TPO 阅读词汇汇总

○ complex
1. Although limited to a skull, the Pakicetus fossil ○ valuable
provides precious details on the origins of
cetaceans. 6. The cultivation of crops has expanded into
○ exact progressively drier regions as population densities
○ scarce have grown. These regions are especially likely to
○ valuable have periods of severe dryness, so that crop
○ initial failures are common.
○ openly
2. Several skeletons of another early whale, ○ impressively
Basilosaurus, were found in sediments left by the ○ objectively
Tethys Sea and now exposed in the Sahara desert. ○ increasingly
○ explained
○ visible 7. Since the raising of most crops necessitates the
○ identified prior removal of the natural vegetation, crop
○ located failures leave extensive tracts of land devoid of a
plant cover and susceptible to wind and water
3. The large hind legs were used for propulsion in erosion.
water. On land, where it probably bred and gave ○ consisting of
birth, Ambulocetus may have moved around very ○ hidden by
much like a modern sea lion. It was undoubtedly a ○ except for
whale that linked life on land with life at sea. ○ lacking in
○ staying afloat
○ changing direction 8. Exhibitors, however, wanted to maximize their
○ decreasing weight profits, which they could do more readily by
○ moving forward projecting a handful of films to hundreds of
customers at a time (rather than one at a time) and
4. The expansion of desert-like conditions into by charging 25 to 50 cents admission.
areas where they did not previously exist is called ○ frequently
desertification. It has been estimated that an ○ easily
additional one-fourth of the Earth's land surface is ○ intelligently
threatened by this process. ○ obviously
○ restricted
○ endangered 9. About a year after the opening of the first
○ prevented Kinetoscope parlor in 1894, showmen such as
○ rejected Louis and Auguste Lumiere, Thomas Armat and
Charles Francis Jenkins, and Orville and Woodville
5. The semiarid lands bordering the deserts exist in Latham (with the assistance of Edison's former
a delicate ecological balance and are limited in assistant, William Dickson) perfected projection
their potential to adjust to increased devices.
environmental pressures. ○ criticism
○ fragile ○ leadership
○ predictable ○ help

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○ approval
10. At the same time, the image that the spectator
looked at expanded from the minuscule peepshow
dimensions of 1 or 2 inches (in height) to the life-
size proportions of 6 or 9 feet.
○ was enlarged
○ was improved
○ was varied
○ was rejected
11. Theorists adopting the psychodynamic
approach hold that inner conflicts are crucial for
understanding human behavior, including
aggression. Sigmund Freud, for example, believed
that aggressive impulses are inevitable reactions to
the frustrations of daily life.
○ unavoidable
○ regrettable
○ controllable
○ unsuitable
12. Children normally desire to vent aggressive
impulses on other people, including their parents,
because even the most attentive parents cannot
gratify all of their demands immediately.
○ identify
○ modify
○ satisfy
○ simplify
13. Supporting evidence comes from research
showing that aggressive people often distort other
people's motives. For example, they assume that
other people mean them harm when they do not.
○ mistrust
○ misinterpret
○ criticize
○ resent
14. At the same time, workers were required to
discard old habits, for industrialism demanded a
worker who was alert, dependable, and self-
disciplined. Absenteeism and lateness hurt
productivity and, since work was specialized,
disrupted the regular factory routine.
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○ prolonged
○ established
○ followed
○ upset
15. During hard times, few workers were willing to
strike or engage in collective action. And skilled
craft workers, who spearheaded the union
movement, did not feel a particularly strong bond
with semiskilled factory workers and unskilled
laborers.
○ led
○ accepted
○ changed
○ resisted
16. Tunas, mackerels, and billfishes (marlins,
sailfishes, and swordfish) swim continuously.
Feeding, courtship, reproduction, and even "rest"
are carried out while in constant motion. As a
result, practically every aspect of the body form
and function of these swimming "machines" is
adapted to enhance their ability to swim.
○ use
○ improve
○ counteract
○ balance
17. Tunas, mackerels, and billfishes have even
more sophisticated adaptations than these to
improve their hydrodynamics. The long bill of
marlins, sailfishes, and swordfish probably helps
them slip through the water. Many supersonic
aircraft have a similar needle at the nose.
○ complex
○ amazing
○ creative
○ practical
18. Some species of tuna have specialized grooves
in their tongue. It is thought that these grooves
help to channel water through the mouth and out
the gill slits, thereby reducing water resistance.
○ reduce
○ remove
○ direct
○ provide
19. The development of the modern presidency in
the United States began with Andrew Jackson who
swept to power in 1829 at the head of the
Democratic Party and served until 1837. During
his administration, he immeasurably enlarged the
power of the presidency. "The President is the
direct representative of the American people," he
lectured the Senate when it opposed him. "He was
elected by the people, and is responsible to them."
With this declaration, Jackson redefined the
character of the presidential office and its
relationship to the people.
○ frequently
○ greatly
○ rapidly
○ reportedly
20. Whigs and Democrats differed not only in their
attitudes toward the market but also about how
active the central government should be in people's
lives. Despite Andrew Jackson's inclination to be a
strong President, Democrats as a rule believed in
limited government.
○ argument
○ tendency
○ example
○ warning
21. By regulating the economy and competition,
the government could ensure equal opportunity.
Indeed, for Whigs the concept of government
promoting the general welfare went beyond the
economy.
○ power
○ reality
○ difficulty
○ idea
22. Joy and sadness are experienced by people in
all cultures around the world, but how can we tell
when other people are happy or despondent?
○ curious
○ unhappy
○ thoughtful
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○ uncertain
23. Most investigators concur that certain facial
expressions suggest the same emotions in all
people.
○ estimate
○ agree
○ expect
○ understand
24. Psychological research has given rise to some
interesting findings concerning the facial-feedback
hypothesis. Causing participants in experiments to
smile, for example, leads them to report more
positive feelings and to rate cartoons (humorous
drawings of people or situations) as being more
humorous. When they are caused to frown, they
rate cartoons as being more aggressive.
○ judge
○ reject
○ draw
○ want
25. Ekman’s observation may be relevant to the
British expression “keep a stiff upper lip” as a
recommendation for handling stress.
○ contradictory
○ confusing
○ dependent
○ applicable
26. Most people consider the landscape to be
unchanging, but Earth is a dynamic body, and its
surface is continually altering-slowly on the human
time scale, but relatively rapidly when compared to
the great age of Earth (about 4,500 billion years).
○ unusually
○ comparatively
○ occasionally
○ naturally
27. As a general rule, the higher a mountain is, the
more recently it was formed; for example, the high
mountains of the Himalayas are only about 50
million years old. Lower mountains tend to be
older, and are often the eroded relics of much
higher mountain chains. ○ now let us turn to
○ resemblances ○ of greater concern are
○ regions ○ this is related to
○ remains
○ restorations 33. The most widely accepted theory, championed by
anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early
28. The rain seeps underground and the water may twentieth centuries, envisions theater as emerging
reappear later as springs. out of myth and ritual.
○ dries gradually ○ changed
○ flows slowly ○ debated
○ freezes quickly ○ created
○ warms slightly ○ supported

29. At first thought it seems incredible that there 34. Having little understanding of natural causes,
can be enough space in the “solid” ground it attributes both desirable and undesirable
underfoot to hold all this water. occurrences to supernatural or magical forces, and
○ confusing it searches for means to win the favor of these
○ comforting forces.
○ unbelievable ○ ascribes
○ interesting ○ leaves
○ limits
30. Beds of this material, out of sight beneath the ○ contrasts
soil, are common. They are found wherever fast
rivers carrying loads of coarse sediment once 35. But the myths that have grown up around the
flowed. rites may continue as part of the group’s oral
○ far away tradition and may even come to be acted out under
○ hidden conditions divorced from these rites. When this
○ partly visible occurs, the first step has been taken toward theater
○ discovered as an autonomous activity, and thereafter
entertainment and aesthetic values may gradually
31. In lowland country almost any spot on the replace the former mystical and socially efficacious
ground may overlie what was once the bed of a concerns.
river that has since become buried by soil; if they ○ artistic
are now below the water’s upper surface (the ○ important
water table), the gravels and sands of the former ○ independent
riverbed, and its sandbars, will be saturated with ○ established
groundwater.
○ cover 36. But neither the human imitative instinct nor a
○ change penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an
○ separate autonomous theater.
○ surround ○ compromise
○ inclination
32. So much for unconsolidated sediments. ○ tradition
Consolidated (or cemented) sediments, too, ○ respect
contain millions of minute water-holding pores.
○ that is enough about 37. The transition from forest to treeless tundra on

