托福 托福 42 - Explaining Dinosaur Extinction
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Dinosaurs rapidly became extinct about 65 million years ago as part of a mass extinction known as the K-T event, because it is associated with a geological signature known as the K-T boundary, usually a thin band of sedimentation found in various parts of the world (K is the traditional abbreviation for the Cretaceous, derived from the German name Kreidezeit). Many explanations have been proposed for why dinosaurs became extinct. For example, some have blamed dinosaur extinction on the development of flowering plants, which were supposedly more difficult to digest and could have caused constipation or indigestion—except that flowering plants first evolved in the Early Cretaceous, about 60 million years before the dinosaurs died out. In fact, several scientists have suggested that the duckbill dinosaurs and horned dinosaurs, with their complex battery of grinding teeth, evolved to exploit this new resource of rapidly growing flowering plants.Others have blamed extinction on competition from the mammals, which allegedly ate all the dinosaur eggs—except that mammals and dinosaurs appeared at the same time in the Late Triassic, about 190 million years ago, and there is no reason to believe that mammals suddenly acquired a taste for dinosaur eggs after 120 million years of coexistence. Some explanations (such as the one stating that dinosaurs all died of diseases) fail because there is no way to scientifically test them, and they cannot move beyond the realm of speculation and guesswork.

This focus on explaining dinosaur extinction misses an important point: the extinction at the end of the Cretaceous was a global event that killed off organisms up and down the food chain. It wiped out many kinds of plankton in the ocean and many marine organisms that lived on the plankton at the base of the food chain. These included a variety of clams and snails, and especially the ammonites, a group of shelled squidlike creatures that dominated the Mesozoic seas and had survived many previous mass extinctions. The K-T event marked the end of the marine reptiles, such as the mosasaurs and the plesiosaurs, which were the largest creatures that had ever lived in the seas and which ruled the seas long before whales evolved. On land, there was also a crisis among the land plants, in addition to the disappearance of dinosaurs. So any event that can explain the destruction of the base of the food chain (plankton in the ocean, plants on land) can better explain what happened to organisms at the top of the food chain, such as the dinosaurs. By contrast, any explanation that focuses strictly on the dinosaurs completely misses the point. The Cretaceous extinctions were a global phenomenon, and dinosaurs were just a part of a bigger picture.

According to one theory, the Age of Dinosaurs ended suddenly 65 million years ago when a giant rock from space plummeted to Earth. Estimated to be ten to fifteen kilometers in diameter, this bolide (either a comet or an asteroid) was traveling at cosmic speeds of 20-70 kilometers per second, or 45,000-156,000 miles per hour. Such a huge mass traveling at such tremendous speeds carries an enormous amount of energy. When the bolide struck this energy was released and generated a huge shock wave that leveled everything for thousands of kilometers around the impact and caused most of the landscape to burst into flames. The bolide struck an area of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico known as Chicxulub, excavating a crater 15-20 kilometers deep and at least 170 kilometers in diameter. The impact displaced huge volumes of seawater, causing much flood damage in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the bolide itself excavated 100 cubic kilometers of rock and debris from the site, which rose to an altitude of 100 kilometers. Most of it fell back immediately, but some of it remained as dust in the atmosphere for months. This material, along with the smoke from the fires, shrouded Earth, creating a form of nuclear winter. According to computerized climate models, global temperatures fell to near the freezing point, photosynthesis halted, and most plants on land and in the sea died. With the bottom of the food chain destroyed, dinosaurs could not survive.

题目
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. The question is worth 2 points. Over the years, scientists have proposed a number of theories as to why dinosaurs suddenly became extinct about 65 million years ago.
A.Many explanations for dinosaur extinction have been proposed, but most of them are either called into question by known facts or are merely unsupported hypotheses.
B.Focusing on dinosaurs misses the point that the extinction, at about the same time, of the shelled squidlike creatures that dominated the Mesozoic seas was far more scientifically significant.
C.Computerized climate models of global temperature fluctuations support the theory that a huge rock from space hit the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico about 65 million years ago.
D.Although mammals and dinosaurs appeared at about the same time in the Late Triassic, the K-T event, which marked the end of the dinosaurs, apparently had relatively little impact on mammals.
E.Any satisfactory explanation of the mass extinction of dinosaurs must take into account the fact that the disappearance of the dinosaurs was part of a global mass extinction.
F.A huge bolide striking Earth would have created conditions in which most plants would have died, thus explaining the mass extinction of organisms—including dinosaurs—further up the food chain.
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最新提问
  • wx_6697
    觉得B C 意思一样,不知道选哪个
  • wx_5576
    这道题C为什么对,E为什么不对?
  • wx_5576
    B为什么不能选啊?
  • wx_6697
    TPO30 passage 2 Q5我选的 D,不明白为啥不对?
