托福短文篇一：托福閱讀練習20篇

大家好，

今天是這個學期最后一天了，相信大家已經打好行李，拿著車票準備回家過年了。 現在我把假期給大家準備的禮物提前派發(fā)嘍！

托福閱讀一共20篇文章，建議大家：

1.不要查其中的任何一個單詞的意思，就是以80%讀懂的狀態(tài)理解內容。

2.每篇文章后面的題目幫助大家更好地把握文章結構，further consideration部分是拓展閱讀，也許是我們下學期的平時測驗內容。

3. passage 20里面保留了托福真題的測試模式，大家可以自我測試一下。

4.閱讀時心情不能大喜，也不能大悲，平淡如水吧。

最后，祝大家回家的路上平安，春節(jié)愉快！

Passage 1

The Titus-Bode Law predicted that there would be a fifth planet

between Mars and Jupiter. In 1800, a group of astronomers nicknamed

the "celestial police" was organized to search for the missing planet.

Before the plan could be put in effect, another astronomer, G. Piazzi,

discovered l Ceres, the largest asteroid, in this position in space on New

Year's Day,1801. While trying to locate Ceres again, the astronomer H.

Olbers discovered 2 Pallas in 1802 J.Harding discovered 3 Juno in l804.

H. Olbers also discovered 4 Vesta, the brightest asteroid, in 1807. It was

not until 1836 that a fifth asteroid, 5 Astrea, was added to the list. At first,

many nineteenth-century astronomers did not find asteroids of much

interest. One even called them "the vermin of the sky." In 1891, Max

Wolf pioneered the use of astrophotography to detect asteroids. Then

Wolf went on to discover 248 asteroids, beginning with 323 Bruscia. At

present, around 150,000 asteroids have been discovered. Most are

spotted today by automated systems that pair telescopes with computers.

Asteroids vary in size from Ceres, with a diameter of 570 miles, to tiny bodies that are only the size of pebbles. Only the four largest-Ceres, Palas, Vesta, and Juno-are spherical. Most are elongated or irregular. Asteroids are not uniformly distributed through space. Many occur in clusters called groups, or in even tighter clusters called families. Families of asteroids with similar characteristics, indicating a common origin, are called Hiruzama asteroids.

H. Olbers advanced the theory that asteroids are the remnants of a large planet that exploded. Other astronomers suggested that the asteroids were originally moons of Jupiter that broke away and then disintegrated. The most commonly accepted theory among astronomers today is that they occupy a place in the solar system where a sizeable planet could have formed but was prevented from doing so by the disruptive gravity field of nearby Jupiter. Originally, perhaps, there were only a few dozen asteroids. These were eventually fragmented by mutual collisions to produce the present population of asteroids.

When new asteroids are discovered, they are given a temporary six-character name. The first four numbers correspond to the year of discovery. The first of the two letters corresponds to the half-month period in which the asteroid was discovered, and the second to the sequence in which the asteroid was discovered in that half-month. For example. the asteroid 2006 AC was the third asteroid to be discovered in the first half of January in 2006. After the orbit of an asteroid has been calculated, asteroids receive a number that corresponds to the order of discovery (currently from l Ceres to 95959 Covadonga). The first several hundred asteroids were named for female characters from mythology. (Ceres, for example, is the Roman goddess of the harvest.) Even after these names were used up, the convention of giving asteroids female

names

continued up until 334 Chicago. A person who discovers an asteroid may submit a name to the International Astronomical Union. Some are named for places or for things. Some are named to honor famous scientists, painters, writers, or even pop stars, such as musicians and actors. Some are named after colleagues, family members, and even pets. Discoverers may not, however, name asteroids after themselves. Of the 150,000 known asteroids, only about l0% have names.

Most asteroids are found in the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Some have highly eccentric orbits, such as 3200 Phaeton, which swings close to the Sun. Some asteroids, called Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), pass close to Earth. It is feared that one day an asteroid may hit Earth and cause a great deal of damage. In fact, most scientists believe that a collision between an asteroid and the earth made dinosaurs extinct.

