IBT-SAT - dl.keywin.orgdl.keywin.org/b/4/b429e59798ef8b165abb9b0d18935d11.pdf · past geologic epochs. What does the professor say that sediment reveals about a particular epoch?

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小马托福 TPO 听力精选二十篇系列（第三季）

使用方法

1 个月托福听力 25 分以上的飞跃——小马托福 TPO 听力精选二十篇系列

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第一季（1-5 篇）地址在这里下载：

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/ad13fb68d2d5434b86ddad6805def771

第二季（6-10 篇）地址在这里下载：

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/3d0c0611815b4555bc5c6675ca534b22

第三季目录

（十一）地球科学——geologic time periods地质时期

（十二）地球科学——Lechuguilla Cave龙舌兰洞

（十三）生物学——foraging behavior among beavers 海狸

的觅食行为

（十四）生物学——North American wood frog 北美树蛙

（十五）历史——the role of spices 香料的作用

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http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/ad13fb68d2d5434b86ddad6805def771

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/3d0c0611815b4555bc5c6675ca534b22


本篇音频下载地址：

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（十一）地球科学——geologic time periods地质时期Narrator:Listen to part of a lecture in a geology class.

1. What is the lecture mainly about?A. Recognizing when one geologic epoch ends and another beginsB. How geologists determine the age of EarthC. Whether humans have affected Earth’s climateD. Identifying elements that affect the formation of sediment layers

2. Why does the professor mention the Pleistocene epoch?A. To explain how sediments change during an ice ageB. To give an example of a well-defined geologic epochC. To describe how certain environmental conditions affect erosion ratesD. To describe the factors that influence the naming of geologic epochs

3. Researchers study sediment in order to learn about the characteristics ofpast geologic epochs. What does the professor say that sediment reveals abouta particular epoch?

Click on 2 answers. The climate on Earth then the sediment formed The places on Earth with the highest amounts of rainfall The level of the oceans at the time The organisms that lived when the sediment formed

4. According to the professor, what is the significance of the year 1800 C.E?

Click on 2 answers. The human population reached 1billion The Anthropocene epoch was first described. Industrialization began to influence Earth’s environment There was a significant change in the amount of sediment deposited

around the world.

5. What does the professor imply about the spread of agriculture 8,000 yearsago?A. It was the true beginning of the Holocene epoch.

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B. It was when greenhouse gases were at their lowest levelsC. It was not a major cause of population growthD. It did not cause as big an environmental impact as some researchers

say

6. What does the professor say about future researchers?A. They may not agree that humans have had an important effect on Earth’s

surfaceB. They will not have reliable evidence of what is happening todayC. They will determine when the Anthropocene epoch beganD. They will make predictions about when the Anthropocene epoch will end

Key：1.A 2.B 3.AD 4.AC 5.D 6.C

听力原文：

ProfessorAs geologists, we examine layers of sediment on the Earth’s surface toapproximate the dates of past geologic time periods. Ah sediment as you knowis material like sand, gravel, fossil fragments that is transported by naturalprocesses like wind , water flow or the movement of glaciers . So sediment istransported and then deposited and it forms layers on the Earth’s surface overtime. We examine these layers to learn about different geologic time periodsincluding when they began and ended. For example, from about 1.8 millionyears ago to around 11 thousand years ago was the Pleistocene epic. ThePleistocene epic was an ice age. During this epic, sediment was made by thekind of erosion and weathering that happens when the climate is colder, andpart of those sediments are fossils of plants and animals that lived at that time.The Holocene epic followed the Pleistocene epic when the Earth’s climatewarmed up around 11 thousand years ago. The Holocene epic is characterizedby different sediments, ones that form when the climate is warmer. Becausethe climate changed, the types of plants and animals changed also. Holocenesediments contain remnants of more recent plants and animals, so it’s prettyeasy to differentiate geologically between these two epics.

Now there is growing evidence that the presence of humans has altered theearth so much that a new epic of geologic history has began – theAnthropocene epic, a new human-influenced epic. T his idea that we’veentered a new Anthropocene epic was first proposed in 2002. The idea is thataround the year 1800 CE the human population became large enough, arounda billion people, that its activities started altering the environment. This was


also the time of the industrial revolution, which brought a tremendousincrease in the use of fossil fuels such coal. The exploitation of fossil fuels hasbrought planet wide developments: industrialization, construction, uh, masstransport. And these developments have caused major changes like additionalerosion of the Earth’s surface and deforestation. Also, things like the dammingof rivers, has caused increased sediment production, not to mention theaddition of more carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere.

Naturally all these changes show up in recent sediments. And these sedimentsare quite different from pre year 1800 sediment layers. Interestingly there’ssome speculation that humans started having a major impact on Earth muchearlier, about 8000 years ago. That’s when agriculture was becomingwidespread. Early farmers started clearing forests and livestock produced a lotof extra methane. But I want to stress this is just a hypothesis. The idea thatearly humans could have had such a major effect, well I’m just not sure we cancompare it with the industrial age. Geologists in the far future will be able toexamine the sediment being laid down today, whereas right now we can saythat yes, human impact on the Earth is clear: It’ll be future researchers whohave a better perspective and will be able to really draw a line between theHolocene and the Anthropocene epics.

原文翻译:教授

作为地质学家，我们会通过检测地表的沉淀物层来估计过去的地质时期。嗯，就

像你们理解那样，沉淀物就是一些诸如沙子、碎石和化石碎片，他们被自然过程

转移，这些自然过程包括风、水流和冰川的运动。所以，沉淀物被转移然后被积

淀，久而久之形成了地表层。我们检测这些地表层以研究不同的地质时期，包括

每一个时期是何时开始何时结束。比如说，从 18亿年前到 11000年前，是更新世。更新世是一个冰川时期。在这个时期，沉淀物是由天气较冷时候的侵蚀和风

化作用形成的，其中有些沉淀物是生活在那个时期的动物和植物的化石。在更新

世之后的是一个较暖和的完新世，这个时期大约是在 11000 年前。代表完新世的是另外一种在天气较暖和是生活的植物沉淀物。由于天气的变化，动植物的种

类也发生了变化。完新世的沉淀物包含更多近期动植物的遗体，所以从地质上是

很好分辨出这两个时期的。

目前越来越多的证据显示人类对地球的影响之大使得地球开始了一个新的地质

历史——人类世，一个全新的人类影响的时期。这个我们人类进入的全新的时期最早是在 2002年提出的。这个观点认为在公元 1800年，人类数量达到十亿，这个数目已经大到开始改变环境。这同时是工业革命的时期，这个时期开始大量

的使用化石燃料，比如说煤炭。对化石燃料的开采带来了全球性的发展：工业化，

建筑，嗯，公共交通运输。同时这些发展也引起了一些主要的变化，比如说地表


的额外侵蚀和森林采伐。并且，像在河流中修建水坝之类的事情使得沉淀物增加，

更不用说大气中二氧化碳和甲烷的增加了。

这些变化自然是在近期的沉淀物中出现的。并且这些沉淀物与 1800年之前的沉淀物层非常的不同。值得关注的是，一些人认为人类更早就开始对地球产生主要

影响了，大概在 8000年前。也就是在农业开始变得普遍时。早期的农民开始砍伐森林并且家畜会产生许多额外的甲烷。不过我想强调一下，这个仅仅是一个假

说。关于早期人类产的主要影响，嗯，我个人认为我们无法将那种影响与工业时

代的相提并论。将来的地质学家会去检验我们今天留下来的沉积物，然而我们现

在能够说，是的，人类对地球的影响是非常清晰的：需要将来有更好砍伐的研究

者们来真正划出完新世和人类世之间的界限。



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（十二）地球科学——Lechuguilla Cave龙舌兰洞1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explain the various ways that sulfuric acid is involved in the formation of

cavesB. To describe caves and other geologic formations in U.S. national parksC. To use Lechuguilla Cave as an example of how most caves formD. To discuss the formation and characteristics of an unusual type of cave

