TPO托福阅读练习题37及参考答案（二）

　　Paragraph 4: As he collected fossils from strata throughout England, Smith began to see that the fossils told a different story from the rocks Particularly in the younger strata the rocks were often so similar that he had trouble distinguishing the strata, but he never had trouble telling the fossils apart．While rock between two consistent strata might in one place be shale and in another sandstone, the fossils in that shale or sandstone were always the same．Some fossils endured through so many millions of years that they appear In many strata，but others occur only in a few strata, and a few species had their births and extinctions within one particular stratum．Fossils are thus identifying markers for particular periods in Earth's history．

　　8.According to paragraph 4，it was difficult for Smith to distinguish rock strata because

　　○the rocks from different strata closely resembled each other

　　○he was often unable to find fossils in the younger rock strata

　　○their similarity to each other made it difficult for him to distinguish one rock type from another

　　○the type of rock between two consistent strata was always the same

　　9. The word endured in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○vanished

　　○developed

　　○varied

　　○survived

　　Paragraph 5: Not only could Smith identify rock strata by the fossils they contained, he could also see a pattern emerging：certain fossils always appear in more ancient sediments while others begin to be seen as the strata become more recent. By following the fossils, Smith was able to put all the strata of England's earth into relative temporal sequence. About the same time, Georges Cuvier made the same discovery while studying the rocks around Paris. Soon it was realized that this principle of faunal (animal) succession was valid not only in England or France but virtually everywhere. It was actually a principle of floral succession as well, because plants showed the same transformation through time as did fauna. Limestone may be found in the Cambrian or-300 million years later-in the Jurassic strata but a trilobite-the ubiquitous marine arthropod that had its birth in the Cambrian-will never be found in Jurassic strata, nor a dinosaur in the Cambrian.

　　10. The word "virtually" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　○possibly

　　○absolutely

　　○surprisingly

　　○nearly

　　11. Select the TWO answer choices that are true statements based upon the discussion of the principle of faunal succession in paragraph 5. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.

　　○It was a principle that applied to fauna but not to flora．

　　○It was discovered independently by two different geologists，

　　○It describes how fossils are distributed in rock strata

　　○It explains why plants and animals undergo transformations through time．

　　12. In mentioning "trilobite", the author is making which of the following points?

　　○Fossils cannot be found in more than one rock stratum．

　　○Faunal succession can help put rock layers in relative temporal sequence．

　　○Faunal succession cannot be applied to different strata composed of the same kind of rock．

　　○The presence of trilobite fossils makes it difficult to date a rock．

　　Paragraph 5: Not only could Smith identify rock strata by the fossils they contained, he could also see a pattern emerging：certain fossils always appear in more ancient sediments, while others begin to be seen as the strata become more recent. █ By following the fossils．Smith was able to put all the strata of England's earth into relative temporal sequence. █About the same time, Georges Cuvier made the same discovery while studying the rocks around Paris. █Soon it was realized that this principle of faunal(animal)succession was valid not only in England or France but virtually everywhere. █It was actually a principle of floral succession as well, because plants showed the same transformation through time as did fauna. Limestone may be found in the Cambrian or-300 million years later-in the Jurassic strata but a trilobite-the ubiquitous marine arthropod that had its birth in the Cambrian-will never be found in Jurassic strata, nor a dinosaur in the Cambrian.

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

　　The findings of these geologists inspired others to examine the rock and fossil records in different parts of the world．

　　Where would the sentence best fit?

　　14. William Smith's contributions to geology have increased our knowledge of the Each's history．

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　　Answer Choices

　　1. Smith found success easily in his profession because he came from a family of geologists and surveyors.

　　2. Smith's work on canals allowed him to collect fossils and study rock layers all over England.

　　3. Smith found that fossils are much more reliable indicators of geological time than rock strata are．

　　4. Smith was named "the father of English geology" for his maps rather than for his other contributions to the field.

　　5. Smith and Cuvier discovered that fossil patterns are easier to observe in ancient rock strata than in younger rock strata.

　　6. The discovery of the principle of faunal succession allowed geologists to establish the relative age of Earth's rock layers.