托福閱讀題來(lái)源是哪里
我們經(jīng)常強(qiáng)調(diào)要通過(guò)真題備考托福閱讀，也鼓勵(lì)各位TOEFLer多閱讀一些和托福閱讀真題水平接近的泛英文材料來(lái)輔助提高托福閱讀能力，那么到底什么樣的文章是最接近真題的呢?托福閱讀考試時(shí)選取的文章都是從哪兒來(lái)的?下面小編分享給大家。
從來(lái)源去找最“真”的真題：托福閱讀文章都從哪兒來(lái)?
所謂”真“，也就是有”托福相“的文章，應(yīng)該從兩方面去考慮：內(nèi)容和難度。內(nèi)容就是文章在“講什么”，而難度則是文章“怎樣講”。用內(nèi)容和難度都與托福一樣的文章練出來(lái)的能力，一定是最符合托?？荚囈蟮?。
出現(xiàn)在托福閱讀考試中的文章，都是學(xué)術(shù)性文章，渾身上下都是科普范。它們基本都來(lái)自涉及自然、生物、人文、社科等各個(gè)領(lǐng)域的期刊或雜志，來(lái)源十分廣泛。
下面送上整理好的托福閱讀選材范圍清單一份(附官方網(wǎng)址)：
1.《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》The New York Times: http://www.nytimes-se.com
2.《紐約客》The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com
3.《泰晤士報(bào)》 Times: http://www.thetimes.co.uk
4.《衛(wèi)報(bào)》 The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk
5.《觀察家報(bào)》 The Observer: http://www.observer.co.uk
6.《星期日?qǐng)?bào)》The Sunday Times: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk
7.《每日快報(bào)》 The Daily Express: http://www.express.co.uk
8.《每日郵報(bào)》 The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
9.《世界新聞報(bào)》 The News of the World: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk
10.《國(guó)家地理》National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
11.《大西洋月刊》The Atlantic Monthly: https://www.theatlantic.com/
12.《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》The economist http://www.economist.com
13.《旁觀者》The Spectator: http://www.spectator.co.uk/
14.《新政治家》The New Statesman: http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/
15.《婦女界》The Woman’s Own: https://www.timeincuk.com/
16.《泰晤士報(bào)文學(xué)增刊》The Times Literary Supplement: http://www.the-tls.co.uk/
17.《新共和》The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/
18《連線》Wired: https://www.wired.com/
19.《高等教育紀(jì)事報(bào)》The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://www.chronicle.com/
有了這些資源，我們從內(nèi)容上已經(jīng)離真題之源很近了，下一步就是再繼續(xù)縮小范圍，在這些文章里找到難度也跟托福類(lèi)似的那些了。
托福閱讀的出題來(lái)源
一、出題來(lái)源
事實(shí)上,托福閱讀文章主要來(lái)自美國(guó)大學(xué)的教科書(shū),一方面希望考生熟悉美國(guó)的教育,留學(xué)后可以更快地適應(yīng)美國(guó)大學(xué)的課堂生活,另一方面也能讓考生了解美國(guó)文化,畢竟文化的力量是很強(qiáng)的,一個(gè)民族的底蘊(yùn)都是透過(guò)文化傳達(dá)給人們的。
此外，部分題材來(lái)源于出題人對(duì)相關(guān)文章的整理，使所呈現(xiàn)出來(lái)的文章難度度能夠與托福閱讀題相匹配，能夠有效區(qū)分和測(cè)試不同考生的英語(yǔ)水平。
托福閱讀部分的內(nèi)容涵蓋了廣泛的知識(shí)層面，從自然科學(xué)到生物科學(xué)，還有一定程度的美國(guó)歷史和藝術(shù)，以及一些社會(huì)科學(xué)或人文學(xué)科?？忌绻屑?xì)研究就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)托福閱讀的考試內(nèi)容就是人類(lèi)的發(fā)展史，由最開(kāi)始的自然界發(fā)展變化，包括地理、氣候等，慢慢演變到對(duì)生物的探究，如動(dòng)植物、微生物等。
自人類(lèi)出現(xiàn)后，人們的生活逐漸變得越來(lái)越豐富多彩，他們渴望探索越來(lái)越多的領(lǐng)域。這不僅是文化的積淀，也是對(duì)歷史的回顧和探索
二、閱讀考點(diǎn)
1.詞匯和語(yǔ)法
對(duì)于語(yǔ)言類(lèi)考試來(lái)說(shuō)，都會(huì)涉及到詞匯和語(yǔ)法的考察，但不同的考試中，詞匯和語(yǔ)法的考試形式會(huì)有一定的差異，如有的考試是在閱讀中考察單詞，有的考試是在單句填空中考察單詞。因此，在備考托福閱讀中，要科學(xué)背單詞和語(yǔ)法。
2文章觀點(diǎn)
在一篇文章中，所提供的信息并不是同等重要的。有些信息更重要，有些則不那么重要。因此，這部分其實(shí)是考察考生對(duì)托福閱讀文章信息的甄別能力即認(rèn)知能力。
大多數(shù)學(xué)生在閱讀一篇文章時(shí)，大腦里都留下了一堆零碎的信息，但最終發(fā)現(xiàn)，所有的記住的信息都不是考試的內(nèi)容，最直接的考察方法就是問(wèn)因果，如：文章中提到了……是因?yàn)椤?。?shí)際上考察的就是觀點(diǎn)之間的關(guān)系。
3.組織結(jié)構(gòu)
讀完一篇文章之后，是否形成了清晰完整的文章結(jié)構(gòu)框架，也叫作思維框架。托福閱讀中的多項(xiàng)選擇題，就是考察對(duì)文章架構(gòu)的掌握，在此基礎(chǔ)上，篩選主要信息的能力。
TPO托福閱讀真題答案及解析
托福閱讀真題：
The Long-Term Stability of Ecosystems