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,TPO6passage3Q5 答案是给错了吗?好多人都选A
  • wx_6697
    这题也很容易选错选成了D
  • wx_6697
    这道题A为什么错了
  • 芊儿
    为什么这道题不选c??a中的variety不是应该对应文中的differentiating 吗??求解!
  • wx_1000
    这道题不选E是因为太细节了吗
  • 王金阁
    这个题为什么不选C啊。。。
  • 芊儿
    这道题的D选项不是和文中的better able to reproduce in open settings相对应么??
  • 风荨火
    有大佬解释一下这个为啥选D嘛?
  • 以沫
    请问这个D 在哪里提现?为什么D错?
  • 芊儿
    第六题 的C选择为什么不对,感觉A是明显驳斥啊...
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这道题D是从哪里看出来的
  • wx_6697
    这题选的A,根据是Joly’s calculations clearly supported those geologists who insisted on an age for Earth far in excess of a few million years.想问鑫哥为啥不选A
  • wx_6697
    这题我选的是C依据是into a new habitat outside of its natural range, it may adapt to the new environment and leave its enemies behind.C为啥错了呢?鑫哥
  • wx_8861
    F选项的weather-related destruction在哪里体现了呢?原文最后一段的开头Among the costs里的costs是不是打错了?应该是coast?
  • wx_6697
    求问这道题B为啥不选,原文依据:viable seeds of pioneer species can be found in large numbers on some forest floors.
  • 与托福的斗争史
    与托福的斗争史 去解答
    这题为什么选C?
  • 小雨淅沥哗啦的下
    小雨淅沥哗啦的下 去解答
    B哪里错了
  • 小雨淅沥哗啦的下
    小雨淅沥哗啦的下 去解答
    B为啥不对
  • 李浩然
    B选项错误,是因为残缺么?
  • wx_100
    请问在做题的时候如何排除c呢。看了答案,感觉是该选a的,但是当时做题脑子一热,就特别钟爱c,也没看其他选项。。求敲醒。。
  • wx xxxxx
    请问鑫哥,这段开头有写As one pesticide replaces another为什么不是对应a new pesticide is developed?
  • wx_7695
    鑫哥,从哪里看出来这个masks 不是use呀,原文说了wear呀
  • haiyuqiao
    @鑫哥,这题the damage will continue 不应该对应前面的 the target species evolves resistance to it,然后As one pesticide replaces another,不应该是结束了time cycle 吗
  • wx_2065
    鑫哥,想知道E错在哪里?
  • wx_7695
    鑫哥,B选项 cannot extended to earlier geological periods. 原文说的意思是后来的进化无法估计吧
  • wx_2163
    B为什么不选
  • wx_7780
    鑫哥,这个哪里看不use了。BD是修饰错,C是无中生有,怎么能直接选出A?
  • 100
    看到第一句话,以为是中心句就选了A... 为什么不能选A呢
  • 100
    为什么选b?
  • gu33
    请问下 这里选D的原因是 因为 evolutionary approach 对应着 原文的 Rates of evolution 嘛? 这里我选了C。。不是很懂 插入句和 D的关系 求解答
  • 我是啦啦啦
    我是啦啦啦 去解答
    这个题A哪里错了?是因为主语不对吗?这个C比A多一步推理啊
  • haiyuqiao
    鑫哥,D选项里的19世纪出现了很多假设,原文中并没有提到啊
  • wx_7060
    为什么选a 呢。我觉得a是细节。F哪错了?
  • wx_1105
    我想问一下,这道题为什么不能选A呢?
  • wx_8122
    D为什么不选
  • wx_1655
    f选项哪里说了
  • chaulaw
    鑫哥,原文是below经济损害水平,D是一触发经济损害就用,这也对吗?
  • chaulaw
    interclan婚姻是对的吗?不是只在自己的family结婚扩大家族吗?
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这道题答案是不是错了,好多人选D 我也选的D求解答
  • wx_6697
    这道题应该是一道易错题,每个选项的都有,然而我选的A错了,求解
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这题的C是怎么得到的?B也没有找到啊?难道不是应该选B
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,还有这个,好多人选A答案是不是错了
  • wx_6697
    求问D是从哪里得出来的,我选的B呀哎呀
  • wx_4185
    it is difficult to say how far they were intended to be portraits rather than generalized images 这句话怎么理解呢
  • 此楠楠
    请问下这个插入题怎么选的呢?
  • 此楠楠
    求鑫哥讲解下A选项。。。 Even though in error, Joly’s calculations clearly supported those geologists who insisted on an age for Earth far in excess of a few million years.
  • wx_6697
    觉得B C 意思一样,不知道选哪个
  • wx_5576
    这道题C为什么对,E为什么不对?