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a mountain slope is often a dramatic one. Within a ○ achievable
vertical distance of just a few tens of meters, trees ○ most likely
disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low
shrubs, herbs, and grasses. This rapid zone of 42. The world’s architectural structures have also
transition is called the upper timberline or tree been devised in relation to the objective limitations
line. of materials.
○ gradual ○ combined
○ complex ○ created
○ visible ○ introduced
○ striking ○ suggested

38. At the upper timberline the trees begin to 43. Materials and methods of construction are
become twisted and deformed. This is particularly integral parts of the design of architecture
true for trees in the middle and upper latitudes, structures.
which tend to attain greater heights on ridges, ○ essential
whereas in the tropics the trees reach their greater ○ variable
heights in the valleys. ○ practical
○ require ○ independent
○ resist
○ achieve 44. In the past, whole cities grew from the arduous
○ endure task of cutting and piling stone upon.
○ difficult
39. As the snow is deeper and lasts longer in the ○ necessary
valleys, trees tend to attain greater heights on the ○ skilled
ridges, even though they are more exposed to high- ○ shared
velocity winds and poor, thin soils there. In the
tropics, the valleys appear to be more favorable 45. The ensuing rapid expansion of irrigation
because they are less prone to dry out, they have agriculture, especially from the 1950s onward,
less frost, and they have deeper soils. transformed the economy of the region.
○ adapted ○ continuing
○ likely ○ surprising
○ difficult ○ initial
○ resistant ○ subsequent

40. Humans instinctively seek structures that will 46. This unprecedented development of a finite
shelter and enhance their way of life. groundwater resource with an almost negligible
○ protect natural recharge rate—that is, virtually no natural
○ improve water source to replenish the water supply—has
○ organize caused water tables in the region to fall drastically.
○ match ○ difficult to control
○ without any restriction
41. Buildings contribute to human life when they ○ unlike anything in the past
provide shelter, enrich space, complement their ○ rapidly expanding
site, suit the climate, and are economically feasible.
○ in existence 47. This unprecedented development of a finite
○ without question groundwater resource with an almost negligible

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natural recharge rate—that is, virtually no natural ○ neighboring
water source to replenish the water supply—has
caused water tables in the region to fall drastically. 53. If all of one’s money is spent on clothes, there
○ clearly may be none left to buy food or go to the movies.
○ perhaps Similarly, a plant or animal cannot squander all its
○ frequently energy on growing a big body if none would be left
○ almost over for reproduction, for this is the surest way to
extinction.
48. The reaction of farmers to the inevitable ○ extend
depletion of the Ogallala varies. ○ transform
○ unfortunate ○ activate
○ predictable ○ waste
○ unavoidable
○ final 54. Thus, a minimum investment has been made
in the body that becomes a platform for seed
49. Plant communities assemble themselves dispersal.
flexibly, and their particular structure depends on ○ development
the specific history of the area. ○ growth
○ natural ○ distribution
○ final ○ protection
○ specific
○ complex 55. A massive oak claims its ground for 200 years
or more, outcompeting all other would-be canopy
50. Mathematical models of ecosystems likewise trees by casting a dense shade and drawing up any
suggest that diversity does not guarantee free water in the soil.
ecosystem stability—just the opposite, in fact. ○ huge
○ increase ○ ancient
○ ensure ○ common
○ favor ○ successful
○ complicate
56. Methods of applying color varied: some colors
51. The destruction caused by the volcanic were brushed or smeared on rock surfaces and
explosion of Mount St. Helens, in the others were blown or sprayed.
northwestern United States, for example, pales in ○ Ways
comparison to the destruction caused by humans. ○ Shades
○ increases proportionally ○ Stages
○ differs ○ Rules
○ loses significance
○ is common 57. This opinion holds that the pictures and
whatever ceremony they accompanied were an
52. A local population that goes extinct is quickly ancient method of psychologically motivating
replaced by immigrants from an adjacent hunters.
community. ○ represented
○ foreign ○ developed into
○ stable ○ were associated with
○ fluid ○ came after

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58. With a moderate to fairly high net energy yield, 63. The causes of this population rebound are
these systems emit no heat-trapping carbon consequences of other human actions.
dioxide or other air pollutants and need no water ○ decline
for cooling; manufacturing them produces little ○ recovery
water pollution. ○ exchange
○ use ○ movement
○ require
○ release 64. We might expect that early artistic efforts
○ destroy would be crude, but the cave paintings of Spain
and southern France show a marked degree of skill.
59. Recorded deaths of birds of prey and other ○ considerable
birds in wind farms in the United States currently ○ surprising
amount to no more than 300 per year. ○ limited
○ can identify ○ adequate
○ change
○ are reduced by 65. The subjects of the paintings are mostly
○ total animals. The paintings rest on bare walls, with no
backdrops or environmental trappings.
60. Wind power experts project that by the middle ○ conditions
of the twenty-first century wind power could ○ problems
supply more than 10 percent of the world’s ○ influences
electricity and 10-25 percent of the electricity used ○ decorations
in the United States.
○ estimate 66. Microscopic organisms settle to the seafloor
○ respond and accumulate in marine mud.
○ argue ○ grow up
○ plan ○ build up
○ spread out
61. Where the forest inhibits the growth of grass ○ break apart
and other meadow plants, the black-tailed deer
browses on huckleberry, salal, dogwood, and 67. Water or steam may be pumped down adjacent
almost any other shrub or herb. wells to help push the oil out.
○ consists of ○ nearby
○ combines ○ existing
○ restricts ○ special
○ establishes ○ deep

62. The early explorers and settlers told of 68. Offshore drilling platforms extend the search
abundant deer in the early 1800s and yet almost in for oil to the ocean’s continental shelves—those
the same breath bemoaned the lack of this gently sloping submarine regions at the edges of
succulent game animal. the continents.
○ impatiently ○ shifting
○ humorously ○ inclining
○ continuously ○ forming
○ immediately ○ rolling

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 ○ point of view
69. Offshore platforms may also lose oil, creating ○ calculation
oil slicks that drift ashore and foul the beaches, ○ complication
harming the environment.
○ reach 75. Nitrogen-deficient plants exhibit many of the
○ flood symptoms just described.
○ pollute ○ fight off
○ alter ○ show
○ cause
70. Such impacts continue to pose a natural hazard ○ spread
to life on Earth.
○ claim 76. Hydroponics has applications beyond basic
○ model research, since it facilitates the growing of
○ assume greenhouse vegetables during winter.
○ present ○ slows down
○ affects
71. This impact released an enormous amount of ○ makes easier
energy, excavating a crater about twice as large as ○ focuses on
the lunar crater Tycho.
○ digging out 77. Aeroponics, a technique in which plants are
○ extending suspended and the roots misted with a nutrient
○ destroying solution, is another method for growing plants
○ covering up without soil.
○ grown
72. The explosion is also calculated to have ○ protected
produced vast quantities of nitric acid and melted ○ spread out
rock that sprayed out over much of Earth, starting ○ hung
widespread fires that must have consumed most
terrestrial forests and grassland. 78. Many are found in tropical and subtropical
○ changed areas of the world, where accumulation of high
○ exposed concentrations of metals may afford some
○ destroyed protection against plant-eating insects and
○ covered microbial pathogens.
○ offer
73. Several other mass extinctions in the geological ○ prevent
record have been tentatively identified with large ○ increase
impacts, but none is so dramatic as the Cretaceous ○ remove
event.
○ identified after careful study 79. Speculation on the origin of these Pacific
○ identified without certainty islanders began as soon as outsiders encountered
○ occasionally identified them, in the absence of solid linguistic,
○ easily identified archaeological, and biological data, many fanciful
and mutually exclusive theories were devised.
74. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our ○ if one of the theories is true, then all the others
view of biological evolution. must be false
○ sense of values

