托福TPO48阅读真题解析：Passage 2

TPO，即toefl Practice Online的首写字母，就是托福在线练习的意思，TPO可以为考生提供全真的模拟考试环境和过往真题，而TPO题库也是有着不断的更新。在托福阅读的备考过程中，除了大量的阅读之外，全面了解托福阅读的题型和解题方法也都是非常重要的环节。而对于很多备考托福的学生来说，TPO往往就是一个首先的备考材料。今天，小编就为大家带来托福TPO48阅读真题解析：Passage 2。

Determining Dinosaur Diet

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 1   【在线咨询】

Determining what extinct dinosaurs ate is difficult, but we can infer some aspects of their dietary preferences. Traditionally, this information has been derived from direct evidence, such as stomach contents, and indirect evidence, such as establishing a correlation between particular body characteristics and diets of living animals and then inferring habits for dinosaurs.
1. The word “Traditionally” in the passage is closest in meaning to 【词汇题】
A. typically
B. naturally
C. originally
D. partly
答案：A

解析：Traditionally, 习惯上得。A选项通常上，为同义替换，所以A选项正确。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 2    【在线咨询】

Animals such as house cats and dogs have large, stabbing canine teeth at the front of the mouth and smaller, equally sharp teeth farther back in their jaws. Many of these animals are also armed with sharp claws. The advantage of teeth and claws as predatory tools is obvious. Now consider animals like cows, horses, rabbits, and mice. These animals have flat teeth at the back of the jaw that are analogous to and have the same function as grindstones. Unlike the meat-slicing and stabbing teeth of carnivores, the teeth of these animals grind and shred plant material before digestion.

2. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true of the teeth of carnivores? 【事实信息题】
A. Carnivores’ teeth for grinding and shredding are located in the front of their jaws.
B. Carnivore teeth are designed to break down food thoroughly before digestion.
C. Carnivores have teeth at the back of their jaws that are as sharp as their front teeth.
D. Carnivores have both sharp teeth for slicing meat and flat teeth for grinding meat.
答案：C

解析：原文Animals … house cats and dogs … teeth … front …, equally sharp teeth … back … jaws，说明食肉动物的后牙和前牙一样锋利，对应选项C中：Carnivores … teeth … back … as sharp as … front teeth。

3. In paragraph 2, the author compares the teeth of cows, horses, rabbits, and mice to grindstones in order to explain 【组织结构题】
A. how certain kinds of teeth aid digestion
B. how the teeth of some familiar mammals differ from those of dinosaurs
C. why the back teeth of herbivores are larger than those of carnivores
D. why the back teeth of carnivores are just as sharp as their front teeth
答案：A

解析：原文Now … cows, horses, rabbits, and mice. … flat teeth … grindstones. …, … grind and shred … before digestion，说明作者比较这些动物的牙齿是为了解释它们的牙齿如何帮助消化，对应选项A中：how certain kinds of teeth aid digestion。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 3    【在线咨询】

More clues exist in other parts of the skull. The jaw joint of carnivores such as dogs and cats has the mechanical advantage of being at the same level as the tooth row, allowing the jaws to close with tremendous speed and forcing the upper teeth to occlude against the lower teeth with great precision. In herbivorous animals, rapid jaw closure is less important. Because the flat teeth of herbivores work like grindstones, however, the jaws mush move both side to side and front to back. The jaw joints of many advanced herbivores, such as cows, lie at a different level than the tooth row, allowing transverse tearing, shredding, and compression of plant material. If we extend such observations to extinct dinosaurs, we can infer dietary preferences (such as carnivory and herbivory), even though we cannot determine the exact diet. The duck-billed dinosaurs known as hadrosaurs are a good example of a group whose jaw joint is below the level of the tooth row, which probably helped them grind up tough, fibrous vegetation.

4. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? In correct choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. 【句子简化题】
A. The advantage of bringing the upper teeth directly against the lower teeth is a more precise bite.
B. Animals whose jaw joint is at the same level as their teeth can bite quickly and accurately.
C. The location of an animal’s jaw joint in respect to its teeth determines the speed at which it can close its jaws.
D. The carnivore jaw has the advantage of allowing the upper teeth to move with greater speed and precision than the lower teeth do.
答案：B

解析：原文The jaw joint of carnivores … at the same level as the tooth row, … tremendous speed and … with great precision，说明食肉动物的额关节和牙齿在一个水平线上，可以让它们咬得更快更准确，对应选项B中：… jaw joint … same level as their teeth … quickly and accurately。

5. The word “compression” in the passage is closest in meaning to 【词汇题】
A. destruction
B. crushing
C. swallowing
D. removal
答案：B

解析：compresssion, 压缩。B选项压碎，为同义替换，所以B选项正确。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraphs 3 and 4    【在线咨询】

More clues exist in other parts of the skull. The jaw joint of carnivores such as dogs and cats has the mechanical advantage of being at the same level as the tooth row, allowing the jaws to close with tremendous speed and forcing the upper teeth to occlude against the lower teeth with great precision. In herbivorous animals, rapid jaw closure is less important. Because the flat teeth of herbivores work like grindstones, however, the jaws mush move both side to side and front to back. The jaw joints of many advanced herbivores, such as cows, lie at a different level than the tooth row, allowing transverse tearing, shredding, and compression of plant material. If we extend such observations to extinct dinosaurs, we can infer dietary preferences (such as carnivory and herbivory), even though we cannot determine the exact diet. The duck-billed dinosaurs known as hadrosaurs are a good example of a group whose jaw joint is below the level of the tooth row, which probably helped them grind up tough, fibrous vegetation.

Paleontologists would like to be much more specific about a dinosaur’s diet than simply differentiating carnivore from herbivore. This finer level of resolution requires direct fossil evidence of dinosaur meals. Stomach contents are only rarely preserved, but when present, allow us to determine exactly what these animals were eating.

6. According to paragraphs 3 and 4, what can studies of living animals help scientists determine about individual dinosaurs? 【事实信息题】
A. How the overall jaw size of a given dinosaur species relates to the type of food the species members ate
B. Whether a given dinosaur generally ate plants or generally ate meat
C. How much food a given dinosaur would have needed to eat to remain healthy
D. How an inadequate diet may have affected a given dinosaur’s skull and jaw
答案：B

解析：原文If we extend …, we can infer dietary preferences (such as carnivory and herbivory), …，说明可以推测某恐龙食肉还是食草，对应选项B中：… a given dinosaur … ate plants or … meat。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 5    【在线咨询】

In the stomach contents of specimens of Coelophysis (a small, long-necked dinosaur) are bones from juvenile animals of the same species. At one time, these were thought to represent embryonic animals, suggesting that this small dinosaur gave birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Further research indicated that the small dinosaurs were too large and too well developed to be prehatchling young. In addition, the juveniles inside the body cavity were of different sizes. All the evidence points to the conclusion that these are the remains of prey items and that, as an adult, Coelophysis was at least in part a cannibal.

7. According to paragraph 5, all of the following support the claim that the adult Coelophysis
Sometimes ate young Coelophysis EXCEPT: 【否定事实信息题】
A. Juveniles found in the body cavities of adults were too advanced in their development to be embryos.
B. Juveniles of different sizes were found in the body cavity of the same adult.
C. Juveniles found in the body cavities of adults were too large to be embryos.
D. Juveniles found in the body cavities of adults were in unhatched eggs.
答案：D

解析：原文At one time, these were thought to represent embryonic animals, suggesting that this small dinosaur gave birth to live young rather than laying eggs，说明在成年腔骨龙身体里发现的是有形的小恐龙而不是恐龙蛋，所以选项D错在：…in unhatched eggs。原文… the small dinosaurs … too large … developed to be prehatchling young，说明腔骨龙的后代太大不可能成在肚子里就成形，对应选项C中：Juveniles … were too large to be embryos，也说明在肚子里发现的小恐龙发育太完全不可能是胚胎，也对应选项A中：Juveniles … too advanced … development to be embryos。原文… the juveniles … were of different sizes，说明在肚子里发现的小恐龙大小不一，对应选项B中：Juveniles of different sizes … same adult。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 6     【在线咨询】