Plant communities assemble themselves flexibly, and their particular structure depends on the specific history of the area. Ecologists use the term “succession” to refer to the changes that happen in plant communities and ecosystems over time. The first community in a succession is called a pioneer community, while the long-lived community at the end of succession is called a climax community. Pioneer and successional plant communities are said to change over periods from 1 to 500 years. These changes—in plant numbers and the mix of species—are cumulative. Climax communities themselves change but over periods of time greater than about 500 years.
An ecologist who studies a pond today may well find it relatively unchanged in a year’s time. Individual fish may be replaced, but the number of fish will tend to be the same from one year to the next. We can say that the properties of an ecosystem are more stable than the individual organisms that compose the ecosystem.
At one time, ecologists believed that species diversity made ecosystems stable. They believed that the greater the diversity the more stable the ecosystem. Support for this idea came from the observation that long-lasting climax communities usually have more complex food webs and more species diversity than pioneer communities. Ecologists concluded that the apparent stability of climax ecosystems depended on their complexity. To take an extreme example, farmlands dominated by a single crop are so unstable that one year of bad weather or the invasion of a single pest can destroy the entire crop. In contrast, a complex climax community, such as a temperate forest, will tolerate considerable damage from weather to pests.
The question of ecosystem stability is complicated, however. The first problem is that ecologists do not all agree what “stability” means. Stability can be defined as simply lack of change. In that case, the climax community would be considered the most stable, since, by definition, it changes the least over time. Alternatively, stability can be defined as the speed with which an ecosystem returns to a particular form following a major disturbance, such as a fire. This kind of stability is also called resilience. In that case, climax communities would be the most fragile and the least stable, since they can require hundreds of years to return to the climax state.
Even the kind of stability defined as simple lack of change is not always associated with maximum diversity. At least in temperate zones, maximum diversity is often found in mid-successional stages, not in the climax community. Once a redwood forest matures, for example, the kinds of species and the number of individuals growing on the forest floor are reduced. In general, diversity, by itself, does not ensure stability. Mathematical models of ecosystems likewise suggest that diversity does not guarantee ecosystem stability—just the opposite, in fact. A more complicated system is, in general, more likely than a simple system to break down. A fifteen-speed racing bicycle is more likely to break down than a child’s tricycle.
Ecologists are especially interested to know what factors contribute to the resilience of communities because climax communities all over the world are being severely damaged or destroyed by human activities. The destruction caused by the volcanic explosion of Mount St. Helens, in the northwestern United States, for example, pales in comparison to the destruction caused by humans. We need to know what aspects of a community are most important to the community’s resistance to destruction, as well as its recovery.
