TPO 整理

约 16125 个字预计阅读时间 54 分钟

TPO 65

Reading 1

题材：生物

词汇题：

How is the infrared radiation sensed? The pit is covered by a thin transparent membrane, and it has been suggested that a rise in temperature in the pit behind the membrane could cause an expansion of the gas with a consequent deformation of the membrane. This in turn could be sensed by a suitable receptor. This hypothesis is highly improbable, for a cut in the membrane that opens the pit to the outside air causes no loss in responsiveness, a result that is incompatible with the hypothesis that a pressure change is sensed.

The word "consequent" in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. resultant
B. eventual
C. premature
D. visible

Answer

A. 词汇问题

resultant: adj.<正式>由此引起的，因而发生的；n.
合力，合成速率，合成矢量；结果
premature：adj. 过早的，提早的；早产的；草率的，仓促的

六选三

The Pit Organs of Snakes

It is thought that the facial pits or pit organs on the head of some snakes are specialized infrared (heat) receptors. When a rattlesnake strikes, the direction of the strike seems to be guided by the infrared radiation from its prey. A rattlesnake strikes only at warm-blooded prey, and when the prey is dead and at room temperature, the snake will not strike. However, a blindfolded snake strikes correctly at a dead rat that is pulled across the cage, provided the rat is warmer than the surroundings. Blindfolded, the snake cannot be guided by vision; nor is it guided by the sense of smell, for it will strike correctly even at a moving, cloth-wrapped electric bulb. The pit organs are evidently involved in sensing the location of warm objects. All snakes that have pit organs feed preferentially on warm-blooded prey, and this further supports the view that these organs are infrared sensors. In the rattlesnake the pit organs are located, one on each side, between the nostril and the eye: they are connected to many nerves, and this in itself suggests a sensory role for the organ.

The sensitivity of the facial pit has been examined by recording the activity in the nerve leading from the organ. A variety of stimuli, such as sound, vibration, or light of moderate intensity (with the infrared part of the spectrum filtered out), has no detectable effect on the activity in the nerve. However, if objects of a temperature different from the surroundings are brought into the receptive field around the head, there is a striking change in nerve activity, regardless of the temperature of the intervening air.

How is the infrared radiation sensed? The pit is covered by a thin transparent membrane, and it has been suggested that a rise in temperature in the pit behind the membrane could cause an expansion of the gas with a consequent deformation of the membrane. This in turn could be sensed by a suitable receptor. This hypothesis is highly improbable, for a cut in the membrane that opens the pit to the outside air causes no loss in responsiveness, a result that is incompatible with the hypothesis that a pressure change is sensed.

We are left with two other possibilities to consider: Either the effect is photochemical, which means that the infrared radiation is absorbed by a specific compound, analogous to the light- sensitive pigments in the eye, or the pit organs are sensitive to the slight temperature rise caused when infrared radiation reaches it. The infrared radiation emitted from a mammalian body has low quantum energy, which makes any photochemical effect on a pigment extremely unlikely. Pure infrared radiation can be produced by a laser, and experiments with such radiation of known wavelength provide strong evidence that the mode of reception in the facial pit organ is entirely thermal.

Can the pit organs be used for perception of the infrared source in the way our two eyes are used for stereoscopic vision? This seems likely, not only from observations of the precision with which a snake can strike, but also from studies of its brain activity. When infrared radiation falls on the facial pit organ, electric activity can be recorded from the optic tectum, the part of the brain with which the optic nerve is connected. This in itself is suggestive; although the nerves from the pit organ are completely separate from the optic nerves, the same part of the brain seems to handle visual information, which is known to be stereoscopic, and infrared information. The optic tectum has left and right parts, located on either side of the brain Each part receives input from each eye via the optic chiasma, the point at which the optic nerves from the left and right eye meet. Many of the neurons in the tectum respond to stimulation of the pit organ on the opposite side of the head. This is reminiscent of the way information from the eyes is handled; the crossover of the optic nerve in the optic chiasma is essential for stereoscopic vision and interpretation of distance Information from the two pit organs is apparently coordinated and interpreted in a similar way, a conclusion in agreement with recorded changes in the neural activity in the tectum when the infrared source is in a position to irradiate both pits at once It therefore appears that the facial pits indeed provide stereoscopic perception and substantially aid in the precision of estimating the location of prey.

A. Some snakes seem to be able to locate and strike at warm-blooded prey solely through the use of pit organs.

B. The pit organs of snakes seem to be sensitive to a variety of stimuli, including sound, vibration, and light, as well as heat

C. The precision with which snakes are able to locate prey can be accounted for by the intersection of the optic nerves and nerves from the pit organs

D. Snakes with pit organs will strike at dead rats at room temperature only when the rats are dragged across a cage.

E. Experiments provide strong evidence that snake pit organs are sensitive to temperature changes caused by infrared radiation.

F. Studies of brain activity suggest that the two facial pits provide snakes with stereoscopic perception for the exact location of prey

Answer

B. ×
这段表明只对 heat 有反应，表述错误；

The sensitivity of the facial pit has been examined by recording the activity in the nerve leading from the organ. A variety of stimuli, such as sound, vibration, or light of moderate intensity (with the infrared part of the spectrum filtered out), has no detectable effect on the activity in the nerve. However, if objects of a temperature different from the surroundings are brought into the receptive field around the head, there is a striking change in nerve activity, regardless of the temperature of the intervening air.

C. ×
依旧是表述错误。这段话把optic的可能性排除了。

We are left with two other possibilities to consider: Either the effect is photochemical, which means that the infrared radiation is absorbed by a specific compound, analogous to the light- sensitive pigments in the eye, or the pit organs are sensitive to the slight temperature rise caused when infrared radiation reaches it. The infrared radiation emitted from a mammalian body has low quantum energy, which makes any photochemical effect on a pigment extremely unlikely. Pure infrared radiation can be produced by a laser, and experiments with such radiation of known wavelength provide strong evidence that the mode of reception in the facial pit organ is entirely thermal.

Reading 2

Paragraph

In the early 1700s, the air was widely seen as just such an environment, and "air" and "the air" were one and the same thing. Chemists were not in the habit of regarding airs or gases as having different chemical properties. There was simply air. One obvious reason for this was practical Chemists could examine solids and liquids, exposing them to a variety of tests and seeing how they contributed to assorted reactions. Chemists had, however, no comparable way of examining air ; and they came to view chemistry as the sum total of the reactions of solids and liquids, excluding gases. Chemists stressed chemical qualities over physical properties like weight and let physicists deal with air. Chemists generally did not examine air, and they did not try to weigh it. That does not mean that chemists did not weigh substances. They did a lot of weighing, and pharmacists and metallurgists did more. But weighing gases was outside their brief. In the Encyclopedia of Diderot and Alembert, published between 1751 and 1775. readers were told that "the incoercibility of gases will remove them from our researches for a long time to come."

Question

What is the main point of paragraph 2?
A. Diderot and d'Alembert were the first to recognize that gases were a third state of matter
B. Advances in pharmacy and metallurgy led to a better understanding of gases
C. Early chemists had no tools for investigating the chemical properties of gases
D. By performing various tests on solids and liquids, chemists were able to better understand gases.

Answer

答案是C，虽然也没有很准确，其实我觉得更准确的是没有这样的认识或者意识，但是C是最接近的了，剩下的肯定不是这段话主要讲的东西嘛
hint是 Chemists had, however, no comparable way of examining air. 这里的comparable是和solid 和 liquid相比，也算是C的意思

Paragraph

In devising this apparatus, Hales had coincidentally furnished an instrument for catching and holding air, which could then be subjected to various tests. Used in this way the apparatus became known as the pneumatic through half a century after its invention, it became a staple of the chemical laboratory. It also became one of the key instruments in the reform of chemistry that we know as the chemical revolution because it was essential to incorporating a whole new state of matter, the gaseous state, into chemistry, alongside the already studied solid and liquid states. Once that step had been taken, it was possible to speculate and then to demonstrate that the gaseous state, like the solid and liquid states, could contain a variety of chemical substances. This was an enormous step, and it did not happen overnight. Hales had shown that air could be contained, washed, and purified, and tested chemically as well as physically. This, however, did not lead him to think that there was more than one kind of air. Air for him remained air, not one of a number of airs. Other chemists would take that essential step.

Question

The word "staple" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. regular feature
B. effective tool
C. new device
D. distinct advantage

Answer

还是挺明确的orz Used in this way the apparatus became known as the pneumatic through half a century after its invention, 整段话都在描述它的known、useful，那就很顺的得出是行业惯例，也就选A.

TPO 69

Paragraph

Pacific Ecosystems

The Pacific Ocean accounts for one-third of Earth’s surface and half of the world’s ocean area. It has about 25,000 islands, of which about 7,500 are oceanic, being relatively far from a continental shore. The great majority of all Pacific islands were born barren of life; hard, dense, volcanic rock pimples on the sea’s surface. New Zealand is the chief exception. It is among the continental islands of the western Pacific, together with Fiji, the Solomons, and others to the west.