Fossilized stomach contents are not restricted to carnivorous dinosaurs. In a few rare cases, most of them “mummies” (unusually well preserved specimens), fossilized plant remains have been found inside the body cavity of hadrosaurs. Some paleontologists have argued that these represent stream accumulations rather than final meals. The best known of these cases is the second Edmontosaurus mummy collected by the Sternbergs. In the chest cavity of this specimen, which is housed in the Senckenberg Museum in Germany, are the fossil remains of conifer needles, twigs, seeds, and fruits. Similar finds in Corythosaurus specimens from Alberta, Canada, have also been reported, indicating that at least two kinds of Late Cretaceous hadrosaurs fed on the sorts of tress that are common in today’s boreal woodlands.

8. The word “restricted” in the passage is closest in meaning to 【词汇题】
A. related
B. critical
C. common
D. limited
答案：D

解析：restrict, 限制。D选项限定，为同义替换，所以D选项正确。

托福TPO48阅读Passage 2——Paragraph 7     【在线咨询】

A second form of direct evidence comes from coprolites (fossilized bodily waste). Several dinosaur fossil localities preserve coprolites. Coprolites yield unequivocal evidence about the dietary habits of dinosaurs. Many parts of plants and animals are extremely resistant to the digestive systems of animals and pass completely through the body with little or no alteration. Study of coprolites has indicated that the diets of some herbivorous dinosaurs were relatively diverse, while other dinosaurs appear to have been specialists, feeding on particular types of plants. The problem with inferring diets from coprolites is the difficulty in accurately associating a particular coprolite with a specific dinosaur.

9.What explanation is given in paragraph 7 to support the idea that coprolites are a good source of information about what dinosaurs ate? 【组织结构题】
A. They are likely to be preserved because of their resistance to decay.
B. They contain some parts of plants and animals that are unchanged by the digestive process.
C. They are usually found in close proximity to other dinosaur fossils.
D. They are produced by both carnivores and herbivores.
答案：B

解析：原文Many parts of plants and animals … resistant to the digestive systems … and pass completely … with little or no alteration，说明许多粪化石有一些经过消化系统完全没有改变的部分，对应选项B中：… contain some parts of plants and animals … unchanged … digestive process。

10.The word “diverse” in the passage is closest in meaning to 【词汇题】
A. healthy
B. varied
C. pure
D. stable
答案：B

解析：diverse, 多种多样的。B选项多变的，为同义替换，所以B选项正确。

11.According to paragraph 7, what has the study of coprolites revealed about dinosaur eating habits? 【事实信息题】
A. Herbivores consumed much larger quantities of food than other dinosaurs did.
B. The diets of some dinosaurs were limited to relatively few kinds of foods.
C. Some herbivores experienced digestion problems as a result of eating certain plants.
D. The diets of some dinosaurs changed as different plants became available to eat.
答案：B

解析：Study of coprolites …, while other dinosaurs … specialists, feeding on particular types of plants，说明有些恐龙只吃某些特定食物，对应选项B中：The diets … dinosaurs … limited … few kinds of foods。

12. Which of the following questions is NOT answered in the passage? 【否定事实信息题】
A. Why did paleontologists once believe that Coelophysis gave birth to live young?
B. Why is it unusual for the stomach contents of dinosaurs to be preserved?
C. What are some dinosaurs in which the fossilized remains of plants have been found?
D. What difficulty do scientists face in using coprolites to draw conclusions about dinosaur diet?
答案：B

解析：原文第四段Stomach contents are only rarely preserved, but when present, allow us to determine exactly what these animals were eating，只是正面交代很难保存恐龙胃里的食物，但没有交代为什么难保存，对应选项B中：Why … unusual … stomach contents … preserved。原文第五段 … stomach contents … Coelophysis … are bones … the same species. At one time, … represent embryonic animals, … gave birth to live young …，对应选项A中：Why … paleontologists once believe … Coelophysis gave birth to live young。原文第六段…, …, fossilized plant remains have been found inside the body cavity of hadrosaurs，说明鸭嘴龙身体里有植物化石，对应选项C中：What are some dinosaurs … fossilized remains of plants … found。原文第七段The problem with inferring diets from coprolites … accurately associating a particular coprolite with a specific dinosaur，对应选项D中：What difficulty … in using coprolites to draw conclusions …。