Many ecologists now think that the relative long-term stability of climax communities comes not from diversity but from the “patchiness” of the environment, an environment that varies from place to place supports more kinds of organisms than an environment that is uniform. A local population that goes extinct is quickly replaced by immigrants from an adjacent community. Even if the new population is of a different species, it can approximately fill the niche vacated by the extinct population and keep the food web intact.
Paragraph 1: Plant communities assemble themselves flexibly, and their particular structure depends on the specific history of the area. Ecologists use the term “succession” to refer to the changes that happen in plant communities and ecosystems over time. The first community in a succession is called a pioneer community, while the long-lived community at the end of succession is called a climax community. Pioneer and successional plant communities are said to change over periods from 1 to 500 years. These changes—in plant numbers and the mix of species—are cumulative. Climax communities themselves change but over periods of time greater than about 500 years.
1. The word “particular” in the passage is closest in meaning to
○Natural
○Final
○Specific
○Complex
2. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true of climax communities?
○They occur at the end of a succession.
○They last longer than any other type of community.
○The numbers of plants in them and the mix of species do not change.
○They remain stable for at least 500 years at a time.
Paragraph 2: An ecologist who studies a pond today may well find it relatively unchanged in a year’s time. Individual fish may be replaced, but the number of fish will tend to be the same from one year to the next. We can say that the properties of an ecosystem are more stable than the individual organisms that compose the ecosystem.
3. According to paragraph 2, which of the following principles of ecosystems can be learned by studying a pond?
○Ecosystem properties change more slowly than individuals in the system.
○The stability of an ecosystem tends to change as individuals are replaced.
○Individual organisms are stable from one year to the next.
○A change in the members of an organism does not affect an ecosystem’s properties
Paragraph 3: At one time, ecologists believed that species diversity made ecosystems stable. They believed that the greater the diversity the more stable the ecosystem. Support for this idea came from the observation that long-lasting climax communities usually have more complex food webs and more species diversity than pioneer communities. Ecologists concluded that the apparent stability of climax ecosystems depended on their complexity. To take an extreme example, farmlands dominated by a single crop are so unstable that one year of bad weather or the invasion of a single pest can destroy the entire crop. In contrast, a complex climax community, such as a temperate forest, will tolerate considerable damage from weather of pests.
4. According to paragraph 3, ecologists once believed that which of the following illustrated the most stable ecosystems?
○Pioneer communities
○Climax communities
○Single-crop farmlands
○Successional plant communities
Paragraph 4: The question of ecosystem stability is complicated, however. The first problem is that ecologists do not all agree what “stability” means. Stability can be defined as simply lack of change. In that case, the climax community would be considered the most stable, since, by definition, it changes the least over time. Alternatively, stability can be defined as the speed with which an ecosystem returns to a particular form following a major disturbance, such as a fire. This kind of stability is also called resilience. In that case, climax communities would be the most fragile and the least stable, since they can require hundreds of years to return to the climax state.
5. According to paragraph 4, why is the question of ecosystem stability complicated?
○The reasons for ecosystem change are not always clear.
○Ecologists often confuse the word “stability” with the word “resilience.”
○The exact meaning of the word “stability” is debated by ecologists.
○There are many different answers to ecological questions.
6. According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of climax communities?
○They are more resilient than pioneer communities.
○They can be considered both the most and the least stable communities.
○They are stable because they recover quickly after major disturbances.
○They are the most resilient communities because they change the least over time.
Paragraph 5: Even the kind of stability defined as simple lack of change is not always associated with maximum diversity. At least in temperate zones, maximum diversity is often found in mid-successional stages, not in the climax community. Once a redwood forest matures, for example, the kinds of species and the number of individuals growing on the forest floor are reduced. In general, diversity, by itself, does not ensure stability. Mathematical models of ecosystems likewise suggest that diversity does not guarantee ecosystem stability—just the opposite, in fact. A more complicated system is, in general, more likely than a simple system to break down. (A fifteen-speed racing bicycle is more likely to break down than a child’s tricycle.)
7. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 5 about redwood forests?
○They become less stable as they mature.
○They support many species when they reach climax.
