1、托福（阅读）模拟试卷 10及答案与解析 一、 Sections Three： Reading Comprehension 0 “The Digital Divide“ The Challenge of Technology and Equity Information technology is influencing the way many of us live and work today. We use the Internet to look and apply for jobs, shop, conduct research, make airline reservations,
2、and explore areas of interest. We use e-mail and the Internet to communicate instantaneously with friends and business associates around the world. Computers are commonplace in homes and the workplace. Although the number of Internet users is growing exponentially each year, most of the worlds popul
3、ation does not have access to computers or the Internet. Only 6 percent of the population in developing countries are connected to telephones. Although more than 94 percent of U.S. households have a telephone, only 56 percent have personal computers at home and 50 percent have Internet access. The l
4、ack of what most of us would consider a basic communications necessity the telephone does not occur just in developing nations. On some Native American reservations only 60 percent of the residents have a telephone. The move to wireless connections may eliminate the need for telephone lines, but it
5、does not remove the barrier to equipment costs. Who has Internet access? The digital divide between the populations who have access to the Internet and information technology tools and those who dont is based on income, race, education, household type, and geographic location, but the gap between gr
6、oups is narrowing. Eighty-five percent of households with an income over $75,000 have Internet access, compared with less than 20 percent of the households with incomes under $15,000. Over 80 percent of college graduates use the Internet as compared with 40 percent of high school completers and 13 p
7、ercent of high school dropouts. Seventy-two percent of households with two parents have Internet access; 40 percent of female, single-parent households do. Differences are also found among households and families from different racial and ethnic groups. Fifty-five percent of white households, 31 per
8、cent of black households, 32 percent of Latino households, 68 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander households, and 39 percent of American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut households have access to the Internet. The number of Internet users who are children under nine years old and persons over fifty has mor
9、e than tripled since 1997. Households in inner cities are less likely to have computers and Internet access than those in urban and rural areas, but the differences are no more than 6 percent. Another problem that exacerbates these disparities is that African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans
10、 hold few of the jobs in information technology. Women hold about 20 percent of these jobs and are receiving fewer than 30 percent of the bachelors degrees in computer and information science. The result is that women and members of the most oppressed ethnic groups are not eligible for the jobs with
11、 the highest salaries at graduation. Baccalaureate candidates with degrees in computer science were offered the highest salaries of all new college graduates. Do similar disparities exist in schools? A Ninety-eight percent of all schools in the country are wired with at least one Internet connection
12、. B The number of classrooms with Internet connections differs by the income level of students. Using the percentage of students who are eligible for free lunches at a school to determine income level, we see that a higher percentage of the schools with more affluent students have wired classrooms t
13、han those with high concentrations of low-income students. C Access to computers and the Internet will be important in reducing disparities between groups. D It will require greater equality across diverse groups whose members develop knowledge and skills in computer and information technologies. Th
14、e field today is overrepresented by white males. If computers and the Internet are to be used to promote equality, they will have to become accessible to schools that cannot currently afford the equipment which needs to be updated regularly every three years or so. However, access alone is not enoug
15、h. Students will have to be interacting with the technology in authentic settings. As technology becomes a tool for learning in almost all courses taken by students, it will be seen as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. If it is used in culturally relevant ways, all students can benefit
16、 from its power. 1 Why does the author mention “the telephone“ in paragraph 2? （ A） To demonstrate that even technology like the telephone is not available to all （ B） To argue that basic telephone service is a first step to using the Internet （ C） To contrast the absence of telephone usage with tha