In June of 2002, without warning, a medium-sized asteroid called 2002 MN passed relatively close to Earth. It was not observed until three days after it had passed. This was the closest an asteroid had come to Earth since 1994 XM. That asteroid missed the Earth by only 64,000 miles. However, the one in 2002 was much larger than l994 XN and potentially much more destructive. Other near misses involved 1989 FC and 433 Eros in 1975. While there are programs to watch for Near Earth Asteroids, 2002 MN proved that these programs are not completely effective. Some people believe that there should be a much larger worldwide program to detect and possibly destroy asteroids that are heading towards our planet.

1. According to Paragraph 1, the Titus-Bode Law deals with ___________(the position of planets around the Sun/the existence of asteroids).

2. Is G.Piazzi first mentioned in Paragraph 1 a member of the "celestial police"? Yes/No.

3. According to Paragraph 2, asteroids in a family/group are closer together?

4. In Paragraph 3, __________(1/2/3/4) theories about the development of asteroids have been mentioned? The ___________ one(s) are no longer considered valid.

5. Please explain the meanings of the following names of the asteroids given by the scientists.

1Ceres____________2Pallas________________ 3 Juno_____________ 4 Vesta_____________ 5 Astrea___________1994 XM_______________ 2002MN___________ 433Eros____________

6. Main Idea of the passage:___________________________________________________________

7. Further Consideration: asteroids __________planets______________

Passage 2

Ambient divers do not go underwater in

submersible vehicles, such as a diving bell, a bathysphere,

or in a pressure-resistant suit. They are divers who are

exposed to the pressure and temperature of the

surrounding (ambient) water. Of all types of diving, the

oldest and simplest is free diving. Some free divers may

use no equipment at all, but many use a face mask, foot

fins, and a snokel. Under the surface, free divers must

hold their breath. Most free divers can only descend 30

feet (10 meters) beneath the surface, but some expert

divers can go as deep as 100 feet (33 meters).

SCUBA diving provides greater range than free

diving. The word SCUBA stands for Self-Contained

Underwater Breathing Apparatus. SCUBA divers wear

metal tanks with compressed air or other breathing gases.

When using open-circuit equipment, a SCUBA diver simply breathes air from the tank through a hose and releases the exhaled air into the water. A closed-circuit breathing device, called a rebreather, filters out carbon dioxide and other harmful gases and automatically adds oxygen. This enables the diver to breathe the same air over and over. SCUBA divers usually use foot fins to help them swim underwater. They may wear only swim suits (skin diving), or they may wear rubber wetsuits to help protect them from cold water.

SCUBA diving has been practiced since the nineteenth century, but it was not until 1942 that SCUBA diving became simple and safe. That was the year that Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a French naval officer, and Emile Gagnan, an engineer for a natural gas company, redesigned the regulator from an automobile engine so that it could be used to automatically regulate the flow of air to a diver. Cousteau and Cagnan attached the new regulator to hoses, a mouthpiece and a pair of compressed air tanks and called this equipment the Aqualung. Aqualungs were soon being sold in dive shops around the world, and SCUBA diving became a popular sport.

In surface-supplied diving, divers wear helmets and waterproof canvas suits. Today, sophisticated plastic helmets have replaced the heavy copper ones used in the past. Surface-supplied divers get their air from a hose connected to air compressors on a pier or on a boat. Surface-supplied divers can go deeper and stay submerged longer than any other type of ambient diver. Unlike SCUBA divers, many of whom are sports divers, almost all surface-supplied divers work on task as underwater construction and salvage operations.

Equipment they use:They do not use:

Ambient divers: ______________________ _______________________

Free divers:

______________________ _______________________

SCUBA divers: ______________________ ________________________

(open-circuit equipment/closed-circuit equipment)

Surface-supplied divers: _____________________________________

Further consideration: 1)the structure of a helmet

2)Type of diving available for different groups of people: travelers, rescue team, sports divers,etc.

