当前位置：首页 > 教学范文 > 阅读答案> 托福阅读推断题题目及答案

托福阅读推断题题目及答案

时间：2024-02-04 07:39:38 阅读答案收藏本文下载本文

托福阅读推断题题目及答案（合集11篇）由网友“富二代”投稿提供，下面是小编给大家带来的托福阅读推断题题目及答案，以供大家参考，我们一起来看看吧!

托福阅读推断题题目及答案

篇1：托福阅读推断题题目及答案

Paragraph 3：Oil pools are valuable underground accumulations of oil, and oil fields are regions underlain by one or more oil pools. When an oil pool or field has been discovered, wells are drilled into the ground. Permanent towers, called derricks, used to be built to handle the long sections of drilling pipe. Now portable drilling machines are set up and are then dismantled and removed. When the well reaches a pool, oil usually rises up the well because of its density difference with water beneath it or because of the pressure of expanding gas trapped above it. Although this rise of oil is almost always carefully controlled today, spouts of oil, or gushers, were common in the past. Gas pressure gradually dies out, and oil is pumped from the well. Water or steam may be pumped down adjacent wells to help push the oil out. At a refinery, the crude oil from underground is separated into natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, and various oils. Petrochemicals such as dyes, fertilizer, and plastic are also manufactured from the petroleum.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about gushers?

They make bringing the oil to the surface easier.

They signal the presence of huge oil reserves.

They waste more oil than they collect.

They are unlikely to occur nowadays.

托福阅读推断题练习题答案：4

篇2：托福阅读推断题题目及答案

Paragraph 1: Groundwater is the word used to describe water that saturates the ground, filling all the available spaces. By far the most abundant type of groundwater is meteoric water; this is the groundwater that circulates as part of the water cycle. Ordinary meteoric water is water that has soaked into the ground from the surface, from precipitation (rain and snow) and from lakes and streams. There it remains, sometimes for long periods, before emerging at the surface again. At first thought it seems incredible that there can be enough space in the “solid” ground underfoot to hold all this water.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the ground that we walk on?

It cannot hold rainwater for long periods of time.

It prevents most groundwater from circulating.

It has the capacity to store large amounts of water.

It absorbs most of the water it contains from rivers.

托福阅读推断题练习题答案：3

篇3：托福阅读推断题题目及答案

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.)

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.

托福阅读推断题练习题答案：3

篇4：托福阅读推断题题目及答案

Paragraph 3：With question such as these clearly before them, the scientists aboard the Glomar Challenger processed to the Mediterranean to search for the answers. On August 23, 1970, they recovered a sample. The sample consisted of pebbles of gypsum and fragments of volcanic rock. Not a single pebble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came from the nearby continent. In the days following, samples of solid gypsum were repeatedly brought on deck as drilling operations penetrated the seafloor. Furthermore, the gypsum was found to possess peculiarities of composition and structure that suggested it had formed on desert flats. Sediment above and below the gypsum layer contained tiny marine fossils, indicating open-ocean conditions. As they drilled into the central and deepest part of the Mediterranean basin, the scientists took solid, shiny, crystalline salt from the core barrel. Interbedded with the salt were thin layers of what appeared to be windblown silt.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the solid gypsum layer?

It did not contain any marine fossil.

It had formed in open-ocean conditions.

It had once been soft, deep-sea mud.

It contained sediment from nearby deserts.

托福阅读推断题练习题答案：1

篇5：托福TPO8阅读真题Part2及题目答案

托福TPO8阅读真题Part2

Extinction of the Dinosaurs

Paleozoic Era 334 to 248 million years ago

Mesozoic Era 245 to 65 million years ago

-Triassic Period

-Jurassic Period

-Cretaceous Period

Cenozoic Era 65 million years ago to the present

Paleontologists have argued for a long time that the demise of the dinosaurs was caused by climatic alterations associated with slow changes in the positions of continents and seas resulting from plate tectonics. Off and on throughout the Cretaceous (the last period of the Mesozoic era, during which dinosaurs flourished), large shallow seas covered extensive areas of the continents. Data from diverse sources, including geochemical evidence preserved in seafloor sediments, indicate that the Late Cretaceous climate was milder than today's. The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid. The shallow seas on the continents probably buffered the temperature of the nearby air, keeping it relatively constant.

At the end of the Cretaceous, the geological record shows that these seaways retreated from the continents back into the major ocean basins. No one knows why. Over a period of about 100,000 years, while the seas pulled back, climates around the world became dramatically more extreme: warmer days, cooler nights; hotter summers, colder winters. Perhaps dinosaurs could not tolerate these extreme temperature changes and became extinct.

If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? These animals are at the mercy of the climate to maintain a livable body temperature. It's hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Critics also point out that the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one? Although initially appealing, the hypothesis of a simple climatic change related to sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data.

Dissatisfaction with conventional explanations for dinosaur extinctions led to a surprising observation that, in turn, has suggested a new hypothesis. Many plants and animals disappear abruptly from the fossil record as one moves from layers of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks representing the beginning of the Cenozoic (the era after the Mesozoic). Between the last layer of Cretaceous rock and the first layer of Cenozoic rock, there is often a thin layer of clay. Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained.

Ir has not been common at Earth's since the very beginning of the planet's history. Because it usually exists in a metallic state, it was preferentially incorporated in Earth's core as the planet cooled and consolidated. Ir is found in high concentrations in some meteorites, in which the solar system's original chemical composition is preserved. Even today, microscopic meteorites continually bombard Earth, falling on both land and sea. By measuring how many of these meteorites fall to Earth over a given period of time, scientists can estimate how long it might have taken to deposit the observed amount of Ir in the boundary clay. These calculations suggest that a period of about one million years would have been required. However, other reliable evidence suggests that the deposition of the boundary clay could not have taken one million years. So the unusually high concentration of Ir seems to require a special explanation.

