1、托福-52 及答案解析(总分：120.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、READING(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Set 1(总题数：1，分数：14.00)THE ATLANTIC EEL1 The mysterious qualities of eels have captivated many scientists. In 1886, a French zoologist put a tiny leaf-shaped saltwater fish into a tank in his laboratory. The fish, about four centimeters long,
2、startled the scientist when it turned into a tiny eellong, rounded, and clear as window glass. Ten years later, another zoologist observed the same metamorphosis in the Mediterranean Sea and concluded that salt water was important to the process. In 1920, Danish biologist Johannes Schmidt tracked ee
3、ls in the Atlantic Ocean, eventually finding individuals of the smallest size in the Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic between the West Indies and the Azores that is approximately 1,100 kilometers wide and 3,200 kilometers long and surrounded by four major ocean currents. 2 Atlantic eels h
4、ave five life phases: larva, glass eel, elver, immature yellow eel, and mature silver eel. Eels are catadromous fish, living most of their lives in fresh water and then migrating to the sea to reproduce. Their migration is an epic life journey, north through the Atlantic, toward the shore, into rive
5、rs and lakes, and eventually back to the Sargasso Sea, swimming in the open water by night. Scientists have not yet fully documented adult eels arriving at the Sargasso, or eels mating or laying eggs there, but they have observed the newly hatched larvae clustering in the floating Sargassum weed. Th
6、e tiny larvae rise to the surface, where they begin their journey by drifting on the Gulf Stream toward either North America or Europe. A year may pass before the young fish swim toward the shore and fresh water. As they approach the coast, the larvae transform into transparent glass eels, five to s
7、even centimeters in length. It is not yet known how the eels find their way inland, but once glass eels leave the ocean and enter fresh water, they swim upstream, eventually turning into thin, black, ten-centimeter elvers. 3 As the elvers grow, they change into adolescent yellow eels, long and slend
8、er with brownish-yellow sides and bellies. Yellow eels spend the next several years in flesh water, living in rivers and lakes for up to twenty years. Nearly all of the eels in lakes are female, while those in rivers and estuaries are mainly male. As the adolescents mature into adults, their eyes gr
9、ow larger, their backs darken, their sides become silver, and their bellies turn silver-white. They start changing into mature silver eels, ready to begin their southward migration to the Sargasso Sea in late autumn. The transformation into sexually mature fish occurs deep in the Atlantic, during th
10、e long swim back to their mating site. 4 During their long migration, eels face numerous hurdles. Most of these are the result of human activity, such as the dams, weirs, and other physical impediments that have compromised many river systems. Young black elvers require help getting past dams as the
11、y migrate upstream. Because eels are able to breathe through their skin as well as their gills, they can travel over wet surfaces on land, so in some locations biologists have devised wet ramps to assist their climb. During their downstream journey, silver eels can be killed when they swim into the
12、turbines of hydroelectric dams, and a river“s entire eel run can be destroyed in just a few nights. To combat the problem, some energy companies slow the rotation of the blades during the migration so that the eels might pass safely through the turbines. Another hurdle to the eels“ passage is the pr
13、esence of ancient eel weirs, structures of various types built by every human culture that ever inhabited the region. Natural predators also take a toll: eagles, osprey, snapping turtles, and bass all feed on eels. 5 Overfishing and exploitive fisheries have caused eel populations to plummet. Fisher
14、ies target eels at three phases of their lives. Before the tiny glass eels can reach shore, thousands are trapped in nets for export to fish farms in Asia. Yellow eels are caught in eel pots for bait, and silver eels are caught in traps for specialty markets around the world. In addition to overfish
