托福阅读常考话题及练习题推荐四：动物行为变化（2）

1  托福阅读常考话题：动物行为变化练习题

Paragraph 1: Termites, social insects which live in colonies that, in some species, contain 2 million individuals or more, are often incorrectly referred to as white ants. But they are certainly not ants. Termites, unlike ants, have gradual metamorphosis with only three life stage: egg, nymph, and adult. Ants and the other social members of their order, certain bees and wasps, have complete metamorphosis in four life stages; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The worker and soldier castes of social ants, bees, and wasps consist of only females, all daughters of a single queen that mated soon after she matured and thereafter never mated again. The worker and soldier castes of termites consist of both males and females, and the queen lives permanently with a male consort.

1.The author mentions “white ants” in the beginning of the passage in order to

A. correct a common misunderstanding about termites

B. introduce the idea that termites only take the form of ants during certain life stages

C. argue that not all white ants are social insects

D. Illustrate the large variety of insect species that live in colonies

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

A. They are a kind of ant, but they are unlike most ants in many ways.

B. They form colonies that grow at first and then gradually decline.

C. Their workers are all males, and their soldiers are all females.

D. They go through a life state called the nymph stage.

Paragraph 2: Since termites are small and soft-bodied, they easily become desiccated and must live in moist places with a high relative humidity. They do best when the relative humidity in their nest is above 96 percent and the temperature is fairly high, an optimum of about 79°F for temperate zone species and about 86°F for tropical species. Subterranean termites, the destructive species that occurs commonly throughout the eastern United States, attain these conditions by nesting in moist soil that is in contact with wood, their only food. The surrounding soil keeps the nest moist and tends to keep the temperature at a more or less favorable level. When it is cold in winter, subterranean termites move to burrows below the frost line.

3.According to paragraph 2, termites need to live in nests with high humidity in order to

A. keep their food moist

B. withstand cold temperatures in winter

C. protect their bodies from drying out

D. keep nest temperatures high

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

A. achieve

B. observe

C. overcome

D. reflect

Paragraph 3: Some tropical termites are more ingenious engineers, constructing huge above-ground nests with built-in “air conditioning” that keeps the nest moist, at a constant temperature, and well supplied with oxygen. Among the most architecturally advanced of these termites is an African species, Macrotermes natalensis. Renowned Swiss entomologist Martin Luscher described the mounds of this fungus-growing species as being as much as 16 feet tall, 16 feet in diameter at their base, and with a cement-like wall of soil mixed with termite saliva that is from 16 to 23 inches thick. The thick and dense wall of the mound insulates the interior microclimate from the variations in humidity and temperature of the outside atmosphere. Several narrow and relatively thin-walled ridges on the outside of the mound extend from near its base almost to its top.

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

A. determined

B. clever

C. ambitious

D. successful

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

A. Skilled

B. Famous

C. Early

D. Revolutionary

7.According to paragraph 3, the nests of some tropical termite species have the ability to

A. insulate the microclimate in one part of the nest from the microclimate in another part

B. Allow moist outside air to get inside regardless of whether it is warm or cool

C. rapidly decrease the humidity inside when it gets hot outside

D. Provide the oxygen needed in the nest

Paragraph 3: Some tropical termites are more ingenious engineers, constructing huge above-ground nests with built-in “air conditioning” that keeps the nest moist, at a constant temperature, and well supplied with oxygen. Among the most architecturally advanced of these termites is an African species, Macrotermes natalensis. Renowned Swiss entomologist Martin Luscher described the mounds of this fungus-growing species as being as much as 16 feet tall, 16 feet in diameter at their base, and with a cement-like wall of soil mixed with termite saliva that is from 16 to 23 inches thick. The thick and dense wall of the mound insulates the interior microclimate from the variations in humidity and temperature of the outside atmosphere. Several narrow and relatively thin-walled ridges on the outside of the mound extend from near its base almost to its top.

Paragraph 4: According to Luscher, a medium-sized nest of Macrotermes has a population of about 2 million individuals. The metabolism of so many termites and of the fungus that they grow in their gardens as food helps keep the interior of the nest warm and supplies some moisture to the air in the nest. The termites saturate the atmosphere of the nest, bringing it to about 100 percent relative humidity, by carrying water up from the soil.

8.According to paragraphs 3 and 4, all of the following are true of the nests of Macrotermes natalensis EXCEPT:

A. The walls are built out of soil mixed with termite saliva.

B. The nests can be as tall as they are wide at the base.

C. The interior of the nest is kept as humid as possible.

D. The termites use hollow, thin-walled ridges to travel from one part of the nest to another.

9.According to paragraph 4, how does the fungus grown by Macrotermes natalensis affect the environment of the nest?

A. It carries water up from the soil into the interior.

B. It dries the air by using up moisture as it grows.

C. It heats and adds humidity to the inside of the nest.

D. It lessens the effects of the metabolism of so many termites.