In view of these facts, scientists hypothesized that a single large asteroid, about 10 to 15 kilometers across, collided with Earth, and the resulting fallout created the boundary clay. Their calculations show that the impact kicked up a dust cloud that cut off sunlight for several months, inhibiting photosynthesis in plants; decreased surface temperatures on continents to below freezing; caused extreme episodes of acid rain; and significantly raised long-term global temperatures through the greenhouse effect. This disruption of food chain and climate would have eradicated the dinosaurs and other organisms in less than fifty years.

Paragraph 1: Paleontologists have argued for a long time that the demise of the dinosaurs was caused by climatic alterations associated with slow changes in the positions of continents and seas resulting from plate tectonics. Off and on throughout the Cretaceous (the last period of the Mesozoic era, during which dinosaurs flourished), large shallow seas covered extensive areas of the continents. Data from diverse sources, including geochemical evidence preserved in seafloor sediments, indicate that the Late Cretaceous climate was milder than today's. The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid. The shallow seas on the continents probably buffered the temperature of the nearby air, keeping it relatively constant.

托福TPO8阅读题目Part2

1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the Late Cretaceous climate?

○Summers were very warm and winters were very cold.

○Shallow seas on the continents caused frequent temperature changes.

○The climate was very similar to today's climate.

○The climate did not change dramatically from season to season.

Paragraph 2: At the end of the Cretaceous, the geological record shows that these seaways retreated from the continents back into the major ocean basins. No one knows why. Over a period of about 100,000 years, while the seas pulled back, climates around the world became dramatically more extreme: warmer days, cooler nights; hotter summers, colder winters. Perhaps dinosaurs could not tolerate these extreme temperature changes and became extinct.

2. Which of the following reasons is suggested in paragraph 2 for the extinction of the dinosaurs?

○Changes in the lengths of the days and nights during the late Cretaceous period

○Droughts caused by the movement of seaways back into the oceans

○The change from mild to severe climates during the Late Cretaceous period

○An extreme decrease in the average yearly temperature over 10,ooo years

Paragraph 3: If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? These animals are at the mercy of the climate to maintain a livable body temperature. It's hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Critics also point out that the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one? Although initially appealing, the hypothesis of a simple climatic change related to sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data.

3. Why does the author mention the survival of “snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles” in paragraph 3?

○To argue that dinosaurs may have become extinct because they were not cold-blooded animals

○To question the adequacy of the hypothesis that climatic change related to sea levels caused the extinction of the dinosaurs

○To present examples of animals that could maintain a livable body temperature more easily than dinosaurs

○To support a hypothesis that these animals were not as sensitive to climate changes in the Cretaceous period as they are today

4. The word “cope” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ adapt

○ move

○ continue

○ compete

5. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of changes in climate before the Cretaceous period and the effect of these changes on dinosaurs?

○Climate changes associated with the movement of seaways before the Cretaceous period did not cause dinosaurs to become extinct.

○Changes in climate before the Cretaceous period caused severe fluctuations in sea level, resulting in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

○Frequent changes in climate before the Cretaceous period made dinosaurs better able to maintain a livable body temperature.

○Before the Cretaceous period there were few changes in climate, and dinosaurs flourished.

6.The word “fluctuations” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ extremes

○ retreats

○ periods

○ variations

Paragraph 4: Dissatisfaction with conventional explanations for dinosaur extinctions led to a surprising observation that, in turn, has suggested a new hypothesis. Many plants and animals disappear abruptly from the fossil record as one moves from layers of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks representing the beginning of the Cenozoic (the era after the Mesozoic). Between the last layer of Cretaceous rock and the first layer of Cenozoic rock, there is often a thin layer of clay. Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (lr) it contained.

7. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? In correct choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

○The fossil record suggests that there was an abrupt extinction of many plants and animals at the end of the Mesozoic era.

○Few fossils of the Mesozoic era have survived in the rocks that mark the end of the Cretaceous.

○Fossils from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic up to the beginning of the Cenozoic era have been removed from the layers of rock that surrounded them.

○Plants and animals from the Mesozoic era were unable to survive in the Cenozoic era.

8. In paragraph 4, all the following questions are answered EXCEPT:

○Why is there a layer of clay between the rocks of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic?

○Why were scientists interested in determining how long it took to deposit the layer of clay at the end of the Cretaceous?

○What was the effect of the surprising observation scientists made?

○Why did scientists want more information about the dinosaur extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous?

Paragraph 5: Ir has not been common at Earth's since the very beginning of the planet's history. Because it usually exists in a metallic state, it was preferentially incorporated in Earth's core as the planet cooled and consolidated. Ir is found in high concentrations in some meteorites, in which the solar system's original chemical composition is preserved. Even today, microscopic meteorites continually bombard Earth, falling on both land and sea. By measuring how many of these meteorites fall to Earth over a given period of time, scientists can estimate how long it might have taken to deposit the observed amount of Ir in the boundary clay. These calculations suggest that a period of about one million years would have been required. However, other reliable evidence suggests that the deposition of the boundary clay could not have taken one million years. So the unusually high concentration of Ir seems to require a special explanation.

9. The word “bombard” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ approach

○ strike

○ pass

○ circle

10. Paragraph 5 implies that a special explanation of Ir in the boundary clay is needed because

○the Ir in microscopic meteorites reaching Earth during the Cretaceous period would have been incorporated into Earth's core

○the Ir in the boundary clay was deposited much more than a million years ago

○the concentration of Ir in the boundary clay is higher than in microscopic meteorites

○the amount of Ir in the boundary clay is too great to have come from microscopic meteorites during the time the boundary clay was deposited

Paragraph 6: In view of these facts, scientists hypothesized that a single large asteroid, about 10 to 15 kilometers across, collided with Earth, and the resulting fallout created the boundary clay. Their calculations show that the impact kicked up a dust cloud that cut off sunlight for several months, inhibiting photosynthesis in plants; decreased surface temperatures on continents to below freezing; caused extreme episodes of acid rain; and significantly raised long-term global temperatures through the greenhouse effect. This disruption of food chain and climate would have eradicated the dinosaurs and other organisms in less than fifty years.