○They are found in temperate zones.
○They have reduced diversity during mid-successional stages.
8. The word “guarantee” in the passage is closest in meaning to
○Increase
○Ensure
○Favor
○Complicate
9. In paragraph 5, why does the author provide the information that “(A fifteen-speed racing bicycle is more likely to break down than a child’s tricycle)”?
○To illustrate a general principle about the stability of systems by using an everyday example
○To demonstrate that an understanding of stability in ecosystems can be applied to help understand stability in other situations
○To make a comparison that supports the claim that, in general, stability increases with diversity
○To provide an example that contradicts mathematical models of ecosystems
Paragraph 6: Ecologists are especially interested to know what factors contribute to the resilience of communities because climax communities all over the world are being severely damaged or destroyed by human activities. The destruction caused by the volcanic explosion of Mount St. Helens, in the northwestern United States, for example, pales in comparison to the destruction caused by humans. We need to know what aspects of a community are most important to the community’s resistance to destruction, as well as its recovery.
10. The word “pales” in the passage is closest in meaning to
○Increases proportionally
○Differs
○Loses significance
○Is common
Paragraph 7：Many ecologists now think that the relative long-term stability of climax communities comes not from diversity but from the “patchiness” of the environment, an environment that varies from place to place supports more kinds of organisms than an environment that is uniform. A local population that goes extinct is quickly replaced by immigrants from an adjacent community. Even if the new population is of a different species, it can approximately fill the niche vacated by the extinct population and keep the food web intact.
11.Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incurred choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
○Ecologists now think that the stability of an environment is a result of diversity rather than patchiness.
○Patchy environments that vary from place to place do not often have high species diversity.
○Uniform environments cannot be climax communities because they do not support as many types of organisms as patchy environments.
○A patchy environment is thought to increase stability because it is able to support a wide variety of organisms.
12.The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest in meaning to
○Foreign
○Stable
○Fluid
○Neighboring
Paragraph 6: Ecologists are especially interested to know what factors contribute to the resilience of communities because climax communities all over the world are being severely damaged or destroyed by human activities. The destruction caused by the volcanic explosion of Mount St. Helens, in the northwestern United States, for example, pales in comparison to the destruction caused by humans. We need to know what aspects of a community are most important to the community’s resistance to destruction, as well as its recovery.
13.Look at the four squares [ ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
In fact, damage to the environment by humans is often much more severe than damage by natural events and processes.
Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square to add the sentence to the passage.
14.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 ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The process of succession and the stability of a climax community can change over time.
Answer choices
○The changes that occur in an ecosystem from the pioneer to the climax community can be seen in one human generation.
○A high degree of species diversity does not always result in a stable ecosystem.
○The level of resilience in a plant community contributes to its long-term stability.
○Ecologists agree that climax communities are the most stable types of ecosystems.
○Disagreements over the meaning of the term “stability” make it difficult to identify the most stable ecosystems.
○The resilience of climax communities makes them resistant to destruction caused by humans.
托福閱讀真題參考答案：
1. ○3 2. ○3 3. ○1 4. ○2 5. ○3 6. ○2 7. ○3 8. ○2 9. ○1 10. ○3 11. ○4 12. ○4 13. ○2 14. ○2 3 5
托福閱讀真題譯文：
生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的長(zhǎng)期穩(wěn)定
植物群體可以自由地聚集，他們特殊的結(jié)構(gòu)取決于聚集區(qū)域的具體歷史。生態(tài)學(xué)家使用“演替”來(lái)詮釋植物群落和生態(tài)系統(tǒng)隨著時(shí)間推移所發(fā)生的變化。演替中的第一個(gè)群落被稱作先鋒群落，而處于演替最后那個(gè)長(zhǎng)期生存的群落被稱為頂極群落。先鋒群落和緊接著的植物群落的變化周期是從1到500年不等，植物數(shù)量和混合種類(lèi)數(shù)量的變化是慢慢積累的。頂極群落本身也改變，但其變化周期超過(guò)500年。
現(xiàn)代一個(gè)研究池塘的生態(tài)學(xué)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)池塘在一年當(dāng)中相對(duì)而言是不變的。個(gè)別魚(yú)類(lèi)可能被替換，但一年一年魚(yú)的總數(shù)都趨于一致。也就是說(shuō)，生態(tài)系統(tǒng)自身的性質(zhì)比組成生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的單個(gè)生物體更為穩(wěn)定。
生態(tài)學(xué)家們一度認(rèn)為物種的多樣性使生態(tài)系統(tǒng)穩(wěn)定，生態(tài)系統(tǒng)物種越多樣則生態(tài)系統(tǒng)越穩(wěn)定。通過(guò)觀察得出的結(jié)論支持了這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，長(zhǎng)期持久的頂極群落通常要比先鋒群落具備更為復(fù)雜的食物網(wǎng)和更多的物種。生態(tài)學(xué)家家們得出的結(jié)論是：頂點(diǎn)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的穩(wěn)定性明顯取決于他們的復(fù)雜化程度。舉個(gè)極端的例子，在單一作物的農(nóng)田中，一年的惡劣天氣或單一害蟲(chóng)的入侵就可以摧毀所有作物。與此相反，在一個(gè)復(fù)雜的頂極群落里，如溫帶森林，他們便可以抵御來(lái)自氣候和害蟲(chóng)的入侵。
不管怎樣，生態(tài)系統(tǒng)穩(wěn)定性的問(wèn)題非常復(fù)雜。首先，不是所有的生態(tài)學(xué)家都贊同“穩(wěn)定”的含義。穩(wěn)定性可以簡(jiǎn)單地定義為缺乏變化。如果是這樣的話，頂極群落將被視為最穩(wěn)定的，因?yàn)楦鶕?jù)定義，他們隨著時(shí)間推移而變化是最少。另外，穩(wěn)定性也可以界定為生態(tài)系統(tǒng)在經(jīng)歷了嚴(yán)重破壞之后回復(fù)原貌的速度，比如火災(zāi)。這種穩(wěn)定性也被稱作彈性。在這種情況下，頂極群落將是最脆弱和最不穩(wěn)定的，因?yàn)樗麄兛赡苄枰獢?shù)百年時(shí)間才能恢復(fù)到頂點(diǎn)狀態(tài)。
即使是這種被定義為簡(jiǎn)單地缺乏變化的穩(wěn)定性并非總是與最多樣的物種聯(lián)系起來(lái)。至少在溫帶地區(qū)，會(huì)經(jīng)常在演替過(guò)程中發(fā)現(xiàn)最多物種，而不是在頂極群落中。例如，紅樹(shù)林一旦成熟，其中的物種數(shù)量以及單個(gè)物種的數(shù)量都會(huì)減少?？偟膩?lái)說(shuō)，多樣性本身并不能保證穩(wěn)定性，生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的數(shù)學(xué)模型也可以得出同樣的結(jié)論。一般來(lái)說(shuō)，一個(gè)更復(fù)雜的系統(tǒng)可能比一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的系統(tǒng)更容易被破壞(一個(gè)十五速的賽車(chē)比一個(gè)孩子的三輪車(chē)更容易損壞)。
生態(tài)學(xué)家們更想弄清楚到底哪些因素有助于促成群落的恢復(fù)，因?yàn)槭澜绺鞯氐捻敇O群落都因?yàn)槿祟?lèi)活動(dòng)而遭受到嚴(yán)重的損壞或毀壞。就像美國(guó)西北部圣海倫火山的猛烈噴發(fā)所造成的破壞，在人類(lèi)活動(dòng)對(duì)環(huán)境造成的的破壞面前也相形見(jiàn)絀。我們必須了解對(duì)群落抵抗破壞和恢復(fù)來(lái)說(shuō)哪些是最重要的。
現(xiàn)在的很多生態(tài)學(xué)家們認(rèn)為，頂極群落相對(duì)長(zhǎng)期的穩(wěn)定性并非來(lái)于自多樣性，而是來(lái)自環(huán)境的“補(bǔ)綴”，隨處變化的環(huán)境比統(tǒng)一的環(huán)境更有利于多種有機(jī)體的生存。當(dāng)?shù)匚锓N滅亡后，馬上就會(huì)被相鄰群落的移民取代。即便是另一種不同的物種，他們也可以填補(bǔ)那些已滅絕生物的空缺，并保持食物網(wǎng)的完整。
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