1、2007 年 2 月美国托福英语考试（TOEFL）阅读真题精选及答案解析(总分：94.00，做题时间：150 分钟)一、READING(总题数：4，分数：94.00)The Geologic History of the MediterraneanIn 1970 geologists Kenneth J. Hsu and William B.F. Ryan were collecting research data while aboard the oceanographic research vessel Glomar Challenger. An objective of this par
2、ticular cruise was to investigate the floor of the Mediterranean and to resolve questions about its geologic history. One question was related to evidence that the invertebrate fauna (animals without spines) of the Mediterranean had changed abruptly about 6 million years ago. Most of the older organ
3、isms were nearly wiped out, although a few hardy species survived. A few managed to migrate into the Atlantic. Somewhat later, the migrants returned, bringing new species with them. Why did the near extinction and migrations occur?Another task for the Glomar Challengers scientists was to try to dete
4、rmine the origin of the domelike masses buried deep beneath the Mediterranean seafloor. These structures had been detected years earlier by echo-sounding instruments, but they had never been penetrated in the course of drilling. Were they salt domes such as are common along the United States Gulf Co
5、ast, and if so, why should there have been so much solid crystalline salt beneath the floor of the Mediterranean?With question such as these clearly before them, the scientists aboard the Glomar Challenger processed to the Mediterranean to search for the answers. On August 23, 1970, they recovered a
6、 sample. The sample consisted of pebbles of gypsum and fragments of volcanic rock. Not a single pebble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came from the nearby continent. In the days following, samples of solid gypsum were repeatedly brought on deck as drilling operations penetrated
7、 the seafloor. Furthermore, the gypsum was found to possess peculiarities of composition and structure that suggested it had formed on desert flats. Sediment above and below the gypsum layer contained tiny marine fossils, indicating open-ocean conditions. As they drilled into the central and deepest
8、 part of the Mediterranean basin, the scientists took solid, shiny, crystalline salt from the core barrel. Interbedded with the salt were thin layers of what appeared to be windblown silt.The time had come to formulate a hypothesis. The investigators theorized that about 20 million years ago, the Me
9、diterranean was a broad seaway linked to the Atlantic by two narrow straits. Crustal movements closed the straits, and the landlocked Mediterranean began to evaporate. Increasing salinity caused by the evaporation resulted in the extermination of scores of invertebrate species. Only a few organisms
10、especially tolerant of very salty conditions remained. As evaporation continued, the remaining brine (salt water) became so dense that the calcium sulfate of the hard layer was precipitated. In the central deeper part of the basin, the last of the brine evaporated to precipitate more soluble sodium
11、chloride (salt). Later, under the weight of overlying sediments, this salt flowed plastically upward to form salt domes. Before this happened, however, the Mediterranean was a vast desert 3,000 meters deep. Then, about 5.5 million years ago came the deluge. As a result of crustal adjustments and fau
12、lting, the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean now connects to the Atlantic,opened, and water cascaded spectacularly back into the Mediterranean. Turbulent waters tore into the hardened salt flats, broke them up, and ground them into the pebbles observed in the first sample taken by the Cha
13、llenger. As the basin was refilled, normal marine organisms returned. Soon layer of oceanic ooze began to accumulate above the old hard layer.The salt and gypsum, the faunal changes, and the unusual gravel provided abundant evidence that the Mediterranean was once a desert.gypsum: a mineral made of
14、calcium sulfate and water（分数：22）(1).The word “objective” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.achievementB.requirementC.purposeD.feature(2).Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a change that occurred in the fauna of the Mediterranean?（分数：2）A.Most invertebrate species d
15、isappeared during a wave of extinctions.B.A few hardy species wiped out many of the Mediterraneans invertebrates.C.Some invertebrates migrated to Atlantic Ocean.D.New species of fauna populated the Mediterranean when the old migrants returned.(3).What does the author imply by saying “Not a single pe
16、bble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came from the nearby continent”?（分数：2）A.The most obvious explanation for the origin of the pebbles was not supported by the evidence.B.The geologists did not find as many pebbles as they expected.C.The geologists were looking for a particular
17、 kind of pebble.D.The different pebbles could not have come from only one source.(4).Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the solid gypsum layer?（分数：2）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 c