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○ the differences between the theories are ○ numerous
unimportant ○ important
○ taken together, the theories cover all ○ unexplained
possibilities ○ sudden
○ the theories support each other
84. The last event marks the beginning of the
80. Contrary to these theorists, the overwhelming Cambrian period. Animals originated relatively late
evidence of physical anthropology, linguistics, and in the history of Earth—in only the last 10 percent
archaeology shows that the Pacific islanders came of Earth’s history. During a geologically brief 100-
from Southeast Asia and were skilled enough as million-year period, all modern animal groups
navigators to sail against the prevailing winds and (along with other animals that are now extinct)
currents. evolved.
○ powerful ○ surprisingly
○ favorable ○ collectively
○ current ○ comparatively
○ reasonable ○ characteristically

81. The basic cultural requirements for the
successful colonization of the Pacific islands
include the appropriate boat-building, sailing, and
navigation skills to get to the islands in the first
place, domesticated plants and gardening skills
suited to often marginal conditions, and a varied
inventory of fishing implements and techniques.
○ skills
○ tools
○ opportunities
○ practices
82. The undisputed pre-Columbian presence in
Oceania of the sweet potato, which is a New World
domesticate, has sometimes been used to support
Heyerdahl’s “American Indians in the Pacific”
theories.
○ mysterious
○ unexpected
○ acknowledged
○ significant
83. The geologic timescale is marked by significant
geologic and biological events, including the origin
of Earth about 4.6 billion years ago, the origin of
life about 3.5 billion years ago, the origin of
eukaryotic life-forms (living things that have cells
with true nuclei) about 1.5 billion years ago, and
the origin of animals about 0.6 billion years ago.
85. This rapid origin and diversification of animals
is often referred to as “the Cambrian explosion.”
○ emergence of many varieties
○ steady decline in number
○ gradual increase in body size
○ sudden disappearance
86. Conditions that promote fossilization of soft-
bodied animals include very rapid covering by
sediments that create an environment that
discourages decomposition.
○ complicate
○ prevent
○ encourage
○ affect
87. The source had long been known but not
exploited.
○ utilized
○ recognized
○ examined
○ fully understood
88. This “atmospheric engine,” invented by
Thomas Savery and vastly improved by his partner,
Thomas Newcomen, embodied revolutionary
principles, but it was so slow and wasteful of fuel
that it could not be employed outside the coal
mines for which it had been designed.

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○ quickly their births and extinctions within one particular
○ ultimately stratum.
○ greatly ○ vanished
○ initially ○ developed
○ varied
89. Coal gas rivaled smoky oil lamps and flickering ○ survived
candles, and early in the new century, well-to-do
Londoners grew accustomed to gaslit houses and 94. Soon it was realized that this principle of
even streets. faunal (animal) succession was valid not only in
○ began to prefer England or France but virtually everywhere.
○ wanted to have ○ possibly
○ became used to ○ absolutely
○ insisted on ○ surprisingly
○ nearly
90. By 1800 more than a thousand steam engines
were in use in the British Isles, and Britain 95. Another seemingly plausible explanation—that
retained a virtual monopoly on steam engine infants do not form enduring memories at this
production until the 1830s. point in development—also is incorrect.
○ gained ○ flexible
○ established ○ believable
○ profited from ○ debatable
○ maintained ○ predictable

91. He received rudimentary village schooling, but 96. Nor does the hypothesis that infantile amnesia
mostly he roamed his uncle's farm collecting the reflects repression—or holding back—of sexually
fossils that were so abundant in the rocks of the charged episodes explain the phenomenon.
Cotswold hills. ○ exception
○ thorough ○ repetition
○ strict ○ occurrence
○ basic ○ idea
○ occasional
97. Whether people can remember an event
92. In 1815 he published the first modern depends critically on the fit between the way in
geological map, “A Map of the Strata of England which they earlier encoded the information and the
and Wales with a Part of Scotland,” a map so way in which they later attempt to retrieve it.
meticulously researched that it can still be used ○ fundamentally
today. ○ partially
○ carefully ○ consistently
○ quickly ○ subsequently
○ frequently
○ obviously 98. The better able the person is to reconstruct the
perspective from which the material was encoded,
93. Some fossils endured through so many millions the more likely that recall will be successful.
of years that they appear in many strata, but others ○ system
occur only in a few strata, and a few species had ○ theory
○ source

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○ viewpoint 104. The Roman genius was projected into new
spheres—especially into those of law, military
99. An objective of this particular cruise was to organization, administration, and engineering.
investigate the floor of the Mediterranean and to ○ abilities
resolve questions about its geologic history. ○ areas
○ achievement ○ combinations
○ requirement ○ models
○ purpose
○ feature 105. Once the idea of planting diffused, Africans
began to develop their own crops, such as certain
100. Increasing salinity caused by the evaporation varieties of rice, and they demonstrated a
resulted in the extermination of scores of continued receptiveness to new imports.
invertebrate species. ○ emerged
○ members ○ was understood
○ large numbers ○ spread
○ populations ○ developed
○ different type
106. This technological shift cause profound
101. Turbulent waters tore into the hardened salt changes in the complexity of African societies.
flats, broke them up, and ground them into the ○ fascinating
pebbles observed in the first sample taken by the ○ far-reaching
Challenger. ○ necessary
○ Fresh ○ temporary
○ Deep
○ Violent 107. Those who knew the secrets of making iron
○ Temperate gained ritual and sometimes political power.
○ military
102. The source of Roman obsession with unity ○ physical
and cohesion may well have lain in the pattern of ○ ceremonial
Rome’s early development. ○ permanent
○ thinking about
○ fixation on 108. Their migration may have been set in motion
○ interest in by an increase in population caused by a
○ attitude toward movement of peoples fleeing the desiccation, or
drying up, of the Sahara.
103. In turn, a deep attachment to the land, and to ○ afraid of
the stability which rural life engenders, fostered ○ displaced by
the Roman virtues: gravitas, a sense of ○ running away from
responsibility, peitas, a sense of devotion to family ○ responding to
and country, and iustitia, a sense of the natural
order. 109. It had over 2,000 apartment complexes, a
○ accepted great market, a large number of industrial
○ combined workshops, an administrative center, a number of
○ introduced massive religious edifices, and a regular grid
○ encouraged pattern of streets and buildings.
○ ancient

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○ carefully ○ modification
○ very large ○ disappearance
○ carefully protected
115. These flow features are extensive systems—
110. The archaeological evidence clearly indicates, sometimes hundreds of kilometers in total length
though, that Teotihuacán was the center that did —of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem
arise as the predominant force in the area by the to merge into larger, wider channels.
first century A.D. ○ expand
○ most aggressive ○ separate
○ most productive ○ straighten out
○ principal ○ combine
○ earliest
116. Outflow channels are probably relics of
111. It’s hard to understand why they would not catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago.
be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too ○ remains
crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists ○ sites
believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. ○ requirements
○ adapt ○ sources
○ move
○ continue 117. The onrushing water arising from these flash
○ compete floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped
“islands” (resembling the miniature versions seen
112. Critics also point out that the shallow in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that
seaways had retreated from and advanced on the have been found on the plains close to the ends of
continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, the outflow channels.
so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic ○ temporary
changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but ○ small
not with this one? ○ multiple
○ extremes ○ familiar
○ retreats
○ periods 118. Yet even setting aside the unproven hints of
○ variations ancient oceans, the extent of the outflow channels
suggests that a huge total volume of water existed
113. Even today, microscopic meteorites on Mars in the past.
continually bombard Earth, falling on both land ○ clues
and sea. ○ features
○ approach ○ arguments
○ strike ○ effects
○ pass
○ circle 119. He persuasively argued that such an ice-free
corridor did not exist until much later, when the
114. This disruption of food chain and climate continental ice began its final retreat.
would have eradicated the dinosaurs and other ○ aggressively
organisms in less than fifty years. ○ inflexibly
○ exhaustion ○ convincingly
○ disturbance ○ carefully