13. Look at the four squares [n] that indicates where the following sentence could be added to the passage. 【句子插入题】
Unfortunately, studies of living animals provide only a very general understanding of what various dinosaurs ate.
Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [n] to add the sentence to the passage.
More clues exist in other parts of the skull. The jaw joint of carnivores such as dogs and cats has the mechanical advantage of being at the same level as the tooth row, allowing the jaws to close with tremendous speed and forcing the upper teeth to occlude against the lower teeth with great precision. In herbivorous animals, rapid jaw closure is less important. Because the flat teeth of herbivores work like grindstones, however, the jaws mush move both side to side and front to back. The jaw joints of many advanced herbivores, such as cows, lie at a different level than the tooth row, allowing transverse tearing, shredding, and compression of plant material. nIf we extend such observations to extinct dinosaurs, we can infer dietary preferences (such as carnivory and herbivory), even though we cannot determine the exact diet. nThe duck-billed dinosaurs known as hadrosaurs are a good example of a group whose jaw joint is below the level of the tooth row, which probably helped them grind up tough, fibrous vegetation.
nPaleontologists would like to be much more specific about a dinosaur’s diet than simply differentiating carnivore from herbivore. nThis finer level of resolution requires direct fossil evidence of dinosaur meals. Stomach contents are only rarely preserved, but when present, allow us to determine exactly what these animals were eating.
答案：C

解析：待插入句子意为不幸的是，研究活着的动物只能让我们对恐龙饮食大致了解，说明这句句子之前讲的是我们可以有大致了解，对应原文… hadrosaurs … grind up tough, fibrous vegetation，也说明这句句子之后讲的是要去具体了解，对应原文… specific … than simply differentiating carnivore from herbivore，所以位置C最为合适。

14. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 3 points. 【概要小结题】
Drag your answer choices to the spaces where they belong. To remove an answer choice, click on it.
To review the passage, click VIEW TEXT.
Scientists use both direct and indirect evidence to determine the dietary preferences of dinosaurs.
Answer Choices
A. Observations of fossilized remains indicate that most dinosaurs preferred to eat plants rather than animals.
B. Specific information about a dinosaur’s diet can sometimes be obtained from the fossilized contents of its stomach.
C. A better understanding of how different dinosaurs reproduced and developed has helped paleontologists determine actual food requirements at different stages of the life cycle.
D. The shape of a dinosaur’s teeth and the structure of its jaws indicate, as do the teeth and jaws of modern animals, the general kind of food the dinosaur ate.
E. Fossils formed from dinosaur’s bodily waste can provide clues to what dinosaurs consumed, but such fossils cannot be easily associated with specific dinosaurs.
F. Generally speaking, dinosaurs that were herbivores had a more varied diet than did dinosaurs that were carnivores.
答案：DBE

解析：原文首先介绍可以通过恐龙的牙齿和下颚结构推测恐龙是食肉动物还是食草动物，对应选项D中：… teeth and … jaws indicate, as … modern animals, the general kind of food ...，原文继续介绍还可以通过胃里的食物直接推测恐龙的饮食，对应选项B中：Specific … dinosaur’s diet … obtained from … contents … stomach，原文最后介绍通过粪化石也可以推测恐龙饮食，但是有局限性，对应选项E中：Fossils … waste … clues … consumed, but … cannot … specific dinosaurs。文章没有比较恐龙中的食草动物和食肉动物的数量，选项A错在preferred to eat plants。文章没有说不同生命时期吃的食物不通，选项C错在at different stages of the life cycle。文章没有比较食肉恐龙和食草恐龙的饮食多样性，选项F错在herbivores had a more varied diet。

》》更多托福TPO阅读真题解析，可拨打免费电话咨询400-618-0272

您还可能关注：

 相关阅读：

 如有更多问题欢迎致电新通教育：400-618-0272，登录

• 有疑问在线咨询老师

  咨询时间:9:00-23:00
  非咨询时间也可留言

• 400-618-0271

  咨询时间:
  9:00-23:00