2. The professor mentions parts of the process involved in the formation ofLechugilla Cave Indicate which of the statements below describe part of theprocess

Click in the coned box for each phrase

Yes NoGypsum residue accumulated to formdecorative structuresGas generated by bacteria reacted withgypsum depositsHydrogen sulfide gas mixed withunderground waterAcid dissolved parts of the limestoneBactena fed on underground oilFlowing surface water enlarged the cracks inthe limestone

3. According to the professor, what substance found in surface water isimportant for the formation of typical limstone caves?A. GypsumB. OxygenC. Car borne acidD. Sulfuric acid

4. What does the presence of gypsum in Lechuguilla Cave indicate?A. The cave was not formed by flowing waterB. The cave is no longer forming

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/6f1993c3e0b24813990bddf4f828ad1f


C. Bacteria are present in high concentrations inside the caveD. No type of acid was involved in the formation of the cave

5. What can be inferred from be fact that Lechuguilla Cave is no longerforming?A. The cave has stopped attracting visitorsB. The cave no longer contains any limestoneC. The air in the cave is safer to breathe now than it was in the pastD. Gypsum deposits inside the cave are growing thicker

6. What does the professor mean when he says thisA. Lechuguilia Cave is not completely absent of waterB. Lechuguilia Cave is not totally safe to exploreC. Water long ago flowed through Lechuguilia CaveD. Scientists do not agree about how Lechuguilia Cave was formed

Key：1. D 2. Yes No Yes Yes Yes No 3. C 4. A 5. C 6. A

题目解析：

1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explain the various ways that sulfuric acid is involved in the formation ofcaves.B. To describe caves and other geologic formations in U.S. national parks.C. To use Lechuguilla Cave as an example of how most caves form.D. To discuss the formation and characteristics of an unusual type of cave.相关原文

Now there are some pretty interesting caves in parts of the western UnitedStates, especially in national parks.There is one part that has over a hundred caves, including some of the largestones in the world. One of the mostinteresting ones is called Lechuguilla Cave.解析

教授一开始就提到这次讲座的主题，Lechuguilla洞穴，后面就针对这种特殊的洞穴的成形和特点进行了阐述，所以选D。正确答案

D

2. Yes or NoGypsum residue accumulated to form decorative structures.Gas generated by bacteria reacted with gypsum deposits.Hydrogen sulfide gas mixed with underground water.Acid dissolved parts of the limestone.


Bacteria fed on underground oil.Flowing surface water enlarged the cracks in the limestone.相关原文

Below the water table and rock is oil. Bacteria feed on this oil and releasehydrogen sulfide gas. This gas is hydrogen sulfide, rises up and mixes withoxygen in the underground water that sits in the cracks and fissures in thelimestone. And when hydrogen sulfide reacts with the oxygen in the water, theresult of that is sulfuric acid, Ok?Sulfuric acid eats away at limestone very aggressively. So you get bigger cracksand then passageway is being formed along the openings in the rock and it’sall underground.There’s such variety there like nothing anywhere else in the world, some ofthem are elaborate looking, like decorations. And a lot of them are made ofgypsum and could be up to 20 feet long. It’s pretty impressive.解析

细节，针对文中一个主要段落，关于洞穴如何形成的，以及里面的石膏残余物起

装饰作用，可以判断各项句子。

正确答案

YNYYYN

3. According to the professor, what substance found in surface water isimportant for the formation of typical limestone caves?A. GypsumB. OxygenC. Carbonic acidD. Sulfuric acid相关原文

Also, in surface water, there is a weak acid, carbonic acid, not sulfuric acid butcarbonic acid that helps dissolve the rock. With a little help from this carbonicacid, moving water forms most of the world’s limestone caves.解析

教授说，在流动的水中还含有一种很弱的酸，碳酸，这种算帮助流水形成了绝大

多数石灰岩洞，因此选C。正确答案

C

4. What does the presence of gypsum in Lechuguilla Cave indicate?A. The cave was not formed by flowing water.B. The cave is no longer forming.C. Bacteria are present in high concentrations inside the cave.D. No type of acid was involved in the formation of the cave.相关原文

And, as we know, gypsum is soluble in water. So if there were flowing water in


the cave, it would dissolve the gypsum. This is part of what led us to therealization that Lechuguilla is in that small group of waterless caves.解析

由于石膏是溶于水的，而在Lechuguilla有大量石膏的存在，这就说明它是一个无水洞穴。

正确答案

A

5. What can be inferred from the fact that Lechuguilla Cave is no longerforming?A. The cave has stopped attracting visitors.B. The cave no longer contains any limestone.C. The air in the cave is safer to breathe now than it was in the past.D. Gypsum deposits inside the cave are growing thicker.相关原文

And Lechuguilla is pretty much dormant now. It’s not really forming any more.But, there is other ones like it, for example, in Mexico, that are forming. Andwhen cave researchers go to explore them, they see and smell, the sulfuric acidand gases of...er...phew...now, something else, think of rotten eggs. And, it’snot just the smell. Explorers even need to wear special masks to protectthemselves from the gases in these caves.解析

教授说Lechuguilla已经休眠了，然后提到类似还没有休眠的洞穴，里面硫化氢气体的味道有毒且刺激，需要特殊面具保护，而Lechuguilla已经可以随意出入了，也就是说，没有硫化氢气体继续形成洞穴，因此选C。正确答案

C

6. What does the professor mean when he says this:A. Lechuguilla Cave is not completely absent of water.B. Lechuguilla Cave is not totally safe to explore.C. Water long ago flowed through Lechuguilla Cave.D. Scientists do not agree about how Lechuguilla Cave was formed.相关原文

Dry as a bone. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s safe to saythat it’s sulfuric acid and not moving water that formed Lechuguilla cave andthose few other ones like it.解析

教授说洞穴里就像骨头一样干，但说完后就觉得说的有点儿夸张。后面就解释说

实际上Lechuguilla洞穴并不完全是没有水的，所以选A。正确答案

A


词汇：

limestone：石灰岩sulfuric acid：硫酸permeate：渗透，穿过，渗入crack：裂缝fissure：裂缝，裂开hydrogen sulfide：硫化氢eat away：侵蚀passageway：通道dissolve：溶解，分解exaggeration：夸张，夸张法residue：残留，残余gypsum：石膏soluble：可溶的dormant：冬眠的mask：面具elaborate：精致的，复杂的

听力原文：

Narrator: Listen to a part of lecturer in a geology class.

Professor:Now there are some pretty interesting caves in parts of the western UnitedStates, especially in national parks. There is one part that has over a hundredcaves, including some of the largest ones in the world. One of the moreinteresting ones is called Lechuguilla Cave. Lechuguilla has been explored alot in recent decades. It’s a pretty exciting place I think. It was mentioned onlybriefly in your books. So can anyone remember what it said? Ellen?

