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1、托福阅读理解真题精选 为了让大家更好的准备托福考试，给大家整理一些托福阅读真题，下面就和大家分享，来欣赏一下吧。托福阅读真题1Molting is one of the most involved processes of a birds annual life cycle. Notwithstanding preening and constant care, the marvelously intricate structure of a birds feather inevitably wears out. All adult birds molt their feathers at l
2、east 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
3、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 a
4、pproximately 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 stres
5、s 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 i
6、s 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 star
7、t 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 pre
8、pare for breeding(B) bird feathers differ from species(C) birds shed and replace their feathers(D) birds are affected by seasonal changes2. The word Notwithstanding in line 2 is closest in meaning to(A) despite(B) because of(C) instead of(D) regarding3. The word intricate in line 2 is closest in mea
9、ning to(A) regular(B) complex(C) interesting(D) important4. The word random in line 12 is closest in meaning to(A) unfortunate(B) unusual(C) unobservable(D) unpredictable5. The word optimal in line 13 is closest in meaning to(A) slow(B) frequent(C) best(D) early6. Which of the following is NOT menti
10、oned as a reason that songbirds molt in the late summer?(A) Fewer predators are in the woods.(B) The weathers are still warm.(C) The songbirds have finished breeding.(D) Food is still available.7. Some birds that are molting maintain balance during flight by(A) constantly preening and caring for the
11、ir remaining feathers(B) dropping flight feathers on both sides at the same time(C) adjusting the angle of their flight to compensate for lost feathers(D) only losing one-third of their feathers8. The word Others in line 21 refers to(A) ducks(B) sides(C) species(D) flight feathers9. The author discu
12、sses 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(C) keep their innermost feathers(D) shed their outermost feathers first10. It can be inferred from the discussion about ducks that the molting of their
13、flight featherstakes(A) a year(B) a season(C) several months(D) a few weeksPASSAGE 62 CABDC ABCBD托福阅读真题2The most thoroughly studied cases of deception strategies employed by ground-nesting birds involve plovers, small birds that typically nest on beaches or in open fields, their nests merely scrapes
14、 in the sand or earth. Plovers also have an effective repertoire of tricks for distracting potential nest predators from their exposed and defenseless eggs or chicks.The ever-watchful plover can detect a possible threat at a considerable distance. When she does, the nesting bird moves inconspicuousl
15、y off the nest to a spot well away from eggs or chicks. At this point she may use one of several ploys. One technique involves first moving quietly toward an approaching animal and then setting off noisily through the grass or brush in a low, crouching run away from the nest, while emitting rodent l
16、ike squeaks. The effect mimics a scurrying mouse or vole, and the behavior rivets the attention of the type of predators that would also be interested in eggs and chicks.Another deception begins with quiet movement to an exposed and visible location well away from the nest. Once there, the bird pret
17、ends to incubate a brood. When the predator approaches, the parent flees, leaving the false nest to be searched. The direction in which the plover escapes is such that if the predator chooses to follow, it will be led still further away from the true nest.The plovers most famous stratagem is the bro
18、ken-wing display, actually a continuum of injury-mimicking behaviors spanning the range from slight disability to near-complete helplessness. One or both wings are held in an abnormal position, suggesting injury. The bird appears to be attempting escape along an irregular route that indicates panic.
