托福TPO1真题全阅读文本附答案译文.pdf

TIMBERLINE VEGETATION ON MOUNTAINS(TPO1-1)The transition from forest to treeless tundra on a mountain slope is often a dramatic one.Within a vertical distance of just a few tens of meters,trees disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low shrubs,herbs,and grasses.This rapid zone of transition is called the upper timberline or tree line.In many semiarid areas there is also a lower timberline where the forest passes into steppe or desert at its lower edge,usually because of a lack of moisture.The upper timberline,like the snow line,is highest in the tropics and lowest in the Polar Regions.It ranges from sea level in the Polar Regions to 4,500 meters in the dry subtropics and 3,500-4,500 meters in the moist tropics.Timberline trees are normally evergreens,suggesting that these have some advantage over deciduous trees(those that lose their leaves)in the extreme environments of the upper timberline.There are some areas,however,where broadleaf deciduous trees form the timberline.Species of birch,for example,may occur at the timberline in parts of the Himalayas.At the upper timberline the trees begin to become twisted and deformed.This is particularly true for trees in the middle and upper latitudes,which tend to attain greater heights on ridges,whereas in the tropics the trees reach their greater heights in the valleys.This is because middle-and upper-latitude timberlines are strongly influenced by the duration and depth of the snow cover.As the snow is deeper and lasts longer in the valleys,trees tend to attain greater heights on the ridges,even though they are more exposed to high-velocity winds and poor,thin soils there.In the tropics,the valleys appear to be more favorable because they are less prone to dry out,they have less frost,and they have deeper soils.There is still no universally agreed-on explanation for why there should be such a dramatic cessation of tree growth at the upper timberline.Various environmental factors may play a role.Too much snow,for example,can smother trees,and avalanches and snow creep can damage or destroy them.Late-lying snow reduces the effective growing season to the point where seedlings cannot establish themselves.Wind velocity also increases with altitude and may cause serious stress for trees,as is made evident by the deformed shapes at high altitudes.Some scientists have proposed that the presence of increasing levels of ultraviolet light with elevation may play a role,while browsing and grazing animals like the ibex may be another contributing factor.Probably the most important environmental factor is temperature,for if the growing season is too short and temperatures are too low,tree shoots and buds cannot mature sufficiently to survive the winter months.Above the tree line there is a zone that is generally called alpine tundra.iImmediately adjacent to the timberline,the tundra consists of a fairly complete cover of low-lying shrubs,herbs,and grasses,while higher up the number and diversity of species decrease until there is much bare ground with occasional mosses and lichens and some prostrate cushion plants.Some plants can even survive in favorable microhabitats above the snow line.The highest plants in the world occur at around 6,100 meters on Makalu in the Himalayas.At this great height,rocks,warmed by the sun,melt small snowdrifts.The most striking characteristic of the plants of the alpine zone is their low growth form.This enables them to avoid the worst rigors of high winds and permits them to make use of the higher temperatures immediately adjacent to the ground surface.In an area where low temperatures are limiting to life,the importance of the additional heat near the surface is crucial.The low growth form can also permit the plants to take advantage of the insulation provided by a winter snow cover.In the equatorial mountains the low growth form is less prevalent.Paragraph 1：The transition from forest to treeless tundra on a mountain slope is often a dramatic one.Within a vertical distance of just a few tens of meters,trees disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low shrubs,herbs,and grasses.This rapid zone of transition is called the upper timberline or tree line.In many semiarid areas there is also a lower timberline where the forest passes into steppe or desert at its lower edge,usually because of a lack of moisture.1.The word“dramatic in the passage is closest in meaning to GradualComplexVisibleStriking2.Where is the lower timberline mentioned in paragraph 1 likely to be found?In an area that has little waterIn an area that has little sunlightAbove a transition areaOn a mountain that has on upper timberline.3.