Male student:It’s the deepest limestone cave in the U.S.?

Professor:That’s right. It’s one of the longest and deepest limestone caves not just in thecountry but in the world. Now, what else?

Male student:Well, it was formed because of sulfuric acid, ght?

Professor:That’s it. Yeah, what happens is you have deep underground oil deposits andthere are bacteria. Here let me draw a diagram.surface


rockrock and wateroil and bacteriaPart of the limestone rock layer is permeated by water from below. Thosecurly lines are supposed to be cracks in the rock. Below the water table androck is oil. Bacteria feed on this oil and release hydrogen sulfide gas. This gasis hydrogen sulfide, rises up and mixes with oxygen in the underground waterthat sits in the cracks and fissures in the limestone. And when hydrogensulfide reacts with the oxygen in the water, the result of that is sulfuric acid,Ok? Sulfuric acid eats away at limestone very aggressively. So you get biggercracks and then passageway is being formed along the openings in the rockand it’s all underground. Ah yes, Paul?

Male student:So that water...it’s not flowing, right? It’s still?

Professor:Yes, so there are two kinds of limestone caves. In about 90 percent of them,you have water from the surface, streams, waterfall or whatever - movingwater that flows through cracks found in limestone. It’s the moving wateritself that wears away at the rock and makes passageways. Also, in surfacewater, there is a weak acid, carbonic acid, not sulfuric acid but carbonic acidthat helps dissolve the rock. With a little help from this carbonic acid, movingwater forms most of the world’s limestone caves. When I was researching thisfor a study a few years ago, I visited a couple of these typical limestone caves,and they were all very wet, you know, from streams and rivers. This flowingwater carved out the caves and the structures inside them.

Male student:But not Lechuguilla?

Professor:Dry as a bone. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s safe to saythat it’s sulfuric acid and not moving water that formed Lechuguilla cave andthose few other ones like it. In fact, there is no evidence that flowing water haseven gone in or out of the cave. So, it’s like a maze. You have passageways allaround. There are wide passages, narrow ones at all different depths, likeunderground tunnels in the limestone. And, since they were createdunderground and not from flowing surface water, not all these passagewayshave an opening to the outside world. And.. .and there is other evidence thatflowing water wasn’t involved in Lechuguilla. We’ve said that sulfuric aciddissolves limestone, right, and forms the passageways? What else doessulfuric acid do? Paul?


Male student:Ah, leaves a chemical residue and...

Female student:Gypsum, right?

Professor:Yep, you’ll find lots of gypsum deposited at Lechuguilla. And, as we know,gypsum is soluble in water. So if there were flowing water in the cave, it woulddissolve the gypsum. This is part of what led us to the realization thatLechuguilla is in that small group of waterless caves. And Lechuguilla is prettymuch dormant now. It’s not really forming any more. But, there is other oneslike it, for example, in Mexico, that are forming. And when cave researchers goto explore them, they see and smell, the sulfuric acid and gasesof...er...phew...now, something else, think of rotten eggs. And, it’s not just thesmell. Explorers even need to wear special masks to protect themselves fromthe gases in these caves. OK? Paul.

Male student:Yeah, how about what these caves look like on the inside?

Professor:Well, the formations.. .there is really something. There’s such variety therelike nothing anywhere else in the world, some of them are elaborate looking,like decorations. And a lot of them are made of gypsum and could be up to 20feet long. It’s pretty impressive.

原文翻译：

教授

目前在美国西部的部分地区，特别是在国家公园有许多非常有趣的洞穴。其中有

一个地方有超过一百个洞穴，包括一些世界上最大的洞穴。其中比较有趣的叫做

龙舌兰洞穴。在最近的几十年间，许多人都探索了龙舌兰。我想那一定是一个令

人激动的地方。在你们的课本中只是对它进行了简单的介绍。那么有人记得书本

上讲了什么么？Ellen？

男学生

它是不是美国最深的石灰岩洞穴？

教授

是的。它不仅仅是美国，并且是全世界最长、最深的洞穴。还有什么呢？


男学生

嗯，它是由硫酸形成的？

教授

对了！实际上那里有最深的地下石油储备和细菌。让我来给你们画一幅图吧。

部分石灰岩层下面的水会不断的渗透石灰岩。那些弯曲的线应该是岩石中的裂

痕。在水层和岩石的下面是石油。细菌以石油为生同时释放出硫化氢气体。这种

硫化氢气体上升，与在岩石层裂缝间地下水中的氧气混合。那么当硫化氢气体与

水中的氧气反应时，产生了硫酸，对么？硫酸会很快地腐蚀石灰岩。所以，裂缝

越来越大，并且沿着岩石的开口和所有的地下形成通道。Paul？什么问题？

男学生

那么，水是不流动的吧?水应该是静止的吧？

教授

是的，有两种类型的石灰岩洞穴。其中 90%的石灰岩洞穴，在他们的表面都有水，溪流，瀑布，任何能够在石灰岩缝隙中流动的水。是流动的水本身腐蚀岩石

并且形成了通道。同时，在水的表面，有一种弱酸，碳酸，是碳酸而不是硫酸溶

解了岩石。在碳酸的帮助下，流动的水形成了世界上大多数的石灰岩洞穴。我在

多年前做一个关于这方面的研究时，我游走了许多这种典型的石灰岩洞穴，他们

都非常的潮湿，主要是溪水和河流的原因。这些流动的水雕琢了这些洞穴以及他

们内部的结构。

男学生

但龙舌兰不是这样，对么？

教授

像骨头一样的干燥。嗯，可能有一些夸张了。不过的确是硫酸而非流动的水形成

了龙舌兰洞穴的，并且与其他的都不相同。实际上，我们根本找不到曾经有流动

的水流入或者流出洞穴的证据。嗯，就像一个迷宫，到处都是通道。那里有很宽

阔的通道，而比较窄的通道都有不同的深度，就像石灰岩中的隧道一样。并且由

于他们都是在地下形成的，并非通过地表流动的水，所以不是所有的通道都有同

享外面的开口。嗯，其实还有其他证据能够证明龙舌兰中没有流动的水。我们说

过了硫酸溶解石灰岩并且形成通道，对么？那么硫酸还能干什么呢？Paul?