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120. This route would have enabled humans to 125. Wildman and Niles observed that systematic
enter southern areas of the Americas prior to the reflection on teaching required a sound ability to
melting of the continental glaciers. understand classroom events in an objective
○ before manner.
○ immediately after ○ unbiased
○ during ○ positive
○ in spite of ○ systematic
○ thorough
121. Vast areas along the coast may have been
deglaciated beginning around 16,000 years ago, 126. Wildman and Niles make a summary
possibly providing a coastal corridor for the comment: “Perhaps the most important thing we
movement of plants, animals, and humans learned is the idea of the teacher-as-reflective-
sometime between 13,000 and 14,000 years ago. practitioner will not happen simply because it is a
○ Frozen good or even compelling idea.”
○ Various ○ commonly held
○ Isolated ○ persuasive
○ Huge ○ original
○ practical
122. This is the time period in which most
scientists formerly believed the area to be 127. Spores light enough to float on the breezes
inhospitable for humans. were carried thousands of miles from more ancient
○ not familiar lands and deposited at random across the bare
○ not suitable mountain flanks.
○ not dangerous ○ finally
○ not reachable ○ over a long period of time
○ successfully
123. Because of the barrier of ice to the east, the ○ without a definite pattern
Pacific Ocean to the west, and populated areas to
the north, there may have been a greater impetus 128.Lichens helped to speed the decomposition of
for people to move in a southerly direction. the hard rock surfaces, preparing a soft bed of soil
○ chance that was abundantly supplied with minerals that
○ protection had been carried in the molten rock from the
○ possibility bowels of Earth.
○ incentive ○ occasionally
○ plentifully
124. This was justified by the view that reflective ○ usefully
practice could help teachers to feel more ○ fortunately
intellectually involved in their role and work in
teaching and enable them to cope with the paucity 129. These plants propagate by producing spores–
of scientific fact and the uncertainty of knowledge tiny fertilized cells that contain all the instructions
in the discipline of teaching. for making a new plant–but the spore are
○ supported unprotected by any outer coating and carry no
○ shaped supply of nutrient.
○ stimulated ○ multiply
○ suggested ○ emerge

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○ live ○ flexible
○ evolve ○ demanding

130. They could travel through the air, float in 136. She rejected the technical virtuosity of
water, and lie dormant for many months. movement in ballet, the most prestigious form of
○ hidden theatrical dance at that time, perhaps because her
○ inactive formal dance training was minimal.
○ underground ○ highly regarded
○ preserved ○ financially rewarding
○ demanding
131. This appearance, however, is illusory. ○ serious
○ definite
○ illuminating 137. Although she discovered and introduced her
○ misleading art in the United States, she achieved her greatest
○ exceptional glory in Paris, where she was engaged by the Folies
Bergère in 1892 and soon became “La Loie,” the
132. There are also sparsely distributed, highly darling of Parisian audiences.
nutritious fruits, and Bell found that only the ○ noticed
Thomson’s gazelles eat much of these. ○ praised
○ widely ○ hired
○ thinly ○ attracted
○ clearly
○ freshly 138. Her dancing also attracted the attention of
French poets and painters of the period, for it
133. The answer lies in two associated differences appealed to their liking for mystery, their belief in
among the species, in their digestive systems and art for art’s sake, a nineteenth-century idea that art
body sizes. is valuable in itself rather than because it may have
○ obvious some moral or educational benefit, and their
○ significant efforts to synthesize form and content.
○ expected ○ improve
○ connected ○ define
○ simplify
134. Smaller animals can therefore live where ○ integrate
there is less food, provided that such food is of
high energy content. 139. She began to address more ambitious themes
○ as long as in her dances such as The Sea, in which her dancers
○ unless invisibly agitated a huge expanse of silk, played
○ as if upon by colored lights.
○ even though ○ emerged from beneath
○ created movement in
135. The larger, less fastidious feeders, the zebras, ○ arranged themselves in
move in first; the choosier, smaller wildebeests ○ pretended to be
come later; and the smallest species of all,
Thomson’s gazelle, arrives last. 140. The ice shelf cores, with a total length of 215
○ rapid meters (705 feet), were long enough to penetrate
○ determined through glacial ice—which is formed from the

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compaction of snow and contains air bubbles—and 145. Whitewares produced in Hebei and Henan
to continue into the clear, bubble-free ice formed provinces from the seventh to the tenth centuries
from seawater that freezes onto the bottom of the evolved into the highly prized porcelains of the
glacial ice. Song dynasty (AD. 960-1279), long regarded as
○ collect one of the high points in the history of China's
○ pierce ceramic industry.
○ melt ○ divided
○ endure ○ extended
○ developed
141. The green iceberg did not contain large ○ vanished
amounts of particles from these organisms, but the
ice had accumulated dissolved organic matter from 146. So admired were these pieces that they
the seawater. encouraged the development of earthenware
○ collected made in imitation of porcelain and instigated
○ frozen research into the method of their manufacture.
○ released ○ improved
○ covered ○ investigated
○ narrowed
142. It appears that unlike salt, dissolved organic ○ caused
substances are not excluded from the ice in the
freezing process. 147. Just as painted designs on Greek pots may
○ kept out seem today to be purely decorative, whereas in
○ compressed fact they were carefully and precisely worked out
○ damaged so that at the time, their meaning was clear, so it
○ gathered together is with Chinese pots.
○ while
143. Chemical evidence shows that platelets ○ previously
(minute flat portions) of ice form in the water and ○ surprisingly
then accrete and stick to the bottom of the ice ○ because
shelf to form a slush (partially melted snow).
○ advance 148. Equally striking, however, is the relative
○ transfer stability of the climate in the past 10,000 years
○ flatten out (the Holocene period).
○ come together ○ noticeable
○ confusing
144. The function and status of ceramics in China ○ true
varied from dynasty to dynasty, so they may be ○ unlikely
utilitarian, burial, trade-collectors', or even ritual
objects, according to their quality and the era in 149. These include the chaotic fluctuations of the
which they were made. atmosphere, the slower but equally erratic
○ origin behavior of the oceans, changes in the land
○ importance surfaces, and the extent of ice and snow.
○ quality ○ dramatic
○ design ○ important
○ unpredictable
○ common

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150. Thus we need to be able to include these in 155. When such statues are viewed in
our deliberations. isolation, out of their original context and
○ records without knowledge of their function, it is easy
○ discussions to criticize them for their rigid attitudes that
○ results remained unchanged for three thousand years.
○ variations ○ connection
○ influence
151. Some current analyses conclude that ○ environment
volcanoes and solar activity explain quite a ○ requirement
considerable amount of the observed variability in
the period from the seventeenth to the early 156. By contrast, wooden statues were carved
twentieth centuries, but that they cannot be from several pieces of wood that were pegged
invoked to explain the rapid warming in recent together to form the finished work, and metal
decades. statues were either made by wrapping sheet
○ demonstrated metal around a wooden core or cast by the lost
○ called upon wax process.
○ supported ○ material
○ expected ○ layer
○ center
152. Among the key factors behind this growth ○ frame
were increased agricultural productivity and an
expansion of trade. 157. Apart from statues representing deities,
○ historical kings, and named members of the elite that can
○ many be called formal, there is another group of
○ important three-dimensional representations that depicts
○ hidden generic figures, frequently servants, from the
non-elite population.
153. Members of poor peasant families spun or ○ imagines
wove cloth and linens at home for scant ○ classifies
remuneration in an attempt to supplement ○ elevates
meager family income. ○ portrays
○ very necessary
○ very low 158. The question perplexed people for years, until,
○ traditional in the 1950s, a German scientist named Gustave
○ primary Kramer provided some answers and, in the process,
raised new questions.
154. In order to understand ancient Egyptian ○ defeated
art, it is vital to know as much as possible of the ○ interested
elite Egyptians' view of the world and the ○ puzzled
functions and contexts of the art produced for ○ occupied
them.
○ attractive 159. At the time, this idea seemed preposterous.
○ essential ○ unbelievable
○ usual ○ inadequate
○ practical ○ limited