Life arrived on most other islands by accident or by drift. Some plants arrived by air transport; seeds carried in the digestive tracts of birds account for nearly 40 percent of Hawaii’s early plants. The first invaders were either creatures that could float well enough, in air or water to cross stretches of ocean, or those whose seeds could survive a voyage in some bird’s gut. At times of lower sea level, land bridges linked, or nearly linked, many islands in the far western Pacific, so some species colonized these islands without being notably good floaters or stowaways. In the eastern Pacific (Easter Island, for example) only the best floaters and travelers arrived and survived. Consequently, the western islands have far more species and far greater biodiversity than do the eastern islands of Polynesia. Mammals found it hard to get anywhere in the island Pacific, only bats and rats successfully colonized eat of New Guinea. Almost all species derive from Asia, the early Pacific was an Asian lake, with only a tiny proportion of species from the Americas. As a rule of thumb, the further from Indonesia, the more impoverished the plant and animal life and, in consequence, the less stable and resilient in the face of disturbance. This attenuation is strong for land species, less strong for marine species, and nonexistent for oceanic birds although fairly strong for land birds.

Pacific ecosystems evolved in relative (but differential) isolation from the continental crucibles of biological evolution. This meant opportunities for speciation – the development of new species occupying ecological niches elsewhere – were already filled. The finches described by the naturalist Charles Darwin on the Galapagos Islands – birds that divided into different species, each specialized for a narrow niche – are the classic example. On islands that had no mammals, reptiles and birds took their place. Thus the Galapagos have giant tortoises, and New Zealand once had giant birds that functioned more or less like browsing or grazing mammals. Throughout most of the Pacific, the paucity of grazing animals meant that plants developed no defenses, such as spines, poisonous chemicals, or bitterness. The remote islands had a very high proportion of endemism – that is, of species that existed only there. In the case of Hawaii, as many as 99 percent of the species were endemic. All this led to a certain biological vulnerability among the terrestrial island species, should they ever be obliged to compete for niche space with the winders of the more intense continental competitions for survival. This vulnerability increased toward the east and toward the remote corners of the Pacific along a gradient defined chiefly by the degree of isolation.

A second source of vulnerability, perhaps more decisive arose from the arrival of humankind in the Pacific. Island animals evolved with no experience of the ways of humankind or indeed of any large terrestrial predators. As a result, they had to immunities to the predators or the effects of human action. Pacific animals were often unwary and easy prey. At the extreme again the Galapagos, Darwin found many birds almost tame, so naively trusting that they would allow him to get within arm’s reach. Pacific plants had little experience with fire, because natural fires were very rare: except in a few places. Thus few plants were well adapted to fire and most proved vulnerable to it. In contrast, continental species that had evolved in the presence of humankind or in places where natural fire is much more common, could recover easily after burns, and some could flourish as a result of fire. In short, Pacific ecosystems were different from continental ones on account of their isolation. They were well adapted to their circumstances but very vulnerable to alien invasion and human impact.

Question

A. Unlike most Pacific islands, which are far from land, New Zealand, Fiji, and the Solomons are continental islands.

B. Despite their more specialized needs, mammals were generally more successful in adapting to eastern Pacific island ecosystems than were birds and reptiles.

C. The discoveries of Charles Darwin on the Galapagos Islands pointed to a similarity in the evolution of bird and reptile species.

D. Most plants and animals that have colonized Pacific islands either floated there by air or water or otherwise arrived by accident.

E. Pacific islands have a large number of unique species because the organisms that colonized these islands either could fill niches normally occupied by grazing animals or had fewer competitors.

F. Because most evolved outside the presence of competitors or predators such as humans, Pacific island organisms were especially likely to be damaged when exposed to such forces.

Answer

这篇阅读感觉还是总体比较简单的，选错的是CEF，正确答案是DEF，所以就讲几个选项了。

A. 还是挺隐蔽的：New Zealand is the chief exception. It is among the continental islands of the western Pacific, together with Fiji, the Solomons, and others to the west. 这里together with说的是continental islands，而不是in Pacific Ocean. 而且这里 New Zealand是唯一的作为exception的，说明只有它是Pacific island。

C. 更搞了（）说是文章没有提到达尔文在这里发现爬行动物和鸟类相似性。仔细一读确实没有。所以没有就不要选

TPO 70

Reading 1

Paragraph

Further ruling out the possibility of a decentralized China was the potential threat of nomads. The traditional line of defense that China erected in the north along the steppe–a vast grass-covered plain–customarily referred to as the Great Wall was by no means fixed. The territories north and west of the Great Wall, having an annual rainfall of less than fifteen inches and therefore inadequate for cultivation, remained a grazing ground for the nomads. In times of bad weather and in periods of China’s dynasty, these nomads had a tendency to execute large-scale invasion. This was a problem whose cause was so deeply rooted in geography that the Chinese were not able to solve it merely through military offensives. Long-term experience taught them to put the regional and local government under a strong leader, allowing national defense to dictate a degree of homogeneity and uniformity in order to survive.

Question

A. It was built by a decentralized Chinese state.

B. It did not always protect the land from invasion.

C. It was erected in the northernmost area of the country.

D. It used up much cultivated land.

Answer

官方给的解析：
首先定位到文中“This was a problem”对英语题目中的 drawback，那是什么 problem？返回上一句可以发现这个 problem 是“these nomads had a tendency to execute large-scale invasion.”即游牧民族有入侵的倾向。因此选 B

事实上我觉得这道题也有点瑕疵，定位感觉主要还是在“remained a grazing ground for the nomads”，总之这个选项的表述有点奇怪，但其它几个也不太可能

Reading 2

Paragraph

In North America permanence theory was linked to the theory of subsidence (or sinking) of sedimentary basins along continental margins. This idea was developed primarily by paleontologist James Hall (1811–1898), who noted that beneath the forest cover, the Appalachian Mountains of North America were built up of folded layers of shallowwater sedimentary rocks, thousands of feet thick. How did these sequences of shallow-water deposits form? How were they folded and uplifted into mountains? Hall suggested that materials eroded off the continents accumulated in the adjacent marginal basins, causing the basins to subside. Subsidence allowed more sediment to accumulate, causing more subsidence, until finally the weight of the pile caused the sediments to be heated, converted to rock, and then uplifted into mountains. Dana modified Hall’s view by arguing that thick sedimentary piles were not the cause of subsidence but the result of it.Either way, the theory provided a concise explanation of how thick sequences of shallow-water rocks could accumulate, but was vague on the question of how they were transformed into mountain belts.

Question

According to paragraph 5, which of the following led James Hall to propose a theory of subsidence?
A. The gradual sinking of the Appalachian Mountains resulting from the forests covering them.
B. The existence of sedimentary basins along continental margins.
C. The apparent subsidence of mountains due to erosion.
D. The notion that the Appalachian Mountains are formed of thick, folded layers of sedimentary rock.

Answer

D，这题一点难度都没有，不该选错的

This idea was developed primarily by paleontologist James Hall (1811–1898), who noted that beneath the forest cover, the Appalachian Mountains of North America were built up of folded layers of shallowwater sedimentary rocks, thousands of feet thick.

Paragraph

Nineteenth-Century Theories of Mountain Formation
One of the central scientific questions of nineteenth-century geology was the origin of mountains. How were they formed? What process squeezed and folded rocks like bread dough? What made Earth’s surface move? Most theories invoked terrestrial contraction as a causal force. It was widely believed that Earth had formed as a hot, incandescent body and had been steadily cooling since the beginning of geological time. Because most materials contract as they cool, it seemed logical to assume that Earth had been contracting as it cooled, too. As it did, its surface would have deformed, producing mountains.

In Europe, Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831–1914) popularized the image of Earth as a drying apple: as the planet contracted, its surface wrinkled to accommodate the diminished surface area. Suess assumed that Earth’s initial crust was continuous but broke apart as the interior shrank. The collapsed portions formed the ocean basins, the remaining elevated portions formed the continents. With continued cooling, the original continents became unstable and collapsed to form the next generation of ocean floor, and what had formerly been ocean now became dry land. Over the course of geological history, there would be a continual interchange of land and sea, a periodic rearrangement of the landmasses.

The interchangeability of continents and oceans explained a number of other perplexing geological observations, such as the presence of marine fossils on land (which had long before puzzled Leonardo da Vinci) and the extensive interleaving of marine and terrestrial sediments in the stratigraphic record. Suess’s theory also explained the striking similarities of fossils in parts of Africa and South America. Indeed, in some cases the fossils seemed to be identical, even though they were found thousands of miles apart. These similarities had been recognized since the mid-nineteenth century, but they had been made newly problematic by Darwin’s theory of evolution. If plants and animals had evolved independently in different places within diverse environments, then why did they look so similar? Suess explained this conundrum by attributing these similar species to an early geological age when the continents were contiguous in an ancient supercontinent called Gondwanaland.