17、t of Internet usage （ D） To describe the development of communications from telephone to Internet 2 Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the highlighted statement in the passage? The other choices change the meaning or leave out important information. （ A） Most of the peopl
18、e in the world use the Internet now because the number of computers has been increasing every year. （ B） The number of people who use computers and the Internet is increasing every year, but most people in the world still do not have connections. （ C） The number of computers that can make the Intern
19、et available to most of the people in the world is not increasing fast enough. （ D） The Internet is available to most of the people in the world, even though they dont have their own computer terminals. 3 The word residents in the passage is closest in meaning to （ A） homes （ B） towns （ C） people （
20、D） locations 4 The word eliminate in the passage is closest in meaning to （ A） accept （ B） dispute （ C） define （ D） remove 5 Based on information in paragraph 3, which of the following best explains the term “digital divide?“ （ A） The number of Internet users in developing nations （ B） The disparity
21、 in the opportunity to use the Internet （ C） Differences in socioeconomic levels among Internet users （ D） Segments of the population with Internet access 6 Why does the author give details about the percentages of Internet users in paragraph 3? （ A） To prove that there are differences in opportunit
22、ies among social groups （ B） To argue for more Internet connections at all levels of society （ C） To suggest that improvements in Internet access are beginning to take place （ D） To explain why many people have Internet connections now 7 According to paragraph 3, which of the following households wo
23、uld be least likely to have access to the Internet? （ A） A household with one parent （ B） A black household （ C） A Latino household （ D） A household with both parents 8 According to paragraph 4, why are fewer women and minorities employed in the field of computer technology? （ A） They are not admitt
24、ed to the degree programs. （ B） They do not possess the educational qualifications. （ C） They do not have an interest in technology. （ D） They prefer training for jobs with higher salaries. 9 The word those in the passage refers to （ A） classrooms （ B） students （ C） schools （ D） concentrations 10 Th
25、e word concentrations in the passage is closest in meaning to （ A） protections （ B） numbers （ C） confidence （ D） support 11 What can be inferred from paragraph 6 about Internet access? （ A） Better computers need to be designed. （ B） Schools should provide newer computers for students. （ C） The cost
26、of replacing equipment is a problem. （ D） Technology will be more helpful in three years. 12 Look at the four squares that show where the following sentence could be inserted in the passage. Thus, the students who are most unlikely to have access at home also do not have access in their schools, inc
27、reasing the divide between groups even further. Where could the sentence best be added? Click on a square to insert the sentence in the passage. 13 An introduction for a short summary of the passage appears below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that mention the most impor
28、tant points in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not included in the passage or are minor points from the passage. This question is worth 2 points. The availability of technology is unequal throughout the world. - - - Answer Choices A Curren
29、tly, only about 10 percent of all the schools in the United States are not wired for Internet access. B Less affluent schools have fewer Internet connections, and minorities as well as women hold fewer computer science degrees. C Children and teenagers are the two fastest growing segments of the pop
30、ulation gaining access to the Internet. D Internet access is limited by education, income, geographic location, race, and the age and marital status of the head of household. E Computer science graduates can earn almost $50,000. F Access to the Internet is one way to encourage equality among diverse
31、 groups 13 “The Evolution of Birds“ The Origin of Birds Analysis of birds and of reptilian fossils indicate that birds belong to the group called therapods. Several species of dinosaurs closely related to birds had feathers with vanes, and a wider range of species had filamentous feathers. Such find
32、ings imply that feathers evolved long before powered flight. Among the possible functions of these early feathers were insulation, camouflage, and courtship display. Derived Characteristics of Birds Many of the characteristics of birds are adaptations that facilitate flight, including weight-saving
33、modifications that make flying more efficient. For example, birds lack a urinary bladder, and the females of most species have only one ovary. Living birds are also toothless, an adaptation that trims the weight of the head. A birds most obvious adaptations for flight are its wings and feathers. Fea
