託福TPO8閱讀真題文本及參考答案Part3

TPO對於我們的託福備考非常有用，大家還在苦於找不到資料嗎？下面小編給大家帶來託福TPO8閱讀真題文本及參考答案Part3，希望可以幫助到你們。

       託福TPO8閱讀真題文本Part3

Running Water on Mars

Photographic evidence suggests that liquid water once existed in great quantity on the surface of Mars. Two types of flow features are seen: runoff channels and outflow channels. Runoff channels are found in the southern highlands. These flow features are extensive systems-sometimes hundreds of kilometers in total length-of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem to merge into larger, wider channels. They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys. Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid water widespread.

Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only in equatorial regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. Instead, they are probably the paths taken by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the northern plains. The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped "islands" (resembling the miniature versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of the outflow channels. Judging from the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly enormous-perhaps as much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great Amazon river. Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same times as the northern volcanic plains formed.

Some scientists speculate that Mars may have enjoyed an extended early Period during which rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans adorned its surface. A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta-a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expenses of water on the early Martian surface. A computer-generated view of the Martian north polar region shows the extent of what may have been an ancient ocean covering much of the northern lowlands. The Hellas Basin, which measures some 3,000 kilometers across and has a floor that lies nearly 9 kilometers below the basin's rim, is another candidate for an ancient Martian sea.

These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced "beaches" shown in one image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated and the shoreline receded. But detractors maintain that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water. Furthermore, Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers-layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen-that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans. However, more recent data imply that at least some parts of the planet did in fact experience long periods in the past during which liquid water existed on the surface.

Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today, and the amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is tiny. Yet even setting aside the unproven hints of ancient oceans, the extent of the outflow channels suggests that a huge total volume of water existed on Mars in the past. Where did all the water go? The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet's polar caps.

Paragraph 1: Photographic evidence suggests that liquid water once existed in great quantity on the surface of Mars. Two types of flow features are seen: runoff channels and outflow channels. Runoff channels are found in the southern highlands. These flow features are extensive systems-sometimes hundreds of kilometers in total length-of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem to merge into larger, wider channels. They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys. Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid water widespread.

　託福TPO8閱讀真題題目Part3

1. The word "merge" in the passage is closest in meaning to

2. What does the discussion in paragraph 1 of runoff channels in the southern highlands suggest about Mars? ○The atmosphere of Mars was once thinner than it is today.

Paragraph 2: Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only in equatorial regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. Instead, they are probably the paths taken by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the northern plains. The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped "islands" (resembling the miniature versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of the outflow channels. Judging from the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly enormous-perhaps as much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great Amazon river. Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same times as the northern volcanic plains formed.

3. The word "relics" in the passage is closest in meaning to

4. The word "miniature" in the passage is closest in meaning to

5. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that 105 tons of water flow through the Amazon river per second?

6. According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the outflow channels on Mars EXCEPT:

Paragraph 3: Some scientists speculate that Mars may have enjoyed an extended early Period during which rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans adorned its surface. A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta-a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expenses of water on the early Martian surface. A computer-generated view of the Martian north polar region shows the extent of what may have been an ancient ocean covering much of the northern lowlands. The Hellas Basin, which measures some 3,000 kilometers across and has a floor that lies nearly 9 kilometers below the basin's rim, is another candidate for an ancient Martian sea.

7. All of the following questions about geological features on Mars are answered in paragraph 3 EXCEPT:

8. According to paragraph 3, images of Mars' surface have been interpreted as support for the idea that

Paragraph 4: These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced "beaches" shown in one image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated and the shoreline receded. But detractors maintain that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water. Furthermore, Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers-layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen-that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans. However, more recent data imply that at least some parts of the planet did in fact experience long periods in the past during which liquid water existed on the surface.

9. 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.