Suess’s theory was widely discussed and to varying degrees accepted in Europe, but in North America geologist James Dwight Dana (1813–1895) had developed a different version of contraction theory. Dana suggested that the continents had formed early in Earth history, when low-temperature minerals such as quartz and feldspar had solidified. Then the globe continued to cool and contract, until the high-temperature minerals such as olivine and pyroxene finally solidified–on the Moon, to form the lunar craters; on Earth, to form the ocean basins. As contraction continued after Earth was solid, its surface began to deform. The boundaries between continents and oceans were most affected by the pressure, and so mountains began to form along continental margins. With continued contraction came continued deformation, but with the continents and oceans always in the same relative positions. Although Dana’s theory was a version of contraction, it came to be known as permanence theory, because it viewed continents and oceans as globally permanent features.

In North America permanence theory was linked to the theory of subsidence (or sinking) of sedimentary basins along continental margins. This idea was developed primarily by paleontologist James Hall (1811–1898), who noted that beneath the forest cover, the Appalachian Mountains of North America were built up of folded layers of shallowwater sedimentary rocks, thousands of feet thick. How did these sequences of shallow-water deposits form? How were they folded and uplifted into mountains? Hall suggested that materials eroded off the continents accumulated in the adjacent marginal basins, causing the basins to subside. Subsidence allowed more sediment to accumulate, causing more subsidence, until finally the weight of the pile caused the sediments to be heated, converted to rock, and then uplifted into mountains. Dana modified Hall’s view by arguing that thick sedimentary piles were not the cause of subsidence but the result of it.Either way, the theory provided a concise explanation of how thick sequences of shallow-water rocks could accumulate, but was vague on the question of how they were transformed into mountain belts.

Question

A. Many scientists believed that mountains were formed early in geological time while Earth was still a hot body.

B. Continents may have developed early with the formation of rocks and remained constant while mountains formed at their edges as Earth shrank.

C. One theory postulated that sedimentary rock forming at the edge of continents first sank under its own weight,then rose to form mountains.

D. It was suggested that as Earth’s hot curst cooled, it cracked and formed interchanging continents and oceans.

E. Some mountainous areas are made up of layers of sedimentary rocks, which may explain how mountains rose as Earth cooled.

F. The presence of marine fossils on land and of similar fossils in different parts the world resulted from the early formation of a supercontinent.

Answer

A. 原文 Most theories invoked terrestrial contraction as a causal force. It was widely believed that Earth had formed as a hot, incandescent body and had been steadily cooling since the beginning of geological time. Because most materials contract as they cool, it seemed logical to assume that Earth had been contracting as it cooled, too. As it did, its surface would have deformed, producing mountains.

因此意思有所偏差，a hot, incandescent body是Earth早期form的时候，而mountain是“contract as they cool”。

B. √，在原文第四段：Dana suggested that the continents had formed early in Earth history, when low-temperature minerals such as quartz and feldspar had solidified. Then the globe continued to cool and contract, until the high-temperature minerals such as olivine and pyroxene finally solidified–on the Moon, to form the lunar craters; on Earth, to form the ocean basins. As contraction continued after Earth was solid, its surface began to deform. The boundaries between continents and oceans were most affected by the pressure, and so mountains began to form along continental margins.

C. √，原话在最后一段，Subsidence allowed more sediment to accumulate, causing more subsidence, until finally the weight of the pile caused the sediments to be heated, converted to rock, and then uplifted into mountains.

D. √ 第四段，As contraction continued after Earth was solid, its surface began to deform. The boundaries between continents and oceans were most affected by the pressure, and so mountains began to form along continental margins. With continued contraction came continued deformation, but with the continents and oceans always in the same relative positions.

E. ×，感觉E比较难。只有最后一段提到了，……who noted that beneath the forest cover, the Appalachian Mountains of North America were built up of folded layers of shallowwater sedimentary rocks。这个Theory讲的是：Subsidence allowed more sediment to accumulate, causing more subsidence, until finally the weight of the pile caused the sediments to be heated, converted to rock, and then uplifted into mountains. 这里的冷却和加热是“直到最终堆积物的重量导致沉积物受热”，和地球冷却没有直接关系

F. 陆海互换性不是因为super continent: With continued cooling, the original continents became unstable and collapsed to form the next generation of ocean floor, and what had formerly been ocean now became dry land. Over the course of geological history, there would be a continual interchange of land and sea, a periodic rearrangement of the landmasses.

这篇文章确实有点难懂，这道六选三还挺有难度的

TPO 71

Reading 1

Paragraph

The most obvious form of energy in the oceans lies in waves. Harnessing wave energy and converting it to electricity is not a new idea, and it has been used on an extremely limited scale.Unfortunately, the energy possessed by a wave is distributed along its crest and is difficult to concentrate. Furthermore, any facility would have to be designed to withstand the effects of storms and saltwater corrosion.The Japanese have developed wave-energy devices to power lighthouses and buoys, and a facility capable of providing power to about 300 homes began operating in Scotland during September 2000.

Question

By mentioning the Japanese and Scotland in paragraph 6, the author is supporting which of the following points?
A. Some countries have come to depend heavily on power generated by the waves
B. Unlike other countries. Scotland and Japan have had little success using energy from waves because of the effects of weather and corrosion
C. The use of energy from waves is better suited for industrial purposes than it is for use in homes
D. It is difficult to generate electricity by using ocean waves, even though it is being done to a limited extent in some places

Answer

D.
这题比较牵强，感觉只能通过把握整个paragraph的意思来看，但是ABC真的错得太离谱了，相对来讲D比较对

Paragraph

Perhaps tidal power is the most promising form of ocean energy. In fact, it has been used for centuries in some coastal areas to run mills , but its use at present for electrical generation is limited.Most coastal areas experience a twice-daily rise and fall of tides, but only a few areas are suitable for exploiting this energy source. One limitation is that the tidal range must be at least five meters, and there must also be a coastal region where water can be stored following high tide.

Question

Why does the author mention the fact that tides have been "used for centuries in some coastal areas to run mills" ?
A. To compare how energy from the ocean was gotten in the past with how it is currently gotten
B. To emphasize the difficulty of providing for the energy needs of the coastal areas
C. To explain why some coastal areas had more energy available in the past than inland areas typically did
D. To support the idea that the tides are probably the most easily converted source of energy from the sea

Answer

选D，不知道为什么之前会选B，感觉是因为没看懂

Reading 2

Paragraph

Palatial control over foreign trade is more difficult to prove archaeologically, as there is often no way to determine where on Crete any specific item found abroad was made. One argument often brought to the fore is that only the palaces would have the capital (to use a modern term) to finance the goods and shipping for long trade journeys, not to mention to handle the risks of possible sea wrecks. Another argument,however,lies in the nature of the Minoan goods found abroad.For example,Kamares ware pottery from Minoan Crete has come to light on the coasts of Cyprus and in areas of the Near East such as Egypt and Syria. This Kamares ware is clearly a product of palatial manufacture. The ceramics from before and after the classical Kamares wares are clearly local creations-Knossian ware being distinct from Malhan ware. By contrast, the Kamares ware made in the palaces is similar from palace to palace but is utterly distinct from the provincial wares. The number of foreign goods stored in the palaces,especially Zakro, also gives evidence for the palatial control of international exchange.

Question

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. One argument is that the risks of possible sea wrecks have been ignored in estimates of the palaces' ability to finance goods and shipping in overseas trade
B. One argument is that the palaces had enough capital to finance lhe manufacture of trade goods but not enough to handle the risk of sea wrecks
C. One argument is that only the palaces had enough wealth to finance the goods and to take on the risks and shipping costs involved in overseas trade
D. One argument is that the palaces are the only institutions that would have needed capital to finance the goods, shipping, and risks involved in overseas trade

Answer

之前是因为没读懂，实际上读懂之后选C而不是A是比较显然的，因为这段话讲的实际是在这个岛上什么在负责对外贸易，那么第一个推断是capital才能有资金有资历来支撑海上贸易，所以C讲的没问题

Paragraph

Palatial control over foreign trade is more difficult to prove archaeologically, as there is often no way to determine where on Crete any specific item found abroad was made. One argument often brought to the fore is that only the palaces would have the capital (to use a modern term) to finance the goods and shipping for long trade journeys, not to mention to handle the risks of possible sea wrecks. Another argument,however,lies in the nature of the Minoan goods found abroad.For example,Kamares ware pottery from Minoan Crete has come to light on the coasts of Cyprus and in areas of the Near East such as Egypt and Syria. This Kamares ware is clearly a product of palatial manufacture. The ceramics from before and after the classical Kamares wares are clearly local creations-Knossian ware being distinct from Malhan ware. By contrast, the Kamares ware made in the palaces is similar from palace to palace but is utterly distinct from the provincial wares. The number of foreign goods stored in the palaces,especially Zakro, also gives evidence for the palatial control of international exchange.