11. The word “disruption” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ exhaustion

○ disturbance

○ modification

○ disappearance

12. Paragraph 6 mentions all of the following effects of the hypothesized asteroid collision EXCEPT

○ a large dust cloud that blocked sunlight

○ an immediate drop in the surface temperatures of the continents

○ an extreme decrease in rainfall on the continents

○ a long-term increase in global temperatures

Paragraph 5: Ir has not been common at Earth's since the very beginning of the planet's history. Because it usually exists in a metallic state, it was preferentially incorporated in Earth's core as the planet cooled and consolidated. Ir is found in high concentrations in some meteorites, in which the solar system's original chemical composition is preserved. Even today, microscopic meteorites continually bombard Earth, falling on both land and sea. By measuring how many of these meteorites fall to Earth over a given period of time, scientists can estimate how long it might have taken to deposit the observed amount of Ir in the boundary clay. ■ These calculations suggest that a period of about one million years would have been required. ■However, other reliable evidence suggests that the deposition of the boundary clay could not have taken one million years. ■So the unusually high concentration of Ir seems to require a special explanation. ■

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

Consequently, the idea that the Ir in the boundary clay came from microscopic meteorites cannot be accepted.

Where would the sentence best fit?

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 that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

For a long time scientists have argued that the extinction of the dinosaurs was related to climate change.

●

Answer choices

○A simple climate change does not explain some important data related to the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.

○The retreat of the seaways at the end of the Cretaceous has not been fully explained.

○The abruptness of extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous and the high concentration of Ir found in clay deposited at that time have fueled the development of a new hypothesis.

○Extreme changes in daily and seasonal climates preceded the retreat of the seas back into the major ocean basins.

○Some scientists hypothesize that the extinction of the dinosaurs resulted from the effects of an asteroid collision with Earth.

○Boundary clay layers like the one between the Mesozoic and Cenozoic are used by scientists to determine the rate at which an extinct species declined

托福TPO8阅读答案Part2

参考答案：

1. ○4

2. ○3

3. ○2

4. ○1

5. ○1

6. ○4

7. ○1

8.○1

9. ○2

10. ○4

11. ○2

12. ○3

13. ○3

14. A simple climate change

The abruptness of extinctions

Some scientists hypothesize

托福TPO8阅读翻译：Part2

参考翻译：恐龙的灭绝

很长时间以来，古生物学家们认为恐龙的灭亡是与因地质构造而引起的海洋和大陆位置变迁相关的气候变化所致。在整个白垩纪(中生代的最后的一段时间，这时恐龙正值繁盛)，广阔的浅海覆盖了大量的陆地。各方面的数据，包括海床沉积中的地理化学证据，都表明白垩纪后期的气候比现在的气候要温和得多。白天不是很热，夜间也不是很寒冷。夏天不是太炎热，而冬天也不是太寒冷。大陆上的浅海可能使其附近的空气少受影响，以保持相对稳定的温度。

在白垩纪后期，地质资料表明这些浅海都从大陆退回到主要的海洋盆地内了，没有人明白为什么。大约在100 0内，海洋收缩了，世界的气候也随之变得更极端：白天更热，夜间更冷，夏天更炎热，冬天更寒冷。恐龙或许就是因为无法忍受这种严峻的气温变化因而灭绝。

如果真是这样，那么为什么冷血动物，比如蛇类、蜥蜴、乌龟和鳄鱼却能够幸免于寒冬和酷夏呢?这些动物都是依赖于气温以使其身体保持适合生存的温度。很难理解它们为什么毫不受影响，然而恐龙却如此的无能以至于无法适应，尤其是有些科学家认为恐龙是热血动物。批评者们也指出浅海在中生代曾有过无数次的进入大陆而又退回盆地的过程，所以为什么恐龙在前面的海洋起伏中能幸免于难，而在这一次中却不能呢?尽管最初人们这样认为，但是简单的与海平面高度有关的气候变化假设是不足以解释所有数据的。

对传统的关于恐龙灭绝解释的不满使得人们反过来惊奇的发现，从而产生了新的假设。当人们对比白垩纪后期的岩层资料和新生代(中生代后面的一个时期)早期的资料时发现很多植物和动物都突然地消失了。在白垩纪最后的一层岩石和新生代的第一层岩石之间，常有一层很薄的粘土。科学家们感觉到他们可以通过确定这层一厘米厚的粘土层中元素铱的含量来推测其的沉积时间，进而推测大灭绝所用的时间。

自从地球以来，铱元素在地球的表面上就不常见。因为它通常是以金属状态存在，并随着地球的冷却和固结而优先地合并到地核中了。在一些陨石中，依可能会高度富集，而这里常保存着太阳系内原始的化学组成。直到今天，小型的陨石也在连续不断地撞击地球，并掉落在陆地和海洋中。通过确定在一段给定时间内掉落在地球上的这种陨石的数量，科学家们就可以确定沉积隔层粘土的形成时间。这种计算表明形成这种沉积可能需要一百万年。然而其他可靠的证据则表明沉积这层粘土不可能花费了一百万年。所以这种不正常的铱的富集可能需要一种特殊的解释。

考虑到这些事实，科学家们就假设有一个较大的小行星，直径差不多有10到15公里，曾与地球相撞，所以碰撞扬起的灰尘等就形成了这层粘土层。他们的计算表明撞击扬起的灰尘遮挡了阳光达几个月之久，阻止了植物的光合作用，将陆地上的气温降到了零点之下，导致酸雨，通过温室效应造成了长期的、严重的全球升温。这种对食物链和气候的极大扰乱将可使恐龙和其他生物在不到50年的时间内绝迹。

篇6：托福TPO1阅读及题目答案Part1

1. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the ground that we walk on?