Passage 3

In 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed the

Morrill Act. The measure was named for Congressman (later Senator)

Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Popularly called the Land Grant Act, it

provided each state with thousands of acres of federally owned land.

Each state received 30,000 acres (10,033 Hectares) for each senator

(all states have two senators) and 30,000 acres for each

representative in Congress (the number of representatives depends

on the population of the state). The bill required that the land be sold,

the proceeds invested, and the income used to create and maintain colleges around the nation to teach agriculture andengineering.

Morrill Hall, on the campus of the University of

Maryland, College Park (a land-grant university),

is named for Senator Morrill, in honor of the act

he sponsored.

The Morrill Act introduced two radical ideas to education: that higher education should be practical, and that it should be available to the working classes, not just to the wealthy. Before land-grant universities, college was basically for a select few, and the curriculum stressed "classical" subjects such as Latin, rhetoric, and mathematics. The Morrill Act promoted the idea that working-class students could attend a quality college to learn to grow corn or build bridges.

Although not all states used the money as the Morrill Act specified, some thirty states did establish new universities. Universities that trace their roots to the Morrill Act include Purdue, Rutgers, the University of Illinois, Texas A & M, the University of California, Ohio State, and Cornell. Eighteen states gave their money to existing state universities. A few states gave their money to private colleges. For example, Massachusetts used much of its funds to endow the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One state changed its mind. Yale University, a private school, was chosen to be funded in Connecticut, but farmers protested, and the legislature moved the assets to the University of Connecticut.

It is not surprising that the Morrill Act emphasized agriculture. At the time it went into effect, over 80% of U.S. citizens lived in rural areas. In 1887, the Hatch Act established agricultural research centers at land-grant schools. This led to improvements in fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, livestock breeding, and disease control. Another bill, the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, provided for agricultural extension agents. These agents, who are based at Iand-grant schools, work directly with farmers to advise them about the latest farming techniques.

Gradually, most land-grant universities moved away from the narrow functions that were first assigned to them. Eventually they came to offer a full range of academic offering, from anthropology to zoology. There are today 105 land-grant institutions in all fifty states and in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. About one in five college students in the United States attends land-grant schools.

Land Grant Act (Morrill Act):

Main idea: it provides _____________ with ____________ based on the numbers ___________( )and ____________( ) in each state. With the income from ___________and _________________, the stated is required to _________________________________________.Radical changes: 1) __________________________________________

2) __________________________________________

Hatch Act:

Main Idea: ____________________________________________

Smith Act:

Main Idea: ___________________________________________

Further Consideration: other laws or bills that are interesting, thought-provoking or even ridiculous in their intention.

Passage 4

Computer games were designed and played as long ago

as the l950's. The first known game was Tennis for Two

(1958), designed by William Higginbotham. Another early game

was Steve Russell's Spacewar (1961). These games never

became very popular. It was not until the 1970's and 80's, when

computer arcade games were introduced, that computer games

attracted millions of game-players. The first to make a splash

was Pong (Atari, l 972). It was designed by Nolan Bushnell and

Alan Alcorn. The game play was extremely simple. Two players

bounced a moving ball back and forth between their two

electronic "paddles." Bushnell placed the first game machine in

a local gas station. When he returned in a few days, the

machine was so full of coins that it could no longer operate.

Pong became an instant success and it helped create the

arcade game industry. Other blockbuster games such as Space Invaders (Bally/Midway, 1978), Asteroids (Atari, l 979), and Donkey Kong (Nintendo, l981 ) followed. Perhaps the most popular arcade game ever，Pac Man (Bally/Midway. 1980)，was based on an ancient Japanese folk tale. Some of these arcade games, and other games that were not seen in arcades, were available for play on personal computers. It can even be said that computer games helped popularize the idea of owning a home computer and shaped the way computers were made. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (who had met while designing games for Atari) designed the Apple II, the first popular personal computer, so that it could be used to play computer games at home.