Question

According to paragraph 5 why did the discovery of Kamares ware in a number of places outside Crete provide support for the idea that the palaces had some control over foreign trade?
A. Because it is possible to determine in what part of Crete any particular piece of Kamares ware was made
B. Because Kamares ware can be clearly identified as coming from palace produclion centers
C. Because it is known that Kamares ware was produced only during a certain period
D. Because classical Kamares ware was produced only within Crete

Answer

B.
A实际上没体现到底是哪一part
B. This Kamares ware is clearly a product of palatial manufacture.直接对应，并且后面主要论述的就是palatial和province这里是不一样的
另外这个come to light是曝光、发现的意思，而不是发掘。

TPO 74

Reading 1

Reading

Early Horses
The earliest-known horse fossils come from the Eocene epoch (from 57 to 34 million years ago),and they are so different from the modern version that it was not initially realized that there was any relation.Dawn horse,or Eohippus,as this animal has been called,has been found in both Europe and North America. Eohippus was tiny,about the size of a small dog,and apparently lived in wooded areas.These animals had hooves but,in contrast to modern horses,they had four hoofed toes on the front feet,three on the rear,and the hooves were padded. Eohippus was also pug-nosed by comparison to modern horses,and its teeth reveal that it was a browser that fed on a variety of plants.In fact,although it was completely herbivorous (plant eating),this little horse had canine teeth-a reminder that many of its predecessors were carnivores (meat eaters).

Throughout the Eocene and Oligocene epochs (from 57 to 23 million years ago),the descendants of Eohippus evolved in a fairly straightforward way that is well documented by their fossils.They became gradually larger;the middle toe, eventually to become the single hoof of the modern horses,became stronger and more prominent,and the grinding surfaces of the teeth became larger,with complex,resistant ridges.But the resemblance to Eohippus remained clear.It was only in the Miocene (from 23 to 5 million years ago),coincident with the spread of grassy prairies,that abrupt changes took place,resulting in several different lineages of horse evolution,only one of which is still extant:the modern horse.

Several of the physical characteristics of today's animals are ultimately linked to their diet of grasses. Foremost among the Miocene modifications that led toward present-day horses were changes in the teeth and the shape of the head.Compared to the succulent leaves of tropical trees that were the fodder for some of the horse's ancestors, grasses are abrasive and much more difficult to chew and grind.The response of the Miocene horses was to develop teeth with much more elaborate and resistant grinding surfaces and with much larger crowns,at least part of which could grow out of the gums as they were worn down.These changes meant that the head had to be much deeper,and the muzzle longer, to make room for the long rows of grinding teeth along the horse's cheeks.At about the same time,the legs and feet of the ancestors of today's horses became better adapted to rapid running across the spreading grasslands.This occurred through fusion of several of the independent bones in the lower parts of the legs,making them stiffer,and through further emphasis of the central hoofed toe,which by now bore the entire weight of the animal.In place of a foot,the horse has a single toe at the end of its leg.

By the middle or late Miocene,many of the extant horses were at least superficially similar to modern horses.Based on the fossil record,much of their development seems to have occurred in North America,but by the Pleistocene epoch (from 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago),the modern horse genus,Equus,had spread over much of the world.Then,inexplicably,only 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, horses disappeared from North America.The reason for this extinction is unknown. Whatever the cause,it is a fact that the plains of North America were without these animals for thousands of years,until horses brought from Europe by the early Spanish explorers escaped and began to repopulate the vast grasslands.

It is clear that many of the familiar features of the modern horse are directly or indirectly related to its diet and its preferred environment,grasslands.But how and why did the grasslands develop when they did?There are competing theories on this question,but only a few are consistent with the evidence.Most of these invoke a change in global climate as an important factor,perhaps the overriding factor.In particular,grasslands expanded rapidly as the climate in continental interiors became cooler and drier.

六选三

A. Eohippus began to be called dawn horse, after its relationship to the modern horse was established through fossil evidence.

B. During the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, the descendants of the Eohippus began to develop some of the characteristics associated with the modern horse.

C. By the end of the Pleistocene, the modern horse, Equus, had spread over much of the world but for reasons that are unclear, it disappeared from the plains of North America for thousands of years.

D. By the end of the Eocene epoch, Eohippus' nose had slowly developed into a long muzzle, and the four toes on its front feet had disappeared.

E. As grasslands expanded in the Miocene, horses changed abruptly in ways that made their relationship to modern horses more apparent and developed several lineages.

F. Several theories about the development of grasslands have answered most questions about the evolution of Eohippus and its descendants.

Answer

A. 明显无关
B. √ straightforward 应该是相对于现代马来讲的；
C. √
D. By the end of the Eocene epoch 没有提到
E. √ 原文
F. 没有answer most questions
∴ BEC

Reading 2

Reading

The Commercialization of Pearl River Agriculture
The Pearl River Delta of southern China was an agriculturally rich region. Formed of alluvial soils that had been captured from the silt flowing down from the major rivers,these sand flats,as the Chinese called them,were worked and reworked until they became very productive rice paddies that by the sixteenth century annually produced two crops of rice and one of vegetables and wheat.Peasant farmers produced on their own plots much of the food the family consumed.However,agriculture in the region could not be called subsistence agriculture,for many nonfood commercial crops were grown and exchanged in markets that dotted the countryside.Besides rice,peasant farmers in the Pearl River Delta grew sugarcane,hemp,cotton,and mulberries to feed silkworms, among other crops.

But while commerce and market exchanges were an important part of the rural economy until about 1550,the rural economy was not commercialized.As the population grew from 1400 to 1550,the gross volume of crops marketed and the number of rural markets both increased,but they did so at the rate of population growth.The proportion of agricultural land devoted to commercial crops in 1550 was about what it had been in 1400.But after 1550 the agricultural economy of the region became highly commercialized.Markets and marketing activity expanded at a rate faster than that of the population.

The most immediate stimulus for the commercialization of the economy was the new demand for Chinese goods-in particular silk and porcelains-from European traders who arrived in the South China Sea in the sixteenth century. For the Pearl River region,the critical trade flow was triangular,linked by the Portuguese.Either with their own funds or with silver that Japanese merchants supplied,Portuguese traders headed up the Pearl River to biannual fairs in the city of Guangzhou where they exchanged silver for export goods.These goods were loaded onto ships bound for the Japanese city of Nagasaki.Japanese merchants in Nagasaki paid in silver for the Chinese goods,launching another round of trade.Trade through Manila,in the Philippines,also brought silver into the South China economy. Chinese merchants from Guangdong and Fujian provinces sailed to Manila with their goods,which the Spanish bought with silver.From there the silver flowed back to China as the Chinese commodities found their way to Europe.By 1600 this trade resulted in an annual inflow of perhaps 200,000 kilograms of silver into the coastal economies of south and southeast China.

In the Pearl River Delta,the silk industry developed on a base that was first created by the sand-flat fields and then a particular combination of fish ponds with fruit trees. In the fifteenth century peasant farmers in the Pearl River Delta began replacing some of their sand-flat rice fields with fishponds,probably in response to increased demand from Guangzhou.On the embankments,peasant farmers in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)mostly planted fruit trees,giving rise to the fruit tree and fishpond combination.The carp fed on organic matter that either dropped or was thrown into the pond,while the mud scooped up from the pond fertilized the fruit trees and the rice fields and added height to the embankments and more protection for the fishponds.

The fruit tree and fishpond culture provided a ready-made base for expansion of the silk industry.As the demand for silk increased,peasant farmers replaced the fruit trees with mulberry trees (silkworms feed on mulberry leaves)and then began digging up even more rice paddies to expand this system.By 1581 in the Longshan area of Shunde county,for example,eighteen percent of the productive land was fishponds and,combined with the mulberry trees on the embankments, accounted for about thirty percent of the cultivated land area.

六选三

A. After 1550, commercialized agriculture took hold, driven by growing markets in Japan and Europe for Chinese goods such as silk and porcelains.

B. By 1600, trade in the Philippines through Spanish merchants increased but annual inflows of silver generated as a result of this trade were no greater than those from other markets.

C. In the Pearl River region, the soil was piled up in embankments between the fishponds in order to meet the demand for fruit.

D. The traders who transported exports from the Pearl River region to Japan were Portuguese, whereas the merchants taking exports to Manila were Chinese.

E. Starting in the fifteenth century, the fruit tree and fishpond system of agriculture steadily gained ground, most likely to meet an increased demand for fish.

F. The fruit tree and fishpond system provided the base for the expansion of the silk industry.

Answer

A√
B. ×
原文 By 1600 this trade resulted in an annual inflow of perhaps 200,000 kilograms of silver into the coastal economies of south and southeast China. 实在是没有和other markets 的比较
C. to meet the demand for fruits 没有体现是为了fruits，只是正好实现了 fertilize ×
原文 The carp fed on organic matter that either dropped or was thrown into the pond,while the mud scooped up from the pond fertilized the fruit trees and the rice fields and added height to the embankments and more protection for the fishponds.
D. √
The traders who transported exports from the Pearl River region to Japan were Portuguese：√
原文 .Either with their own funds or with silver that Japanese merchants supplied,Portuguese traders headed up the Pearl River（沿着珠江） to biannual fairs in the city of Guangzhou where they exchanged silver for export goods.These goods were loaded onto ships bound for the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
whereas the merchants taking exports to Manila were Chinese：√
Chinese merchants from Guangdong and Fujian provinces sailed to Manila with their goods,which the Spanish bought with silver.
E. × 和C一样，没有fish
原文 In the fifteenth century peasant farmers in the Pearl River Delta began replacing some of their sand-flat rice fields with fishponds,probably in response to increased demand from Guangzhou.On the embankments,peasant farmers in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)mostly planted fruit trees,giving rise to the fruit tree and fishpond combination.

