GMAT考试阅读资料(一)d
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Passage 4
  The fossil remains1 of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued2 paleontologists for morethan two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted hang-glider(5) and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved theproblems of powered flight, and exactly what thesecreatures were——reptiles3 or birds-are among the ques-tions scientists have puzzled over.
  Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the(10) pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls,pelvises, and hind4 feet are reptilian5. The anatomy6 oftheir wings suggests that they did not evolve into theclass of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated7 fourthfinger of each forelimb supported a winglike membrane8.(15) The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharpclaws. In birds the second finger is the principal strutof the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If thepterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingersmay have been employed for grasping. When a(20) pterosaur walked or remained stationary10, the fourthfinger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward inan extended inverted11 V-shape along each side of the animal‘s body.
  The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in(25) their overall structure and proportions. This is not sur-prising because the design of any flying vertebrate issubject to aerodynamic constraints12. Both the pterosaursand the birds have hollow bones, a feature that repre-sents a savings13 in weight. In the birds, however, these(30) bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts14.
  Although scales typically cover reptiles, thepterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley rea-soned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of(35) metabolism15, which in turn implies a high internal tem-perature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair wouldinsulate against loss of body heat and might streamlinethe body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discoveryof a pterosaur specimen16 covered in long, dense17, and(40) relatively18 thick hairlike fossil material was the first clearevidence that his reasoning was correct.
  Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became air-borne have led to suggestions that they launched them-selves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees.(45) or even by rising into light winds from the crests19 ofwaves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. The firstwrongly assumes that the pterosaurs‘ hind feet rese-mbled a bat’s and could serve as hooks by which theanimal could hang in preparation for flight. The second(50) hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurscould not have landed in trees without damaging theirwings. The third calls for high waves to channelupdrafts. The wind that made such waves however,might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to(55) control their flight once airborne.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that scientists now generally agree that the
 (A) enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enabled them to fly great distances 
 (B) structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary20 relationship to bats
 (C) fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flight
 (D) pterosaurs were reptiles
 (E) pterosaurs walked on all fours

2. The author views the idea that the pterosaurs became airborne by rising into light winds created by waves as
 (A) revolutionary
 (B) unlikely
 (C) unassailable
 (D) probable
 (E) outdated21

3. According to the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur can be distinguished22 from that of a bird by the
 (A) size of its wingspan
 (B) presence of hollow spaces in its bones
 (C) anatomic origin of its wing strut9
 (D) presence of hooklike projections23 on its hind feet
 (E) location of the shoulder joint24 joining the wing to its body

4. The ideas attributed to T.H. Huxley in the passage suggest that he would most likely agree with which of the following statements?
 (A) An animal‘s brain size has little bearing on its ability to master complex behaviors.
 (B) An animal‘s appearance is often influenced by environmental requirements and physical capabilities25.
 (C) Animals within a given family group are unlikely to change their appearance dramatically over a period of time.
 (D) The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaptation.
 (E) The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs?
 (A) They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.
 (B) They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight.
 (C) They flew in order to capture prey26. 
 (D) They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds.
 (E) They lived primarily in a forestlike habitat.

6.Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage?
 (A) New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view.
 (B) Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of specific information.
 (C) Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given.
 (D) Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected
 (E) A summary of the material in the preceding paragraphs is presented, and conclusions are drawn27.

7. It can be inferred from the passage that some scientists believe that pterosaurs
 (A) lived near large bodies of water
 (B) had sharp teeth for tearing food
 (C) were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles
 (D) had longer tails than many birds 
 (E) consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature



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1 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
2 intrigued 7acc2a75074482e2b408c60187e27c73     
adj.好奇的,被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式);激起…的兴趣或好奇心;“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧!
  • He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
3 reptiles 45053265723f59bd84cf4af2b15def8e     
n.爬行动物,爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 hind Cyoya     
adj.后面的,后部的
参考例句:
  • The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
  • Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。
5 reptilian tWfxx     
adj.(像)爬行动物的;(像)爬虫的;卑躬屈节的;卑鄙的n.两栖动物;卑劣的人
参考例句:
  • The chick is ugly and almost reptilian in its appearance. 这只小鸡长得很丑,看起来几乎像个爬行动物。 来自辞典例句
  • Being from Orion do Zetas contain DNA from the Reptilian race? 齐塔人是从猎户座而来,DNA来自爬虫族吗? 来自互联网
6 anatomy Cwgzh     
n.解剖学,解剖;功能,结构,组织
参考例句:
  • He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面,他有过许多发现。
  • The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。
7 elongated 6a3aeff7c3bf903f4176b42850937718     
v.延长,加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。
  • A piece of rubber can be elongated by streching. 一块橡皮可以拉长。 来自《用法词典》
8 membrane H7ez8     
n.薄膜,膜皮,羊皮纸
参考例句:
  • A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
  • A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。
9 strut bGWzS     
v.肿胀,鼓起;大摇大摆地走;炫耀;支撑;撑开;n.高视阔步;支柱,撑杆
参考例句:
  • The circulation economy development needs the green science and technology innovation as the strut.循环经济的发展需要绿色科技创新生态化作为支撑。
  • Now we'll strut arm and arm.这会儿咱们可以手挽着手儿,高视阔步地走了。
10 stationary CuAwc     
adj.固定的,静止不动的
参考例句:
  • A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
  • Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。
11 inverted 184401f335d6b8661e04dfea47b9dcd5     
adj.反向的,倒转的v.使倒置,使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
  • Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 constraints d178923285d63e9968956a0a4758267e     
强制( constraint的名词复数 ); 限制; 约束
参考例句:
  • Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
  • What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么? 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
13 savings ZjbzGu     
n.存款,储蓄
参考例句:
  • I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假,那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
  • By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时,他的存款已全部用完。
14 struts 540eee6c95a0ea77a4cb260db42998e7     
(框架的)支杆( strut的名词复数 ); 支柱; 趾高气扬的步态; (尤指跳舞或表演时)卖弄
参考例句:
  • The struts are firmly braced. 那些支柱上得很牢靠。
  • The Struts + EJB framework is described in part four. 三、介绍Struts+EJB框架的技术组成:Struts框架和EJB组件技术。
15 metabolism 171zC     
n.新陈代谢
参考例句:
  • After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食,卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
  • All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。
16 specimen Xvtwm     
n.样本,标本
参考例句:
  • You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
  • This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。
17 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
18 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
19 crests 9ef5f38e01ed60489f228ef56d77c5c8     
v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的第三人称单数 );到达洪峰,达到顶点
参考例句:
  • The surfers were riding in towards the beach on the crests of the waves. 冲浪者们顺着浪头冲向岸边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The correspondent aroused, heard the crash of the toppled crests. 记者醒了,他听见了浪头倒塌下来的轰隆轰隆声。 来自辞典例句
20 evolutionary Ctqz7m     
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的
参考例句:
  • Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
  • These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
21 outdated vJTx0     
adj.旧式的,落伍的,过时的;v.使过时
参考例句:
  • That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了,许多地址已经改了。
  • Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。
22 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
23 projections 7275a1e8ba6325ecfc03ebb61a4b9192     
预测( projection的名词复数 ); 投影; 投掷; 突起物
参考例句:
  • Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
  • The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。
24 joint m3lx4     
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合
参考例句:
  • I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤,肩膀脫臼了。
  • We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
25 capabilities f7b11037f2050959293aafb493b7653c     
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力
参考例句:
  • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大,自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
  • Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为,标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
26 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
27 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
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