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1、 为了帮助大家高效备考托福， 为大家带来托福 TPO40 阅读 Passage2 原文文本+题目+答案 解析，希望对大家备考有所帮助。 Latitude and Biodiversity When we look at the way in which biodiversity(biological diversity)is distributed over the land surface of the planet,we find that it is far from even.The tropics contain many more species overall than an e
2、quivalent area at the higher latitudes.This seems to be true for many different groups of animals and plants. Why is it that higher latitudes have lower diversities than the tropics?Perhaps it is simply a matter of land area.The tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudesa fa
3、ct that is not always evident when we examine commonly used projections of Earths curved surface,since this tends to exaggerate the areas of land in the higher latitudesand some biogeographers regard the differences in diversity as a reflection of this effect.But an analysis of the data by biologist
4、 Klaus Rohde does not support this explanation.Although area may contribute to biodiversity,it is certainly not the whole story;otherwise,large landmasses would always be richer in species. Productivity seems to be involved instead,though perhaps its influence is indirect.Where conditions are most s
5、uitable for plant growththat is,where temperatures are relatively high and uniform and where there is an ample supply of waterone usually finds large masses of vegetation.This leads to a complex structure in the layers of plant material.In a tropical rain forest,for example,a very large quantity of
6、plant material builds up above the surface of the ground.There is also a large mass of material,developed below ground as root tissues,but this is less apparent.Careful analysis of the above ground material reveals that it is arranged in a series of layers,the precise number of layers varying with a
7、ge and the nature of the forest.The arrangement of the biological mass(“biomass“)of the vegetation into layered forms is termed its“structure”(as opposed to its“composition,”which refers to the species of organisms forming the community).Structure is essentially the architecture of vegetation,and as
8、 in the case of tropical forests,it can be extremely complicated.In a mature floodplain tropical forest in the Amazon River basin,the canopy(the uppermost layers of a forest,formed by the crowns of trees)takes on a stratified structure.There are three clear peaks in leaf cover at heights of approxim
9、ately 3,6,and 30 meters above the ground;and the very highest layer,at 50 meters,corresponds to the very tall trees that stand free of the main canopy and form an open layer of their own.So,such a forest contains essentially four layers of canopy.Forests in temperate lands often have just two canopy
10、 layers,so they have much less complex architecture. Structure has a strong influence on the animal life inhabiting a site.It forms the spatial environment within which an animal feeds,moves around shelters,lives,and breeds.It even affects the climate on a very local level(the“microclimate“)by influ
11、encing light intensity,humidity,and both the range and extremes of temperature.An area of grassland vegetation with very simple structure,for example,has a very different microclimate at the ground level from that experienced in the upper canopy.Wind speeds are lower,temperatures are lower during th
12、e day(but warmer at night),and the relative humidity is much greater near the ground.The complexity of the microclimate is closely related to the complexity of structure in vegetation,and generally speaking,the more complex the structure of vegetation,the more species of animal are able to make a li
13、ving there.The high plant biomass of the tropics leads to a greater spatial complexity in the environment,and this leads to a higher potential for diversity in the living things that can occupy a region.The climates of the higher latitudes are generally less favorable for the accumulation of large q
14、uantities of biomass;hence,the structure of vegetation is simpler and the animal diversity is consequently lower. paragraph 1 When we look at the way in which biodiversity(biological diversity)is distributed over the land surface of the planet,we find that it is far from even.The tropics contain man
15、y more species overall than an equivalent area at the higher latitudes.This seems to be true for many different groups of animals and plants. 1.The word“distributed”in the passage is closest in meaning to A.represented B.collected C.spread D.managed 2.The word“overall”in the passage is closest in me
16、aning to A.considered as a whole B.to some degree C.possibly D.evidently paragraph 2 Why is it that higher latitudes have lower diversities than the tropics?Perhaps it is simply a matter of land area.The tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudesa fact that is not always evi