18、ontained sediment from nearby deserts.(5).What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?（分数：2）A.To describe the physical evidence collected by Hsu and Ryan.B.To explain why some of the questions posed earlier in the passage could not be answered by the findings of the Glomar ChallengerC.To evaluate techni
19、ques used by Hsu and Ryan to explore the sea floor.D.To describe the most difficult problems faced by the Glomar Challenger expedition.(6).According to paragraph 4, which of the following was responsible for the evaporation of the Mediterraneans waters?（分数：2）A.The movements of Earths crustB.The accu
20、mulation of sediment layersC.Changes in the water level of the Atlantic OceanD.Changes in Earths temperature(7).The word “scores” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.membersB.large numbersC.populationsD.different types(8).According to paragraph 4, what caused most invertebrate species in
21、the Mediterranean to become extinct?（分数：2）A.The evaporation of chemicals necessary for their survivalB.Crustal movements that connected the Mediterranean to the saltier AtlanticC.The migration of new species through the narrow straitsD.Their inability to tolerate the increasing salt content of the M
22、editerranean(9).Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? （分数：2）A.The strait of Gibraltar reopened when the Mediterranean and the Atlantic became connected and the cascades of water from one sea to the other caused crustal adjus
23、tments and faulting.B.The Mediterranean was dramatically refilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faulting opened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined.C.The cascades of water from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean were not as spectacular as the cru
24、stal adjustments and faulting that occurred when the Strait of Gibraltar was connected to those seas.D.As a result of crustal adjustments and faulting and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Atlantic and Mediterranean were connected and became a single sea with spectacular cascades of water
25、 between them.(10).The word “Turbulent” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.freshB.deepC.violentD.temperate(11).Select the TWO answer choice from paragraph 3 that identify materials discovered in the deepest part of the Mediterranean basin. To receive credit you must select TWO answers.（分
26、数：2）A.Volcanic rock fragments.B.Thin silt layersC.Soft, deep-sea mudD.Crystalline saltAncient Rome and GreeceThere is a quality of cohesiveness about the Roman world that applied neither to Greece nor perhaps to any other civilization, ancient or modern. Like the stone of Roman wall, which were held
27、 together both by the regularity of the design and by that peculiarly powerful Roman cement, so the various parts of the Roman realm were bonded into a massive, monolithic entity by physical, organizational, and psychological controls. The physical bonds included the network of military garrisons, w
28、hich were stationed in every province, and the network of stone-built roads that linked the provinces with Rome. The organizational bonds were based on the common principles of law and administration and on the universal army of officials who enforced common standards of conduct. The psychological c
29、ontrols were built on fear and punishmenton the absolute certainty that anyone or anything that threatened the authority of Rome would be utterly destroyed.The source of Roman obsession with unity and cohesion may well have lain in the pattern of Romes early development. Whereas Greece had grown fro
30、m scores of scattered cities, Rome grew from one single organism. While the Greek world had expanded along the Mediterranean seas lanes, the Roman world was assembled by territorial conquest. Of course, the contrast is not quite so stark: in Alexander the Great the Greeks had found the greatest terr
31、itorial conqueror of all time; and the Romans, once they moved outside Italy, did not fail to learn the lessons of sea power. Yet the essential difference is undeniable. The Key to the Greek world lay in its high-powered ships; the key to Roman power lay in its marching legions. The Greeks were wedd
32、ed to the sea; the Romans, to the land. The Greek was a sailor at heart; the Roman, a landsman.Certainly, in trying to explain the Roman phenomenon, one would have to place great emphasis on this almost instinct for the territorial imperative. Roman priorities lay in the organization, exploitation,
33、and defense of their territory. In all probability it was the fertile plain of Latium, where the Latins who founded Rome originated, that created the habits and skills of landed settlement, landed property, landed economy, landed administration, and a land-based society. From this arose the Roman ge
