2002年9月TOEFL托福真题

Question 41-50
    Naturalists and casual observers alike have been struck by the special relationship
    between squirrels and acorns (the seeds of oak trees). Ecologists, though, cannot observe
    These energetic mammals scurrying up and down oak trees and eating and burying acorns
    without wondering about their complex relationship with trees. Are squirrels dispersers
(5) and planters of oak forests or pesky seed predators? The answer is not simple. Squirrels
    may devour many acorns, but by storing and failing to recover up to 74 percent of them
    (as they do when seeds are abundant), these arboreal o/rodents can also aid regeneration
    and dispersal of the oaks.
    Their destructive powers are well documented. According to one report, squirrels
(10)destroyed tens of thousands of fallen acorns from an oak stand on the University of
    Indiana campus. A professor there estimated that each of the large while oaks had
    Produced between two and eight thousand acorns, but within weeks of seed maturity,
    Hardly an intact acorn could be found among the fallen leaves.
    Deer, turkey, wild pigs, and bears also feed heavily on acorns, but do not store them,
(15)And are therefore of no benefit to the trees. Flying squirrels, chipmunks, and mice are
    Also unlikely to promote tree dispersal--- whose behavior of caching (hiding) acorns below
    The leaf litter often promotes successful germination of acorns --- and perhaps blue jays,
    Important long-distance dispersers, seem to help oaks spread and reproduce.
    Among squirrels, though, there is a particularly puzzling behavior pattern. Squirrels
(20)pry off the caps of acorns, bite through the shells to get at the nutritious inner kernels,
    and then discard them half-eaten. The ground under towing oaks is often littered with
    thousands of half -eaten acorns, each one only bitten from the top. Why would any animal
    waste so much time and energy and risk exposure to such predators as red-tail hawks only
    to leave a large part of each acorn uneaten? While research is not conclusive at this point,
(25)one thing that is certain is that squirrels do hide some of the uneaten portions, and these
    acorn halves, many of which contain the seeds, may later germinate.
41. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A). The ecology of oak trees
B). Factors that determine the feeding habits of Squirrels
C). Various species of animals that promote the dispersal of tree seeds
D). The relationship between squirrels and oak trees
42. The word "they" in line 7 refers to
A). oak forests
B). acorns
C). squirrels
D). predators
43. According to the passage, what do squirrels do when large quantities of acorns are available?
A). They do not store acorns.
B). They eat more than 74 percent of available acorns.
C). They do not retrieve all the acorns that they have stored.
D). They hide acorns in tree cavities.
44. The word "estimated" in line 11 is closest in meaning to
A). commented
B). judged
C). observed
D). discovered
45. Why does the author mention “the University of Indiana campus" in line 10-11
A). To provide evidence that intact acorns are hard to find under oak trees
B). To indicate a place where squirrels can aid seed dispersal of oaks
C). To argue in favor of additional studies concerning the destructive force of squirrels
D). To support the claim that squirrels can do great damage to oak stands
46. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that chipmunks do not aid in the dispersal of oak trees
because
A).they store their acorns where they cannot germinate
B). they consume most of their stored acorns
C). their stored acorns are located and consumed by other species
D). they cannot travel the long distance required for dispersal
47. According to the passage, which of the following do squirrels and blue jays have in common?
A). They travel long distances to obtain acorns.
B). They promote the reproduction of oak trees.
C). They bury acorns under fallen leaves.
D). They store large quantities of acorns.
48. The phrase “pry off" in line 21 is closest in meaning to
A). swallow
B). remove
C). squeeze
D). locate
49. The word "littered" in line 22 is closest in meaning to
A). covered
B). displayed
C). fertilized
D). planted
50. According to the passage, scientists cannot explain which of the following aspects of squirrel
behavior?
A). Where squirrels store their acorn caches
B). Why squirrels prefer acorns over other seeds
C). Why squirrels eat only a portion of each acorn they retrieve
D). Why squirrels prefer acorns from a particular species of oak trees
Answers:
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