|
TOEFL Directory > TOEFL writing > TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 5_Question 45-55
TOEFL Reading Class Unit 1_Passage 5_Question 45-55
You have about 15 minutes to finish this passage.
First,use about 3-4 minutes to read the passage, try to understand the main idea of this passage.
Don't read it so slowly or try to remember all details.You need to do "fast reading",and "scan" the passage.
Second, read questions 1-11, and with questions you go back the passage again and look for correct answers.
Questions 45-55
Passage 5
Because many predators kill only when their prey is moving, an animal that pretends to be dead may succeed in causing a predator to lose interest and move along in search of more lively prey. Hognose snakes have a complex repertoire of antipredator mechanisms, of which feigning death is one option.
These fairly large non-venomous or slightly venomous snakes occur in sandy habitats in the eastern United States. When first disturbed, the hognose opts for bluffing the predator ---it flattens and expands the front third of its body and head, forming a hood, causing it to look larger. It then curls into an exaggerated s-shaped coil and hisses, occasionally making false strikes at its tormentor. When further provoked, however, it drops the bluff and begins to twist its body violently. Then it rolls onto its back with its mouth open and tongue hanging out loosely. If the predator loses interest in the "corpse?and moves away, the snake slowly rights itself and crawls off.
The complete repertoire of antipredator mechanisms occurs in young hognose snakes. Researchers have shown that newborn snakes are capable of making very subtle assessments of the degree of threat posed by a particular predator. Two experiments were conducted in which the recovery from death-feigning (i.e., crawling away) of newly hatched snakes under various conditions was monitored. In one experiment the recovery of snakes was monitored in the presence or absence of a stuffed screech owl mounted on a tripod one meter from the overturned snake. In another experiment the snake recovered (1) in the presence of a human staring at the snake from a distance of one meter, (2) in the presence of the same person in the same location but with eyes averted, and (3) in a control condition in which no human was visible. Both the presence of the owl and the direct human gaze resulted in longer recovery times relative to the respective control conditions. When the human eyes were averted, the recovery time was immediate. Thus, young snakes are capable of using rather subtle cues to make adjustments in their antipredator behavior.
45. From the first sentence in the passage, it can be inferred that many predators prefer
a) small prey
b) dead prey
c) complex prey
d) active prey
46. How is feigning death an "antipredator mechanism?
a) It frightens a predator.
b) It allows the prey to prepare a surprise attack.
c) It causes a predator to lose interest.
d) It distracts a predator, allowing prey to escape unnoticed.
47. For which of the following reasons does a hognose snake expand the front third of its body and head?
a) To hide the back portion of its body
b) To protect its head from being attacked
c) To make its body appear larger than it actually is
d) To increase its strength in order to strike a predator
48. The word It in the passage refers to
a) the hognose
b) the predator
c) head
d) a hood
49. All of the following are part of bluffing EXCEPT
a) rolling over
b) making false strikes
c) hissing
d) forming a hood
50. When does the hognose snake feign death?
a) Immediately upon seeing a predator
b) When attempts to bluff a predator fail
c) After it has injured a predator
d) When the predator begins to lose interest
51. The author mentions the snake's tongue hanging out loosely as an example of
a) how the snake provokes a predator
b) what happens when the snake flattens its head
c) the snake's recovery
d) how the snake pretends to be dead
52. The word monitored in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) defined
b) published
c) controlled
d) observed
53. The experiments described in paragraph 2 measured how long it took for snakes to
a) notice a predator
b) stop feigning death
c) learn how to feign death
d) recover from the attack of a predator
54. The phrase capable of using in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) able to use
b) required to use
c) supposed to use
d) thought to use
55. Which of the following is a subtle assessment made by young snakes that is mentioned in the passage?
a) The difference between a stuffed owl and a real owl
b) How far a predator is located
c) Whether or not they are being observed
d) The difference between an owl and a human
Click here to get the detail explanations and correct answers.
|