19、 In the most extreme version of the display, the bird flaps one wing in an apparent attempt to take to the air, flops over helplessly, struggles back to its feet, runs away a short distance, seemingly attempts once more to take off, flops over again as the useless wing fails to provide any lift, and
20、 so on. Few predators fail to pursue such obviously vulnerable prey. Needless to say, each short run between flight attempts is directed away from the nest.1. What does the passage mainly discuss?(A) The nest-building techniques of plovers(B) How predators search for plovers(C) The strategies used b
21、y plovers to deceive predators(D) Why plovers are vulnerable to predators2. The word merely in fine 3 is closest in meaning to(A) often(B) only(C) usually(D) at first3. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage about plovers?(A) Their eggs and chicks are difficult to find.(B) They are gener
22、ally defenseless when away from their nests.(C) They are slow to react in dangerous situations.(D) Their nests are on the surface of the ground.4. The word emitting in line 10 is closest in meaning to(A) bringing(B) attracting(C) producing(D) minimizing5. In the deception technique described in para
23、graph 2, the plover tries to(A) stay close to her nest(B) attract the predators attention(C) warn other plovers of danger(D) frighten the approaching predator6. The word spanning in line 19 is closest in meaning to(A) covering(B) selecting(C) developing(D) explaining7. According to paragraph 4, whic
24、h of the following aspects of the plovers behavior gives theappearance that it is frightened?(A) Abnormal body position(B) Irregular escape route(C) Unnatural wing movement(D) Unusual amount of time away from the nest8. The word pursue in line 25 is closest in meaning to(A) catch(B) notice(C) defend
25、(D) chase9. According to the passage , a female plover utilizes all of the following deception techniquesEXCEPT(A) appearing to be injured(B) sounding like another animal(C) pretending to search for prey(D) pretending to sit on her eggs10. Which of the following best describes the organization of th
26、e passage ?(A) A description of the sequence of steps involved in plovers nest building(B) A generalization about plover behavior followed by specific examples(C) A comparison and contrast of the nesting behavior of plovers and other ground nesting birds(D) A cause-and-effect analysis of the relatio
27、nship between a prey and a predatorPASSAGE 63 CBDCB ABDCB托福阅读真题3PASSAGE 64What unusual or unique biological trait led to the remarkable diversification and unchallenged success of the ants for ever 50 million years? The answer appears to be that they were the first group of predatory eusocial insect
28、s that both lived and foraged primarily in the soil and in rotting vegetation on the ground. Eusocial refers to a form of insect society characterized by specialization of tasks and cooperative care of the young; it is rare among insects. Richly organized colonies of the land made possible by eusoci
29、ality enjoy several key advantages over solitary individuals.Under most circumstances groups of workers are better able to forage for food and defend the nest, because they can switch from individual to group response and back again swiftly and according to need. When a food object or nest intruder
30、is too large for one individual to handle, nestmates can be quickly assembled by alarm or recruitment signals. Equally important is the fact that the execution of multiple-step tasks is accomplished in a series-parallel sequence. That is, individual ants can specialize in particular steps, moving fr
31、om one object (such as a larva to be fed) to another (a second larva to be fed). They do not need to carry each task to completion from start to finish for example, to check the larva first, then collect the food, then feed the larva. Hence, if each link in the chain has many workers in attendance,
32、a series directed at any particular object is less likely to fail. Moreover, ants specializing in particular labor categories typically constitute a caste specialized by age or body form or both. There has been some documentation of the superiority in performance and net energetic yield of various c
33、astes for their modal tasks, although careful experimental studies are still relatively few.What makes ants unusual in the company of eusocial insects is the fact that they are the only eusocial predators (predators are animals that capture and feed on other animals) occupying the soil and ground li
34、tter. The eusocial termites live in the same places as ants and also have wingless workers, but they feed almost exclusively on dead vegetation.1. Which of the following questions does the passage primarily answer?(A) How do individual ants adapt to specialized tasks?(B) What are the differences bet
35、ween social and solitary insects?(C) Why are ants predators?(D) Why have ants been able to thrive for such a long time?2. The word unique in line 1 is closest in meaning to(A) inherited(B) habitual(C) singular(D) natural3. The word rotting in line 4 is closest in meaning to(A) decaying(B) collected(
36、C) expanding(D) cultivated4. The word key in line 7 is closest in meaning to(A) uncommon(B) important(C) incidental(D) temporary5. According to the passage , one thing eusocial insects can do is rapidly switch from(A) one type of food consumption to another(B) one environment to another(C) a solitar
37、y task to a group task(D) a defensive to an offensive stance6. The task of feeding larvae is mentioned in the passage to demonstrate(A) the advantages of specialization(B) the type of food that larvae are fed(C) the ways ant colonies train their young for adult tasks(D) the different stages of ant d
38、evelopment7. The author uses the word Hence in line 16 to indicate(A) a logical conclusion(B) the next step in a senes of steps(C) a reason for further study(D) the relationship among ants8. All of the following terms art defined in the passage EXCEPT(A) eusocial (line 3)(B) series-parallel sequence
39、 (line 13)(C) caste (line 19)(D) predators (line 23)9. The word they in line 25 refers to(A) termites(B) ants(C) places(D) predators10. It can be inferred from the passage that one main difference between termites and ants isthat termites(A) live above ground(B) are eusocial(C) protect their nests(D) eat almost no animal substancesPASSAGE 64 DCABC AACAD