34、nius for military organization and orderly government. In turn, a deep attachment to the land, and to the stability which rural life engenders, fostered the Roman virtues: gravitas, a sense of responsibility, peitas, a sense of devotion to family and country, and iustitia, a sense of the natural ord
35、er.Modern attitudes to Roman civilization range from the infinitely impressed to the thorough disgusted. As always, there are the power worshippers, especially among historians, who are predisposed to admire whatever is strong, who feel more attracted to the might of Rome than to the subtlety of Gre
36、ece. At the same time, there is a solid body of opinion that dislikes Rome. For many, Rome is at best the imitator and the continuator of Greece on a larger scale. Greek civilization had quality; Rome, mere quantity. Greece was the inventor; Rome, the research and development division. Such indeed w
37、as the opinion of some of the more intellectual Romans. “ had the Greeks held novelty in such disdain as we,” asked Horace in his epistle, “what work of ancient date would now exist?”Romes debt to Greece was enormous. The Romans adopted Greek religion and moral philosophy. In literature, Greek write
38、rs were consciously used as models by their Latin successors. It was absolutely accepted that an educated Roman should be fluent in Greek. In speculative philosophy and the sciences, the Romans made virtually no advance on early achievements.Yet it would be wrong to suggest that Rome was somehow a j
39、unior partner in Greco-Roman civilization. The Roman genius was projected into new spheresespecially into those of law, military organization, administration, and engineering. Moreover, the tensions that arose within the Roman state produced literary and artistic sensibilities of the highest order.
40、It was no accident that many leading Roman soldiers and statesmen were writers of high caliber.（分数：24）(1).Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?（分数：2）A.The regularity and power of stone walls inspired Romans attempting to uni
41、fy the parts of their realm.B.Although the Romans used different types of designs when building their walls, they used regular controls to maintain their realm.C.Several types of control united the Roman realm, just as design and cement held Roman walls together. Romans built wallD.Romans built wall
42、s to unite the various parts of their realm into a single entity, which was controlled by powerful laws.(2).According to paragraph 1, all of the following are controls that held together the roman world EXCEPT（分数：2）A.administrative and legal systemsB.the presence of the militaryC.a common languageD.
43、transportation networks(3).The phrase “obsession with” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.thinking aboutB.fixation onC.interest inD.attitude toward(4).According to paragraph 2, which of the following was NOT characteristic of Romes early development?（分数：2）A.Expansion by sea invasionB.Ter
44、ritorial expansionC.Expansion from one original settlementD.Expansion through invading armies(5).Why does the author mention “Alexander the Great” in the passage?（分数：2）A.To acknowledge that Greek civilization also expanded by land conquestB.To compare Greek leaders to Roman leadersC.To give an examp
45、le of Greek leader whom Romans studiedD.To indicate the superior organization of the Greek military(6).The word “fostered” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.acceptedB.combinedC.introducedD.encouraged(7).Paragraph 3 suggests which of the following about the people of Latium?（分数：2）A.Their
46、 economy was based on trade relations with other settlements.B.They held different values than the people of Rome.C.Agriculture played a significant role in the society.D.They possessed unusual knowledge of animal instincts(8).Paragraph 4 indicates that some historians admire Roman civilization beca
47、use of（分数：2）A.the diversity of cultures within Roman societyB.its strengthC.its innovative natureD.the large body of literature that it developed(9).In paragraph 4, the author develops a description of Roman civilization by（分数：2）A.comparing the opinions of Roman intellectuals to Greek intellectualsB
48、.identifying which characteristics of roman civilization were copied from GreeceC.explaining how the differences between Roman and Greece developed as time passedD.contrasting characteristics of Roman civilization with characteristics of Greek civilization(10).According to paragraph 4, intellectual
49、Romans such as Horace held which of the following opinions about their civilization?（分数：2）A.Ancient works of Greece held little value in the Roman world.B.The Greek civilization had been surpassed by the Romans.C.Roman civilization produced little that was original or memorable.D.Romans valued certain types of innovations that had been ignored by ancient Greeks.(11).The word “spheres” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.abilitiesB.areasC.combinationsD.models(12).Which of the following statements about leading Roman soldiers and statesmen is supported by paragraphs 5 and 6