男学生

呃，留下一些化学残留物？

女学生

是石膏，对么？

教授

对的，你再龙舌兰能够发现许多石膏沉淀物。并且，我们知道的，石膏是在水中


可溶的。所以如果洞穴中有流动的水，那么石膏应该会溶解的。这一点也是使我

们意识到龙舌兰是属于一小部分的无水的洞穴。龙舌兰现在基本上是静止的。它

其实已经不再形成了。不过，在墨西哥有一个与它相似的洞穴正在形成。所以，

当洞穴研究者去探索他们的时候，他们看到和闻到，硫酸和各种气体。。。嗯，就

像，就像发霉的鸡蛋一样。并且，不仅仅是气味。探索者甚至需要戴面具来保护

他们自己不受其他的伤害。Paul？

男学生

是的，那么这些洞穴的内部是什么样的呢？

教授

嗯，它的构造啊，确实值得一提。那里面多种多样，世界上没有别的地方可以与

它相提并论，他们其中一些精致的，就像装饰一样。其中许多都是由石膏形成，

并且最多可能有 20英尺长。确实令人惊奇。



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0c8

（十三）生物学——foraging behavior among beavers 海狸

的觅食行为

1. What is the lecture mainly about?A. Different foraging strategies among animalsB. Methods beavers use to gather building materialsC. Decisions beavers make about where to liveD. Choices beavers face when foraging

2. What difference between aspen trees and ash trees does the professor pointout?A. Aspen trees are easier to transportB. Aspen trees provide better wood for constructionC. Aspen trees provide less nutrition for beaversD. Aspen trees have more overall value to beavers

3. What does the professor identify as the two central issues involved inbeavers" foraging behavior?

Click on 2 answers How far from home to forage How to cope with competition What size tree to cut down What time of year material for construction is available

4. What does the professor say about the cutting down of large trees'?A. Beavers generally prefer cutting down large trees to small treesB. Beavers generally do not travel long distances to cut down large treesC. Beavers will not cut down large trees of certain speciesD. Beavers use large trees mainly for the purpose of building shelters

5. According to the professor, why do beavers generally forage at night?A. Beavers are safer from predators if they forage at nightB. Foraging at night requires less energy than foraging in the daytimeC. Beavers stay with their offspring during the daytimeD. Beavers face less competition for food from other animals during the

night

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6. Why does the professor say this？A. To explain her reasoningB. To indicate why her belief was wrongC. To give an example of a decision beavers makeD. To explain the reason beavers travel far for wood

Key：1.D 2.D 3.AC 4.B 5.B 6.A

题目解析：

1. What is the lecture mainly about?A. Different foraging strategies among animalsB. Methods beavers use to gather building materialsC. Decisions beavers make about where to liveD. Choices beavers face when foraging

相关原句：

The answer we’ll propose of course is that their behavior is largely a matter ofnatural selection. As an example, let’s look at foraging behavior amongbeavers.解析：教授这堂课主要讲解海狸的觅食行为。选D正确答案：D

2. What difference between aspen trees and ash trees does the professor pointout?

A. Aspen trees are easier to transportB. Aspen trees provide better wood for constructionC. Aspen trees provide less nutrition for beaversD. Aspen trees have more overall value to beavers

相关原句：

Some trees have higher nutritional value than others, and some are better forbuilding material, and some are good for both... um...aspen trees. Beavers peeloff the bark to eat and they also use the branches for building their shelters. Soaspens do double duty. But ash trees, beavers use ash trees only forconstruction.解析：山杨（aspen）的树枝既可用作食物也可用于建窝，而白蜡树（ash）的树枝只能用于建窝，所以山杨的总体作用大于白蜡树。选D正确答案：D

3. What does the professor identify as the two central issues involved inbeavers" foraging behavior?

Click on 2 answers


A. How far from home to forageB. How to cope with competitionC. What size tree to cut downD. What time of year material for construction is available

相关原句：

First, let’s say a beaver could get the same amount of wood from a singlelarge tree when it has lots of branches as it could get from three smalltrees. Which should it choose? Another critical issue and it’s related to thefirst, to the size issue, is how far from the water should it go to get trees.解析：树的大小和离窝的距离会影响海狸觅食的选择行为。选AC正确答案：AC

4. What does the professor say about the cutting down of large trees'?A. Beavers generally prefer cutting down large trees to small treesB. Beavers generally do not travel long distances to cut down large treesC. Beavers will not cut down large trees of certain speciesD. Beavers use large trees mainly for the purpose of building shelters

相关原句：

Beavers will cut down only large trees that are close to the water.解析：海狸只会砍离水（就是它家）近的大树，所以离家远的大树它不会砍。

选B正确答案：B

5. According to the professor, why do beavers generally forage at night?A. Beavers are safer from predators if they forage at nightB. Foraging at night requires less energy than foraging in the daytimeC. Beavers stay with their offspring during the daytimeD. Beavers face less competition for food from other animals during the

night相关原句：

So it looks as though beavers are less interested in minimizing theirexposure to predators and more interested in saving energy when foragingfor wood, which may also explain why beavers forage primarily during theevenings.解析：海狸晚上外出觅食是为了节省能量。选B正确答案：B

6. Why does the professor say this？A. To explain her reasoningB. To indicate why her belief was wrongC. To give an example of a decision beavers makeD. To explain the reason beavers travel far for wood

相关原句：


解析：

正确答案：A

听力原文：

Narrator:Listen to a part of a lecture in a biology class.

ProfessorOK. Let’s continue our discussion about animal behavior by talking aboutdecisions that animals face, complex ones. Animals, even insects, carry outwhat look like very complex decision making processes. The question is how. Imean no one really thinks that, say a bee goes through weighing the pros andcons of pollinating this flower or that flower. But then how do animals solvecomplex questions, questions that seem to require decision making. Theanswer we’ll propose of course is that their behavior is largely a matter ofnatural selection. As an example, let’s look at foraging behavior amongbeavers.

Beavers eat plants, mostly trees. And they also use trees and tree branches toconstruct their homes in streams and lakes. So when they do forage for foodand for shelter materials, they have to leave their homes and go up on landwhere their main predators are. So there are a number of choices that have tobe made about foraging. So for example, um... they need to decide what kindof tree they should cut down. Some trees have higher nutritional value thanothers, and some are better for building material, and some are good for both...um...aspen trees. Beavers peel off the bark to eat and they also use thebranches for building their shelters. So aspens do double duty. But ash trees,beavers use ash trees only for construction. Another decision is when to foragefor food. Should they go out during the daytime when it’s hotter outside andthey have to expend more energy, or at night when the weather is cooler butpredators are more active?

Ok, but there are two more important issues, really the most central, the mostimportant, OK? First, let’s say a beaver could get the same amount of woodfrom a single large tree when it has lots of branches as it could get from threesmall trees. Which should it choose? If it chooses one large tree, it’ have tocarry that large piece of wood back home, and lugging a big piece of wood 40or 50 yards is hard work, takes a lot of energy. Of course it’ll have to makeonly one trip to get the wood back to the water On the other hand, if it goes forthree small trees instead, it will take less energy per tree to get the wood backhome but it’ll have to make three trips back and forth for the three trees. Andpresumably, the more often it wanders from home, the more it’s likely to beexposed to predators. So which is better, a single large tree or three small trees?


Another critical issue and it’s related to the first, to the size issue, is how farfrom the water should it go to get trees. Should it be willing to travel a greaterdistance for a large tree, since it’ll get so much wood from it? Beavers certainlygo farther from the water to get an aspen tree than for an ash tree. Thatreflects their relative values. But what about size? Will it travel farther for alarger tree than it will for a smaller tree? Now I would have thought the biggerthe tree, the farther the beaver would be willing to travel for it. That wouldmake sense, right? If you’re going to travel far, make the trip worth it buybringing back most wood possible. But actually, the opposite is true. Beaverswill cut down only large trees that are close to the water. They will travel faronly to cut down certain small trees that they can cut down quickly and dragback home quickly. Generally, the farther they go from the water, the smallerthe tree they will cut down. They’re willing to make more trips to haul backless wood, which carries a greater risk of being exposed to predators. So itlooks as though beavers are less interested in minimizing their exposure topredators and more interested in saving energy when foraging for wood,which may also explain why beavers forage primarily during the evenings.