Today, there are four main types of devices that computer games can be played on. Personal computers, consoles，handheld consoles, and arcade machines are all common platforms. Personal computer (PC) games are designed to be played on standard home computers. Often no special controls are needed-the game can be played with a keyboard or mouse-but some games are played with a joy stick. Video feedback is received by the user through the computer monitor and audio feedback through speakers or headphones. Players can buy PC games at the store-usually stored on CD ROMs-or download them from the Internet. Players of PC games can also play against live opponents on the Internet.

Console games are often referred to as video games. They are played in a specially made computer called a console. PlayStation (SONY), GameCube (Nintendo), and XBOX (Microsoft) are the three most famous types of consoles. Players interact with the game through a controller: a handheld device with buttons, analog sticks, or pads. Games are generally stored on cartridges or sometimes on disks. Games are available for sale at many types of stores and for rent at video rental stores.

Handheld consoles are portable, battery-powered consoles that can be played anywhere. The most famous is the Game Boy, first released in 1989. The tiny screen, audio speakers, and controls are all part of one unit. Like console games, handheld console games are usually stored on cartridges.

Arcade games are played on a device composed of a video screen, a coin box, specially designed computer hardware, and a set of controls. Controls include the classic joy stick and buttons, light guns, and pads on the ground that detect pressure. These machines are located in public places and players must pay to play them.

Some computer games can also be played on devices that are not primarily designed for game-playing.

A good example of this type of device is the cell phone. Many games are now available for more than one platform. Some games, such as Mario Brothers (1983), which was first developed as an arcade game, have been "ported" (modified) to work on all four platforms. Today, games for personal computers and for consoles

托福短文篇二：托福閱讀考試文章來源及介紹

官方網站：

托福閱讀考試文章來源及介紹

托福閱讀考試的文章來源選自于何處？了解了托福閱讀考試的文章出處，更加有助于同學們提高托福閱讀考試的成績，在復習的過程中，更加有重點的來復習，下面小編就為大家整理了托福閱讀考試文章的來源和特點，希望對同學們能夠有所幫助！

新托福閱讀的文章出處以及選材范圍

托福閱讀文章原型大都選自美國大學本科生使用的教材，以達到最佳的模擬測試效果。文章的選材范圍極其廣泛，涉及有自然科學包括：天文學、地質學、生物學、氣象學等;人文科學包括：藝術美學、考古學、語言學、文學等;社會科學包括：政治學、經濟學、教育學、人類學等交叉學科。從選材范圍可見：托福閱讀的文章內容對考生知識存儲量的廣度有一定的要求，但同時考慮到考生來自于不同的專業(yè)，對于其他學科往往不具備專業(yè)素質，因此為了遵守考試公平性原則，文章均不對其所述及的學科做過多深入的探討。

新托福閱讀的文章類型及篇章段落結構

根據托福閱讀文章的出處及選材范圍，我們可以將這些文章歸為三類：說明文、議論文、史實文。三者合一統稱為：學術性文章。這種類型的文章，必須具備說理性特質，即行文邏輯大都遵循著相對固定的結構模式。

一句話：托福閱讀文章的篇章結構有規(guī)律可尋，段落組成有原則可守：

1. 學術性文章的篇章結構：

在學術性文章中，一般需要具備三個組成部分：

(1)Topic 話題：即文章的主角是什么。比如講解某個科學理論、研究某種社會現象，探討某個歷史事件;

在托福閱讀文章中，這種導入性信息往往出現在篇首位置。考生可以根據篇首段信息對整篇文章所要討論的核心內容有所了解;

(2)Aspects 方面：即將篇首的話題延伸拓展為若干個方面進行闡述說明。若話題為某個科學論點，則方面可能分為若干個支持論據;若話題為某種自然現象，則方面可能分為若干個內外成因;若話題為某個歷史事件，則方面為幾段發(fā)展時期;