○It cannot hold rainwater for long periods of time.

○It prevents most groundwater from circulating.

○It has the capacity to store large amounts of water.

○It absorbs most of the water it contains from rivers.

2. The word “incredible” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○confusing

○comforting

○unbelievable

○interesting

Paragraph 2: The necessary space is there, however, in many forms. The commonest spaces are those among the particles-sand grains and tiny pebbles-of loose, unconsolidated sand and gravel. Beds of this material, out of sight beneath the soil, are common. They are found wherever fast rivers carrying loads of coarse sediment once flowed. For example, as the great ice sheets that covered North America during the last ice age steadily melted away, huge volumes of water flowed from them. The water was always laden with pebbles, gravel, and sand, known as glacial outwash, that was deposited as the flow slowed down.

3. The word “out of sight” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○far away

○hidden

○partly visible

○discovered

4. According to paragraph 2, where is groundwater usually found?

○Inside pieces of sand and gravel

○On top of beds of rock

○In fast rivers that are flowing beneath the soil

○In spaces between pieces of sediment

5. The phrase “glacial outwash” in the passage refers to

○fast rivers

○glaciers

○the huge volumes of water created by glacial melting

○the particles carried in water from melting glaciers

Paragraph 3: The same thing happens to this day, though on a smaller scale, wherever a sediment-laden river or stream emerges from a mountain valley onto relatively flat land, dropping its load as the current slows: the water usually spreads out fanwise, depositing the sediment in the form of a smooth, fan-shaped slope. Sediments are also dropped where a river slows on entering a lake or the sea, the deposited sediments are on a lake floor or the seafloor at first, but will be located inland at some future date, when the sea level falls or the land rises; such beds are sometimes thousands of meters thick.

6. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as places that sediment-laden rivers can deposit their sediments EXCEPT

○A mountain valley

○Flat land

○A lake floor

○The seafloor

Paragraph 4: In lowland country almost any spot on the ground may overlie what was once the bed of a river that has since become buried by soil; if they are now below the water's upper surface (the water table), the gravels and sands of the former riverbed, and its sandbars, will be saturated with groundwater.

7. The word “overlie” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ cover

○ change

○ separate

○ surround

Paragraph 5: So much for unconsolidated sediments. Consolidated (or cemented) sediments, too, contain millions of minute water-holding pores. This is because the gaps among the original grains are often not totally plugged with cementing chemicals; also, parts of the original grains may become dissolved by percolating groundwater, either while consolidation is taking place or at any time afterwards. The result is that sandstone, for example, can be as porous as the loose sand from which it was formed.

8. The phrase “So much for” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○that is enough about

○now let us turn to

○of greater concern are

○this is related to

9. The word “plugged” in the passage is closet in meaning to○washed

○dragged

○filled up

○soaked through

Paragraph 6: Thus a proportion of the total volume of any sediment, loose or cemented, consists of empty space. Most crystalline rocks are much more solid; a common exception is basalt, a form of solidified volcanic lava, which is sometimes full of tiny bubbles that make it very porous.

Paragraph 7: The proportion of empty space in a rock is known as its porosity. But note that porosity is not the same as permeability, which measures the ease with which water can flow through a material; this depends on the sizes of the individual cavities and the crevices linking them.

10. According to paragraphs 6 and 7, why is basalt unlike most crystalline forms of rock?

○It is unusually solid.

○It often has high porosity.

○It has a low proportion of empty space.

○It is highly permeable.

11. What is the main purpose of paragraph 7?

○To explain why water can flow through rock

○To emphasize the large amount of empty space in all rock

○To point out that a rock cannot be both porous and permeable

○To distinguish between two related properties of rock

Paragraph 9: The relative amount of these two kinds of water varies greatly from one kind of rock or sediment to another, even though their porosities may be the same. What happens depends on pore size. If the pores are large, the water in them will exist as drops too heavy for surface tension to hold, and it will drain away; but if the pores are small enough, the water in them will exist as thin films, too light to overcome the force of surface tension holding them in place; then the water will be firmly held.

12. 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.

○Surface tension is not strong enough to retain drops of water in rocks with large pores but it strong enough to hold on to thin films of water in rocks with small pores.

○Water in rocks is held in place by large pores and drains away from small size pores through surface tension.

○Small pores and large pores both interact with surface tension to determine whether a rock will hold water as heavy drops or as a thin film.

○If the force of surface tension is too weak to hold water in place as heavy drops, the water will continue to be held firmly in place as a thin film when large pores exist.

Paragraph 8: Much of the water in a sample of water-saturated sediment or rock will drain from it if the sample is put in a suitable dry place. But some will remain, clinging to all solid surfaces. It is held there by the force of surface tension without which water would drain instantly from any wet surface, leaving it totally dry. The total volume of water in the saturated sample must therefore be thought of as consisting of water that can, and water that cannot, drain away.

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

What, then, determines what proportion of the water stays and what proportion drains away?

Where would the sentence best fit?

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.

Much of the ground is actually saturated with water.

Answer choices

○Sediments that hold water were spread by glaciers and are still spread by rivers and streams.

○Water is stored underground in beds of loose sand and gravel or in cemented sediment.

○The size of a saturated rock's pores determines how much water it will retain when the rock is put in a dry place.

○Groundwater often remains underground for a long time before it emerges again.

○Like sandstone, basalt is a crystalline rock that is very porous.