OK, so why does their behavior indicate more of a concern with how muchenergy they expend than with being exposed to predators? No one believes abeaver consciously weighs the pros and cons of each of these elements. Theanswer that some give is that their behavior has evolved over time. It’s beenshaped by constraints over vast stretches of time, all of which comes down tothe fact that the best foraging strategy for beavers isn’t the one that yields themost food or wood. It’s the one that results in the most descendants, the mostoffspring. So let’s discuss how this idea works.

词汇：

Pollinate 给。。。传授花粉Forage 觅食,寻找植物Beaver 海狸Predator 肉食动物，捕食者Aspen 白杨Ash 白蜡树，灰树Peel 剥落，削去Bark 树皮Presumably 可能，大概，据推测

原文翻译：

旁白

下面是生物课的一段内容.

教授


下面继续我们有关动物行为的讨论，我们讨论一下动物做出决定的复杂过程。动

物，即使是昆虫都有看似复杂的做出决定的过程。问题是他们如何做出决定？没

有人会认为蜜蜂会是通过权衡比较了各种好处和坏处后决定给这朵花授粉而不

给另外一朵花授粉。但是动物到底是如何解决那些需要做出决定的复杂问题的

呢？我们给出的答案是他们的行为是自然选择的结果。比如，我们来看一下海狸

的觅食行为。

海狸吃植物，主要是树。他们也用树和树枝在小河和湖里建造他们的家。当他

们去寻找食物和用来遮挡家的材料时，他们不得不离开他们的家，爬到岸上，而

那里有他们的主要捕食者。所以关于外出觅食他们有许多选择要做，比如他们需

要决定他们砍掉哪种树。有些树有更高的营养价值,有些更适合做建筑材料，还有一些两者都适合，比如白杨树。海狸剥掉树皮来吃，他们也用树枝来建造他

们的窝。所以白杨树就担负两项任务，而灰树只用来建造。另一个要做的决定是

什么时候去觅食。白天还是晚上。白天外面更热，他们必须用更多的体力。夜

晚会变得凉爽但捕食者活动频繁。

还有两个更重要的问题。第一，假设一直海狸从一棵长有很多树枝的大树上得

到的木头与从 3棵小树上得到的木头是一样多的，那么他们应该选择大树还是小树？如果海狸选择大树，他必须把大树拖回家，那么拖着一棵大树行进 40到 50码是一项非常艰巨的任务，需要耗费大量的能量。不过这样他就只需要走一次就

可以吧木头带回水中。另一方面，如果他选择 3棵小树，运送每棵树需要的能量会减少，但是他必须 3次往返才能带回这 3棵树。据推测，他们往返家的次数越多越容易遇到捕食者。所以，哪个选择更好，一棵大树还是 3棵小树？

第二个问题与第一个问题有些相关，就是要到离开水多远的地方找树。他们会

为了找到一颗大树而愿意走更远的距离吗？事实是海狸会为了杨树走更远的距

离而不会为了灰树走那么远。这反映了他们的相对价值。但是大小呢？他们会

为了更大的树而走的更远吗？现在我可能会觉得树越大他们会愿意走的越远。很

合理，是吧。你去很远的地方当然要尽可能多的带回木头。但事实是相反的。海

狸只有在离水近的地方砍大树。他们去远的地方只会砍特定的小树，这样他们可

以很快的砍下并很快的回家。通常来讲，走的越远，砍的树越小。他们愿意更多

次的往返而拖回更少木头，而这样增大了他们遇到捕食者的风险。所以看起来相

对于减少遇到捕食者的风险来说海狸更愿意在找木头时节省体力。这可能也揭

示了为什么海狸主要在晚上觅食。

为什么他们的行为证明了海狸更在意用了多少能量而不是是否遇到捕食者？没

人相信海狸仔细衡量过这些因素的优缺点。有些人的答案是他们的行为时随着

时间演变来的。这是经过了很长一段时间形成的，而所这一切可以归结为对于

海狸来说最好的觅食策略并不是获更多的食物或木头。正是这一策略可以获得

最多的后代。所以，我们来讨论一下这个观点为什么是对的。



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（十四）生物学——North American wood frog 北美树蛙1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explain the biological advantages of a physical change that occurs in

North American wood frogsB. To explain why the North American wood frog's habitat range has

expandedC. To describe the functioning of the circulatory system of the North

American wood frogD. To introduce students to an unusual phenomenon affecting North

American wood frogs

2. Why does the professor first mention the arrival of spring?A. To encourage students to look for thawing wood frogsB. To point out the time period when frogs begin matingC. To explain why the class will soon be doing experiments with wood frogsD. To emphasize the speed of the thawing process

3. What happens to a wood frog as it begins to freeze?A. Blood is concentrated in the center of its body.B. Blood stops producing sugar.C. Water moves out of its internal organs.D. Water from just beneath the skin begins to evaporate.

4. What are two points the professor makes about the thawing process of thewood frog?

Click on 2 answers.The thawing process is not fully understood.The thawing process takes longer than the freezing process.The frog's internal organs thaw before its outer skin thaws.Thawing occurs when the frog's heart begins pumping glucose through itsbody

5. What impact does freezing have on some thawed wood frogs?A. It increases their reproductive success.B. It decreases their life span.C. It causes them to be more vocal and active.D. It reduces their ability to recognize potential mates.

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/dbf3e9809e754838ad50d338d886563c


6. What does the professor imply when she says this:A. She wants the student to clarify his question.B. She wants the student to draw his own conclusions.C. She thinks the student does not understand how car antifreeze works.D. She thinks the student has misunderstood her point

Key：1. D 2. A 3. C 4. AC 5. D 6. B

题目分析

1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explain the biological advantages of a physical change that occurs inNorth American wood frogs.B. To explain why the North American wood frog's habitat range hasexpanded.C. To describe the functioning of the circulatory system of the North Americanwood frog.D. To introduce students to an unusual phenomenon affecting NorthAmerican wood frogs.相关原文

So before we close today, I thought I’d mention a biological event that’s thepart of the transition from winter tospring.解析

教授在开始的地方就说明要在结束之前提到一个奇观的现象。后面的部分都是在

说明这个现象。

正确答案

D

2. Why does the professor first mention the arrival of spring?A. To encourage students to look for thawing wood frogs.B. To point out the time period when frogs begin mating.C. To explain why the class will soon be doing experiments with wood frogs.D. To emphasize the speed of the thawing process.相关原文

Well, It’s finally looking like spring is arriving. The last of the winter snowwould be melting away in a few days.So before we close today, I thought I’d mention a biological event that’s thepart of the transition from winter tospring, something you can go outside and watch if you have some patience.解析

教授提到春天的到来，是为了引出后面的话题，激发学生的兴趣。


正确答案

A

3. What happens to a wood frog as it begins to freeze?A. Blood is concentrated in the center of its body.B. Blood stops producing sugar.C. Water moves out of its internal organs.D. Water from just beneath the skin begins to evaporate.相关原文

That first of all starts drawing water away from the center of its body, so themiddle part of the frog, its internalorgans, its heart, lungs, liver, these start getting drier and drier while thewater that’s being pulled away is forming apuddle around the organs just underneath the skin.解析

结冰的过程的第一步，即是水分从内脏中脱离，first of all 与题目中的begin 对应

正确答案

C

4. What are two points the professor makes about the thawing process of thewood frog?

Click on 2 answers.A. The thawing process is not fully understood.B. The thawing process takes longer than the freezing process.C. The frog's internal organs thaw before its outer skin thaws.D. Thawing occurs when the frog's heart begins pumping glucose through itsbody.相关原文

C: its insides thaw out first, the heart and brain and everythingA: Well, we are not sure actuallyAnd does the thawing process have some kind of trigger as well?解析

教授通过一句话：解冻过程并不被完全理解，但是很清楚地知道内部先解冻。这

句话就可以推出AC 的结果。正确答案

AC

5. What impact does freezing have on some thawed wood frogs?A. It increases their reproductive success.B. It decreases their life span.C. It causes them to be more vocal and active.D. It reduces their ability to recognize potential mates.