  • wx_5576
    B为什么不能选啊?
  • wx_6697
    TPO30 passage 2 Q5我选的 D,不明白为啥不对?
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,TPO6passage3Q5 答案是给错了吗?好多人都选A
  • wx_6697
    这题也很容易选错选成了D
  • wx_6697
    这道题A为什么错了
  • 芊儿
    为什么这道题不选c??a中的variety不是应该对应文中的differentiating 吗??求解!
  • wx_1000
    这道题不选E是因为太细节了吗
  • 王金阁
    这个题为什么不选C啊。。。
  • 芊儿
    这道题的D选项不是和文中的better able to reproduce in open settings相对应么??
  • 风荨火
    有大佬解释一下这个为啥选D嘛?
  • 以沫
    请问这个D 在哪里提现?为什么D错?
  • 芊儿
    第六题 的C选择为什么不对,感觉A是明显驳斥啊...
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这道题D是从哪里看出来的
  • wx_6697
    这题选的A,根据是Joly’s calculations clearly supported those geologists who insisted on an age for Earth far in excess of a few million years.想问鑫哥为啥不选A
  • wx_6697
    这题我选的是C依据是into a new habitat outside of its natural range, it may adapt to the new environment and leave its enemies behind.C为啥错了呢?鑫哥
  • wx_8861
    F选项的weather-related destruction在哪里体现了呢?原文最后一段的开头Among the costs里的costs是不是打错了?应该是coast?
  • wx_6697
    求问这道题B为啥不选,原文依据:viable seeds of pioneer species can be found in large numbers on some forest floors.
  • 与托福的斗争史
    与托福的斗争史 去解答
    这题为什么选C?
  • 小雨淅沥哗啦的下
    小雨淅沥哗啦的下 去解答
    B哪里错了
  • 小雨淅沥哗啦的下
    小雨淅沥哗啦的下 去解答
    B为啥不对
  • 李浩然
    B选项错误,是因为残缺么?
  • wx_100
    请问在做题的时候如何排除c呢。看了答案,感觉是该选a的,但是当时做题脑子一热,就特别钟爱c,也没看其他选项。。求敲醒。。
  • wx xxxxx
    请问鑫哥,这段开头有写As one pesticide replaces another为什么不是对应a new pesticide is developed?
  • wx_7695
    鑫哥,从哪里看出来这个masks 不是use呀,原文说了wear呀
  • haiyuqiao
    @鑫哥,这题the damage will continue 不应该对应前面的 the target species evolves resistance to it,然后As one pesticide replaces another,不应该是结束了time cycle 吗
  • wx_2065
    鑫哥,想知道E错在哪里?
  • wx_7695
    鑫哥,B选项 cannot extended to earlier geological periods. 原文说的意思是后来的进化无法估计吧
  • wx_2163
    B为什么不选
  • wx_7780
    鑫哥,这个哪里看不use了。BD是修饰错,C是无中生有,怎么能直接选出A?
  • 100
    看到第一句话,以为是中心句就选了A... 为什么不能选A呢
  • 100
    为什么选b?
  • gu33
    请问下 这里选D的原因是 因为 evolutionary approach 对应着 原文的 Rates of evolution 嘛? 这里我选了C。。不是很懂 插入句和 D的关系 求解答
  • 我是啦啦啦
    我是啦啦啦 去解答
    这个题A哪里错了?是因为主语不对吗?这个C比A多一步推理啊
  • haiyuqiao
    鑫哥,D选项里的19世纪出现了很多假设,原文中并没有提到啊
  • wx_7060
    为什么选a 呢。我觉得a是细节。F哪错了?
  • wx_1105
    我想问一下,这道题为什么不能选A呢?
  • wx_8122
    D为什么不选
  • wx_1655
    f选项哪里说了
  • chaulaw
    鑫哥,原文是below经济损害水平,D是一触发经济损害就用,这也对吗?
  • chaulaw
    interclan婚姻是对的吗?不是只在自己的family结婚扩大家族吗?
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这道题答案是不是错了,好多人选D 我也选的D求解答
  • wx_6697
    这道题应该是一道易错题,每个选项的都有,然而我选的A错了,求解
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,这题的C是怎么得到的?B也没有找到啊?难道不是应该选B
  • wx_6697
    鑫哥,还有这个,好多人选A答案是不是错了
  • wx_6697
    求问D是从哪里得出来的,我选的B呀哎呀
  • wx_4185
    it is difficult to say how far they were intended to be portraits rather than generalized images 这句话怎么理解呢
  • 此楠楠
    请问下这个插入题怎么选的呢?
  • 此楠楠
    求鑫哥讲解下A选项。。。 Even though in error, Joly’s calculations clearly supported those geologists who insisted on an age for Earth far in excess of a few million years.
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