15、ing, eels will face a more serious threat if climate change alters the speed or direction of the currents around the Sargasso Sea. Even a slight shift in the currents would impact the mating and hatching territories of the Atlantic eel.（分数：14.00）(1).The word metamorphosis in paragraph 1 is closest i
16、n meaning to（分数：1.00）A.type of movementB.change in appearanceC.swimming abilityD.reduction in size(2).What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?（分数：1.00）A.To introduce the phenomenon of the eel“s life phasesB.To contrast the discoveries of three scientistsC.To entertain readers with scientific mysteri
17、esD.To emphasize the eel“s need for both salt and fresh water(3).According to the passage, one characteristic that defines catadromous fish is（分数：1.00）A.their ability to navigate by smellB.their very long life spanC.their preference for a diet of Sargassum weedD.their migration from fresh water to s
18、alt water(4).Scientists have direct evidence of which eel behavior in the Sargasso Sea?（分数：1.00）A.Larvae swimming among the plantsB.Glass eels transforming into elversC.Adolescents becoming adultsD.Adult females dying after laying eggs(5).The word drifting in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to（分数：
19、1.00）A.feedingB.strugglingC.hatchingD.riding(6).According to paragraph 2, there is scientific uncertainty about（分数：1.00）A.where the eels go to reproduceB.what the newly hatched eels eatC.how the eels locate fresh waterD.when the eels become black in color(7).One difference between eels living in riv
20、ers and those living in lakes is（分数：1.00）A.the color of their backs, sides, and belliesB.the level of competition with other speciesC.the season in which their migration beginsD.the relative numbers of females and males(8).Which sentence best expresses the essential information in the highlighted se
21、ntence in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.（分数：1.00）A.Dams and weirs have improved river systems for humans and eels.B.Human activity has created hurdles that block the eels“ river passage.C.Eels had few physical problems until hu
22、mans changed the course of rivers.D.The effects of human activity have been both positive and negative.(9).The word combat in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.documentB.studyC.reduceD.ignore(10).Paragraph 4 supports which of the following statements about eel migration?（分数：1.00）A.More
23、eels die in the river part of their migration than in the ocean.B.Sometimes humans can help eels get past impediments in rivers.C.The original purpose of weirs was to assist eels in their migration.D.Natural predators pose the most serious threat to migrating eels.(11).The word plummet in paragraph
24、5 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.declineB.migrateC.evolveD.disappear(12).It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that the author most likely believes which of the following statements about Atlantic eels?（分数：1.00）A.A net is the most effective type of equipment for capturing eels.B.People are just be
25、ginning to appreciate eels as a source of food.C.Climate change could endanger the ability of eels to reproduce.D.Scientists may never know why eels migrate such long distances.(13).Look at the four squares, A, B, C, and D, which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. W
26、here would the sentence best fit? Female yellow eels can grow to more than a meter in length, over twice the length of the males. A As the elvers grow, they change into adolescent yellow eels, long and slender with brownish-yellow sides and bellies. Yellow eels spend the next several years in fresh
27、water, living in rivers and lakes for up to twenty years. Nearly all of the eels in lakes are female, while those in rivers and estuaries are mainly male. B As the adolescents mature into adults, their eyes grow larger, their backs darken, their sides become silver and their bellies turn silver-whit
28、e. C They start changing into mature silver eels, ready to begin their southward migration to the Sargasso Sea in late autumn. D The transformation into sexually mature fish occurs deep in the Atlantic, during the long swim back to their mating site.（分数：1.00）(14).An introductory sentence for a brief
29、 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.
