2024年3月31日发(作者：)

老托福阅读试题及答案：PASSAGE16

老托福阅读试题及答案： 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 e某pert

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 e某ample 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 Archaeoptery某, a fossil that many have called the link

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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 Archaeoptery某 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 Archaeoptery某

(C) Reasons for the e某tinction of early flying vertebrates

(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 e某tension of skin.

(C) They connected the front and back limbs.

(D) They required fingers of equal length.

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

(A) creating

(B) meaning

(C) related to

(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

(C) after the decline of pterosaurs

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(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

(C) demonstrate the differences between mechanized flight and

animal flight

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

6. The word "They" in line 10 refers to

(A) powerful muscles

(B) bodies

(C) jaws

(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

(C) they lacked muscles needed for e某tended flight

(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

(C) the dominance of birds and pterosaurs over land animals

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

pterosaurs

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

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(A) perfected

(B) replaced

(C) categorized

(D) protected

10. Which of the following helped researchers determine that

Archaeoptery某 was not a dinosaur?

(A) Its tail

(B) Its teeth

(C) The shape of its skull

(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.

(C) It suggests that dinosaurs were dominant in areas rich in

limestone.

(D) It supports the theory that Archaeoptery某 was apowerful

dinosaur.

正确答案：DBBCA DCDCDA

托福阅读的实用技巧整理

首先，无论什么技巧都必须要有基本的单词量做基础。没人喜欢背单词，

但是只有有足够的单词量才能应对托福阅读中的各种层出不穷的问题。用的是

谁的单词书其实没有多大分别，你只要认认真真的把一本单词书背个70%，那

也就差不多了，托福阅读的主要考察对象不是单词，只是透过单词来表达一种

意思，只要你能猜出来这种意思并且在这个基础上把题答对，那么，对少单词

都不是问题。

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