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○ creative ○ copy accurately
○ recognize
160. There is accumulating evidence indicating
that birds navigate by using a wide variety of 165. Given that predators can make it costly to beg
environmental cues. for food, what benefit do begging nestlings derive
○ new from their communications?
○ increasing ○ require
○ convincing ○ gain
○ extensive ○ use
○ produce
161. Many signals that animals make seem to
impose on the signalers costs that are overly 166. Eventually many of the immigrants moved to
damaging. unsegregated areas in outer zones; the areas they
○ increase for left behind were promptly occupied by new waves
○ remove from of immigrants.
○ place on ○ quickly
○ distribute to ○ usually
○ eventually
162. David Haskell created artificial nests with clay ○ easily
eggs and placed them on the ground beside a tape
recorder that played the begging calls of either tree- 167. Even though the paint was often sprayed on
nesting or of ground-nesting warblers. by mouth, one can assume that the dominant hand
○ attractive assisted in the operation.
○ not real ○ initiated
○ short-term ○ dominated
○ well designed ○ helped with
○ setup
163. The hypothesis that begging calls have evolved
properties that reduce their potential for attracting 168. In the few cases where an Ice Age figure is
predators yields a prediction: baby birds of species depicted holding something, it is mostly, though
that experience high rates of nest predation should not always, in the right hand.
produce softer begging signals of higher frequency ○ identified
than nestlings of other species less often victimized ○ revealed
by nest predators. ○ pictured
○ surprise ○ imagined
○ discovery
○ explanation 169. Toth has applied these criteria to the
○ expectation similarly made pebble tools from a number of
early sites (before 1.5 million years) at Koobi
164. This prediction was supported by data Fora, Kenya, probably made by Homo habilis.
collected in one survey of 24 species from an ○ standards
Arizona forest, more evidence that predator ○ findings
pressure favors the evolution of begging calls that ○ ideas
are hard to detect and pinpoint. ○ techniques
○ observe
○ locate exactly

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170. Despite all the highly visible technological ○ rapidly
developments in theatrical and home delivery of ○ severely
the moving image that have occurred over the
decades since then, no single innovation has come 175. In recent years, groundwater has become an
close to being regarded as a similar kind of increasingly important source of freshwater for
watershed. desert dwellers.
○ analyzed ○ settlements
○ considered ○ farmers
○ altered ○ tribes
○ criticized ○ inhabitants

171. Yet this most fundamental standard of 176. Groundwater is stored in the pore spaces
historical periodization conceals a host of and joints of rocks and unconsolidated
paradoxes. (unsolidified) sediments or in the openings
○ difficulties widened through fractures and weathering.
○ accomplishments ○ streams
○ parallels ○ cracks
○ contradictions ○ storms
○ earthquakes
172. Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound
has overshadowed the rich diversity of 177. Water does not remain immobile in an
technological and aesthetic experiments with the aquifer but can seep out at springs or leak into
visual image that were going forward other aquifers.
simultaneously in the 1920s. ○ enclosed
○ distracted from ○ permanent
○ explained ○ motionless
○ conducted ○ intact
○ coordinated with
178. Life places us in a complex web of
173. To be sure, their evaluation of the technical relationships with other people.
flaws in 1920s sound experiments was not so far ○ delicate
off the mark, yet they neglected to take into ○ elaborate
account important new forces in the motion ○ private
picture field that, in a sense, would not take no for ○ common
an answer.
○ failed 179. More often, we simply cooperate with others
○ needed to reach some end without endowing the
○ started relationship with any larger significance.
○ expected ○ leaving
○ exposing
174. The filling of the Ataturk and other dams in ○ providing
Turkey has drastically reduced flows in the ○ understanding
Euphrates, with potentially serious consequences
for Syria and Iraq. 180. Second, face-to-face contact allows us to size
○ obviously up others.
○ unfortunately ○ enlarge

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○ evaluate ○ periodic
○ impress
○ accept 186. For example, if a uniformly moving pattern of
some sort is passed across the visual field of a
181. Should the use of rewards fail, members can neonate (newborn), repetitive following
frequently win by rejecting or threatening to movements of the eye occur.
ostracize those who deviate from the primary ○ clearly
group's norms. ○ quickly
○ detract ○ consistently
○ advance ○ occasionally
○ select
○ depart 187. The third, and most potent, limitation is that
it is not possible to be certain that the infant's
182. Consequently, the timing and rhythms of response was due to the stimulus presented or to
biological functions must closely match periodic a change from no stimulus to a stimulus.
events like the solar day, the tides, the lunar ○ artificial
cycle, and the seasons. ○ powerful
○ Therefore ○ common
○ Additionally ○ similar
○ Nevertheless
○ Moreover 188. Numerical increases are used as quantifiable
indicators of heightened interest in the new
183. Horseshoe crabs kept in the dark stimulus.
continuously for a year were found to maintain a ○ visual
persistent rhythm of brain activity that similarly ○ permanent
adapts their eyes on a daily schedule for bright or ○ meaningful
for weak light. ○ measurable
○ adjusted
○ strong 189. They represent the advertiser's opinions
○ enduring about the qualities of their products or brand and,
○ predicted as a consequence, are difficult to verify.
○ establish the truth of
184. A particular animal typically maintains its ○ approve of
own characteristic cycle duration with great ○ understand
precision for many days. ○ criticize
○ length
○ feature 190. Children have strong imaginations and the
○ process use of fantasy brings their ideas to life, but
○ repetition children may not be adept enough to realize that
what they are viewing is unreal.
185. Even a fifteen-minute burst of light in ○ responsible
otherwise sustained darkness can reset an animal's ○ skillful
circadian rhythm. ○ patient
○ intense ○ curious
○ uninterrupted
○ natural

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191. The intention is for the positively perceived 196. Here, the horse was already becoming the
attributes of the celebrity to be transferred to the animal of prestige in many regions, though sheep,
advertised product and for the two to become goats, and cattle could also play a vital role.
automatically linked in the audience's mind. ○ interest
○ evaluations ○ status
○ attitudes ○ demand
○ actions ○ profit
○ characteristics
197. The emergence and spread of pastoralism had
192. Researcher Charles Atkin found that children a profound impact on the history of Inner Eurasia,
believe that the characters used to advertise and also, indirectly, on the parts of Asia and
breakfast cereals are knowledgeable about cereals, Europe just outside this area.
and children accept such characters as credible ○ strange
sources of nutritional information. ○ positive
○ helpful ○ direct
○ believable ○ far-reaching
○ valuable
○ familiar 198. Perhaps the most striking sign of mobility is
the fact that by the third millennium B.C., most
193. Although southern Maya areas received more pastoralists in this huge region spoke related
rainfall than northern areas, problems of water languages ancestral to the modern Indo-European
were paradoxically more severe in the wet south. languages.
○ usually ○ reliable
○ surprisingly ○ noticeable
○ understandably ○ convincing
○ predictably ○ violent

