托福考试 复习托福阅读TPO7(试题+答案+译文)第1篇:The Geologic History of the Mediterranean托福阅读原文In 1970 geologists Kenneth J.Hsu and William B.F. Ryan were collecting research data while aboard the oceanographicresearch vessel Glomar Challenger.Anobjective of this particular cruise wasto investigate the floor of theMediterranean and to resolve questions aboutits geologic history. One questionwas related to evidence that theinvertebrate fauna (animals without spines) ofthe Mediterranean had changedabruptly about 6 million years ago. Most of theolder organisms were nearlywiped out, although a few hardy species survived. Afew managed to migrate into the Atlantic.Somewhat later, the migrants returned,bringing new species with them. Why didthe near extinction and migrationsoccur?Another task for the GlomarChallenger’sscientists was to try to determine the origin of the domelikemasses buried deepbeneath the Mediterranean seafloor. These structures had beendetected yearsearlier by echo-sounding instruments, but they had never beenpenetrated in thecourse of drilling. Were they salt domes such as are commonalong theUnitedStates Gulf Coast, and if so, why should there have been somuch solidcrystalline salt beneath the floor of the Mediterranean?With question such as these clearly beforethem, thescientists aboard the Glomar Challenger processed to the Mediterraneantosearch for the answers. On August 23, 1970, they recovered a sample. Thesampleconsisted of pebbles of hardened sediment that had once been soft,deep-seamud, as well as granules of gypsum and fragments of volcanic rock. Nota singlepebble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came fromthenearby continent. In the days following, samples of solid gypsumwererepeatedly brought on deck as drilling operations penetrated theseafloor.Furthermore, the gypsum was found to possess peculiarities ofcomposition andstructure that suggested it had formed on desert flats. Sedimentabove andbelow the gypsum layer contained tiny marine fossils, indicatingopen-oceanconditions. As they drilled into the central and deepest part oftheMediterranean basin, the scientists took solid, shiny, crystalline saltfromthe core barrel. Interbedded with the salt were thin layers of whatappeared tobe windblown silt.The time had come to formulate ahypothesis. The investigators theorized that about 20 million years ago, theMediterranean wasa broad seawaylinked to the Atlantic by two narrow straits.Crustal movements closedthe straits, and the landlocked Mediterranean began toevaporate. Increasingsalinity caused by the evaporation resulted in theextermination of scores ofinvertebrate species. Only a few organisms especiallytolerant of very saltyconditions remained. As evaporation continued, the remainingbrine (salt water)became so dense that the calcium sulfate of the hard layerwas precipitated. Inthe central deeper part of the basin, the last of the brineevaporated toprecipitate more soluble sodium chloride (salt). Later, under theweight ofoverlying sediments, this salt flowed plastically upward to form saltdomes.Before this happened, however, the Mediterranean was a vast desert 3,000metersdeep. Then, about 5.5 million years ago came the deluge. As a result ofcrustaladjustments and faulting, the Strait of Gibraltar, where theMediterranean nowconnects to the Atlantic, opened, and water cascadedspectacularly back intothe Mediterranean.Turbulent waters tore into thehardened salt flats, brokethem up, and ground them into the pebbles observed inthe first sample taken bythe Challenger. As the basin was refilled, normalmarine organisms returned.Soon layer of oceanic ooze began to accumulate abovethe old hard layer.Thesalt and gypsum, the faunal changes, and the unusualgravel provided abundantevidence that the Mediterranean was once a desert.托福阅读试题1.The word “objective”in the passage(paragraph 1) is closest in meaning toA.achievementB.requirementC.purposeD.feature2.Which of the following is NOT mentionedin paragraph 1 as a change thatoccurred in the fauna of the Mediterranean?A.Most invertebrate species disappearedduring a wave of extinctions.B.A few hardy species wiped out many of theMediterranean’s invertebrates.C.Some invertebrates migrated to AtlanticOcean.D.New species of fauna populated theMediterranean when the old migrants returned.3.1.Whatdoes the author imply by saying“Not a single pebble was found that might have indicated that thepebbles came from the nearby continent”?