相关原文

They move slower and they seem to have a harder time recognizing a potentialmate.解析

原文中指出了会变得移动缓慢并且叫声变弱。

正确答案

C

6. What does the professor imply when she says this: Well, you tell me.A. She wants the student to clarify his question.B. She wants the student to draw his own conclusions.C. She thinks the student does not understand how car antifreeze works.D. She thinks the student has misunderstood her point.相关原文

Well, you tell me. In frogs, the extra glucose makes it harder for the waterinside the cells to freeze. So the cellsstay just slightly wet, enough so that they can survive the winter. Then afterthat, the heart stops beating altogether.So is that the same?解析

教授这段话，最后一个问句是So is that the same?很明显教授是希望学生可以自己下结论。

正确答案

B

词汇

ice crystal：冰晶apparently：显然地，似乎，表面地trigger：扳机，引发，触发lung：肺，呼吸器antifreeze：防冻剂glucose：葡萄糖，葡萄circulatory：循环的pump：泵，抽水机clinically：临床的thaw：解冻，融雪lifespan：寿命预期生命周期longevity：长寿diminish：减少，使缩小


听力原文：

Professor:Well, it’s finally looking like spring is arriving. The last of the winter snowwould be melting away in a few days. So before we close today, I thought I’dmention a biological event that’s a part of the transition from winter to spring,something you can go outside and watch if you have some patience. There is asmall creature that lives in this area; you’ve probably seen it. It’s the NorthAmerican wood frog. Now the wood frog’s not that easy tosspot since it stayspretty to close to the ground, under leaves and things and it blends in reallywell with its background as you can see. But they are worth the effort becausethey do something very unusual, something you might not have even thoughtpossible. OK North American wood frogs live over a very broad territory orrange. They’re found all over the northeastern United States and all throughCanada and Alaska, even inside the Arctic Circle. No other frog is able to livethat far and north. But wherever they live, once the weather starts to turn coldand the temperature starts to drop below freezing, as soon as the frog eventouches an ice crystal or a bit of frozen ground, well, it begins to freeze.Yeah...yes to me. You look a little bit taken aback.

Student:Wait, you mean it’s still alive but it freezes, solid?

Professor:Well, almost. Ice forms in all the spaces outside the cells but never within acell.

Student:But… then how does its heart beat?

Professor:It doesn’t.

Student:But…then how could it…….

Professor:You are gonna do such a thing? Well, that first touch of ice apparently triggersa biological response inside the frog. That first of all starts drawing water awayfrom the center of its body, so the middle part of the frog, its internal organs,its heart, lungs, liver, these start getting drier and drier while the water that’sbeing pulled away is forming a puddle around the organs just underneath theskin. And then that puddle of water starts to freeze. OK, up to known, thefrog’s heart is still beating, right? Slower and slower but…and in those last few


hours before it freezes, it distributes glucose, a blood sugar throughout itsbody, its circulatory system, sort of acts like an an antifreeze.

Professor:A solution of antifreeze like you put in your car in the winter?

Professor:Well, you tell me. In frogs, the extra glucose makes it harder for the winterinside the cells to freeze. So the cells stay just slightly wet, enough so that theycan survive the winter. Then after that, the heart stops beating altogether. Sois that the same?

Student:I don’t really know, but how long dose it stay that way?

Professor:Well, it could be days or months, all winter in fact but umm, see the heartreally doesn’t need to do any pumping now because the blood is frozen too.

Student:I just, I guess I just don’t see how it isn’t, you know, clinically dead.

Professor:Well, that’s the amazing thing and how it revives is pretty amazing too. Aftermonths without a heartbeat, spring time came around again, the earth startsto warm up and suddenly one day, ping, a pulse, followed by another one, thenanother until maybe ten, twelve hours later, the animal is fully recovered.

Student:And does the thawing process have some kind of trigger as well?

Professor:Well, we are not sure actually, the clearer thing is even though the sun iswarning the frog up on the outside, its inside thaw out first, the heart andbrain and everything. But somehow it all just happens that way every spring.

Student:But after they thaw does it affect them like their lifespan?

Professor:Well, hmm, we really don’t know a lot about how long a wood frog normallylives, probably just a few years but there is no evidence its longevity. It doeshave some other impacts though. In studies, we found that when it comes to


reproduction, freezing diminishes the mating performance of males. Afterthey’ve been frozen and thawed of course, they don’t seem quite as vocal. Theymove slower and they seem to have a harder time recognizing a potential mate.So if the male frog could manage not to go through this freezing cycle, he’dprobably have more success in mating.

原文翻译：

教授:嗯，看起来春天终于要来了。剩下的冬雪将会在几天内融化。所以在我们今天结

束之前，我想我将提到一个生物事件，它是从冬天到春天过渡的一部分。是某些

如果你有些耐心可以到外面观察到的。有一种小生物生活在这个区域：你可能已

经见过它。它是北美树蛙。

好的。北美树蛙栖息在一个非常广阔的区域或者范围。它在美国整个东北部以及

加拿大、阿拉斯加甚至包括北极圈，都可以被找到。没有其他青蛙可以在那么远

和北的地方生存。但是无论它们生在哪，一旦其后开始变冷，而且温度开始降到

零度以下，一旦树蛙甚至触摸一个冰晶或者一点冻地，嗯，它就开始结冰。对……对我而言。你们看起来有点惊讶。

某男生:等一下，你的意思是它甚至依旧活着，但是它被冻住了，还很坚实?

教授:嗯，几乎是的。在细胞的外围的所有空间都结冰了，但是从未在细胞内结冰。

学生:但是„那么它的心脏怎么跳动。

教授:它不跳。

某女生:但是它怎么能……

教授:你是怎么做这件事的？嗯，第一次接触并显然在树蛙体内引发了一个生物响应。

那第一个是引导水分脱离树蛙身体的中心，所以树蛙的中间部分，它的内脏器官，

它的心脏，肺，肝脏，这些开始变得越来越干，同时被脱去的水仅仅正在皮肤下

器官周围形成一个水坑。而且之后这个水坑开始结冰。好了，到目前为止，树蛙

的心脏仍然在跳动，对吧？越来越慢，但是„并且在结冰前这最后几小时，它遍及这个身体，它的循环系统分配葡萄糖，一种血液中的糖，某种像是抗冻剂的反

应。

某男生:


