1、2008 年 3 月美国托福英语考试（TOEFL）阅读真题精选及答案解析(总分：106.00，做题时间：150 分钟)一、READING(总题数：5，分数：106.00)The Origin of the Pecific Island PeopleThe greater Pacific region, traditionally called Oceania, consists of three cultural areas: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Melanesia, in the southwest Pacific, contains
2、the large islands of New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Micronesia, the area north of Melanesia, consists primarily of small scattered islands. Polynesia is the central Pacific area in the great triangle defined by Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand. Before the arrival of Euro
3、peans, the islands in the two largest cultural areas, Polynesia and Micronesia, together contained a population estimated at 700,000.Speculation on the origin of these Pacific islanders began as soon as outsiders encountered them, in the absence of solid linguistic, archaeological, and biological da
4、ta, many fanciful and mutually exclusive theories were devised. Pacific islanders are variously thought to have come from North America, South America, Egypt, Israel, and India, as well as Southeast Asia. Many older theories implicitly deprecated the navigational abilities and overall cultural creat
5、ivity of the Pacific islanders. For example, British anthropologists G. Elliot Smith and W. J. Perry assumed that only Egyptians would have been skilled enough to navigate and colonize the Pacific. They inferred that the Egyptians even crossed the Pacific to found the great civilizations of the New
6、World (North and South America). In 1947 Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl drifted on a balsa-log raft westward with the winds and currents across the Pacific from South America to prove his theory that Pacific islanders were Native Americans (also called American Indians). Later Heyerdahl suggest
7、ed that the Pacific was peopled by three migrations: by Native Americans from the Pacific Northwest of North America drifting to Hawaii, by Peruvians drifting to Easter Island, and by Melanesians. In 1969 he crossed the Atlantic in an Egyptian style reed boat to prove Egyptian influences in the Amer
8、icas. Contrary to these theorists, the overwhelming evidence of physical anthropology, linguistics, and archaeology shows that the Pacific islanders came from Southeast Asia and were skilled enough as navigators to sail against the prevailing winds and curre.The basic cultural requirements for the s
9、uccessful colonization of the Pacific islands include the appropriate boat-building, sailing, and navigation skills to get to the islands in the first place, domesticated plants and gardening skills suited to often marginal conditions, and a varied inventory of fishing implements and techniques. It
10、is now generally believed that these prerequisites originated with peoples speaking Austronesian languages (a group of several hundred related languages) and began to emerge in Southeast Asia by about 5000 B. C.E. The culture of that time, based on archaeology and linguistic reconstruction, is assum
11、ed to have had a broad inventory of cultivated plants including taro, yarns, banana, sugarcane, breadfruit, coconut, sago, and rice. Just as important, the culture also possessed the basic foundation for an effective maritime adaptation, including outrigger canoes and a variety of fishing techniques
12、 that could be effective for overseas voyaging.Detailed studies of the winds and currents using computer simulations suggest that drifting canoes would have been a most unlikely means of colonizing the Pacific. These expeditions were likely driven by population growth and political dynamics on the h
13、ome islands, as well as the challenge and excitement of exploring unknown waters. Because all Polynesians, Micronesians, and many Melanesians speak Austronesian languages and grow crops derived from Southeast Asia, all these peoples most certainly derived from that region and not the New World or el
14、sewhere. The undisputed pre-Columbian presence in Oceania of the sweet potato, which is a New World domesticate, has sometimes been used to support Heyerdahls “American Indians in the Pacific” theories. However, this is one plant out of a long list of Southeast Asian domesticates. As Patrick Kirch,
15、an American anthropologist, points out, rather than being brought by rafting South Americans, sweet potatoes might just have easily been brought back by returning Polynesian navigators who could have reached the west coast of South America.（分数：12）(1).According to Paragraph1, all of the following are
16、 true statements about Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia EXCEPT（分数：1）A.Collectively, these regions are traditionally known as Oceania.B.These islands of Micronesia are small and spread outC.Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand mark the boundaries of Polynesia.D.Melanesia is situated to the nort