○Beds of unconsolidated sediments are typically located at inland sites that were once underwater

篇7：托福TPO1阅读及题目答案Part2

1. The word “championed” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○changed

○debated

○created

○supported

2. The word “attributes” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○ascribes

○leaves

○limits

○contrasts

3. According to paragraph 1, theories of the origins of theater

○are mainly hypothetical

○are well supported by factual evidence

○have rarely been agreed upon by anthropologists

○were expressed in the early stages of theater's development

4. According to paragraph 1, why did some societies develop and repeat ceremonial actions?

○To establish a positive connection between the members of the society

○To help society members better understand the forces controlling their food supply

○To distinguish their beliefs from those of other societies

○To increase the society's prosperity

Paragraph 2: Stories (myths) may then grow up around a ritual. Frequently the myths include representatives of those supernatural forces that the rites celebrate or hope to influence. Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent the mythical characters or supernatural forces in the rituals or in accompanying celebrations. As a person becomes more sophisticated, its conceptions of supernatural forces and causal relationships may change. As a result, it may abandon or modify some rites. But the myths that have grown up around the rites may continue as part of the group's oral tradition and may even come to be acted out under conditions divorced from these rites. When this occurs, the first step has been taken toward theater as anautonomous activity, and thereafter entertainment and aesthetic values may gradually replace the former mystical and socially efficacious concerns.

5. The word “this” in the passage refers to

○the acting out of rites

○the divorce of ritual performers from the rest of society

○the separation of myths from rites

○the celebration of supernatural forces

6. The word “autonomous” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○artistic

○important

○independent

○established

7. According to paragraph 2, what may cause societies to abandon certain rites?

○Emphasizing theater as entertainment

○Developing a new understanding of why events occur

○Finding a more sophisticated way of representing mythical characters

○Moving from a primarily oral tradition to a more written tradition

Paragraph 5: In addition to exploring the possible antecedents of theater, scholars have also theorized about the motives that led people to develop theater. Why did theater develop, and why was it valued after it ceased to fulfill the function of ritual? Most answers fall back on the theories about the human mind and basic human needs. One, set forth by Aristotle in the fourth century B.C., sees humans as naturally imitative-as taking pleasure in imitating persons, things, and actions and in seeing such imitations. Another, advanced in the twentieth century, suggests that humans have a gift for fantasy, through which they seek to reshape reality into more satisfying forms than those encountered in daily life. Thus, fantasy or fiction (of which drama is one form) permits people to objectify their anxieties and fears, confront them, and fulfill their hopes in fiction if not fact. The theater, then, is one tool whereby people define and understand their world or escape from unpleasant realities.

8. All of following are mentioned in paragraph 5 as possible reasons that led societies to develop theater EXCEPT

○Theater allows people to face that they are afraid of.

○Theater gives an opportunity to imagine a better reality.

○Theater is a way to enjoy imitating other people.

○Theater provides people the opportunity to better understand the human mind.

9. Which of the following best describes the organization of paragraph 5?

○The author presents two theories for a historical phenomenon.

○The author argues against theories expressed earlier in the passage.

○The author argues for replacing older theories with a new one.

○The author points out problems with two popular theories.

Paragraph 6: But neither the human imitative instinct nor a penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an autonomous theater. Therefore, additional explanations are needed. One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems. For example, one sign of this condition is the appearance of the comic vision, since comedy requires sufficient detachment to view some deviations from social norms as ridiculous rather than as serious threats to the welfare of the entire group. Another condition that contributes to the development of autonomous theater is the emergence of the aesthetic sense. For example, some early societies ceased to consider certain rites essential to their well-being and abandoned them, nevertheless, they retained as parts of their oral tradition the myths that had grown up around the rites and admired them for their artistic qualities rather than for their religious usefulness.

10. The word “penchant” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○compromise

○inclination

○tradition

○respect

11. Why does the author mention “comedy”?

○To give an example of early types of theater

○To explain how theater helps a society respond to threats to its welfare

○To help explain why detachment is needed for the development of theater

○To show how theatrical performers become detached from other members of society

○A society's rites were more likely to be retained in the oral tradition if its myths were admired for artistic qualities.

○The artistic quality of a myth was sometimes an essential reason for a society to abandon it from the oral tradition.

○Some early societies stopped using myths in their religious practices when rites ceased to be seen as useful for social well-being.

○Myths sometimes survived in a society's tradition because of their artistic qualities even after they were no longer deemed religiously beneficial.

Paragraph 3: █Although origin in ritual has long been the most popular, it is by no means the only theory about how the theater came into being. █Storytelling has been proposed as one alternative. █Under this theory, relating and listening to stories are seen as fundamental human pleasures. █Thus, the recalling of an event (a hunt, battle, or other feat) is elaborated through the narrator's pantomime and impersonation and eventually through each role being assumed by a different person.

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

To enhance their listeners' enjoyment, storytellers continually make their stories more engaging and memorable.

Where would the sentence best fit?

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.

Anthropologists have developed many theories to help understand why and how theater originated.

●

Answer choices

○The presence of theater in almost all societies is thought to have occurred because early storytellers traveled to different groups to tell their stories.

○Many theorists believe that theater arises when societies act out myths to preserve social well-being.

○The more sophisticated societies became, the better they could influence desirable occurrences through ritualized theater.

○Some theories of theater development focus on how theater was used by group leaders to group leaders govern other members of society.

○Theater may have come from pleasure humans receive from storytelling and moving rhythmically.

○The human capacities for imitation and fantasy are considered possible reasons why societies develop theater

篇8：托福TPO1阅读及题目答案Part2

1. ○4

2. ○1

3. ○1

4. ○4

5. ○3

6. ○3

7. ○2

8. ○4

9. ○1

10. ○2

11. ○3

12. ○4

13. ○4

14. Many theorists believe that…

Theater may have come from…

The human capacities for imitation…

托福TPO1阅读真题翻译：戏剧的起源

由于几乎没有具体材料可供研究，探寻戏剧的起源只能凭推测。19世纪末20世纪初，为人类学家们所拥护的一种理论得到了世人的广泛认同;这种观点认为戏剧起源于神话和宗教仪式。这些人类学家们推论过程可简要概括如下：在社会发展早期，人们相信有股力量可以影响甚至操控他们的食物供应和幸福生活。在对自然原因并不十分了解的情况下，他们把希望或不希望发生的事情都归咎于超自然的或魔幻的力量，并且试图寻找各种途径赢得这些力量的厚爱。当他们意识到自己的某些行为和期许的结果之间存在明显的联系以后，人们便开始重复并且完善这些行为，最终形成固定的典礼或宗教仪式。