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about both the upper and lower timberlines?Both are treeless zonesBoth mark forest boundaries.Both are surrounded by desert areas.Both suffer from a lack of moisture.2Paragraph 2：The upper timberline,like the snow line,is highest in the tropics and lowest in the Polar Regions.It ranges from sea level in the Polar Regions to 4,500 meters in the dry subtropics and 3,500-4,500 meters in the moist tropics.Timberline trees are normally evergreens,suggesting that these have some advantage over deciduous trees(those that lose their leaves)in the extreme environments of the upper timberline.There are some areas,however,where broadleaf deciduous trees form the timberline.Species of birch,for example,may occur at the timberline in parts of the Himalayas.4.Paragraph 2 supports which of the following statements about deciduous trees?They cannot grow in cold climates.They do not exist at the upper timberline.They are less likely than evergreens to survive at the upper timberline.They do not require as much moisture as evergreens do.Paragraph 3：At the upper timberline the trees begin to become twisted and deformed.This is particularly true for trees in the middle and upper latitudes,which tend to attain greater heights on ridges,whereas in the tropics the trees reach their greater heights in the valleys.This is because middle-and upperlatitude timberlines are strongly influenced by the duration and depth of the snow cover.As the snow is deeper and lasts longer in the valleys,trees tend to attain greater heights on the ridges,even though they are more exposed to high-velocity winds and poor,thin soils there.In the tropics,the valleys appear to be more favorable because they are less prone to dry out,they have less frost,and they have deeper soils.5.The word attain in the passage is closest in meaning to require resist achieve endure6.The word they in the passage refers to valleys trees heights ridges7.The word prone in the passage is closest in meaning to adapted likely difficult3resistant8.According to paragraph 3,which of the following is true of trees in the middle and upper latitudes?Tree growth is negatively affected by the snow cover in valleys.Tree growth is greater in valleys than on ridges.Tree growth on ridges is not affected by high-velocity winds.Tree growth lasts longer in those latitudes than it does in the tropics.Paragraph 4：There is still no universally agreed-on explanation for why there should be such a dramatic cessation of tree growth at the upper timberline.Various environmental factors may play a role.Too much snow,for example,can smother trees,and avalanches and snow creep can damage or destroy them.Late-lying snow reduces the effective growing season to the point where seedlings cannot establish themselves.Wind velocity also increases with altitude and may cause serious stress for trees,as is made evident by the deformed shapes at high altitudes.Some scientists have proposed that the presence of increasing levels of ultraviolet light with elevation may play a role,while browsing and grazing animals like the ibex may be another contributing factor.Probably the most important environmental factor is temperature,for if the growing season is too short and temperatures are too low,tree shoots and buds cannot mature sufficiently to survive the winter months.9.Which of the sentences below best express the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?In correct choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.Because of their deformed shapes at high altitudes,trees are not likely to be seriously harmed by the strong winds typical of those altitudes.As altitude increases,the velocity of winds increase,leading to a serious decrease in the number of trees found at high altitudes.The deformed shapes of trees at high altitudes show that wind velocity,which increase with altitude,can cause serious hardship for trees.Increased wind velocity at high altitudes deforms the shapes of trees,and this may cause serious stress for trees.10.In paragraph 4,what is the authors main purpose in the discussion of the dramatic cessation of tree growth at the upper timberline?To argue that none of several environment factors that are believed to contribute to that phenomenon do in fact play a role in causing it.To argue in support of one particular explanation of that phenomenon against several competing explanations.To explain why the primary environmental factor responsible for that phenomenon has not yet been identified.To present several environmental factors that may contribute to a satisfactory 4explanation of that phenomenon.Paragraph 6：The most striking characteristic of the plants of the alpine zone is their low growth form.This enables them to avoid the worst rigors of high winds and permits them to make use of the higher temperatures immediately adjacent to the ground surface.In an area where low temperatures are limiting to life,the importance of the additional heat near the surface is crucial.The low growth form can also