The fruit tree and fishpond culture provided a ready-made base for expansion of the silk industry.
F. 完全对，原话。
原文 The fruit tree and fishpond culture provided a ready-made base for expansion of the silk industry.

∴ ADF

真题1

Reading 1

Paragraph

The situation was different in the Chinese Han Empire(206b.c.e.220a.d., where metalworkers using more advanced furnaces had identified the natural compounds that created better-quality iron during the smelting process. Through continual practice they had refined the measurements needed to ensure that the compounds added to iron ore introduced sufficient carbon to create a reliable quality of steel. The Chinese had developed large enclosed furnaces that included bamboo nozzles (round openings) to produce steady streams of air. This made it easier to keep the fire at a steady heat and control reactions within the furnace. Chinese furnaces also burned compressed coal, which further increased temperatures and reduced fuel costs. This was significant because mass-produced cast iron (iron with carbon content greater than 2 percent)could be transformed into steel by applying blasts of cool air that provided oxygen to the molten metal (the"Hundred Refinings Method"). The Chinese also knew how to turn wrought iron into steel. Blades were wrapped in fruit skins rich in carbon containing a small amount of impurities. These packages were then sealed in clay containers and heated at high temperatures over a sustained period(up to twenty-four hours) until the metal absorbed the necessary carbon and strengthening elements . In China, these techniques were used to mass-manufacture a variety of tools, including knives, hammers, and cooking pots.

Question

According to paragraph 2, the purpose of wrapping blades with fruit skins was to
A. keep cool air from reaching the blades while they were hot
B. increase the blades' strength with additional carbon
C. protect the blades while tools were being manufactured
D. prevent clay and other impurities from affecting the blades

Answer

不要看错，是 rich in carbon containing a small amount of impurities。所以后面也相应写的是 until the metal absorbed the necessary carbon and strengthening elements。所以很自然是B.

Reading 2

Paragraph

Sulfuric acid aerosols are also a major factor in the destruction of the ozone layer, which occupies the lower part of the stratosphere. A For example, the Pinatubo eruption is estimated to have caused a 15 to 25 percent decrease in ozone in the high latitudes. B Whether or not this is the mechanism, it is known that less ozone results in lower temperatures.Exactly how the aerosol affects ozone is not precisely known. C One possibility is that the droplets provide sites for the breakdown of otherwise inert chlorine compounds and in that way enhance the formation of atomic chlorine, which is known to destroy ozone. D

Question

Look at the four squares that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

Whether or not this is the mechanism, it is known that less ozone results in lower temperatures.

Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square to add the sentence to the passage

Answer

Key: 这句话是总结句，这段话前面论述了 Sulfuric acid aerosols are also a major factor in the destruction of the ozone layer，所以后面讲完 One possibility 之后就需要总结这个 less ozone results in lower temperatures.
所以答案是D
这句话实际上和这段话的关系都不大，只是为了不离题，所以联系都不紧密，因此难度还挺大的

真题2

Reading 1

Paragraph

lo seems, however, to have too much energy to make a good habitat for life. In addition to volcanism, the moon gets energy from the intense magnetic field of Jupiter. As the moon passes through this field, tremendous amounts of energy are generated. The forces strip nearly a ton of mass from the surface every second, creating a cloud of charged ions around the moon. Life as we know it would quickly dissolve on the surface of lo.

Question

According to paragraph 2. which of the following is explained by lo's passage through Jupiter's magnetic field?
A. The nature and extent of lo's volcanism
B. The speed at which lo orbits Jupiter
C. The composition of lo's surface crust
D. The presence of a cloud of charged ions around lo

Answer

D. The presence of a cloud of charged ions around lo

The forces strip nearly a ton of mass from the surface every second, creating a cloud of charged ions around the moon.

仔细读！不要想太多

Paragraph

Some scientists think that two of Jupiter's four large ("Galilean") moons, lo and Europa, may be candidates for hosting life-in part because both of them have two important preconditions, water and an energy source. lo is similar to the rocky inner planets (such as Earth and Mars) in its composition, having an iron core and large amounts of silicon. Proximity to Jupiter makes it far more geologically dynamic than any other planet or moon. Tidal forces- caused by the gravitational effects of Jupiter and other moons-deform lo as it passes through its orbit. The process heats the moon, and constant volcanism results as the surface crust fails to keep in the sloshing magma (liquefied rock) underneath. The surface can change up to a hundred meters between high and low tide in some places. Other than Earth, lo is the only object in the solar system known to have currently active volcanoes. Eruptions wipe out all evidence of meteoric impacts; no craters can be seen on the surface.

lo seems, however, to have too much energy to make a good habitat for life. In addition to volcanism, the moon gets energy from the intense magnetic field of Jupiter. As the moon passes through this field, tremendous amounts of energy are generated. The forces strip nearly a ton of mass from the surface every second, creating a cloud of charged ions around the moon. Life as we know it would quickly dissolve on the surface of lo.

The second nearest of the Galilean satellites is Europa. In many respects it resembles lo, but its composition is radically different. Europa possesses large quantities of water, either as ice or as a liquid. Massive tides warm Europa, though they are only about one-tenth as strong as the ones affecting lo. On this moon, the tides probably maintain an extensive ocean under the sea ice. Several lines of evidence point to liquid water. Planetary scientists were surprised to discover that very few large craters exist on the surface. Some process must be resurfacing the planet on a regular basis, leading many to believe that liquid water spills out. Second, the Galileo spacecraft detected a magnetic field induced by Jupiter. Some conducting material must be present around the inside of the planet. Liquid water with salts seems the most likely solution. Finally, the mass and size of Europa are consistent with an ice-and-water mixture.

Question

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the presence of life on Europa?
A. Life on Europa would be more likely if a conductive material like salt were present in the water.
B. Jupiter's magnetic field may be too strong to support life on Europa.
C. Europa is more likely than lo to be capable of supporting life
D. Any life on Europa would likely be found on its surface, not in its ocean.

Answer

答案是C，这道题的D是全称的表述更离谱，所以C相对好一点

Paragraph 3 mentions that Europa's "Massive tides warm Europa, though they are only about one-tenth as strong as the ones affecting Io." This directly contrasts Europa's tidal heating with Io's. In paragraph 2, it is stated that Io "seems, however, to have too much energy to make a good habitat for life" and "Life as we know it would quickly dissolve on the surface of Io." By stating that Europa's tidal forces are significantly weaker than Io's (and thus, by implication, its energy is less extreme), and focusing on the presence of liquid water (a key precondition for life), paragraph 3, in the context of the entire passage, implies that Europa is a more plausible candidate for life compared to Io, which was dismissed as too energetic.

TPO 68

Reading 1

Paragraph

Venice manipulated markets by controlling production. In the late thirteenth century, wishing to raise the world market price, Venice had all saltworks on the Greek island of Crete destroyed, and it banned the local production of salt. The Venetians then brought in all the salt needed for local consumption, built stores to sell the imported salt, and paid damages to the owners of the saltworks. The policy was designed to control prices and at the same time keep the locals happy. Aiding its ability to ruthlessly manipulate commerce and control territory, Venice maintained the ships of the merchant fleet as a naval reserve and called them into combat when needed. The Venetian fleet patrolled the Adriatic Sea, stopped ships, inspected cargo, and demanded licensing documents to make sure all commercial traffic was conforming with its regulations.