在托福閱讀文章中，往往依照各個方面之間的層次關系，將各個方面拆分為若干個獨立的自然段落，共同組成行文主體;

(3)Attitude態(tài)度：即文章的作者對于所討論話題持怎樣的態(tài)度。或是積極肯定，或是消極否定，或是保持中立。

在托福閱讀文章中，態(tài)度往往是被較多的淡化甚至有可能省略不提。

官方網站：

Topic話題 + Aspects方面 + Attitude態(tài)度，這三要素加起來就是標準學術論文體的"T+A+A篇章結構"。托福文章大都遵循這種結構，考生通過篇首段落信息來把控整個文章話題及大致討論方向，再抓住文章的各個段落主旨，便可洞悉整個文章脈絡和邏輯結構。

2. 學術性文章的段落結構

學術性文章的自然段落，一般需要具備兩個組成部分：

(1) Topic Sentence 主旨句：表達段落的主旨，即本段想要表達的核心內容是什么;

(2) Detail 細節(jié)：為了詳細說明段落中心含義，所羅列的相關支持內容，即本段通過哪些例證來闡明主旨句。

Topic Sentence主旨句 + Detail細節(jié)，這兩個要素加起來就是標準學術論文體的"TS+D段落結構"。托福文章段落大都遵循這種結構，考生通過段落主旨句就可以把握該段的中心含義。

托福短文篇三：托福閱讀原文范例

托福聽力短文 II-15-2

0152 (WA) Well, in answer to your question, several women actively participated in the Civil War. The one that comes immediately to mind is Mary Walker. She's important because she's the only woman ever to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. As you know, this medal is given to people who've served the United States with exceptional bravery.

In addition, she was the only female physician in either of the two armies that fought in that war. Even though she had two medical degrees, many officers made her life difficult because they didn't believe that a woman should be a doctor. However, she refused to back down and leave the army. In fact, she risked her life several times during the war and was even captured at one point, but she was soon released.

Umm, after the war, she was arrested several times for wearing pants. And although Congress eventually tried to take her medal away, she refused to give it back and continued to wear it wherever she went. She died in 1919, a year before women received the right to vote, which brings me to my next point.

托福聽力短文 II-15-3

0153 (MA) So, you see, physical illness can have psychological causes. Now, we just have time to introduce another interesting example of the interaction between the mind and the body --- placebos. Placebos --- maybe you've heard them called sugar pills --- are harmless substances --- not always sugar --- that are used routinely on groups of sick people in experiments. These experiments test the effectiveness of new drugs. One group is given the new drug, the other group is given a placebo, and the results are measured.

As you might guess, some of the people who receive the new drug get better. Surprisingly, however, some of the placebo group also get better. Why? Well, it's an interesting question, one which doctors can't quite answer. Some of the group may have gotten better on their own, without any treatment at all, but research has shown that the very act of taking a medication that you think will make you better, often does make you feel better. Have you even taken an aspirin and felt better in five minutes? Aspirin doesn't work that fast, does it? [falling intonation] Basically, if you believe you will get better --- sometimes you do.

The history of how doctors and healers have used the mind-body connection to cure people is long and interesting --- but I see that it's time to chose, so I'll have to cover this in the next class. You'll have to hold your questions on this topic till then.... Before you go, I have some handouts for you concerning the midterm exams next week.

托福聽力短文 II-15-1

0151 (WB) Everyone is interested in improving their diet. Adding grains is one of the easiest ways. Many people in the United States have a growing concern about nutrition, so grains are often served in restaurants. And many grains are now available in grocery stores, too --- though for some you still have to go to health food stores. You can stock up when you go, though, because uncooked grains keep a long time.

You'll find that grains are easy to prepare. Many grains are as simple to cook as spaghetti. Barley, for instance, is just cooked in salted water. Remember, though, whole-grain barley --- the most nutritious --- kind never will get as tender as spaghetti no matter how long it's cooked.

Grain-based salads are easy, too. Just use grains left over from a hot meal. You call even put together a grain salad hours before you need it, since grains don't wilt like lettuce does.