一种像是你在冬天添加到汽车里的防冻剂溶液？

教授:嗯，你告诉我。在树蛙体内，额外的葡萄糖使得在细胞内的水很难结冰。所以细

胞仅仅保持足够微湿，以至于它们可以在冬天存活。那么那之后，心脏完全地停

止跳动。所以汽车防冻剂一样吗？

某男生:我真的不知道，但是树蛙会像那样保持多长时间？

教授:嗯，可能几天或者甚至几个月、整个冬天事实上但是，呃，可以看到心脏现在确

实不需要做任何抽动，因为血液也已经结冰了。

某男生:我只是，我猜测我只是不明白它是怎么没有，你知道，临床死亡的。

教授:嗯，那是很神奇的事情，而且它怎么复活的也是相当神奇的。几个月没有心跳后，

春天再次到来，地球开始变暖，突然一天，砰，一次跳动，随后是另一次跳动，

接着是下一次直到可能是10 或者12 小时之后，树蛙完全复原了。

某男生:那解冻过程也有某种触发吗？

教授:嗯，事实上，我们不能确定，更清楚的事情是即使太阳在表面使树蛙变暖，树蛙

的内部，心脏、大脑以及其他所有的还是先解冻。但是它恰好总是莫名其妙得在

每个春天发生。

某男生:但是，当他们解冻之后，这会影响他们吗，比如他们的寿命？

教授:恩，哼，我们对于一个树蛙通常能活多久知道的真的不多，可能只有几年，但是

没有证据表明结冰过程影响寿命。但可能会有其他影响。在研究中，我们发现，

当它们繁殖，冻结会减弱雄性的交配表现。当他们冻结，当然解冻之后，它们看

起来不那么有声。它们移动变缓，而且看起来需要花费更多时间来辨识潜在配偶。

所以，如果一个雄性树蛙可以控制不去进入这个冻结循环，它们可能在交配种更

加成功。



http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/49053b30f18f423180c47b7a2e75c577

（十五）历史——the role of spices 香料的作用1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explore the use of spices in cooking in the Middle AgesB. To explain the significance of spices for medieval societyC. To describe how the spice trade evolved in medieval EuropeD. To examine changes in the role that spices played in the Middle Ages

2. Based on the lecture, indicate whether each of the following is true aboutspices in medieval Europe.

Click in the correct box for each phrase

They had to be imported.They were unaffordable for many people.They were used to preserve meat during the winter.They were believed to have medicinal properties.Their sale in public markets was closely regulated.

3. What two factors explain why medieval Europeans did not use spices tocover the taste of spoiled meat?

Click on 2 answersFresh meat was less expensive than spices wereSpices were mainly used in incense and perfumeThe sale of spoiled food was prohibitedSalt was cheaper than most spices were

4. Why does the professor mention the collapse of the Roman Empire?A. To indicate that the spice trade became more directB. To explain why the price of pepper suddenly increasedC. To indicate that spices were not available in Europe for centuriesD. To explain why the origins of spices became more mysterious

5. What does the professor say about European explorers during the age ofdiscovery?A. Their discoveries caused the price of certain spices to increase.B. They were responding to the demand for spices.

http://dl.xiaoma.com/dl/topic/49053b30f18f423180c47b7a2e75c577


C. They did not expect to find spices during their explorations.D. Their main goal was to discover unknown lands.

6. Why does the professor say thisA. To indicate that pepper was commonly used as paymentB. To indicate where pepper could be found at the timeC. To emphasize the high value of pepper at the timeD. To suggest that pepper was nearly as plentiful as gold

Key：1. B 2. Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No 3. AC 4. D 5. B 6. C

题目解析

1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?A. To explore the use of spices in cooking in the Middle Ages.B. To explain the significance of spices for medieval society.C. To describe how the spice trade evolved in medieval Europe.D. To examine changes in the role that spices played in the Middle Ages.相关原文

In order to really study the social history of the Middle Ages, you have tounderstand the role of spices.解析

文章主要解释香料对于中世纪欧洲的重要作用。

正确答案

B

2. Based on the lecture, indicate whether each of the following is true aboutspices in medieval Europe.Yes or NoThey had to be imported.They were unaffordable for many people.They were used to preserve meat during the winter.They were believed to have medicinal properties.Their sale in public markets was closely regulated.相关原文

Now for cost and rarity, spices aren’t native to Europe and they had to beimported.By the Middle Ages, spices were regarded as so important and expensive theywere used in diplomacy, as gifts by heads of state and ambassadors.They were used as medicines to ward off diseases.解析

文中对于香料在中世纪时期的作用和性质做了介绍，主要有，需要进口，昂贵，

用于改善食物口味，具有


药用价值。

正确答案

YYNYN

3. What two factors explain why medieval Europeans did not use spices tocover the taste of spoiled meat.

Click on 2 answers.A. Fresh meat was less expensive than spices were.B. Spices were mainly used in incense and perfume.C. The sale of spoiled food was prohibited.D. Salt was cheaper than most spices were.相关原文

Anyone who had to worry about spoiled meat couldn’t afford spices in the firstplace. If you could afford spices,you could definitely afford fresh meat. We also have evidence that variousmedieval markets employed a kind ofpolice to make sure that people did not sell spoiled food, and if you werecaught doing it, you were subject tovarious fines, humiliating public punishments.解析

首先，能够买得起香料的人，一定能够买得起新鲜的肉；其次，市场上也不允许

卖坏掉的食物。

正确答案

AC

4. Why does the professor mention the collapse of the Roman Empire?A. To indicate that the spice trade became more direct.B. To explain why the price of pepper suddenly increased.C. To indicate that spices were not available in Europe for centuries.D. To explain why the origins of spices became more mysterious.相关原文

But when Rome collapsed in the fifth century and the Middle Ages began,direct trade stopped, and so did that kindof hands-on knowledge of travel and geography. Spices now came by way ofthe trade routes with lots of intermediaries between the producer and theconsumer. So these spices took on an air of mystery. Their origins wereshrouded in exotic travels. They had the allure of the unknown, of wild places.Myths grew up of fantasy lands, magical faraway places made entirely of foodand spices.解析

由于罗马帝国的破灭，航海技术以及香料的直接贸易就没有了，因此香料的贸易

都是经过多中介的曲折渠

道，这就使得香料的来源变得很神秘的原因。


正确答案

D

5. What does the professor say about European explorers during the age ofdiscovery?A. Their discoveries caused the price of certain spices to increase.B. They were responding to the demand for spices.C. They did not expect to find spices during explorations.D. Their main goal was to discover unknown lands.相关原文

When famous explorers like Columbus and da Gama and Magellan left Europein their ships, they weren’t lookingfor a new world; they were looking for spices.解析

这些探险家出去探险的原因就是出去找香料，这也证明对于香料的需求。

正确答案

B

6. Why does the professor say this: Maybe that would give you an idea ofexactly where pepper stood at the time.A. To indicate that pepper was commonly used as payment.B. To indicate where pepper could be found at the time.C. To emphasize the high value of pepper at the time.D. To suggest that pepper was nearly as plentiful as fold.相关原文

Maybe that would give you an idea of exactly where pepper stood at the time.解析

教授举例说黄金和香料的例子，让学生对于香料当时所处的地位有个了解。

正确答案

C

词汇

herb：香草，药草cinnamon：肉桂，肉桂色的，肉桂树ginger：姜，姜黄色，活力cloves：丁香maize：玉米，玉米色literarily：文学地exotic：异国的，外来的fragrance：香味，芬芳diplomacy：外交，交际手段ambassador：大使，代表bland：乏味的，温和的


aristocracy：贵族，贵族统治humiliate：羞辱，使丢脸intermediary：中间人allure：引诱，诱惑abundant：丰富的，富裕的spur：鼓舞，刺激，马刺repercussion：反响，反射，弹回

听力原文：

Professor:In order to really study the social history of the Middle Ages, you have tounderstand the role of spices. Now, this might sound a little spurring, even alittle strange. But what seem like little things now were back then actuallyrather big things. So first let’s define what a spice is.