10. According to paragraph 4, what do the 2003 Global Surveyor data suggest about Mars?

Paragraph 5: Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today, and the amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is tiny. Yet even setting aside the unproven hints of ancient oceans, the extent of the outflow channels suggests that a huge total volume of water existed on Mars in the past. Where did all the water go? The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet's polar caps.

11. The word "hints" in the passage is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 2: Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. ■They appear only in equatorial regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. ■Instead, they are probably the paths taken by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the northern plains. ■The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped "islands" (resembling the miniature versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of the outflow channels. ■Judging from the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly enormous-perhaps as much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great Amazon river. Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same times as the northern volcanic plains formed.

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

These landscape features differ from runoff channels in a number of ways.

Where would the sentence best fit?

13. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

There is much debate concerning whether Mars once had water.

Answer choices

託福TPO8閱讀真題答案Part3

參考答案：

1. ○4

2. ○2

3. ○1

4. ○2

5. ○1

6. ○3

7. ○3

8.○2

9. ○2

10. ○2

11. ○1

12. ○1

13. Mars' runoff and outflow channels

Although some researchers claim

There is very little evidence of

　託福TPO8閱讀真題翻譯：Part3

參考翻譯：火星上的流水

來自照片的證據顯示在火星的表面曾有過大量的液態水。兩種流動形式已經被發現：徑流通道和外流通道。徑流通道發現於南部的高地。這些流動形式有着龐大的系統--有時竟有數百千米長--這些通道相互交錯、扭轉，並可能匯入更大更寬的通道中。它們和地球上的河流系統非常相似，地質學家們認爲它們是以前曾將火星上的雨水從高山攜帶到峽谷中的那些河流乾涸後的遺蹟。火星上的徑流通道存在於40億年以前(就是火星高地的年齡)，那時候火星的大氣層更厚，地表更暖和，並且液態水分佈很廣。

外流通道可能是很久以前火星上洪災的遺蹟。它們只形成於赤道附近，並一般沒有形成廣泛的交錯的網絡。相反，它們可能是攜帶大量水從南部高地到北部平原的排水系統。由氾濫的洪水而產生的激流可能也形成奇怪的淚滴狀小島(就像是在低潮時溼沙地或海灘上看到的縮小版本一樣)，已經在靠近出流通道末尾處的平原上被看到。從這些通道的寬度和深度可判斷，當時流速一定很大--有可能是亞馬遜河的每秒鐘105噸的流量的一百多倍。大約在30億年以前，北部火山平原形成的同時，洪水改變了外流通道的形狀。

一些科學家認爲早期的火星上廣泛存在着河流，湖泊甚至是海洋。一份2003年的對火星全球的調查照片顯示了一個科學家們認爲是三角洲的構造--一個扇形的沉積物和水流通道的網絡，河流可能是從這裏流入了一個更大的水體;在這種情況下，它可能是南部高地的一個火山口湖泊。其他研究者做了更大膽的猜測，他們認爲那些數據表明早期在火星表面存在大量的水。一張關於火星北部極地地區的電腦圖片說明有可能有一個古老的海洋覆蓋了大部分北部的低窪處。那座有大約3 000公里寬，9公里深的希臘盆地也可能是火星海洋。

這些觀點仍然有爭議。支持者們指出照片裏顯示的臺地"海灘"可以是由湖泊或者海洋蒸發乾涸之後或者海退之後形成的。但是反對者認爲這些臺地也可能是由於地質活動造成的，也許與使得北半球比南半球地勢更低的地質力量有關，在這種情況下，它們就和火星水系沒有任何關係。而且，2003發佈的火星全球調查數據也表明火星表面含有太少的碳化岩層--含有碳氧化合物的岩層--它們應該是在古代海洋中大量形成的。這些岩層的缺失支持了火星是一個又冷又幹燥的星球這一說法，並且不可能擁有形成湖泊和海洋的溫和氣候。然而，更新的數據表明至少該星球上的一些部分表面的確在過去的很長時間內存在液態水。