(paragraph 3)A.The most obvious explanation for theorigin of the pebbles was not supported by the evidence.B.The geologists did not find as manypebbles as they expected.C.The geologists were looking for aparticular kind of pebble.D.The different pebbles could not have comefrom only one source.4.Which of the following can be inferredfrom paragraph 3 about the solidgypsum layer?A.It did not contain any marine fossil.B.It had formed in open-ocean conditions.C.It had once been soft, deep-sea mud.D.It contained sediment from nearbydeserts.5.Select the TWO answer choice from paragraph3 that identify materialsdiscovered in the deepest part of the Mediterraneanbasin. To receive credityou must select TWO answers.A.Volcanic rock fragmentsB.Thin silt layersC.Soft, deep-sea mudD.Crystalline salt6.What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?A.To describe the physical evidencecollected by Hsu and RyanB.To explain why some of the questionsposed earlier in the passage could not be answered by the findings of theGlomar ChallengerC.To evaluate techniques used by Hsu andRyan to explore the sea floorD.To describe the most difficult problemsfaced by the Glomar Challenger expedition7.According to paragraph 4, which of thefollowing was responsible for theevaporation of the Mediterranean’s waters?A.The movements of Earth’s crustB.The accumulation of sediment layersC.Changes in the water level of theAtlantic OceanD.Changes in Ea rth’s temperature8.The word “scores”in the passage(paragraph 4) is closest in meaning toA.membersrge numbersC.populationsD.different types9.According to paragraph 4, what causedmost invertebrate species in theMediterranean to become extinct?A.The evaporation of chemicals necessaryfor their survivalB.Crustal movements that connected theMediterranean to the saltier AtlanticC.The migration of new species through thenarrow straitsD.Their inability to tolerate theincreasing salt content of the Mediterranean10.Which of the sentences below bestexpresses the essential information inthe highlighted sentence in the passage(paragraph 4) ? Incorrect choices change the meaning inimportant ways or leaveout essential information.A.The strait of Gibraltar reopened when theMediterranean and the Atlantic became connected and the cascades of water fromone sea to the other caused crustal adjustments and faulting.B.The Mediterranean was dramaticallyrefilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faultingopened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined.C.The cascades of water from the Atlanticto the Mediterranean were not as spectacular as the crustal adjustments andfaulting that occurred when the Strait of Gibraltar was connected to thoseseas.D.As a result of crustal adjustments andfaulting and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Atlantic andMediterranean were connected and became a single sea with spectacular cascadesof water between them.11.The word “Turbulent”in the passage(paragraph 4) is closest inmeaning toA.FreshB.DeepC.ViolentD.Temperate12. Look at the four squares [■] thatindicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Thus,scientists had information about the shape of the domes but not about theirchemical composition and origin.■【A】Another task for theGlomar Challenger’s scientists was totry to determine the origin of thedomelike masses buried deep beneath theMediterranean seafloor. ■【B】These structures had been detected years earlierby echo-soundinginstruments, but they had never been penetrated in the courseof drilling. ■【C】Were theysalt domes such as are common alongthe United States Gulf Coast, and if so, whyshould there have been so muchsolid crystalline salt beneath the floor of theMediterranean? ■[D】Where would the sentence best fit?13. Direction: An introductory sentence fora brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary byselecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in thepassage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideasthat are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. Thisquestion is worth 2 points.An expedition to the Mediterranean answeredsome long-standing questionsabout the ocean’s history.A.The Glomar Challenger expeditioninvestigated changes in invertebrate fauna and some unusual geologic features.B.Researchers collected fossils todetermine which new species migrated from the Atlantic with older species.C.Scientists aboard the Glomar Challengerwere the first to discover the existence of domelike masses underneath theseafloor.D.Samples recovered from the expeditionrevealed important differences in chemical composition and fossil distributionamong the sediment layers.E.Evidence collected by the GlomarChallenger supports geologists' beliefs that the Mediterranean had evaporatedand become a desert, before it refilled with water.F.Mediterraneansalt domes formed after crustal movements opened the straits between theMediterranean and the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean refilled with water.托福阅读答案1.C2.文第四句话说到“Most of theolder organisms were nearly wiped out（大部分更加古老的生物都几乎灭绝了）”对应选项A；第五句说到“A few managed to migrate into the Atlantic（一些物种成功地迁移到了大西洋）”，对应选项C；第六句说到“the migrants returned, bringing new species with them（这些物种又回到了地中海，并带回新的物种）”，对应选项D。