Question

The word"ruthlessly" in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. without pressure
B. without mercy
C. without effort
D. without expense

Answer

答案B，解析来自Gemini:

证据 A（关于盐业）：
文中提到威尼斯为了提高世界市场价格 (raise the world market price)，采取了极端手段："had all saltworks on the Greek island of Crete destroyed"（摧毁了克里特岛上所有的盐场）。
并且 "banned the local production of salt"（禁止当地生产盐）。
分析：这种为了自己的经济利益，直接摧毁别人产业、禁止别人生产的行为，是非常强硬、霸道且没有商量余地的。这就是 "ruthless" 的体现。

证据 B（关于海军）：
文中提到威尼斯利用商船作为海军预备队，"patrolled the Adriatic Sea, stopped ships, inspected cargo"（巡逻亚得里亚海，拦截船只，检查货物）。
分析：这种严格的监控和强制执行手段，也体现了其手段的强硬和彻底。

词汇

单词 (Word)	注释 (Annotation)	文章里的用法 (Usage in the article)
cargo	货物，指船、飞机、火车或货车运送的物品。	Growing fat on the salt subsidy Venice merchants could afford to send ships to the eastern Mediterranean, where they picked up valuable cargoes of Indian spices and sold them in western Europe at low prices that their non-Venetian competitors could not afford to offer.
patrol	巡逻，指为维护安全而在特定区域内巡查。	The Venetian fleet patrolled the Adriatic Sea, stopped ships, inspected cargo, and demanded licensing documents to make sure all commercial traffic was conforming with its regulations.
subsidy	补助金；津贴，通常指政府或机构为帮助个人或企业而提供的资金援助。	Beginning in 1281, the government paid merchants a subsidy on salt landed in Venice from other areas.
ruthless	无情的；冷酷的，指没有怜悯之心，为达目的不择手段。	Aiding its ability to ruthlessly manipulate commerce and control territory, Venice maintained the ships of the merchant fleet as a naval reserve and called them into combat when needed.
naval	海军的，与国家的海上军事力量有关。	Aiding its ability to ruthlessly manipulate commerce and control territory, Venice maintained the ships of the merchant fleet as a naval reserve and called them into combat when needed.
subsidize	资助；给...补助金，指向某人或某组织提供资金以支付部分成本。	When grain harvests failed in Italy, Venice would use its salt income to subsidize grain imports from other parts of the Mediterranean and thereby corner the Italian grain market.
metropolis	大都市；主要城市，通常指一个国家或地区最重要的大城市。	The salt administration also maintained Venice's palatial public buildings and the complex hydraulic system that prevented the metropolis from washing away.
fine-grained	细粒的；纹理细腻的，由细小的颗粒组成。	But Chioggia produced a fine-grained salt, so when Venetians wanted coarser salt, they had to import it.
tonnage	吨位；吨数，用来衡量船只的载重能力或货物的重量。	Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, a period when Venice was a leading port for grains and spices, 30 to 50 percent of the tonnage of imports to Venice was in salt.
stipulate	规定；明确要求，指在协议中明确规定某项条件。	In 1250, when Venice agreed to supply Mantua and Ferrara with salt, the contract stipulated that these cities would not buy salt from anyone else.
hydraulic	液压的；水力的，与液体（特别是水）的运动和力有关。	The salt administration also maintained Venice's palatial public buildings and the complex hydraulic system that prevented the metropolis from washing away.
### Reading 2

Paragraph

Volcanoes are the landforms created when molten rock, or magma, escapes from vents in the Earth's surface and then solidifies around these vents. In any given year, roughly 50 of Earth's active volcanoes erupt - usually with some warning. Before they blow, they typically shake,swell, warm up and belch a variety of gases. Scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP)-part of the US. Geological Survey and based at the US. Geologicai Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington -are always on call, ready when summoned to rush at a moment's notice to an awakening volcano anywhere in the worid; armed with the latest in lasers, sesmometers, and other monitoring devices, they can assess the volcano's potential for violence and predict when it might ignite.

Question

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?' incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Scientists based at the US Geological Survey's Cascade Volcanic Observatory in Vancouver, Washington are always being asked to rush somewhere to predict when a volcano is likely to awake and, if it erupts, what damage it could do.
B. Armed with teh latest technology, US Geological Survey scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program are always available to go anywhere in the world to assess whether,and'when, an awakening volcano will erupt.
C. in order to learn how to predict when an awakening volcano will erupt, scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program take the latest lasers, seismometers, and other monitoring devices wherever there is an awakening volcano.
D. US. Geological Survey scientists from the Cascade Volcanic Observatory in Vancouver, Washington have the latest lasers seismometers, and other monitoring devices which they use in assessing volcanoes worldwide to predict which of them will erupt violently.

Answer

首先，我们来拆解一下原文中高亮句子的核心信息：

谁 (Who): 美国地质调查局的科学家，他们来自火山灾害援助计划（VDAP），驻地在华盛顿州温哥华的喀斯开火山观测站。
做什么 (What): 他们随时待命（always on call），准备好在接到通知后立即（at a moment's notice）赶往世界任何地方（anywhere in the world）正在苏醒的火山。
用什么 (With what): 他们配备了最新的设备，如激光器、地震仪和其他监测设备。
为什么 (Why): 他们的目的是评估火山的潜在暴力程度（potential for violence）并预测它何时可能喷发（predict when it might ignite）。

现在我们逐一分析每个选项：

选项 A 的问题:

"are always being asked to rush somewhere" (总是被要求赶往某地) 这个表述不准确。原文是 "are always on call, ready when summoned" (随时待命，一旦被召唤就准备好出发)，强调的是他们的准备状态和随时响应的能力，而不是一个持续不断的“被要求”的动作。
"...predict when a volcano is likely to awake" (预测火山何时可能苏醒) 这与原文不符。原文说他们去的是 "an awakening volcano" (一个正在苏醒的火山)，他们的任务是预测它何时会“喷发”（ignite），而不是预测它何时“苏醒”。
"...what damage it could do" (它会造成什么损害) 这也不是原文的直接信息。原文是评估 "the volcano's potential for violence" (火山的潜在暴力程度)，这与具体的“损害”评估有细微差别，原文更侧重于火山本身爆发的强度。

选项 C 的问题:

这个选项完全曲解了科学家的目的。它说科学家这么做是为了 "to learn how to predict" (为了学习如何预测)。但原文明确指出，他们是已经具备专业知识的专家，去现场的目的是应用他们的技能来 "assess" (评估) 和 "predict" (预测) 一个特定火山的活动，而不是去学习。他们的行动是应用，而不是学习。

选项 D 的问题:

这个选项改变了工作的范围和流程。它说科学家们 "use in assessing volcanoes worldwide to predict which of them will erupt violently" (在全球范围内评估火山，以预测它们中的哪一个会猛烈喷发)。这听起来像是一个持续的、全球性的普查工作，试图从所有火山中筛选出可能喷发的那个。而原文描述的是一个响应机制：当一个特定的火山已经开始苏醒 (an awakening volcano) 时，他们才会被召唤出动，针对这个特定的火山进行评估。原文的行动是“被动的、响应式的”，而选项D描述成了“主动的、普遍性的”。

为什么选项 B 是最佳答案:

"Armed with the latest technology..." (配备了最新的技术) 对应原文的 "...armed with the latest in lasers, sesmometers, and other monitoring devices..."。
"...US Geological Survey scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program are always available to go anywhere in the world..." (来自火山灾害援助计划的美国地质调查局科学家随时可以前往世界任何地方) 完美对应了原文的 "Scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP)-part of the US. Geological Survey...are always on call, ready when summoned to rush...to an awakening volcano anywhere in the worid"。
"...to assess whether, and when, an awakening volcano will erupt." (去评估一个正在苏醒的火山是否会以及何时会喷发) 这准确地概括了原文的 "...assess the volcano's potential for violence and predict when it might ignite"。评估其“潜在暴力程度”就是判断它是否会猛烈喷发（whether），而预测“何时点燃”就是判断“何时喷发”（when）。

结论:
选项B最准确、最完整地保留了原始句子的所有核心信息，没有歪曲事实或遗漏关键点。而选项A、C、D都在不同程度上改变了原文的含义，或是错误地描述了科学家的工作性质、目的或范围。

Paragraph

Active volcanoes expand in volume as they acquire new supplies of magma from below. As a result, an increase in the steepness or bulging of a volcano's slope may signal an impending eruption. To detect the inflation of a volcanic cone, a tilt meter, a device like a carpenter's level, is used. As magma rises, it pushes aside fractured rock,enlarging the fractures as it moves. Because this type of fracturing causes earthquakes, eruptions are often preceded by a distinctive pattern of earthquake activity called harmonic tremors, a continuous rhythmic rumbling. Sensitive equipment that monitors the location where these tremors occur can measure the increased height of rising magma. The rate at which the magma rises provides an estimate of when an eruption may occur. Indeed, it served as the principal means by which scientists accurately predicted recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens.