17、h of Micronesia.(2).By stating that the theories are mutually exclusive the author means that（分数：1）A.if one of the theories is true, then all the others must be falseB.the differences between the theories are unimportantC.taken together, the theories cover all possibilitiesD.the theories support eac
18、h other(3).The word overwhelming in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：1）A.powerfulB.favorableC.currentD.reasonable(4).According to Paragraph2, which of the following led some early researchers to believe that the Pacific islanders originally came from Egypt?（分数：1）A.Egyptians were known to have
19、 founded other great civilizations.B.Sailors from other parts of the world were believed to lack the skills needed to travel across the ocean.C.Linguistic, archaeological, and biological data connected the islands to Egypt.D.Egyptian accounts claimed responsibility for colonizing the Pacific as well
20、 as the Americas.(5).Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph2 about early theories of where the first inhabitants of the Pacific islands came from?（分数：1）A.They were generally based on solid evidence.B.They tried to account for the origin of the characteristic features of the languages
21、spoken by Pacific islandersC.They assumed that the peoples living in Southeast Asia did not have the skills needed to sail to the Pacific islands.D.They questioned the ideas of G. Elliot Smith and W. J. Perry.(6).The word implements in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：1）A.skillsB.toolsC.oppor
22、tunitiesD.practices(7).All of the following are mentioned in Paragraph3 as required for successful colonization of the Pacific islands EXCEPT（分数：1）A.knowledge of various Austronesian languagesB.a variety of fishing techniquesC.navigational skillsD.knowledge of plant cultivation(8).In Paragraph3, why
23、 does the author provide information about the types of crops grown and boats used in Southeast Asia during the period around 5000 B. C. E.?（分数：1）A.To evaluate the relative importance of agriculture and fishing to early Austronesian peoples.B.To illustrate the effectiveness of archaeological and lin
24、guistic methods in discovering details about life in ancient times.C.To contrast living conditions on the continent of Asia with living conditions on the Pacific islands.D.To demonstrate that people from this region had the skills and resources necessary to travel to and survive on the Pacific islan
25、ds.(9).Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?（分数：1）A.Some people have argued that the Pacific was settled by traders who became lost while transporting domesticated plants and animals.B.The original Polynesian settlers were p
26、robably marooned on the islands, but they may have been joined later by carefully prepared colonization expeditions.C.Although it seems reasonable to believe that colonization expeditions would set out fully stocked, this is contradicted by much of the evidence.D.The settlement of the Pacific island
27、s was probably intentional and well planned rather than accidental as some people have proposed.(10).The word undisputed in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：1）A.mysteriousB.unexpectedC.acknowledgedD.significant(11).According to Paragraph4, which of the following is NOT an explanation for why
28、a group of people might have wanted to colonize the Pacific islands?（分数：1）A.As their numbers increased, they needed additional territory.B.The winds and currents made the islands easy to reach.C.The political situation at home made emigration desirable,D.They found exploration challenging and exciti
29、ng.(12).Why does the author mention the views of “Patrick Kirch”?（分数：1）A.To present evidence in favor of Heyerdahls idea about American Indians reaching OceaniaB.To emphasize the familiarity of Pacific islanders with crops from many different regions of the worldC.To indicate that supposed proof for
30、 Heyerdahls theory has an alternative explanation.D.To demonstrate that some of the same crops were cultivated in both South America and Oceania.The Cambrian ExplosionThe geologic timescale is marked by significant geologic and biological events, including the origin of Earth about 4.6 billion years
31、 ago, the origin of life about 3.5 billion years ago, the origin of eukaryotic life-forms (living things that have cells with true nuclei) about 1.5 billion years ago, and the origin of animals about 0.6 billion years ago. The last event marks the beginning of the Cambrian period. Animals originated
32、 relatively late in the history of Earth in only the last 10 percent of Earths history. During a geologically brief 100-million-year period, all modern animal groups (along with other animals that are now extinct) evolved. This rapid origin and diversification of animals is often referred to as “the
33、 Cambrian explosion.”Scientists have asked important questions about this explosion for more than a century. Why did it occur so late in the history of Earth? The origin of multicellular forms of life seems a relatively simple step compared to the origin of life itself. Why does the fossil record no