194. But the inhabitants of Tikal and other cities 199. Such theories imply that the Indo-European
dependent on reservoirs for drinking water would languages evolved not in Neolithic (10,000 to
still have been in deep trouble if 18 months passed 3,000 B.C.) Anatolia, but among the foraging
without rain in a prolonged drought. communities of the cultures in the region of the
○ unusual Don and Dnieper rivers, which took up stock
○ unexpected breeding and began to exploit the neighboring
○ extended steppes.
○ disastrous ○ use to advantage
○ depart from
195. A shorter drought in which they exhausted ○ pay attention to
their stored food supplies might already have ○ travel across
gotten them in deep trouble, because growing
crops required rain rather than reservoirs. 200. It swims farther into the cold of the northern
○ used up and southern oceans than any other sea turtle,
○ reduced and it deals with the chilly waters in a way unique
○ wasted among reptiles.
○ relied upon ○ natural to
○ different from all other
○ quite common among

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○ familiar to years is the asteroid-impact hypothesis first
suggested by Luis and Walter Alvarez.
201. A warm-blooded turtle may seem to be a ○ describe
contradiction in terms. Nonetheless, an adult ○ challenge
leatherback can maintain a body temperature of ○ explain
between 25 and 26°C (77-79°F) in seawater that is ○ test
only 8°C (46.4°F). Accomplishing this feat
requires adaptations both to generate heat in the 206. The intense heat of the impact would produce
turtle’s body and to keep it from escaping into the heat-shocked quartz in many types of rock.
surrounding waters. ○ sudden
○ remarkable achievement ○ unusual
○ common transformation ○ immediate
○ daily activity ○ extreme
○ complex solution
207. With additional time, pressure, and refrozen
202. Maintaining a high body temperature meltwater from above, the small firn granules
through sheer bulk is called gigantothermy. become larger, interlocked crystals of blue glacial
○ strength ice.
○ effort ○ intermediate
○ activity ○ linked
○ mass ○ frozen
○ fully developed
203. This is the same arrangement found in an
old-fashioned steam radiator, in which the coiled 208. For a glacier to grow or maintain its mass,
pipes pass heat back and forth as water courses there must be sufficient snowfall to match or
through them. exceed the annual loss through melting,
○ rises through evaporation, and calving, which occurs when the
○ heats up in glacier loses solid chunks as icebergs to the sea
○ runs through or to large lakes.
○ collects in ○ measure
○ enlarge
204. Some of the proposed mechanisms required a ○ approximate
very brief period during which all extinctions ○ equal
suddenly took place; other mechanisms would be
more likely to have taken place more gradually, 209. A surplus allows snow to accumulate and
over an extended period, or at different times on for the pressure of snow accumulated over the
different continents. years to transform buried snow into glacial ice
○ specific with a depth great enough for the ice to flow.
○ unlimited ○ break
○ reasonable ○ push
○ long ○ change
○ extend
205. Of the various hypotheses attempting to
account for the late Cretaceous extinctions, the 210. Two percent may be a deceiving figure,
one that has attracted the most attention in recent however, since over 80 percent of the world’s

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freshwater is locked up as ice in glaciers, with ○ test of character
the majority of it in Antarctica.
○ approximate 215. The central state, though often very rich and
○ exaggerated very populous, was intrinsically fragile, since the
○ unusual development of new international trade routes
○ misleading could undermine the monetary base and erode
state power, as occurred when European seafarers
211. In the meantime, however, this ice is not circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after
static. Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late
○ unchanging fifteenth century opened up a southern route.
○ usable ○ fundamentally
○ thick ○ surprisingly
○ harmless ○ consequently
○ particularly
212. The worker was bound to the master by a
mutual contract that either one could repudiate, 216. It is a monumental scientific achievement,
and the relationship was conceptualized as one of and its development illustrates the essential
partnership. interplay between observation, prediction, and
○ respect testing required for scientific progress.
○ reject ○ sequence
○ review ○ interpretation
○ revise ○ requirement
○ interaction
213. In the multiplicity of small-scale local
egalitarian or quasi-egalitarian organizations for 217. Such anomalies are due to the relative
fellowship, worship, and production that abundance of the "isotopes" or varieties of each
flourished in this laissez-faire environment, element.
individuals could interact with one another within ○ weight
a community of harmony and ideological equality, ○ requirement
following their own popularly elected leaders and ○ plenty
governing themselves by shared consensus while ○ sequence
minimizing distinctions of wealth and power.
○ authority 218. For example, a gap just below aluminum
○ responsibility suggested a new element would be found with
○ custom properties analogous to those of aluminum.
○ agreement ○ predicted by
○ expected of
214. Nor have merchants and artisans ever had ○ similar to
much tolerance for aristocratic professions of ○ superior to
moral superiority, favoring instead an egalitarian
ethic of the open market, where steady hard work, 219. Rayleigh and Ramsay postulated the existence
the loyalty of one's fellows, and entrepreneurial of a new group of elements, and in 1898 other
skill make all the difference. members of the series (neon, krypton, and xenon)
○ set of moral principles were isolated.
○ division of labor ○ hypothesized
○ economic system ○ discovered

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○ reported ○ immediately
○ generated ○ regularly

220. Other dimensions along which the two 225. Also beginning in the thirteenth century,
groups differ markedly are density and there were new maps refined by precise
composition. calculations and the reports of sailors that made it
○ essentially possible to trace one's path with reasonable
○ typically accuracy.
○ consistently ○ completed
○ noticeably ○ improved
○ drawn
221. The Jovian planets have very thick ○ checked
atmospheres consisting of varying amounts of
hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. By 226. Certain institutional and practical norms had
comparison, the terrestrial planets have meager become established as well.
atmospheres at best. ○ purposes
○ rich ○ skills
○ thin ○ activities
○ unique ○ rules
○ complex
227. A color or pattern that is relatively indistinct
222. The explanation may be that the terrestrial in one kind of light may be quite conspicuous in
planets were once much larger and richer in these another.
materials but eventually lost them because of these ○ common
bodies' relative closeness to the Sun, which meant ○ noticeable
that their temperatures were relatively high. ○ different
○ over time ○ colorful
○ long ago
○ simply 228. Some also signal by changing color.
○ certainly ○ change
○ imitate
223. This development, coming as it did when the ○ communicate
bottom had fallen out of the European economy, ○ hide
provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure
direct relations with the East by establishing a sea 229. During courtship and aggressive displays, the
trade. turkey enlarges its colored neck collar by inflating
○ return sacs in the neck region and then flings about a
○ opportunity pendulous part of the colored signaling apparatus
○ stimulus as it utters calls designed to attract or repel.
○ obstacle ○ coloring
○ enlarging
224. Spices not only dramatically improved the ○ loosening
taste of the European diet but also were used to ○ heating
manufacture perfumes and certain medicines.
○ artificially 230. In densely wooded environments, sound is
○ greatly the best means of communication over distance

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because in comparison with light, it travels with ○ suggests
little impediment from trees and other vegetation.
○ obstruction 236. The people of the Netherlands, with a long
○ effort tradition of fisheries and mercantile shipping, had
○ delay difficulty in developing good harbors suitable for
○ resistance steamships: eventually they did so at Rotterdam
and Amsterdam, with exceptional results for
231. The male riflebird exploits both of these transit trade with Germany and central Europe and
modes of signaling simultaneously in his courtship for the processing of overseas foodstuffs and raw
display. materials (sugar, tobacco, chocolate, grain, and
○ repeats eventually oil).
○ makes use of ○ extraordinary
○ increases the intensity of ○ surprising
○ recognizes ○ immediate
○ predictable
232. Parasitism is a kind of predator-prey
relationship in which one organism, the parasite, 237. In 1857, in return for a payment of 63 million
derives its food at the expense of its symbiotic kronor from other commercial nations, Denmark
associate, the host. abolished the Sound toll dues the fees it had
○ digests collected since 1497 for the use of the Sound.
○ obtains ○ ended
○ controls ○ raised
○ discovers ○ returned
○ lowered
233. Spread rapidly by mosquitoes, the virus
devastated the rabbit population. 238. The nineteenth century passed relatively
○ influenced peacefully for these countries, with progressive
○ infected democratization taking place in all of them.
○ strengthened ○ rapid
○ destroyed ○ partial
○ increasing
234. Commensal associations sometimes involve ○ individual
one species' obtaining food that is inadvertently
exposed by another. 239. Another flaw of the tiredness theory is that
○ indefensibly yawning does not raise alertness or physiological
○ substantially activity, as the theory would predict.
○ unintentionally ○ fault
○ partially ○ aspect
○ confusion
235. The complex interplay of species in symbiotic ○ mystery
relationships highlights an important point about
communities: Their structure depends on a web of 240. If the theory was correct, breathing air with
diverse connections among organisms. extra carbon dioxide should have triggered
○ defines yawning, while breathing pure oxygen should have
○ emphasizes suppressed yawning.
○ reflects ○ removed