Technically speaking, a spice is part of an aromatic plant that is not a leaf orherb. Spices can come from tree bark like cinnamon, plant roots like ginger,flower buds like cloves. And in the Middle Ages. Europeans were familiar withlots of different spices, most important being pepper, cloves, ginger, cinnamon,maize and nutmeg. These spices literarily dominated the way Europeans livedfor centuries, how they traded and even how they used their imaginations.

So why this medieval fascination with spices? We can boil it down to theregeneral ideas briefly. One was cost and rarity. Uh two was exotic taste andfragrance. And third, mysterious origins and kinds of mythical status. Now forcost and rarity, spices aren’t native to Europe and they had to be imported.Spices only grew in the East Indies and of course transportation costs wereincredibly valuable even from the very beginning. Here is an example. In 408AD, the Gothic General who captured Rome demanded payment. He wanted5000 pounds of gold among other things but he also wanted 3000 pounds ofpepper. Maybe that would give you an idea of exactly where pepper stood atthe time. By the Middle Ages, spices were regarded as so important andexpensive they were used in diplomacy, as gifts by heads of state andambassadors.

Now for the taste. The diet then was relatively bland, compared to today’s.There wasn’t much variety. Especially the aristocracy who tended to eat a lotof meat, they were always looking for new ways to prepare it, new sources,new tastes and this is where spices came in. Now, this is a good point tomention one of the biggest myths about spices. It’s commonly said thatmedieval Europeans wanted spices to cover up the taste of spoiled meat. Butthis isn’t really true. Anyone who had to worry about spoiled meat couldn’t


afford spices in the first place. If you could afford spices, you could definitelyafford fresh meat. We also have evidence that various medieval marketsemployed a kind of police to make sure that people did not sell spoiled food,and if you were caught doing it, you were subject to various fines, humiliatingpublic punishments. So what actually was true was this: In order to have meatfor the winter, people would preserve it in salt, not a spice. Spices actuallyaren’t very effective as preservatives. And throughout winter, they would eatsalted meat, but the taste of the stuff could grow really boring and depressingafter a while. So the cook started looking for new ways to improve the tasteand spices were the answer, which brings us to mysterious origins andmythical status.

Now the ancient Romans had a thriving spice trade and they sent their shipsto the east and back. But when Rome collapsed in the fifth century and theMiddle Ages began, direct trade stopped, and so did that kind of hands-onknowledge of travel and geography. Spices now came by way of the traderoutes with lots of intermediaries between the producer and the consumer. Sothese spices took on an air of mystery. Their origins were shrouded in exotictravels. They had the allure of the unknown, of wild places. Myths grew up offantasy lands, magical faraway places made entirely of food and spices. And tothat, spices themselves had always been considered special or magical not justfor eating and this was already true in the ancient world where legends aboutspices were abundant. Spices inspired the medieval imagination. They wereused as medicines to ward off diseases, and mixed into perfumes, incent. Theywere used in religious rituals for thousands of years. They took on a life oftheir own and they inspired the medieval imagination, spurred on the age ofdiscovery in the 145th and 16th centuries. When famous explorers likeColumbus and da Gama and Magellan left Europe in their ships, they weren’tlooking for a new world.; they were looking for spices. And we know whatimportant historical repercussions some of those voyages had.

原文翻译：

为了真正学习中世纪社会历史，你需要理解香料的作用。现在，这听起来可能有

点令人惊讶，甚至有点奇怪。但现在看起来很小的东西回溯到以前真是件大事。

所以，首先我们来定义什么事香料。

专业上说，一个香料是芳香植物的一部分，芳香植物既不是叶子也不是草药。香

料可以来自树皮，像肉桂，植物的根，像姜，花蕾，像丁香。而在中世纪，欧洲

人熟悉很多种不同的香料，进口最多的是胡椒、丁香、姜、肉桂、玉米和肉豆蔻。

这些香料很大程度上支配了欧洲人几个世纪以来的生活方式，如何毛衣，甚至如

何运用他们的想象。


所以，为什么中世纪如此着迷于香料？我们可以把它简单分成三大想法。一个是

花费和稀有。二是异域口味和香味，而散则是其神奇来源和一些神秘地位。对于

成本和稀有来说，香料并不是欧洲本土的，他们需要进口。香料只生长于东印度，

当然，运输费用是天文数字。所以香料从一开始就非常贵重。有一个例子。在公

园408 年，收复罗马要款的Gothic 将军，他想要5000 傍黄金和其他东西，但他也想要3000磅胡椒。这可能会给你胡椒在当时是什么样的地位。到中世纪，香料被看得非常重要和贵重，甚至被用于外交，当做国家元首或者大使的礼物。

好了，关于口味。那时的饮食，相对于今天，是平淡无奇。没有多少花样。特别

是想吃很多肉的贵族，他们总是寻找新的方式来准备它，新的来源，新的口味，

这就是香料的起源。现在，这是一个很好的地方来提香料的一个最大秘密。有一

个常见说法是中世纪的欧洲人想要香料来掩盖坏的肉的口感。但这并不是真的。

首先，担心肉会坏掉的人是买不起香料的。如果你能买得起香料，你绝对能够买

得起新鲜的肉。我们还有证据表明各种各样的中世纪市场都雇佣警察监督人们不

会卖坏了的失误，如果你被抓到这么做，你要受到各种罚款和羞辱性的当众惩罚。

所以真实情况是这样的：为了在冬天也有肉，人们用盐保存，而不是香料。香料

对于保存实际上并不有效。整个冬天，他们都吃咸肉，但是这种东西的口味过一

段时间久变非常令人厌烦和沮丧。所以厨师开始想新的方法来改善口味，而香料

就是答案，这就带给我们什么起源和地位。

现在，古罗马有繁荣的香料毛衣，他们派船去东部再回来。但是当罗马在5 世纪倒塌，中世纪开始，直接的贸易停止了，所以那种路性和地理的亲身实践的知识

也没有了。香料现在就来自于那些有很多介于生产者和消费者之间的中介商的贸

易路线。所以这些香料就产生了神秘气息。它们的来源覆盖了很多异域旅途。它

们有位置的荒野的地方的吸引力。神话形成于梦幻的地方，神奇的遥远的地方充

满了食物和香料。除此之外，香料本身也被看做很特殊或者神奇，不仅仅是因为

吃，这在充满各种关于香料传奇的古代世界是真的。香料激发中世纪的想象力。

他们被用作药品来防治疾病，混合用作香水、刺激物。几千年来，它们在宗教典

礼上被使用。它们承担自己的生活，它们激发中世纪想象力，驱使5、6 世纪的发现年代。当像哥伦布、Da Gama 和麦哲伦等著名的探险家乘船离开欧洲，他们不是寻找新大陆，他们是寻找香料。我们知道这些航程的重要历史影响是什么。

Documents

IBT-SAT - dl.keywin.orgdl.keywin.org/b/4/b429e59798ef8b165abb9b0d18935d11.pdf · past geologic epochs. What does the professor say that sediment reveals about a particular epoch?