17、dent when we examine commonly used projections of Earths curved surface,since this tends to exaggerate the areas of land in the higher latitudesand some biogeographers regard the differences in diversity as a reflection of this effect.But an analysis of the data by biologist Klaus Rohde does not sup
18、port this explanation.Although area may contribute to biodiversity,it is certainly not the whole story;otherwise,large landmasses would always be richer in species. 3.Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?Incorrect choices ch
19、ange the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. A.Some biogeographers believe that the tropics have larger surface areas than they actually do because of the distortions produced by projections of Earths curved surface. B.High levels of diversity in the tropics are sometimes a
20、ttributed to the fact that the tropics have more surface area of land than the higher latitudes do,though distortions in commonly used projections may seem to suggest otherwise. C.Because biogeographers disagree on whether or not the tropics are correctly represented in projections of Earth s surfac
21、e,it is difficult to determine the relationship their surface area has to their diversity D.Most biogeographers agree that the tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudes do but they disagree on whether or not the tropics level of diversity is a reflection of that larger surf
22、ace area. 4.Why does the author mention“Klaus Rohde”in the passage? A.To support the argument that large landmasses are usually richer in species than smaller ones are B.To introduce the argument that there are other factors contributing to species diversity besides land area C.To cast doubt on whet
23、her the tropics actually contain higher species diversity than land at higher latitudes does D.To emphasize that biogeographers and biologists differ in their approaches to biodiversity paragraph 3 Productivity seems to be involved instead,though perhaps its influence is indirect.Where conditions ar
24、e most suitable for plant growththat is,where temperatures are relatively high and uniform and where there is an ample supply of waterone usually finds large masses of vegetation.This leads to a complex structure in the layers of plant material.In a tropical rain forest,for example,a very large quan
25、tity of plant material builds up above the surface of the ground.There is also a large mass of material,developed below ground as root tissues,but this is less apparent.Careful analysis of the above ground material reveals that it is arranged in a series of layers,the precise number of layers vary w
26、ith age and the nature of the forest.The arrangement of the biological mass(“biomass“)of the vegetation into layered forms is termed its“structure“(as opposed to its“composition,”which refers to the species of organisms forming the community)Structure is essentially the architecture of vegetation,an
27、d as in the case of tropical forests,it can be extremely complicated.In a mature floodplain tropical forest in the Amazon River basin,the canopy(the uppermost layers of a forest,formed by the crowns of trees)takes on a stratified structure.There are three clear peaks in leaf cover at heights of appr
28、oximately 3,6,and 30 meters above the ground;and the very highest layer,at 50 meters,corresponds to the very tall trees that stand free of the main canopy and form an open layer of their own.So,such a forest contains essentially four layers of canopy.Forests in temperate lands often have just two ca
29、nopy layers,so they have much less complex architecture. 5.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 3 as a condition that benefits plant growth? A.High temperatures B.Steady temperatures C.High latitude D.Plentiful water 6.The word“precise”in the passage is closest in meaning to A.exact
30、B.predicted C.approximate D.required 7.Paragraph 3 mentions which of the following as creating the structural complexity of a forest? A.The height of the very tallest trees in the forest B.The number of layers of canopy C.The frequency of floods along the plain D.The age of the root tissues below th
31、e ground 8.According to paragraph 3,which of the following statements best describes the difference between structure and composition? A.“Structure”refers to the arrangement of plant material above the ground surface;“composition”refers to the arrangement of root tissues below the surface of the gro
32、und. B.“Structure”refers to the age of the forest;“composition”refers to the forests nature. C.“ Structure” refers to the arrangement of plant species in an area, “composition”refers to which plant species are present in the area. D.“Structure” refers to the shape of the forest canopy;“composition”
33、refers to the number of crowns forming the canopy. 9.Why does the author mention“mature floodplain tropical forest in the Amazon River basin”in the passage? A.To dispute the idea that tropical forests are arranged in layers B.To give an example of the complex architecture vegetation displays in a de