Question

The mention of the accurate prediction of recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens serves to
A. emphasize the decisive role of new technology in accurately predicting when a volcano is likely to erupt
B. illustrate the effectiveness of tilt meters in predicting volcanic eruptions
C. provide an example of how monitoring certain distinctive patterns of earthquake activity can provide a reliable indication of where an eruption will occur
D. support the claim that the rate at which magma rises is a good indicator of when an eruption will occur

Answer

这个问题的关键在于理解最后一句“提到圣海伦火山的精确预测”是为了支撑它前面紧邻的那个观点。我们必须先找到它直接支撑的观点是什么。

让我们看一下文章的结构，特别是最后几句：

现象/方法： 监测由岩浆上升引起的称为“谐波震颤”（harmonic tremors）的地震活动。
能测量什么： "Sensitive equipment... can measure the increased height of rising magma." (灵敏的设备...可以测量上升岩浆增加的高度。)
核心观点/主张 (Claim)： "The rate at which the magma rises provides an estimate of when an eruption may occur." (岩浆上升的速率可以用来估计火山何时可能喷发。)
支撑证据 (Support/Example)： "Indeed, it served as the principal means by which scientists accurately predicted recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens." (事实上，它是科学家们精确预测最近圣海伦火山喷发的主要手段。)

这里的代词 “it” 指代的就是前一句话的核心主语：“The rate at which the magma rises”（岩浆上升的速率）。

因此，最后一句话的作用就是用一个真实的、成功的例子（圣海伦火山）来证明前一句话的观点是正确和有效的。

现在我们来分析各个选项：

为什么选项 D 是正确的？

D. support the claim that the rate at which magma rises is a good indicator of when an eruption will occur (支持“岩浆上升的速率是火山何时喷发的一个良好指标”这一说法。)
这完美地匹配了我们的分析。文章提出了一个主张/观点（岩浆上升速率可以预测喷发时间），然后立即用圣海伦火山的例子来支撑（support）这个主张。

为什么选项 A 是错误的？

A. emphasize the decisive role of new technology in accurately predicting when a volcano is likely to erupt (强调新技术在精确预测火山何时可能喷发中的决定性作用。)
虽然文章提到了“灵敏的设备”，但重点并非强调技术的“新旧”或“决定性作用”。文章的重点是通过技术获得了什么数据（岩浆上升速率）以及这个数据有什么用（预测时间）。圣海伦火山的例子是用来证明这个“数据”的有效性，而不是为了笼统地赞美“新技术”。这个选项过于宽泛和笼统。

为什么选项 B 是错误的？

B. illustrate the effectiveness of tilt meters in predicting volcanic eruptions (说明倾斜仪在预测火山喷发中的有效性。)
这是一个明显的错误。倾斜仪（tilt meter）是在文章的前半部分提到的，用于检测火山斜坡的“膨胀”（bulging）。而圣海伦火山的例子是在文章的后半部分，紧跟在讨论“谐波震颤”和“岩浆上升速率”之后。这个例子支撑的是后一个观点，与倾斜仪无关。

为什么选项 C 是错误的？

C. provide an example of how monitoring certain distinctive patterns of earthquake activity can provide a reliable indication of where an eruption will occur (提供一个例子，说明监测特定的地震活动模式如何能可靠地指示喷发将在哪里发生。)
这个选项非常具有迷惑性，但它错在一个关键的词上：“where”（在哪里）。
我们再看原文，文章说通过监测地震可以估计“when” (何时) 喷发。圣海伦火山的例子也是用来证明预测时间的准确性。虽然文章前面提到可以监测“the location where these tremors occur”（震颤发生的位置），但这并不是圣海伦火山这个例子直接证明的观点。这个例子直接证明的是它紧挨着的前一句话——关于预测 “何时 (when)” 喷发的观点。因此，C选项将预测的内容从“时间”偷换概念到了“地点”，这是它错误的核心原因。

总结：
圣海伦火山的例子是一个具体的证据，用来支持一个特定的论点。要找到正确答案，就必须准确识别这个例子直接支持的是哪一个论点。通过分析句子结构和代词“it”的指向，我们可以确定它支持的是“岩浆上升速率可以预测喷发时间”这一论点，这与选项D完全吻合。

Paragraph

Active volcanoes expand in volume as they acquire new supplies of magma from below. 【A】As a result, an increase in the steepness or bulging of a volcano's slope may signal an impending eruption. 【B】 To detect the inflation of a volcanic cone, a tilt meter, a device like a carpenter's level, is used. 【C】As magma rises, it pushes aside fractured rock,enlarging the fractures as it moves. Because this type of fracturing causes earthquakes, eruptions are often preceded by a distinctive pattern of earthquake activity called harmonic tremors, a continuous rhythmic rumbling. 【D】Sensitive equipment that monitors the location where these tremors occur can measure the increased height of rising magma. The rate at which the magma rises provides an estimate of when an eruption may occur. Indeed, it served as the principal means by which scientists accurately predicted recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens.

Answer

主要是bulge-凸出，这个词不认识导致的
These additions 指代的是 acquire new supplies -> 增加的岩浆导致火山向侧面凸出
C后面就开始讲谐波的事情了，和additions没啥关系了 :)

Paragraph

Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes are the landforms created when molten rock, or magma, escapes from vents in the Earth's surface and then solidifies around these vents. In any given year, roughly 50 of Earth's active volcanoes erupt - usually with some warning. Before they blow, they typically shake,swell, warm up and belch a variety of gases. Scientists from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP)-part of the US. Geological Survey and based at the US. Geologicai Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington -are always on call, ready when summoned to rush at a moment's notice to an awakening volcano anywhere in the worid; armed with the latest in lasers, sesmometers, and other monitoring devices, they can assess the volcano's potential for violence and predict when it might ignite.

Geologists have enjoyed fair success in predicting individual eruptive episodes when they concentrate on a specific volcano after an eruptive phase has begun. These monitoring efforts involve carefully measuring changes in a volcano's surface temperature, watching for the slightest expansion in its slope, and keeping track of regional earthquake activity. A laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle is staffed 24 hours a day to monitor the rumblings of Mount St. Helens. Even with the advances brought by today's technology, however, the art of volcano prediction has not been fully mastered. The US. Geological Survey missed the call on Mount St. Helens' 1980 blast despite the fact that the mountain was being watched closely by a large team of scientists armed with the latest in prediction technology. lt did successfully predict the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines evacuating virtually everyone within 25 kilometers (15 miles) before the volcano's powerful blast on May 17,1991.

Before a volcano erupts, hot magma rises toward the surface, so any local manifestation of increasing heat may signal an impending event. Ongoing surveys can identify new surface hot springs and take the temperature of the water and steam in existing ones. lf the escaping steam isn't much hotter than the boiling point of water, then surface water is probably seeping into the mountain and being heated by contact with hot subsurface rocks, and all is well for the time being. If the steam is superheated, with temperatures as high as 500°C(900°F),then it probably derives from shallow watern'ch magma, a sign that an eruption may be brewing. As magma rises, the volcanic cone itself begins to heat up.The overall temperatur of a volcanic cone can be monitored from an orbiting satellite equipped with infrared heat sensors to detect the slightest change in surface temperature. This high-altitude technology serves as a simultaneous early-warning system for most of Earths 600 or so active volcanoes. lmpending eruptions may also be predicted by increased gas emissions from rising magmas. For this reason, volcanologists continuously monitor sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions from potentially active volcanoes.

Active volcanoes expand in volume as they acquire new supplies of magma from below. As a result, an increase in the steepness or bulging of a volcano's slope may signal an impending eruption. To detect the inflation of a volcanic cone, a tilt meter, a device like a carpenter's level, is used. As magma rises, it pushes aside fractured rock,enlarging the fractures as it moves. Because this type of fracturing causes earthquakes, eruptions are often preceded by a distinctive pattern of earthquake activity called harmonic tremors, a continuous rhythmic rumbling. Sensitive equipment that monitors the location where these tremors occur can measure the increased height of rising magma. The rate at which the magma rises provides an estimate of when an eruption may occur. Indeed, it served as the principal means by which scientists accurately predicted recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens.

Efforts to predict eruptions are thwarted, however, when we are unaware of a site's volcanic potential. Occasionally, a new volcano appears suddenly and rather unexpectedly, as was the case in 1943, when the volcano Paricutin developed literally aovernight in the Mexican state of Michoacan, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Mexico City. The surrounding area was known to be volcanic because of its geologic zone, but it was not possible to predict that the volcano would appear at this particular site. Our ability to predict volcanic eruptions continues to improve but is not yet as accurate as we need it to be.

Question

A. Because hot magma rises toward the surface before a volcano erupts, an increase in heat, as well as increased emissions near a potentially active volcano, can signal a coming eruption.
B. Orbiting satellites equipped with the latest high altitude technology have now replaced ground-based early-warning systems for all but a few of the Earth's known active volcanoes.
C. Since rising magma enlarges fractures and pushes aside fractured rock, it causes a distinctive type of earthquake, which often signals eruptions.
D. The sudden appearance of new surface hot springs on the slope of a potentially active volcano is a strong indication that an eruption at that site is likely to occur soon.
E. New bulges on a volcano's slop may signal an impending eruption because volcanoes expand as magma rises up into them, and the speed of the rise indicates when an eruption may occur.
F. Knowledge that an area is volcanic enables geologists to successfully predict when a volcanic eruption will occur somewhere within that area, but they cannot predict exactly where it will occur.

