?

(A) To give examples of animals that are classified as carnivores

(B) To specify the animals found least commonly at La Brea

(D) To define the term scavengers

篇8：托福阅读理解真题精选

Molting is one of the most involved processes of a bird's annual life cycle. Notwithstanding preening and constant care, the marvelously intricate structure of a bird's feather inevitably wears out. All adult birds molt their feathers at least once a year, and upon close observation, one can recognize the frayed, ragged appearance of feathers that are nearing the end of their useful life. Two distinct processes are involved in molting. The first step is when the old, worn feather is dropped, or shed. The second is when a new feather grows in its place. When each feather has been shed and replaced, then the molt can be said to be complete. This, however, is an abstraction that often does not happen: incomplete, overlapping, and arrested molts are quite common.

Molt requires that a bird find and process enough protein to rebuild approximately one-third of its body weight. It is not surprising that a bird in heavy molt often seems listless and unwell. But far from being random, molt is controlled by strong evolutionary forces that have established an optimal time and duration. Generally, molt occurs at the time of least stress on the bird. Many songbirds, for instance, molt in late summer, when the hard work of breeding is done but the weather is still warm and food still plentiful. This is why the woods in late summer often seem so quiet, when compared with the exuberant choruses of spring.

Molt of the flight feathers is the most highly organized part of the process. Some species, for example, begin by dropping the outermost primary feathers on each side (to retain balance in the air) and wait until the replacement feathers are about one-third grown before shedding the next outermost, and so on. Others always start with the innermost primary feathers and work outward. Yet other species begin in the middle and work outward on both sides. Most ducks shed their wing feathers at once, and remain flightless for two or three weeks while the replacement feathers grow.

1. The passage mainly discusses how

(A) birds prepare for breeding

(B) bird feathers differ from species

(D) birds are affected by seasonal changes

2. The word Notwithstanding in line 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) despite

(B) because of

(D) regarding

3. The word intricate in line 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) regular

(B) complex

(D) important

4. The word random in line 12 is closest in meaning to

(A) unfortunate

(B) unusual

(D) unpredictable

5. The word optimal in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) slow

(B) frequent

(D) early

6. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason that songbirds molt in the late summer?

(A) Fewer predators are in the woods.

(B) The weathers are still warm.

(D) Food is still available.

7. Some birds that are molting maintain balance during flight by

(A) constantly preening and caring for their remaining feathers

(B) dropping flight feathers on both sides at the same time

(D) only losing one-third of their feathers

8. The word Others in line 21 refers to

(A) ducks

(B) sides

(D) flight feathers

9. The author discusses ducks in order to provide an example of birds that

(A) grow replacement feathers that are very long

(B) shed all their wing feathers at one time

(D) shed their outermost feathers first

10. It can be inferred from the discussion about ducks that the molting of their flight feathers

takes

(A) a year

(B) a season

(D) a few weeks

PASSAGE 62 CABDC ABCBD

篇9：托福阅读理解真题

Glass fibers have a long history. The Egyptians made coarse fibers by 1600 B.C., and fibers survive as decorations on Egyptian pottery dating back to 1375 B.C. During the Renaissance (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries A.D.), glassmakers from Venice used glass fibers to decorate the surfaces of plain glass vessels. However, glassmakers guarded their secrets so carefully that no one wrote about glass fiber production until the early seventeenth century.

The eighteenth century brought the invention of spun glass fibers. R é ne-Antoine de R é a French scientist, tried to make artificial feathers from glass. He made fibers by rotating a wheel through a pool of molten glass, pulling threads of glass where the hot thick liquid stuck to the wheel. His fibers were short and fragile, but he predicted that spun glass fibers as thin as spider silk would be flexible and could be woven into fabric.

By the start of the nineteenth century, glassmakers learned how to make longer, stronger fibers by pulling them from molten glass with a hot glass tube. Inventors wound the cooling end of the thread around a yarn reel, then turned the reel rapidly to pull more fiber from the molten glass. Wandering tradespeople began to spin glass fibers at fairs, making decorations and ornaments as novelties for collectors, but this material was of little practical use; the fibers were brittle, ragged, and no longer than ten feet, the circumference of the largest reels. By the mid-1870's, however, the best glass fibers were finer than silk and could be woven into fabrics or assembled into imitation ostrich feathers to decorate hats. Cloth of white spun glass resembled silver; fibers drawn from yellow-orange glass looked golden.

Glass fibers were little more than a novelty until the 1930's, when their thermal and electrical insulating properties were appreciated and methods for producing continuous filaments were developed. In the modern manufacturing process, liquid glass is fed directly from a glass-melting furnace into a bushing, a receptacle pierced with hundreds of fine nozzles, from which the liquid issues in fine streams. As they solidify, the streams of glass are gathered into a single strand and wound onto a reel.

1. Which of the following aspects of glass fiber does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The major developments in its production

(B) Its relationship with pottery making

(D) The variety of its uses in modern industry

2. The word coarse in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) decorative

(B) natural

(D) weak

3. Why was there nothing written about the making of Renaissance glass fibers until the seventeenth century?

(A) Glassmakers were unhappy with the quality of the fibers they could make.

(B) Glassmakers did not want to reveal the methods they used.

(D) Production methods had been well known for a long time.