故事(神话)在这种仪式中发展起来，这些故事中经常会有仪式庆祝或期望影响的超自然力量的典型。在这种仪式或伴随的庆典中，表演者们可能会穿上戏装戴上面具来扮演神秘的角色或超自然力量。当人们认识事物的能力进一步加强的时候，他们对超自然力量以及与其引发的事件间因果关系的认识就发生了改变;于是，他们会抛弃或者修改某些仪式。不过在这些仪式中发展起来的神话故事继续在人们的口头流传，甚至可能脱离了仪式而被演绎着。这时侯，戏剧做为一种自发的活动迈出了自己的第一步，接着，戏剧的娱乐和审美价值开始渐渐取代先前的带有神话色彩的、在社会上灵验的关注。

尽管戏剧起源于宗教仪式的说法是目前最被大众认可的，但无论如何这都不是戏剧起源的唯一理论;另一种推测认为戏剧源于说书。在这个理论中，与故事产生联系和聆听故事被视为是人类基本的乐趣。因此，讲述人通过自己的手势和模仿把对一个事件的回忆(一次打猎、战役或是其它功勋伟业)表现得淋漓尽致，这种方式最终演变成为由不同的人来演绎不同的角色。

另外一种与之相关的理论认为，戏剧主要是从无声的、有节奏的舞蹈、体操，或模仿动物声音的过程逐渐演变而来。人们对表演者的演技、审美能力和优雅的欣赏被视为是表演者将他们的表演精心策划为戏剧的动力。

为了进一步探寻戏剧的起源，一些学派开始从人类发展戏剧的动机上建立理论。为什么戏剧会发展，为什么在戏剧完全脱离宗教仪式以后还有这么大的价值?大部分答案都回到那些关于人类心智和人类基本需求的理论中。首先，亚里士多德在公元前4世纪提出，人们天生好模仿，并从模仿他人、事物和动作以及观看模仿中获得乐趣。另外，20世纪提出的先进理论认为人类擅长幻想，通过幻想将日常生活中的现实重塑成更加令人满意的形式。因此，人们通过幻想或虚构(戏剧的一个形式)把他们的焦虑和恐惧具体化，再通过这种方式面对焦虑和恐惧，并从虚构中满足他们现实中无法实现的愿望。所以，戏剧成为了一种帮助人们认识和理解这个世界，或是帮助人们逃避不满现实的工具。

但是，无论是人类模仿的本能或是对幻想的嗜好本身都不能发展成为独立的戏剧，因此，我们需要更多解释。一个必要的条件可能是一种要脱离通常人们看待问题的视角。比如，这个条件的一个标志是喜剧构想的出现，因为喜剧要求足够的发散思维，我们需要将社会规范中的离经叛道的行为视作极其荒谬的事情，而不是对公众群体福利的严重威胁。另一个导致戏剧独立的条件是审美感觉的出现。例如，一些早期社会的人们认为有的仪式对他们的幸福生活来说不再是必需品，并且取消了那些仪式。虽然如此，人们还是保留了那些口头传述故事的传统并且热爱从这些仪式里发展起来的神话，出于它们的艺术性，而不是宗教原因。

篇9：托福TPO1阅读及题目答案Part1

1. ○3

2. ○3

3. ○2

4. ○4

5. ○4

6. ○1

7. ○1

8. ○1

9. ○3

10. ○2

11. ○4

12. ○1

13. ○4

14. Sediments that hold water…

Water is stored underground…

The size of a saturated rock's…

参考托福TPO1阅读翻译：地下水

地下水是指渗入到地下并将所有岩石孔隙填满的水。到现在为止，大气水是最丰富的地下水资源，是地下水在水循环中的一个环节。普通的大气水会从地表、降水以及湖泊河流侵入到地下。在再次冒出地表之前，这些地下水有时会长时间留在地下。最初让人觉得难以置信的是，在我们脚下“坚实的”土地中竟然有足够的空间能储存这么些水。

然而，地下水所需的储存空间多种多样。松散的砂子和砾石间有许多颗粒，如沙粒和小石子，它们之间的孔隙是最常见的储存地下水的空间。由这些颗粒组成的水床非常普遍，通常位于看不见的土壤下方，在携带粗糙沉淀物的湍急的河流曾流过的地方都能找到它们的踪迹。比如，冰河时代覆盖北美的巨大冰层逐渐融化，大量水从那儿流出。水里总会携带些石子、砾石和沙石，这些颗粒会随着水流的减速而沉淀，这就是所谓冰河期的冰水沉积。

现代也有冰水沉积，尽管规模相对较小。凡是有携带沙石的河流或者溪流从山谷流至相对平坦的地面时，砂石就随着水流速度的减慢逐渐沉淀;水流通常呈扇形扩散，它们所携带的沙石也会沉淀为光滑的扇形斜面。当河流汇入湖泊和海洋的时候也会有沉淀，这些沉淀最初在湖底或海底，但将来海平面下降或者陆地崛起时，它们就会分布于内陆，通常厚达几千米。

低地区域上的任何位置可能就是曾经的河床，后续被土壤覆盖而变成现在的样子。如果那些过去的河床和沙洲现在位于地下水位之下，一定会有大量的地下水浸在它们的沙子和砾石之间。

以上说的都是松散的沉积物，那些坚固的沉积物，也拥有以数万计的毛细孔来容纳水。因为最初颗粒间的缝隙通常并未完全被黏固的化学物质塞满，而且部分颗粒很可能在固化时或固化后被渗入的地下水溶解;结果这些砂岩最终变得和形成它的散沙一样多孔。

因此，不管沉积物是疏松还是坚固，它们中一定有空间。大部分结晶体岩石都非常坚硬，但也有例外，最常见的就是玄武岩，它是一种固化的火山熔岩，经常充满了微小气泡，从而变得十分多孔。