Answer

F 的主要问题是全文没有accurately predict when的表述
答案是ACE

词汇

Word	Meaning	Usage
blast	n. (名词) 爆炸；冲击波	The US. Geological Survey missed the call on Mount St. Helens' 1980 blast despite the fact that the mountain was being watched closely by a large team of scientists armed with the latest in prediction technology.
cone	n. (名词) 圆锥体；（火山）锥	As magma rises, the volcanic cone itself begins to heat up.
carpenter	n. (名词) 木匠	To detect the inflation of a volcanic cone, a tilt meter, a device like a carpenter's level, is used.
derive	v. (动词) 取得；源于	If the steam is superheated, with temperatures as high as 500°C(900°F),then it probably derives from shallow watern'ch magma, a sign that an eruption may be brewing.
fracture	n. (名词) 裂缝；断裂	As magma rises, it pushes aside fractured rock,enlarging the fractures as it moves.
brew	v. (动词) 酝酿；（坏事）即将来临	If the steam is superheated, with temperatures as high as 500°C(900°F),then it probably derives from shallow watern'ch magma, a sign that an eruption may be brewing.
sulfur	n. (名词) 硫，硫磺	For this reason, volcanologists continuously monitor sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions from potentially active volcanoes.
magma	n. (名词) 岩浆	Volcanoes are the landforms created when molten rock, or magma, escapes from vents in the Earth's surface and then solidifies around these vents.
impending	adj. (形容词) 即将发生的；临近的	Before a volcano erupts, hot magma rises toward the surface, so any local manifestation of increasing heat may signal an impending event.
thwarted	v. (动词) 阻挠；挫败	Efforts to predict eruptions are thwarted, however, when we are unaware of a site's volcanic potential.
seismometer	n. (名词) 地震仪	...armed with the latest in lasers, sesmometers, and other monitoring devices, they can assess the volcano's potential for violence and predict when it might ignite.

TPO 67

Reading 1

Paragraph

The second event through which agriculture modified our planet was European colonization. Previously, migration and trade had moved crops between countries and continents, but the Europeans inaugurated an unprecedented dispersal of biological material worldwide. Maize, tomatoes, and potatoes were transported from the New World to the Old; wheat, rye, and barley were carried from the Old World to the New; and rice, soybeans, and alfalfa were moved from their Asian sources to every arable continent. Each of these and innumerable other introductions conveyed not only unique material but also assemblages of introduced plant pests and diseases that today cause the majority of pest-management problems around the world.

Question

The word "inaugurated" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. Encouraged
B. observed
C. achieved
D. introduced

Answer

正确答案：D
这道题感觉完全吃积累，硬解释的话就是指【引入】，没有能做到鼓励的作用

Paragraph

Crop Engineering
Our current ability to precisely engineer crop genomes was preceded by a long history of genetic manipulation in agriculture. Human impact and its accompanying effects began early in our history at many tropical and subtropical sites around the globe. Our ancestors were omnivores, consuming whatever plant or animal material they fortuitously encountered. Even then, humans had considerable effects on the environment, reducing and even driving to extinction populations of the animal species they hunted and expanding the distribution of plants by accidentally distributing seeds as they migrated.
Humans probably first realized that seeds could yield a stable food supply through agriculture when they observed plants arising from refuse or wasteland, perhaps fruit trees growing along forest and jungle paths from discarded or defecated seeds or else vegetables sprouting in garbage dumps at temporary settlements. A more organized approach to agriculture began about eight to ten thousand years ago coincidentally at a number of locations around the globe. The most diverse farming developed in the Near East, with legumes, cereals flax, sesame, and fruit trees. At about the same time, New World residents were growing beans, maize, squashes, and potatoes, and Asian farmers were beginning to cultivate rice.
These early domesticated crops foreshadowed the overwhelming changes contemporary agriculture has wrought in plants. Humans soon learned to separate varieties that could be grown as crops from wild types in order to prevent characteristics undesirable for cultivation from mingling with those selected for farming. Continued selection of crops with desirable characteristics increased the separation between feral (wild) and managed plants and accelerated the diminishing diversity and more limited variation found in today's crops.
The simplest way to select crops is to save seeds preferentially from plants with beneficial traits, and the first farmers selected for large seeds and fruit, increased seed production, lack of dormancy, faster germination, higher annual yield, and reduced seed scattering. The success of this early selection resulted in an accelerating impact of agriculture on crop diversity and feral plants. Crops quickly became commodities, moved and traded over a rapidly widening area, so that many plants were distributed well beyond their previous ranges, and some throughout the globe.
Three phenomena have characterized the more recent impact of agriculture on Earth. The first was the increase in human population, which has doubled at shorter and shorter intervals over the last thousand years. The result was increased acreage under cultivation and a fundamental remodeling of the globe toward managed rather than wild ecosystems. By 1998 there were 3,410,523,800 acres of land under cultivation worldwide, an area larger than the United States. Entire ecosystems have disappeared, others remain but are threatened, and the sheer volume of people and area of farmland have been major forces of biological change.
The second event through which agriculture modified our planet was European colonization. Previously, migration and trade had moved crops between countries and continents, but the Europeans inaugurated an unprecedented dispersal of biological material worldwide. Maize, tomatoes, and potatoes were transported from the New World to the Old; wheat, rye, and barley were carried from the Old World to the New; and rice, soybeans, and alfalfa were moved from their Asian sources to every arable continent. Each of these and innumerable other introductions conveyed not only unique material but also assemblages of introduced plant pests and diseases that today cause the majority of pest-management problems around the world.
The third factor shaping the nature of agriculture and the environment alike is the increasing precision with which we have selected and bred crops. This acuity stemmed from many advances, but at its heart lies the work of two men-one, the English naturalist Charles Darwin, and the other, an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel. The concepts of evolution and genetics were not their work alone, but both of them were decades ahead of their colleagues in synthesizing the companion concepts of natural selection and inheritance that are at the core of all contemporary biological science and that form the substrate upon which biotechnology grew.

Question

A. Humans have affected plants through the process of selective breeding for more than 10,000 years.
B. Domesticated plants feve affected ecosystems worldwide as they have spread through human migration, trade, and colonization
C. A greater variety of crops was cultivated in the Near East than in the New World and Asia
D. The wide distribution of plants throughout the world has led to the development of effective pest-management techniques aimed at protecting plants against pests and diseases.
E. Biotechnology, based on the concepts of natural selection and inheritance, has enhanced farmers' ability to select and grow crops with valuable characteristics.
F. Farmers have developed methods of crop selection and breeding that do not adversely affect the environment following the work of Darwin and Mendel.

Answer

答案是ABE
这题实在太细节了，看AI的解释：
选项 C 进行了直接的数量比较，说近东的品种“比新大陆和亚洲（加起来）的更多”（greater variety... than in the New World and Asia）
另外C确实不是主要内容，比较偏detail，这个角度也不太该选

词汇

Word	Meaning	Usage
bred	v. 繁殖；培育，breed的过去分词	The third factor shaping the nature of agriculture and the environment alike is the increasing precision with which we have selected and bred crops.
stem	v. 源于；来自	This acuity stemmed from many advances, but at its heart lies the work of two men-one, the English naturalist Charles Darwin, and the other, an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel.
squash	n. 西葫芦；南瓜	At about the same time, New World residents were growing beans, maize, squashes, and potatoes, and Asian farmers were beginning to cultivate rice.
rye	n. 黑麦	...wheat, rye, and barley were carried from the Old World to the New...
barley	n. 大麦	...wheat, rye, and barley were carried from the Old World to the New...
acreage	n. 英亩数；面积	The result was increased acreage under cultivation and a fundamental remodeling of the globe toward managed rather than wild ecosystems.
foreshadow	v. 预示；是…的预兆	These early domesticated crops foreshadowed the overwhelming changes contemporary agriculture has wrought in plants.
germination	n. 发芽；萌发	...and the first farmers selected for large seeds and fruit, increased seed production, lack of dormancy, faster germination, higher annual yield, and reduced seed scattering.
dispersal	n. 散布；传播	Previously, migration and trade had moved crops between countries and continents, but the Europeans inaugurated an unprecedented dispersal of biological material worldwide.
wrought	v. 造成；引起 (work的过去分词)	These early domesticated crops foreshadowed the overwhelming changes contemporary agriculture has wrought in plants.
inaugurate	v. 开创；开启	Previously, migration and trade had moved crops between countries and continents, but the Europeans inaugurated an unprecedented dispersal of biological material worldwide.
maize	n. 玉米	At about the same time, New World residents were growing beans, maize, squashes, and potatoes, and Asian farmers were beginning to cultivate rice.
arable	adj. 适于耕种的	...and rice, soybeans, and alfalfa were moved from their Asian sources to every arable continent.
omnivores	n. 杂食动物	Our ancestors were omnivores, consuming whatever plant or animal material they fortuitously encountered.
dormancy	n. 休眠（状态）	...and the first farmers selected for large seeds and fruit, increased seed production, lack of dormancy, faster germination, higher annual yield, and reduced seed scattering.
feral	adj. 野生的	Continued selection of crops with desirable characteristics increased the separation between feral (wild) and managed plants and accelerated the diminishing diversity and more limited variation found in today's crops.
assemblage	n. 组合；集合体	Each of these and innumerable other introductions conveyed not only unique material but also assemblages of introduced plant pests and diseases that today cause the majority of pest-management problems around the world.
acuity	n. 敏锐	This acuity stemmed from many advances, but at its heart lies the work of two men...
substrate	n. 基础；基质	...and that form the substrate upon which biotechnology grew.

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