But to get back to health factors, all grains are nutritious and many have special benefits.

Barley has very little fat. Some experts believe that it may even reduce cholesterol levels. Jasmine rice is also low in fat. And it has a bonus in its wonderful aroma, a very special fragrance. 托福聽力短文 II-14-2

0142 (MA) I understand your professor has been discussing several Eastern Woodland Indian tribes in your study of Native American cultures. As you have probably learned, the Eastern Woodland Indians get their name from the forest-covered areas of the Eastern United States where they lived. The earliest Woodland cultures date back 9,000 years, but the group we'll focus on dates back only to about 700 A.D. We now call these Native Americans the Mississippian culture, because they settled in the Mississippi River valley.

This civilization is known for its flat-topped monuments called temple mounds. They were made of earth and used as temples and official residences. The temple mounds were located in the central square of the city, with the huts of the townspeople built in rows around the plaza.

The Mississippian people were city dwellers. But some city residents earned their living as farmers, tending the fields of corn, beans, and squash that surrounded the city. The city's artisans made arrowheads, leather goods, pottery, and jewelry. Traders came from far away to exchange raw materials for these items.

In the slides I'm about to show, you will see models of a Mississippian city.

托福聽力短文 II-14-3

0143 (WB) As Dr. Miller mentioned, we're trying to recruit volunteers for the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. But before I get into the details of the volunteer program, I'd just like to tell you a little about what we do there.

One of our main jobs is to keep detailed records of the migration patterns of raptors. For those of you who d(轉載于:www.newchangjing.com 蒲 公 英 文 摘:托福短文)on't know, raptors are birds of prey, like hawks and eagles. Between August and December, we see around twenty different species migrating from Canada and New England --- about 20,000 birds.

Part of what attracts them to Hawk Mountain is the location on the east ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. What happens is that the sun warms the ridge in such a way that air currents are formed. The birds just sort of glide along on the air --- so they use up very little energy.

As volunteers you'll be helping us keep accurate counts of the raptors. Any drop in number could mean something's gone wrong in the environment --- because of pesticides or disease --- even hunting.

We just had a scare with the broad-winged hawks. Their numbers have dropped drastically over the last ten years. It was suggested that the birds may have changed their migratory route. So for 11days we had several hundred volunteers --- stationed every five miles --- to observe and count. And sure enough, they discovered that instead of hugging the Appalachians as they'd always done, the broad-wings were cutting a wide path over the Delaware River. Needless to say, we were greatly relieved.

托福聽力短文 II-14-1

0141 (WB) I'm going to talk about a train that exemplifies the rise and fall of passenger trains in the United States: the Twentieth Century Limited. Let me go back just a bit. In 1893, a special train was established to take people from New York to an exposition in Chicago. It was so successful that regular service was then set up between these cities.

The inaugural trip of the Twentieth Century Limited was made in 1902. The train was different from what anyone had ever seen before. It was pulled by a steam engine and had five cars: two sleepers, a dining car, an observation car, and a baggage car, which --- believe it or not --- contained a library. The 42 passengers the train could carry were waited on by a large staff. There were even secretaries and a barber on board.

It wasn't long before people had to wait two years to get a reservation. As time passed, technical improvements shortened the trip by a few hours. Perhaps the biggest technological change occurred in 1945 --- the switch from steam to diesel engines.

By the 1960's, people were traveling by car and airplane. Unfortunately, the great old train didn't survive until the end of the century it was named for.

托福聽力短文 II-13-3

0133 (MA) These days we take for granted the wide variety of music available on the radio. But, this wasn't always the case. In the early days of radio, stations were capable of broadcasting only a narrow range of sounds, which was all right for the human voice but music didn't sound very good. There was also a great deal of crackling and other static noises that further interfered with the quality of the sound.

A man named Edwin Armstrong, who was a music lover, set out to change this. He invented FM radio, a technology that allowed stations to send a broad range of frequencies that greatly improved the quality of the music.

