北美新托福入学测试题中上水平.docx
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北美新托福入学测试题中上水平.docx
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北美新托福入学测试题中上水平
北美新托福入学测试题(中上水平)
环球新托福考试院入学英语水平测试题
Reading
ExtinctionoftheDinosaurs
Paleontologistshavearguedforalongtimethatthedemiseofthedinosaurswascausedbyclimaticalterationsassociatedwithslowchangesinthepositionsofcontinentsandseasresultingfromplatetectonics.OffandonthroughouttheCretaceous(thelastperiodoftheMesozoicera,duringwhichdinosaursflourished),largeshallowseascoveredextensiveareasofthecontinents.Datafromdiversesources,includinggeochemicalevidencepreservedinseafloorsediments,indicatethattheLateCretaceousclimatewasmilderthantoday’s.Thedayswerenottoohot,northenightstoocold.Thesummerswerenottoowarm,northewinterstoofrigid.Theshallowseasonthecontinentsprobablybufferedthetemperatureofthenearbyair,keepingitrelatively
seawayshadretreatedfromandadvancedonthecontinentsnumeroustimesduringtheMesozoic,sowhydidthedinosaurssurvivetheclimaticchangesassociatedwiththeearlierfluctuationsbutnotwiththisone?
Althoughinitiallyappealing,thehypothesisofasimpleclimaticchangerelatedtosealevelsisinsufficienttoexplainallthedata.
Dissatisfactionwithconventionalexplanationsfordinosaurextinctionsledtoasurprisingobservationthat,inturn,hassuggestedanewhypothesis.ManyplantsandanimalsdisappearabruptlyfromthefossilrecordasonemovesfromlayersofrockdocumentingtheendoftheCretaceousupintorocksrepresentingthebeginningoftheCenozoic(theeraaftertheMesozoic).BetweenthelastlayerofCretaceousrockandthefirstlayerofCenozoicrock,thereisoftenathinlayerofclay.Scientistsfeltthattheycouldgetanideaofhowlongtheextinctionstookbydetermininghowlongittooktodepositthisonecentimeterofclayandtheythoughttheycoulddeterminethetimeittooktodeposittheclaybydeterminingtheamountoftheelementiridium(lr)itcontained.
IthasnotbeencommonatEarth’ssincetheverybeginningoftheplanet’shistory.Becauseitusuallyexistsinametallicstate,itwaspreferentiallyincorporatedinEarth’scoreastheplanetcooledandconsolidated.ltisfoundinhighconcentrationsinsomemeteorites,inwhichthesolarsystem’soriginalchemicalcompositionispreserved.Eventoday,microscopicmeteoritescontinuallybombardEarth,fallingonbothlandandsea.BymeasuringhowmanyofthesemeteoritesfalltoEarthoveragivenperiodoftime,scientistscanestimatehowlongitmighthavetakentodeposittheobservedamountofitintheboundaryclay.Thesecalculationssuggestthataperiodofaboutonemillionyearswouldhavebeenrequired.However,otherreliableevidencesuggeststhatthedepositionoftheboundaryclaycouldnothavetakenonemillionyears.Sotheunusuallyhighconcentrationofltseemstorequireaspecialexplanation.
Inviewofthesefacts,scientistshypothesizedthatasinglelargeasteroid,about10to15kilometersacross,collidedwithEarth,andtheresultingfalloutcreatedtheboundaryclay.Theircalculationsshowthattheimpactkickedupadustcloudthatcutoffsunlightforseveralmonths,inhibitingphotosynthesisinplants;decreasedsurfacetemperaturesoncontinentstobelowfreezing;causedextremeepisodesofacidrain;andsignificantlyraisedlong-termglobaltemperaturesthroughthegreenhouseeffect.Thisdisruptionoffoodchainandclimatewouldhaveeradicatedthedinosaursandotherorganismsinlessthanfiftyyears.
[PassageEnd]
[Question]
Paragraph1Paleontologistshavearguedforalongtimethatthedemiseofthedinosaurswascausedbyclimaticalterationsassociatedwithslowchangesinthepositionsofcontinentsandseasresultingfromplatetectonics.OffandonthroughouttheCretaceous(thelastperiodoftheMesozoicera,duringwhichdinosaursflourished),largeshallowseascoveredextensiveareasofthecontinents.Datafromdiversesources,includinggeochemicalevidencepreservedinseafloorsediments,indicatethattheLateCretaceousclimatewasmilderthantoday’s.Thedayswerenottoohot,northenightstoocold.Thesummerswerenottoowarm,northewinterstoofrigid.Theshallowseasonthecontinentsprobablybufferedthetemperatureofthenearbyair,keepingitrelativelyconstant.
1.Accordingtoparagraph1,whichofthefollowingistrueoftheLateCretaceousclimate?
☐Summerswereverywarmandwinterswereverycold.
☐Shallowseasonthecontinentscausedfrequenttemperaturechanges.
☐Theclimatewasverysimilartotoday’sclimate.
☐Theclimatedidnotchangedramaticallyfromseasontoseason.
Paragraph2AttheendoftheCretaceous,thegeologicalrecordshowsthattheseseawaysretreatedfromthecontinentsbackintothemajoroceanbasins.Nooneknowswhy.Overaperiodofabout100,000years,whiletheseaspulledback,climatesaroundtheworldbecamedramaticallymoreextreme:
warmerdays,coolernights;hottersummers,colderwinters.Perhapsdinosaurscouldnottoleratetheseextremetemperaturechangesandbecameextinct.