岩石的孔隙度就是指其中空间的比例。但需要注意的是，孔隙度与渗透率是不同的。渗透率衡量的是水渗透物质的难易程度，它取决于与单个空隙以及连接孔隙间裂缝的大小。

当充满水分的沉淀物或者岩石样本被放置在适宜的干燥环境中时，大部分的水分会流失，但仍有部分水会继续附着在坚实的表面上。要不是因为表面张力，这些水分也会立刻蒸发，仅留下完全干燥的样本。因此，试验样本的含水量既包括可以流干的水，也包括不能流干的水。

这两种水的相对含量因岩石或沉积物种类不同而改变，即便它们有相同比例的孔隙，还取决于孔隙的大小。如果孔隙很大，其中的水会形成水滴，太重足以克服吸引它的表面张力，就会流走;但如果孔隙够小，水会像薄膜一样，太轻无法克服表面张力，从而稳稳地附着在孔隙表面上。

篇10：托福TPO4阅读及题目答案Part3

1.The word “accumulate” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○grow up

○build up

○spread out

○break apart

2.According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true about petroleum formation?

○Microscopic organisms that live in mud produce crude oil and natural gas.

○Large amounts of oxygen are needed for petroleum formation to begin.

○Petroleum is produced when organic material in sediments combines with decaying marine organisms.

○Petroleum formation appears to begin in marine sediments where organic matter is present.

Paragraph 1: Petroleum, consisting of crude oil and natural gas, seems to originate from organic matter in marine sediment. Microscopic organisms settle to the seafloor and accumulate in marine mud. The organic matter may partially decompose, using up the dissolved oxygen in the sediment. As soon as the oxygen is gone, decay stops and the remaining organic matter is preserved.

Paragraph 2: Continued sedimentation-the process of deposits' settling on the sea bottom-buries the organic matter and subjects it to higher temperatures and pressures, which convert the organic matter to oil and gas. As muddy sediments are pressed together, the gas and small droplets of oil may be squeezed out of the mud and may move into sandy layers nearby. Over long periods of time (millions of years), accumulations of gas and oil can collect in the sandy layers. Both oil and gas are less dense than water, so they generally tend to rise upward through water-saturated rock and sediment.

3.In paragraphs 1 and 2, the author's primary purpose is to

○describe how petroleum is formed

○explain why petroleum formation is a slow process

○provide evidence that a marine environment is necessary for petroleum formation

○show that oil commonly occurs in association with gas

4.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.

○Higher temperatures and pressures promote sedimentation, which is responsible for petroleum formation.

○Deposits of sediments on top of organic matter increase the temperature of and pressure on the matter.

○Increase pressure and heat from the weight of the sediment turn the organic remains into petroleum.

○The remains of microscopic organisms transform into petroleum once they are buried under mud.

Paragraph 3: Oil pools are valuable underground accumulations of oil, and oil fields are regions underlain by one or more oil pools. When an oil pool or field has been discovered, wells are drilled into the ground. Permanent towers, called derricks, used to be built to handle the long sections of drilling pipe. Now portable drilling machines are set up and are then dismantled and removed. When the well reaches a pool, oil usually rises up the well because of its density difference with water beneath it or because of the pressure of expanding gas trapped above it. Although this rise of oil is almost always carefully controlled today, spouts of oil, or gushers, were common in the past. Gas pressure gradually dies out, and oil is pumped from the well. Water or steam may be pumped down adjacent wells to help push the oil out. At a refinery, the crude oil from underground is separated into natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, and various oils. Petrochemicals such as dyes, fertilizer, and plastic are also manufactured from the petroleum.

5.The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○nearby

○existing

○special

○deep

6.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about gushers?

○They make bringing the oil to the surface easier.

○They signal the presence of huge oil reserves.

○They waste more oil than they collect.

○They are unlikely to occur nowadays.

Paragraph 4: As oil becomes increasingly difficult to find, the search for it is extended into more-hostile environments. The development of the oil field on the North Slope of Alaska and the construction of the Alaska pipeline are examples of the great expense and difficulty involved in new oil discoveries. Offshore drilling platforms extend the search for oil to the ocean's continental shelves-those gently sloping submarine regions at the edges of the continents. More than one-quarter of the world's oil and almost one-fifth of the world's natural gas come from offshore, even though offshore drilling is six to seven times more expensive than drilling on land. A significant part of this oil and gas comes from under the North Sea between Great Britain and Norway.

7.Which of the following strategies for oil exploration is described in paragraph 4?

○Drilling under the ocean's surface

○Limiting drilling to accessible locations

○Using highly sophisticated drilling equipment

○Constructing technologically advanced drilling platforms

8.What does the development of the Alaskan oil field mentioned in paragraph 4 demonstrate?

○More oil is extracted from the sea than from land.

○Drilling for oil requires major financial investments.

○The global demand for oil has increased over the years.

○The North Slope of Alaska has substantial amounts of oil.

9.The word “sloping” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○shifting

○inclining

○forming

○rolling

Paragraph 5: Of course, there is far more oil underground than can be recovered. It may be in a pool too small or too far from a potential market to justify the expense of drilling. Some oil lies under regions where drilling is forbidden, such as national parks or other public lands. Even given the best extraction techniques, only about 30 to 40 percent of the oil in a given pool can be brought to the surface. The rest is far too difficult to extract and has to remain underground.