34、nse area C.To suggest that the layers of canopy in some tropical forests can exceed the usual three or four D.To emphasize that the layers of canopy in a tropical forest give evidence of the number of layers of root tissues below the ground paragraph 4 Structure has a strong influence on the animal
35、life inhabiting a site.It forms the spatial environment within which an animal feeds,moves around shelters,lives,and breeds.It even affects the climate on a very local level(the“microclimate“)by influencing light intensity,humidity,and both the range and extremes of temperature.An area of grassland
36、vegetation with very simple structure,for example,has a very different microclimate at the ground level from that experienced in the upper canopy.Wind speeds are lower,temperatures are lower during the day(but warmer at night),and the relative humidity is much greater near the ground.The complexity
37、of the microclimate is closely related to the complexity of structure in vegetation,and generally speaking,the more complex the structure of vegetation,the more species of animal are able to make a living there.The high plant biomass of the tropics leads to a greater spatial complexity in the enviro
38、nment,and this leads to a higher potential for diversity in the living things that can occupy a region.The climates of the higher latitudes are generally less favorable for the accumulation of large quantities of biomass;hence,the structure of vegetation is simpler and the animal diversity is conseq
39、uently lower. 10.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 4 as an aspect of microclimate? A.Temperature range B.Relative humidity C.Light intensity D.Seasonal variations 11.What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about a region with a high level of diversity of animal species? A.It also ha
40、s a high level of plant species diversity. B.It has relatively few microclimates C.It develops a less complex structure than does a region with a high plant species diversity. D.It develops a biomass similar to that of higher latitudes 12.The word“consequently”in the passage is closest in meaning to
41、 A.usually B.obviously C.however D.therefore 13.Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. One example of such tropical abundance is found in Panama,which has 667 species of breeding birds 一 three times the number found in Alaska. Where would th
42、e sentence best fit?Click on squareto add the sentence to the passage. When we look at the way in which biodiversity(biological diversity)is distributed over the land surface of the planet,we find that it is far from even.The tropics contain many more species overall than an equivalent area at the h
43、igher latitudes.This seems to be true for many different groups of animals and plants. Why is it that higher latitudes have lower diversities than the tropics?Perhaps it is simply a matter of land area.The tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudesa fact that is not always e
44、vident when we examine commonly used projections of Earths curved surface,since this tends to exaggerate the areas of land in the higher latitudesand some biogeographers regard the differences in diversity as a reflection of this effect.But an analysis of the data by biologist Klaus Rohde does not s
45、upport this explanation.Although area may contribute to biodiversity,it is certainly not the whole story;otherwise,large landmasses would always be richer in species. 14.Directions:An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.Complete the summary by selected THREE an
46、swer 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. Drag your choices to the spaces where they belong.To revie
47、w the passage,click on View Text A number of factors may help account for the difference in biodiversity between low and high latitudes. Answer Choices A.Though land area may be related to a regions biodiversity,it is not a primary determining factor B.A structure of varying heights is found in both
48、 tropical and temperate forests. C.The more complex the structure of the vegetation of a region,the more species it is able to support. D.Regions possessing conditions that are favorable for plant growth tend to have abundant and diverse vegetation that supports a large number of species. E.The diff
49、erence in microclimate between a ground-level canopy and an upper-level canopy is responsible for the number of species that inhabit each canopy. F.The temperature range of a region determines the number of animals that feed,move around,shelter themselves,live,and breed in that region. Q1 正确答案：C 解析 ： 本段的意思是， 地球上生物分布是不均匀的。 这里的 “be distributed” 是” 分布” 的意思，与第三项“分散”意思最为接近。其余选项意思分别是“代表” “收集”和“经营、 管理”,均不符合文本含义;从前后文理解单词词义：当我们看生物多样性 distributed 在地 球表面的方式时，我们发现结合句意，这个单词是用来修饰生物多样性的，结合选项， 也只有 C 选项的词义符合。 Q2 正确答案：A 解析：本句话要表达的是，热带地区总体上比更高纬度的同等地区包含的生物种类更丰 富。这里的“overall”是“