30、This question is worth 2 points. Atlantic eels are long, slender fish with many fascinating qualities and an epic life journey. Answer ChoicesA. Eels undergo changes in shape and color as they pass through five life phases from larva to adult. B. The Sargasso Sea is an ideal mating site for eels bec
31、ause of the four surrounding ocean currents. C. Eels have a very long adolescence and may spend up to twenty years as immature yellow eels in rivers and lakes. D. Eels hatch in salt water, but spend most of their lives in fresh water before migrating back to the sea to reproduce. E. Glass eels, yell
32、ow eels, and silver eels are captured by different means and for different purposes. F. Several factors threaten the survival of eels, including altered river systems, overfishing, and climate change.（分数：1.00）三、Set 2(总题数：1，分数：13.00)THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF JACOB RIIS1 In the late nineteenth century, New Y
33、ork“s Lower East Side had the highest concentration of people in the world. Over one million residents lived in extreme poverty, with 300,000 of them packed into one square mile alone. Most were immigrants from Europe and Asia. Men, women, children, and the elderly all worked for low wages in the th
34、ousands of sweatshops that made clothing, cigars, furniture, and tinware. Few of the realist painters of the time wanted to paint this New York; it was a photographer and writer, Jacob Riis, who opened the subject to a wide public. 2 Jacob Riis was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States
35、 in 1870, at the age of twenty-one. He landed in New York and got a job as a police court reporter for the New York Tribune. The police headquarters was located in the heart of the East Side slum district, and Riis came to know thousands of the local poor. What he saw inspired him to fight for the e
36、limination of slums using the tools of journalism. At that time, American journalism was changing. The urban population was multiplying rapidly, and there was an explosion of newspapers. The papers aimed to reach larger audiences, which led them to increase the number of human-interest storiesstorie
37、s not just about the comfortable classes, but about the “other half“ and how it lived. 3 Jacob Riis became New York“s chief reporter of urban blight, making a name for himself with his detailed accounts of life in the Lower East Side. Today he is best known as a photographer. In the 1880s, photograp
38、hy was still at an early stage, and news photos were rare. As a good journalist, Riis was quick to see that recent developments in flashlight photography would enable him to dramatize his stories. Photography would be his means for drawing attention to the living conditions of the poor, particularly
39、 the immigrant population. He committed himself to this cause, knowing that the affluent and educated half of society could not ignore photographs of how the other half lived. 4 In 1890 he published his photographs in a book, How the Other Half Lives, his most famous work. The book was a bestseller
40、and ran through several editions. The photographs exposed the appalling conditions of the time and were direct evidence of human misery in the immigrant enclaves, back alleys, and cheap lodging houses. Shocked readers saw images of ragged children playing in the street and old people toiling in dim
41、sweatshops. They were horrified by the miserable existence of a million people, the powerless and destitute of America“s “other half.“ 5 Riis was a member of the new generation of “muckraking“ journalists that investigated corruption, injustice, exploitation, and poverty. Like the other muckrakers,
42、Riis made it his mission to seek out and expose the darker side of society. By today“s standards of journalistic etiquette, he was very intrusive, feeling no need to get permission from his subjects before photographing them. Riis and his assistants would burst into tenements and saloons, startling
43、people with their cameras and flashlights. Many of the photographs were taken at night, requiring artificial lighting, which at the time consisted of flash cartridges fired from a revolver into a frying pan. The explosive noise caused terror and confusion. On two occasions, Riis accidentally set fir
44、e to rooms he was photographing when the flash cartridge exploded in flames. 6 Still, as a journalist and photographer, Jacob Riis had more of an influence on reforming living conditions than did any of the more conventional social workers of his day. One day Riis received a note that read, “I have
45、read your book and I have come to help.“ The note was from the head of the New York Police Board of Commissioners, Theodore Roosevelt, who later went on to become president of the United States. Moved by the photographs Riis had taken, Roosevelt instituted a number of social reforms. The photographs
46、 in How the Other Half Lives are still prized for their historic value and stand out as proof of the power of pictures to bring about social change.（分数：13.00）(1).Why does the author describe New York“s Lower East Side in paragraph 1?（分数：1.00）A.To identify the place with the world“s highest concentra
47、tion of peopleB.To illustrate the rapid growth of New York in the nineteenth centuryC.To argue for better wages for people working in sweatshopsD.To provide the setting and subject of Jacob Riis“s photographs(2).Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentenc
48、e in paragraph 1? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.（分数：1.00）A.There were not many realist painters in New York when Jacob Riis started his career as a photographer and writer.B.Photographer and writer Jacob Riis informed people about the Lower
49、 East Side, while realist painters ignored it.C.The realist painters and Jacob Riis both dealt with subjects that the public previously knew little about.D.Few people liked realist paintings of New York, so Jacob Riis chose subjects that appealed to a larger audience.(3).In paragraph 2, in stating that there was an explosion of newspapers, the author means that（分数：1.00）A.the number of newspapers was increasing rapidlyB.more high-quality newspapers were availableC.there was a limited variety of newspaper storiesD.readers protested against journalistic practices(4).The word blight in par