10.According to paragraph 5, the decision to drill for oil depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT

○permission to access the area where oil has been found

○the availability of sufficient quantities of oil in a pool

○the location of the market in relation to the drilling site

○the political situation in the region where drilling would occur

Paragraph 6: Moreover, getting petroleum out of the ground and from under the sea and to the consumer can create environmental problems anywhere along the line. Pipelines carrying oil can be broken by faults or landslides, causing serious oil spills. Spillage from huge oil-carrying cargo ships, called tankers, involved in collisions or accidental groundings (such as the one off Alaska in 1989) can create oil slicks at sea. Offshore platforms may also lose oil, creating oil slicks that drift ashore and foul the beaches, harming the environment. Sometimes, the ground at an oil field may subside as oil is removed. The Wilmington field near Long Beach, California, has subsided nine meters in 50 years; protective barriers have had to be built to prevent seawater from flooding the area. Finally, the refining and burning of petroleum and its products can cause air pollution. Advancing technology and strict laws, however, are helping control some of these adverse environmental effects.

11.The word “foul” in the passage is closest in meaning to

○reach

○flood

○pollute

○alter

12.In paragraph 6, the author's primary purpose is to

○provide examples of how oil exploration can endanger the environment

○describe accidents that have occurred when oil activities were in progress

○give an analysis of the effects of oil spills on the environment

○explain how technology and legislation help reduce oil spills

Paragraph 2: Continued sedimentation-the process of deposits' settling on the sea bottom-buries the organic matter and subjects it to higher temperatures and pressures, which convert the organic matter to oil and gas. █As muddy sediments are pressed together, the gas and small droplets of oil may be squeezed out of the mud and may move into sandy layers nearby. █Over long periods of time (millions of years), accumulations of gas and oil can collect in the sandy layers. █Both oil and gas are less dense than water, so they generally tend to rise upward through water-saturated rock and sediment. █

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

Unless something acts to halt this migration, these natural resources will eventually reach the surface.

Where would the sentence best fit?

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.

“Petroleum” is a broad term that includes both crude oil and natural gas.

●

Answer choices

○Petroleum formation is the result of biological as well as chemical activity.

○The difficulty of finding adequate sources of oil on land has resulted in a greater number of offshore drilling sites.

○Petroleum extraction can have a negative impact on the environment.

○Petroleum tends to rise to the surface, since it is lower in density than water.

○Current methods of petroleum extraction enable oil producers to recover about half of the world's petroleum reserves.

○Accidents involving oil tankers occur when tankers run into shore reefs or collide with other vessels

篇11：托福TPO4阅读及题目答案Part3

参考答案：

1. ○2

2. ○4

3. ○1

4. ○3

5. ○1

6. ○4

7. ○1

8. ○2

9. ○2

10. ○4

11. ○3

12. ○1

13. ○4

14. Petroleum formation is the…

The difficulty of finding…

Petroleum extraction can…

托福TPO4阅读真题翻译Part3

参考翻译：石油资源

石油是由原油和天然气组成，似乎都源自于海洋的有机物沉淀。微小的有机物沉积到海底并堆聚在海泥里，有机物会局部分解，消耗沉淀里的溶解氧，当氧气消耗殆尽分解便停止，留下剩余的有机物。

持续的沉积--堆积物沉积到海底的过程将有机物埋在海底使之受到海底温度、高压的影响，最终转变成石油和天然气。当泥状沉积物被挤压在一起时，天然气和石油液滴会被挤出泥层，然后进入附近的沙层。经过很长的一个周期(数百万年)，积聚的天然气和石油会在沙层中聚集。因为石油和天然气的密度都比水低，所以他们通常通过饱含水的岩层和沉积物往上升。

油床是宝贵的地下石油积聚处，而油田是被一个或多个油藏覆盖区域。当人们发现油藏或油田时，就会把井钻到地下。固定的塔称为井架，建造井架是为了控制长距离的钻杆。现代使用的便携式钻井机安装使用完成后，会被拆除和移走。因为石油的密度与在下层的水不同，或者因为石油上面的气体扩张形成的压力，当井探至油藏时，石油通常会上升至井内。现在石油的上升已经可以很好的进行控制，但在过去，井喷或管涌经常发生。气体压力逐渐减小，然后油从井中被抽出。水或蒸汽会通过相邻的井被注入，以帮助推出石油。在炼油厂，地下的原油被分离成天然气、汽油、煤油和各种油类。石油还可用来生产石油化工产品，如染料、化肥、塑料制品等。

随着石油越来越难以找到，石油勘探已经开始到更恶劣的环境中进行。比如，在最新发现的油田案例中，阿拉斯加北坡油田的开发和阿拉斯加管道建设就是成本高、难度大的例子。海底钻探平台将寻找石油的区域延伸到了海洋大陆架上--陆地附近浅海下缓缓的斜坡。世界上1/4以上的石油和近1/5的天然气都来自近海，尽管近海钻井的成本比陆地钻井高6至7倍。世界上相当一部分的石油和天然气来自英国和挪威之间的北海。

当然，地下还能发现更多的石油。油藏可能太小或远离潜在的市场因而钻井费用过高而不适宜开采。一些石油存在于禁止钻井的地区，如国家公园或其他公共土地。即使提供最好的采油技术，油藏中也只有大约30%到40%的石油可以抽至地面。其余的因为太难抽取而不得不留在地下。

此外，从地下和海底开采石油并运送到消费者的途中的任何地方都会产生环境问题。如果石油运输管道因为故障或塌方损坏，将会造成严重的石油泄漏。运载石油的油轮在发生碰撞或意外搁浅(如在1989年阿拉斯加发生的油轮搁浅)的情况下，石油泄露会导致海上产生浮油。海上钻井平台也可能会泄露石油，导致油污漂流到岸上造成海滩污染，危害环境。有时一个油田的石油被抽取后，地面会发生下沉。加利福尼亚州长滩附近的威尔明顿油田在50年内下沉了9米;人们不得不建造保护围墙以防止海水灌进这个地区。最后，石油炼制、燃烧以及其产品也会造成空气污染。不过不管怎样，先进的技术和严格的法律正在协助控制这些对环境的不利影响。

★ 托福阅读推理题题型介绍和解题思路实例讲解

★ 详解托福阅读多选题的介绍及解题技巧

★ 托福考试：考试题型及技巧