permit the plants to take advantage of the insulation provided by a winter snow cover.In the equatorial mountains the low growth form is less prevalent.11.According to paragraph 6,all of the following statements are true of plants in the alpine zone EXCEPT:Because they are low,they are less exposed to strong winds.Because they are low,the winter snow cover gives them more protection from the extreme cold.In the equatorial mountains,they tend to be lower than in mountains elsewhere.Their low growth form keeps them closer to the ground,where there is more heat than further up.Paragraph 5：Above the tree line there is a zone that is generally called alpine tundra,immediately adjacent to the timberline,the tundra consists of a fairly complete cover of low-lying shrubs,herbs,and grasses,while higher up the number and diversity of species decrease until there is much bare ground with occasional mosses and lichens and some prostrate cushion plants-Some plants can even survive in favorable microhabitats above the snow line.The highest plants in the world occur at around 6,100 meters on Makalu in the Himalayas-At this great height,rocks,warmed by the sun,melt small snowdrifts.112.Look at the four squares 岫 that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.This explains how,for example,alpine cushion plants have been found growing at an altitude of 6,180 meters.Where would the sentence best fit?Click on a square to add the sentence to the passage.13.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 2 points.5At the timberline,whether upper or lower,there is a profound change in the growth of trees and other plants.Answer choicesBirch is one of the few species of tree that can survive in the extreme environments of the upper timberline.There is no agreement among scientists as to exactly why plant growth is sharply different above and below the upper timberline.The temperature at the upper timberline is probably more important in preventing tree growth than factors such as the amount of snowfall or the force of winds.The geographical location of an upper timberline has an impact on both the types of trees found there and their physical characteristics.High levels of ultraviolet light most likely play a greater role in determining tree growth at the upper timberline than do grazing animals such as the ibex.Despite being adjacent to the timberline,the alpine tundra is an area where certain kinds of low trees can endure high winds and very low temperatures.6参考译文山上树带界线的植被通常从山坡上的森林到没有树的苔原是一种非常戏剧化的转变。在一个垂直距离 只有几十米的地方，树木这种生命形式就消失了，取而代之的是低矮的灌木、药 草和牧草。这种急速转变的区域被称为上行树带界线或林木线。在许多干旱的地 区存在着下行树带界线，在这里由于缺乏水分森林变成干草原，甚至在最下端会 出现沙漠。上行树带界线，比如雪线，在热带最高在极地最低。从极地地区的海平面到干燥 亚热带的海拔4500米处以及潮湿热带地区的3500米至4500米处都有上行树 带界线。树带界线内通常是常绿树木，他们和处于上行树带界线处极端恶劣环境 中生长的落叶树木相比，具有一定的优势。然而，在部分地区也有由落叶阔叶林 组成的树带界线。例如，在喜马拉雅的部分地区，桦树就在树带界线上。上行树带界线的树木开始扭曲和变形，尤其在中高纬度地区的树木，这些地区的 树木往往会在山脊上长得更高，而在热带地区的树木则在山谷里长得更高；因为 中高纬度地区树带界线受积雪覆盖时间和深度的影响很大。由于山谷中积雪覆盖 较厚且持续时间很长，树木往往在山脊上长得更高，即便是生长在大风和贫瘠的 土地里。在热带地区山谷更有利于生长，因为山谷不易干涸、很少结霜，并且备 有更深的土壤。目前还没有一个普遍认同的解释来说明为什么会在树带界线上出现树木停止生 长这种戏剧化的现象。多种环境因素都起到作用，例如，积雪过多会让树木透不 过气雪崩和雪移能摧毁树木；长时间积雪缩短了有效生长季节的时间，树苗无 法生长；另外，风速会随着海拔的升高而增加，增加树木承受的压力，很明显，正是这种风速带来的压力导致树木在高纬度地区变得畸形。一些科学家提出，随 着海拔的上升而不断增强的紫外线、野生山羊等动物的放养，都是导致树带界线 形成的因素。或许最重要的环境因素是温度，因为如果生长季节太短并且气温太 低，树芽和树苗都无法充分成熟度过冬季。在林木线上有一个称为高山苔原的地区。由于紧挨着树带界线，苔原上都是矮灌 木、药材和草地。随着海拔的增加物种的数量和多样性会逐渐减少，直到出现大 量空地伴着零星的苔葬和地衣这样的伏地植物。有些植物甚至可以在雪线以上有 利的小环境中生存，世界上海拔最高的植物是出现在喜马拉雅山上六千一百米的 马卡鲁峰。在这个高度上，被阳光温暖过的岩石可以将小雪堆融化。高山植物最突出的特点是其低矮的生长形态。这种特点使他们能够抵御最恶劣 的强风环境，并且有助于他们利用来自地表的高温。在这样一个低温限制生命的 地区，地表提供的额外温度是至关重要的。低矮的生长形态也可以帮助植物充分 利用冬季积雪所提供的保温环境。在赤道区的山脉上低矮的生长形态并不常见。7THE ORIGINS OF THEATER(TPO1-2)In seeking to describe the origins of theater,one must rely primarily on speculation,since there is little concrete evidence on which to draw.The most widely accepted theory,championed by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,envisions theater as emerging out of myth and ritual.The process perceived by these anthropologists may be summarized briefly.During the early stages of its development,a society becomes aware of forces that appear to influence or control its food supply and well-being.Having little understanding of natural causes,it attributes both desirable and undesirable occurrences to supernatural or magical forces,and it searches for means to win the favor of these forces.Perceiving an apparent connection between certain actions performed by the group and the result it desires,the group repeats,refines and formalizes those actions into fixed ceremonies,or rituals.Stories(myths)may then grow up around a ritual.Frequently the myths include representatives of those supernatural forces that the rites celebrate or hope to influence.Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent the mythical characters or supernatural forces in the rituals or in accompanying celebrations.As a person becomes more s