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○ followed ○ lights
○ increased ○ electrifies
○ caused
246. The formation of the channel is initiated
241. It might be that yawning helps to clear out when electrons surge from the cloud base toward
the lungs by periodically lowering the pressure in the ground.
them. ○ started
○ continuously ○ intensified
○ quickly ○ finished
○ regularly ○ expected
○ carefully
247. This then meant that the military had to
242. The empirical evidence, such as it is, suggests remain to suppress rebellion and organize
an altogether different function for yawning— government.
namely, that yawning prepares us for a change in ○ respond to
activity level. ○ warn against
○ reliable ○ avoid the impact of
○ based on common sense ○ stop by force
○ relevant
○ based on observation 248. When not campaigning, soldiers needed to be
occupied; otherwise they represented a potentially
243. The coming together of the oppositely dangerous source of friction and disloyalty.
charged particles neutralizes the electrical tension ○ rebellion
and releases a tremendous amount of energy, ○ conflict
which we see as lightning. ○ neglect
○ distinct ○ crime
○ growing
○ huge 249. There was informal marriage with soldiers,
○ immediate who until AD 197 were not legally entitled to wed,
and whole new communities grew up near the
244. At such temperatures, the collision between forts.
the ice pellets and the ice crystals causes electrical ○ given the right to
charges to shift so that the ice pellets acquire a ○ able to afford to
negative charge and the ice crystals become ○ encouraged to
positively charged. ○ required to
○ reject
○ obtain 250. The circumstances that had allowed natives to
○ need become Romanized also led the self-sustaining
○ produce military community of the frontier area to become
effectively British.
245. Then a strong current of electrons follows ○ experiences
that path from the cloud to the ground, and it is ○ communities
that current that illuminates the channel as the ○ conditions
lightning we see. ○ laws
○ opens
○ completes

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251. Clements and other early ecologists saw terminal moraines found at the end of valley
almost lawlike regularity in the order of glaciers in the Alps.
succession, but that has not been substantiated. A. signs
○ confirmed B. pieces
○ noticed C. types
○ defined D. deposits
○ publicized
257. The heterogeneous material of the drift (sand,
252. A general trend can be recognized, but the clay, and rocks deposited there) convinced him of
details are usually unpredictable. its glacial origin.
○ probability A. remaining
○ picture B. varied
○ lawlike regularity C. familiar
○ tendency D. layered

253. The final stage of a succession, called the 258. Eventually, Agassiz and others convinced
climax by Clements and early ecologists, is geologists and the general public that a great
likewise not predictable or of uniform continental glaciation had extended the polar ice
composition. caps far into regions that now enjoy temperate
A. sometimes climates.
B. similarly A. experience
C. apparently B. resemble
D. consequently C. expect
D. dominate
254. An ant colony may be legitimately called a
superorganism because its communication system 259. Different ratios in the shells preserved in
is so highly organized that the colony always works various layers of sediment reveal the temperature
as a whole and appropriately according to the changes in the oceans during the Pleistocene
circumstances. epoch.
A. commonly A. result from
B. broadly B. vary with
C. properly C. show
D. officially D. preserve

255. The opposition to the Clementsian concept of 260. Therefore, these social traits helped to
plant ecology was initiated by Herbert Gleason, produce the nomadic and daring settlers who kept
soon joined by various other ecologists. pushing westward beyond the fringes of
A. approved settlement.
B. identified A. borders
C. started B. groups
D. foreseen C. types
D. directions
256. In flat plains country, he saw moraines
(accumulations of earth and loose rock that form 261. The continued proliferation of banks made it
at the edges of glaciers) that reminded him of the easier for those without cash to negotiate loans in
paper money.

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A. growth D. confined
B. cooperation
C. importance 267. The flotation samples from the excavations
D. success allowed botanists to study shifts in plant-collecting
habits as if they were looking through a telescope
262. First came the steamboat; although flatboats at a changing landscape.
and keelboats continued to be important until the A. effects
1850’s steamboats eventually superseded all other B. similarities
craft in the carrying of passengers and freight. C. changes
A. replaced D. exceptions
B. reformed
C. equaled 268. Then, about 7000 B.C., within the space of a
D. increased few generations, they switched abruptly to herding
domesticated goats and sheep and to growing
263. Eventually, the western states diverted much einkorn, pulses, and other cereal grasses.
of their produce from the rivers to the Erie Canal, a A. informally
shorter route to eastern markets. B. briefly
A. collected C. suddenly
B. shifted D. surprisingly
C. transported
D. sold 269. Attack by scavengers and bacteria, chemical
decay, and destruction by erosion and other
264. However, these same cycles of change had geologic agencies make the odds against
momentous impacts on the sparse human preservation very high.
populations of the region. A. combinations
A. numerous B. problems
B. regular C. forces
C. very important D. changes
D. very positive
270. Although most fossils are found in marine
265. These people exploited the landscape sedimentary rocks, they also are found in
intensively, foraging on hill slopes for wild cereal terrestrial deposits left by streams and lakes.
grasses and nuts, while hunting gazelle and other A. land
game on grassy lowlands and in river valleys. B. protected
A. explored C. alternative
B. utilized D. similar
C. inhabited
D. improved 271. Many other processes may after the shell of a
clam or snail and enhance its chances for
266. Abu Hureyra was founded about 9500B.C, a preservation.
small village settlement of cramped pit dwellings A. control
(houses dug partially in the soil) with reed roofs B. limit
supported by wooden uprights. C. combine
A. primitive D. increase
B. secure
C. extended

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272. Replacement can be a marvelously precise exhausted, this became more difficult with
process, so that details of shell ornamentation, tree farming.
rings in wood, and delicate structures in bone are A. choice
accurately preserved. B. benefit
A. complex C. idea
B. quick D. experience
C. exact
D. reliable 278. The idea of a world population crisis is
therefore unlikely, although population pressure
273. Although it is certainly true that the might have arisen in some areas.
possession of hard parts enhances the prospect of A. in theory
preservation, organisms having soft tissues and B. obviously
organs are also occasionally preserved. C. frequently
A. completion D. as a result
B. variety
C. possibility 279. Once humans possessed such a mind, they
D. speed were able to find an imaginative solution to a
situation of severe economic crisis such as the
274. Geothermal energy becomes available in a farming dilemma described earlier.
practical form when underground heat is A. complex
transferred by water that is heated as it passes B. creative
through a subsurface region of hot rocks (a heat C. immediate
reservoir) that may be hundreds or thousands of D. reliable
feet deep.
A. usable 280. Whether Mithen's explanation is satisfactory
B. plentiful is open to contention, and some authors have
C. economical recently emphasized the importance of other
D. familiar factors.
A. investigation
275. By far the most abundant form of geothermal B. improvement
energy occurs at the relatively low temperatures of C. debate
80° to 180° centigrade. D. interpretation
A. economical
B. familiar 281. The question of why infantile amnesia occurs
C. plentiful has intrigued psychologists for decades, especially
D. useful in light of ample evidence that infants and young
children can display impressive memory
276. Experiments are under way to develop capabilities.
technologies for exploiting this resource. A. surprising
A. locating B. convincing
B. increasing C. plentiful
C. making use of D. questionable
D. estimating the size of
282. Another suggestion is that before children can
277. While hunter-gatherers always had the option talk about past events in their lives, they need to
of moving elsewhere when the resources were