Now, you'd think that this would have made him a millionaire; it didn't. Radio stations at that time had invested enormous amounts of money in the old technology. So the last thing they wanted was to invest millions more in the new technology. Nor did they want to have to compete with other radio stations that had a superior sound and could put them out of business. So they pressured the Federal Communications Commission --- the department of the United States government that regulates radio stations --- to put restrictive regulations on FM radio.

The result was that its use was limited to a very small area around New England. Of course as we all know, Edwin Armstrong's FM technology eventually prevailed and was adopted by thousands of stations around the world. But this took years of court battles and he never saw how it came to affect the lives of almost everyone.

托福聽力短文 II-13-2

0132 (WB) At last month's meeting you asked me to draw up a report about the possibility of keeping the student center open twenty-four hours a day. I decided that the best way to assess the need for expanded hours was to talk to the people who were still in the student center at closing time.

First, over the course of the two weeks, I interviewed more than fifty students as they left the student center at its regular closing time of twelve midnight. About eighty percent of them said they would prefer that the center stay open later. Of the three main uses of the center --- eating in the snack bar, recreation in the game room or watching TV, and studying --- by far the most

popular late night activity is --- and this may surprise you --- studying. Almost all of the people I talked to said that their main reason for being in the center after ten p.m. was to study in groups or to find a quiet place to study because their dorm was too noisy. Of course, many of these people used the snack bar or TV room for breaks.

My recommendation is that we ask the administration to keep the center open after midnight for studying. The recreation room and snack bar can still close at the usual time. This should meet the objection that it costs too much to staff the center from midnight to eight a.m., which I'm sure will be the first response.

托福聽力短文 II-13-1

0131 (MB) You'll recall that in last week's class I talked about how the sound made by most animals, though sometimes complex, are different from human language. Only in humans do these sounds represent objects and events. Keep in mind that most animals can only repeat their limited utterances over and over again, while humans can say things that have never been said before. Today I want to focus on human language and how it developed.

I doubt you'll be surprised when I say that the evolution of language was slow and laborious. There's some reliable evidence that language began with early humans a million and a half years ago. Through the study of the size and shape of brain fossils, scientists have determined that early human brains, like modern brains, had a left hemisphere slightly larger than the right hemisphere. We know that in modern humans, the left hemisphere's the seat of language. We also know that early human brains had a well-developed frontal section, known as Broca's area, which coordinates the muscles of the mouth and throat.

It's clear, then, that early humans had a speech apparatus. They could produce any sound that we can. What we don't know is whether early humans used what they had. Since scholars know virtually nothing about prehistoric speech patterns, all they can do is speculate about how language actually originated. Let me give you a brief summary of some of these theories. 托福聽力短文 II-12-3

0123 (WA) The winds of a tornado are the most violent and destructive ones on Earth. Any of you who have seen one knows very well how frightening and powerful they are. What's interesting about them is that scientists don't actually know exactly why tornadoes occur.

We do know, however, what happens when tornadoes are formed. As you remember, a front occurs when cool, dry air from the north meets warm, humid air coming from the south (from the Gulf of Mexico, for tornadoes in the United States). Where these air masses meet, a narrow zone of storm clouds develops, and thunderstorms, and sometimes tornadoes, occur.

How is this violent weather produced? Well, a mass of warm, humid air rises very rapidly. As it rises, more warm air rushes in to replace it. This iushing air also rises, and in some cases, especially when there is extreme thermal instability, begins to rotate. When this happens, the rotating air forms a tornado.

Even if you've seen tornadoes only in movies, you know that they can demolish buildings in

seconds. This is possible because when a tornado passes over a house, it sucks up air from around the house and so the air pressure outside the house drops rapidly. Inside, pressure remains the same. So, air pressure inside is greater than air pressure outside. The result is that the building explodes outward. Next, we'll talk a little bit about how new technological developments are being used to try to predict tornadoes.

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