2.Whichofthefollowingreasonsissuggestedinparagraph2fortheextinctionofthedinosaurs?
☐ChangesinthelengthsofthedaysandnightsduringthelateCretaceousperiod
☐Droughtscausedbythemovementofseawaysbackintotheoceans
☐ThechangefrommildtosevereclimatesduringtheLateCretaceousperiod
☐Anextremedecreaseintheaverageyearlytemperatureover10,000years
Paragraph3Iftrue,though,whydidcold-bloodedanimalssuchassnakes,lizards,turtles,andcrocodilessurvivethefreezingwintersandtorridsummers?
Theseanimalsareatthemercyoftheclimatetomaintainalivablebodytemperature.It’shardtounderstandwhytheywouldnotbeaffected,whereasdinosaurswerelefttoocrippledtocope,especiallyif,assomescientistsbelieve,dinosaurswerewarm-blooded.CriticsalsopointoutthattheshallowseawayshadretreatedfromandadvancedonthecontinentsnumeroustimesduringtheMesozoic,sowhydidthedinosaurssurvivetheclimaticchangesassociatedwiththeearlierfluctuationsbutnotwiththisone?
Althoughinitiallyappealing,thehypothesisofasimpleclimaticchangerelatedtosealevelsisinsufficienttoexplainallthedata.
3.Whydoestheauthormentionthesurvivalof“snakes,lizards,turtles,andcrocodiles”inparagraph3?
☐Toarguethatdinosaursmayhavebecomeextinctbecausetheywerenotcold-bloodedanimals
☐Toquestiontheadequacyofthehypothesisthatclimaticchangerelatedtosealevelscausedtheextinctionofthedinosaurs
☐Topresentexamplesofanimalsthatcouldmaintainalivablebodytemperaturemoreeasilythandinosaurs
☐TosupportahypothesisthattheseanimalswerenotassensitivetoclimatechangesintheCretaceousperiodastheyaretoday
4.Thewordcopeinthepassageisclosestinmeaningto
☐adapt
☐move
☐continue
☐compete
5.Thewordfluctuationsinthepassageisclosestinmeaningto
☐extremes
☐retreats
☐periods
☐variations
Paragraph4Dissatisfactionwithconventionalexplanationsfordinosaurextinctionsledtoasurprisingobservationthat,inturn,hassuggestedanewhypothesis.ManyplantsandanimalsdisappearabruptlyfromthefossilrecordasonemovesfromlayersofrockdocumentingtheendoftheCretaceousupintorocksrepresentingthebeginningoftheCenozoic(theeraaftertheMesozoic).BetweenthelastlayerofCretaceousrockandthefirstlayerofCenozoicrock,thereisoftenathinlayerofclay.Scientistsfeltthattheycouldgetanideaofhowlongtheextinctionstookbydetermininghowlongittooktodepositthisonecentimeterofclayandtheythoughttheycoulddeterminethetimeittooktodeposittheclaybydeterminingtheamountoftheelementiridiumitcontained.
6.Whichofthesentencesbelowbestexpressestheessentialinformationinthehighlightedsentenceinthepassage?
Incorrectchoiceschangethemeaninginimportantwaysorleaveoutessentialinformation.
☐ThefossilrecordsuggeststhattherewasanabruptextinctionofmanyplantsandanimalsattheendoftheMesozoicera.
☐FewfossilsoftheMesozoicerahavesurvivedintherocksthatmarktheendoftheCretaceous.
☐FossilsfromtheCretaceousperiodoftheMesozoicuptothebeginningoftheCenozoicerahavebeenremovedfromthelayersofrockthatsurroundedthem.
☐PlantsandanimalsfromtheMesozoicerawereunabletosurviveintheCenozoicera.
7.Inparagraph4,allthefollowingquestionsareansweredEXCEPT:
☐WhyistherealayerofclaybetweentherocksoftheCretaceousandCenozoic?
☐WhywerescientistsinterestedindetermininghowlongittooktodepositthelayerofclayattheendoftheCretaceous?
☐Whatwastheeffectofthesurprisingobservationscientistsmade?
☐WhydidscientistswantmoreinformationaboutthedinosaurextinctionsattheendoftheCretaceous?
Paragraph5.lthasnotbeencommonatEarth’ssincetheverybeginningoftheplanet’shistory.Becauseitusuallyexistsinametallicstate,itwaspreferentiallyincorporatedinEarth’scoreastheplanetcooledandconsolidated.ltisfoundinhighconcentrationsinsomemeteorites,inwhichthesolarsystem’soriginalchemicalcompositionispreserved.Eventoday,microscopicmeteoritescontinuallybombardEarth,fallingonbothlandandsea.BymeasuringhowmanyofthesemeteoritesfalltoEarthoveragivenperiodoftime,scientistscanestimatehowlongitmighthavetakentodeposittheobservedamountofltintheboundaryclay.■Thesecalculationssuggestthataperiodofaboutonemillionyearswouldhavebeenrequired.■However,otherreliableevidencesuggeststhatthedepositionoftheboundaryclaycoul
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