34、t document the series of evolutionary changes during the evolution of animals? Why did animal life evolve so quickly? Paleontologists continue to search the fossil record for answers to these questions.One interpretation regarding the absence of fossils during this important 100-million-year period
35、is that early animals were soft bodied and simply did not fossilize. Fossilization of soft-bodied animals is less likely than fossilization of hard-bodied animals, but it does occur. Conditions that promote fossilization of soft-bodied animals include very rapid covering by sediments that create an
36、environment that discourages decomposition. In fact, fossil beds containing soft-bodied animals have been known for many years.The Ediacara fossil formation, which contains the oldest known animal fossils, consists exclusively of soft-bodied forms. Although named after a site in Australia, the Ediac
37、ara formation is worldwide in distribution and dates to Precambrian times. This 700-million-year-old formation gives few clues to the origins of modern animals, however, because paleontologists believe it represents an evolutionary experiment that failed. It contains no ancestors of modern animal gr
38、oups.A slightly younger fossil formation containing animal remains is the Tommotian formation, named after a locale in Russia. It dates to the very early Cambrian period, and it also contains only soft-bodied forms. At one time, the animals present in these fossil beds were assigned to various moder
39、n animal groups, but most paleontologists now agree that all Tommotian fossils represent unique body forms that arose in the early Cambrian period and disappeared before the end of the period, leaving no descendants in modern animal groups.A third fossil formation containing both soft-bodied and har
40、d-bodied animals provides evidence of the result of the Cambrian explosion. This fossil formation, called the Burgess Shale, is in Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. Shortly after the Cambrian explosion, mud slides rapidly buried thousands of marine animals under
41、 conditions that favored fossilization. These fossil beds provide evidence of about 32 modern animal groups, plus about 20 other animal body forms that are so different from any modern animals that they cannot be assigned to any one of the modern groups. These unassignable animals include a large sw
42、imming predator called Anomalocaris and a soft-bodied animal called Wiwaxia, which ate detritus or algae. The Burgess Shale formation also has fossils of many extinct representatives of modern animal groups. For example, a well-known Burgess Shale animal called Sidneyia is a representative of a prev
43、iously unknown group of arthropods (a category of animals that includes insects, spiders, mites, and crabs).Fossil formations like the Burgess Shale show that evolution cannot always be thought of as a slow progression. The Cambrian explosion involved rapid evolutionary diversification, followed by
44、the extinction of many unique animals. Why was this evolution so rapid? No one really knows. Many zoologists believe that it was because so many ecological niches were available with virtually no competition from existing species. Will zoologists ever know the evolutionary sequences in the Cambrian
45、explosion? Perhaps another ancient fossil bed of soft-bodied animals from 600-million-year-old seas is awaiting discovery.（分数：24）(1).The word significant in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.numerousB.importantC.unexplainedD.sudden(2).The word relatively in the passage is closest in meanin
46、g to（分数：2）A.surprisinglyB.collectivelyC.comparativelyD.characteristically(3).The word diversification in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.emergence of many varietiesB.steady decline in numberC.gradual increase in body sizeD.sudden disappearance(4).The period discussed in the passage is re
47、ferred to as an explosion because it ?occurred 0.6 billion years ago, late in Earths history（分数：2）A.occurred 0.6 billion years ago, late in Earths historyB.was characterized by the unusually fast evolution of many new life-forms.C.Was characterized by widespread animal extinctionD.Was characterized
48、by violent volcanic eruptions(5).According to Paragraph2, which of the following is NOT a question that paleontologists asked about the Cambrian explosion?（分数：2）A.Why was the origin of life a simple step in Earths history?B.Why did it take so long for multicellular organisms to develop?C.Why did ani
49、mal life evolve so rapidly?D.Why does the fossil record lack evidence of animal evolution during that time?(6).Which of the following best describes the relationship between Paragraph2 and Paragraph3?（分数：2）A.Paragraph2 puts forward several scientific claims, one of which is rejected in Paragraph3B.Paragraph2 poses several questions, and Paragraph3offers a possible answer to one of themC.Paragraph2 presents outdated traditional views, while Paragraph3presents the current scientific conclusionsD.Paragraph2 introduces a generalization that is illustrated by specific examples in Paragraph