34、thers are made of the protein B-keratin, which is also found in the scales of other reptiles. The shape and arrangement of the feathers form the wings into airfoils, and they illustrate some of the same principles of aerodynamics as the wings of an airplane. Power for flapping the wings comes from c
35、ontractions of large pectoral (breast) muscles anchored to a keel on the sternum (breastbone). Some birds, such as eagles and hawks, have wings adapted for soaring on air currents and flap their wings only occasionally; other birds, including hummingbirds, must flap their wings continuously to stay
36、aloft. Among the fastest birds are the appropriately named swifts, which can fly up to 170 km/hr. A Flight provides numerous benefits. B It enhances hunting and scavenging; many birds consume flying insects, an abundant, highly nutritious food resource. C Flight also provides ready escape from earth
37、bound predators and enables some birds to migrate great distances to exploit different food resources and seasonal breeding areas. D Flying requires a great expenditure of energy from an active metabolism. Birds are endothermic; they use their own metabolic heat to maintain a high, constant body tem
38、perature. Feathers, and in some species layers of fat, provide insulation that enables birds to retain their body heat. The lungs have tiny tubes leading to and from elastic air sacs that improve airflow and oxygen uptake. This efficient respiratory system with a four-chambered heart keep tissues we
39、ll supplied with oxygen and nutrients, supporting a high rate of metabolism. Flight also requires both acute vision and fine muscle control. Birds have excellent eyesight. The visual and motor areas of the brain are well developed, and the brain is proportionately larger than those of amphibians and
40、 nonbird reptiles. Birds generally display very complex behaviors, particularly during breeding season, when they engage in elaborate courtship rituals. How did flight evolve in the therapods? In one scenario, feathers may have enabled the small, running dinosaurs chasing prey or escaping predators
41、to gain extra lift as they jumped up into the air. Or, small dinosaurs could have gained traction as they ran up hills by flapping their feathered forelimbs a behavior seen in birds today. In a third scenario, some dinosaurs could have climbed trees and glided, aided by feathers. Whether birds took
42、to the air from the ground up or from the trees down, an essential question being studied by scientists ranging from paleontologists to engineers is how their efficient flight stroke evolved. By 150 million years ago, feathered therapods had evolved into birds. Archaeopteryx, which was discovered in
43、 a German limestone quarry in 1861, remains the earliest known bird. It had feathered wings but retained ancestral characteristics such as teeth, clawed digits in its wings, and a long tail. Archaeopteryx flew well at high speeds, but unlike a present-day bird, it could not take off from a standing
44、position. Fossils of later birds from the Cretaceous show a gradual loss of certain ancestral dinosaur features, such as teeth and clawed forelimbs, as well as the acquisition of innovations found in extant birds, including a short tail covered by a fan of feathers. Glossary Cretaceous: a time perio
45、d, 144-65 million years ago 14 Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the highlighted statement in the passage? The other choices change the meaning or leave out important information. （ A） Results of investigations indicate that birds probably flew before they had feathers.
46、（ B） Analysis suggests that birds did not fly immediately after they had developed feathers, （ C） The time frame for the evolution of feathers is not clear from the studies cited. （ D） According to researchers, birds developed feathers in order to achieve flight. 15 The word modifications in the pas
47、sage is closest in meaning to （ A） made different （ B） made better （ C） made smaller （ D） made modern 16 According to paragraph 2, how did birds adapt to achieve efficient flight? （ A） They developed new, lighter organs. （ B） Their muscles became smaller over time. （ C） Most of their weight was dist
48、ributed in their heads. （ D） Heavy teeth disappeared during evolution. 17 In paragraph 3, the author explains the term “keratin“ by （ A） identifying it in feathers and scales （ B） comparing it to airfoils （ C） providing a definition in the text （ D） describing the way that it looks 18 According to p
49、aragraph 3, which of the following is true about the wings of birds? （ A） All birds flap their wings constantly by using breast muscles. （ B） Eagles and hawks have wings that propel them at 170 km/hr. （ C） The airfoils of birds function like the wings on airplanes. （ D） Wings are attached to airfoils in the birds skeletal structure. 19 The word their in the passage refers to （ A） feathers （ B） species （ C） layers （ D） birds 20 The word elaborate in the passage is opposite in meaning to （ A） simple （ B） quiet （ C） sad （ D） short 21 The word essential in the passage is cl