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have a reasonable understanding of the self as a C. handled
psychological entity. D. clarified
A. consistent
B. sufficient 288. One of the things that most impressed the
C. apparent original audience for photography was the idea of
D. deep authenticity.
A. improvement
283. The development of an understanding of the B. practicality
self becomes evident between the first and second C. genuineness
years of life and shows rapid elaboration in D. repetition
subsequent years.
A. development 289. Even those artists who were most dependent
B. specialization on photography became reluctant to admit that
C. use they made use of it, in case this compromised their
D. transformation professional standing.
A. unable
284. Spartina is an exceedingly competitive plant. B. embarrassed
A. unusually C. unlikely
B. dangerously D. unwilling
C. surprisingly
D. highly 290. The rapid technical development of
photography—the introduction of lighter and
285. Spartina modifies tidal mudflats, turning simpler equipment, and of new emulsions that
them into high marshes inhospitable to the many coated photographic plates, film, and paper and
fish and waterfowl that depend on the mudflats. enabled images to be made at much faster speeds
A. creates —had some unanticipated consequences.
B. changes A. indirect
C. grows on B. not expected
D. breaks down C. unquestionable
D. beneficial
286. Efforts to control Spartina outside its natural
environment have included burning, flooding, 291. The accidental effects obtained by candid
shading plants with black canvas or plastic, photographers were soon being copied by artists
smothering the plants with dredged materials or such as the French painter Degas.
clay, applying herbicide, and mowing repeatedly. A. surprising
A. Laws B. unintentional
B. Suggestions C. realistic
C. Attempts D. unusual
D. Failures
292. Altogether, roughly two tons of meteorite
287. The daguerreotype was a unique image that fragments were recovered, all of which bear the
reproduced what was in front of the camera lens in name Allende for the location of the first discovery.
minute, unselective detail and could not be A. sight
duplicated. B. sake
A. copied C. success
B. replaced D. place

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 ○ history
293. Chondrites take their name from the Greek ○ temperature
word chondros—meaning "seed"—an allusion to ○ shape
their appearance as rocks containing tiny seeds.
A. addition 299. Wind movements are also modified in cities
B. modification because buildings increase the friction on air
C. resemblance flowing around them.
D. reference ○ changed
○ blocked
294. A few chondrules contain grains that survived ○ increased
the melting event, so these enigmatic chondrules ○ weakened
must have formed when compact masses of
nebular dust were fused at high temperatures— 300. Apart from this, being able to give up labor-
approaching 1,700 degrees Celsius—and then intensive grain production freed both the land and
cooled before these surviving grains could melt. the workforce for more productive agricultural
A. dangerous divisions.
B. mysterious ○ Besides
C. interesting ○ Despite
D. surprising ○ As a result of
○ Instead of
295. At one time it was thought that these matrix
grains might be pristine nebular dust, the sort of 301. The produce was then transported by water to
stuff from which chondrules and inclusions were markets in the cities, where the consumption of
made. fruit and vegetables was no longer restricted to the
A. pure wealthy.
B. solid ○ sale
C. ordinary ○ storage
D. trapped ○ exportation
○ utilization
296. The quantities involved are enormous.
○ growing 302. The Dutch battle against the sea is legendary.
○ frightening ○ continuous
○ very large ○ well documented
○ strictly controlled ○ famous
○ expensive
297. In winter the heat produced by a city can
equal or surpass the amount of heat available from 303. However, what is astonishing about this is not
the Sun. that Dutch agriculture was affected by critical
○ remain below phenomena such as a decrease in sales and
○ be higher than production, but the fact that the crisis appeared
○ add to only relatively late in Dutch agriculture.
○ come close to ○ incredible
○ unfortunate
298. The precise configuration of a heat island ○ predicted
depends on several factors. ○ evident
○ location

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304. Early in the nineteenth century, encounters 309. Conversely, a pond with a stream flowing in
with Aboriginal rock art tended to be infrequent one end and out the other, which dries up when the
and open to speculative interpretation, but since stream dries up, is clearly surface water dominated.
the late nineteenth century, awareness of the ○ on the other hand
extent and variety of Australian rock art has been ○ in the same way
growing. ○ in other words
○ puzzling ○ on average
○ uncommon
○ questionable 310. The slowing down of water renewal leads to
○ undocumented a chain of further consequences: it causes
dissolved chemicals to become increasingly
305. The systematic study of this art is a relatively concentrated, and this, in turn, has a marked
new discipline in Australia. effect on all living things in the lake.
○ completely ○ expected
○ comparatively ○ additional
○ apparently ○ serious
○ particularly ○ unfortunate

306. Second, what is its stylistic organization and 311. This occurs because during NREM sleep the
is it possible to discern a sequence or a pattern of automatic, metabolic system has exclusive control
development between styles? over breathing and the body uses less oxygen and
○ indicate produces less carbon dioxide.
○ apply ○ consistent
○ identify ○ perfect
○ repeat ○ partial
○ sole
307. The age of Australia’s rock art is constantly
being revised, and earlier datings have been 312. Only after several inadequate breaths under
proposed as the result of new discoveries. such conditions, resulting in the considerable
○ discussed elevation of carbon dioxide and reduction of
○ raised oxygen in the blood, is breathing effort adjusted.
○ challenged ○ significant
○ changed ○ Steady
○ Usual
308. Then exchanges with the atmosphere are ○ necessary
calculated by finding the difference between the
gains from rain, as measured (rather roughly) by
313. If the irritation is severe enough, a sleeping
rain gauges, and the losses by evaporation,
person will arouse, clear the airway, then resume
measured with models that correct for the other
breathing and likely return to sleep.
sources of water loss.
○ reduce
○ results
○ stop
○ increases
○ readjust
○ resources
○ restart
○ savings

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314. Abandoning small extended-family households ○ frequently
to move into these large pueblos with dozens if not ○ actually
hundreds of other people was probably traumatic. ○ approximately
○ essential
○ highly stressful 320. However, Martian craters get filled in
○ highly unusual considerably faster than their lunar counterparts.
○ unwise ○ frequently
○ significantly
315. The stress on local resources, especially in the ○ clearly
firewood needed for daily cooking and warmth, was ○ surprisingly
particularly intense, and conditions in aggregated
pueblos were not very hygienic. 321. In the late thirteenth century, northern Italian
○ strong cities such as Genoa, Florence, and Venice began
○ questionable an economic resurgence that made them into the
○ obvious most important economic centers of Europe.
○ deliberate ○ transformation
○ comeback
316. The environmental changes associated with ○ program
this transition are not fully understood, but people ○ expansion
living closest to the San Juan Mountains, to the
northeast of Mesa Verde, were affected first. 322. In the fifteenth century there was little
○ change problem recruiting sailors to row the galleys (large
○ climate ships propelled by oars): guilds (business
○ decline associations) were required to provide rowers, and
○ problem through a draft system free citizens served
compulsorily when called for.
317. Three very large volcanoes are found on the ○ for free
Tharsis bulge, an enormous geologic area near ○ for a time
Mars’s equator. ○ by requirement
○ important ○ by design
○ extremely large
○ highly unusual 323. As the costs of shipbuilding rose, Venice
○ active clung to its outdated standard while the Dutch
were innovation in the lighter and more easily
318. All four show distinctive lava channels and handled ships.
other flow features similar to those found on ○ strict
shield volcanoes on Earth. ○ enforced
○ deep ○ improved
○ complex ○ old-fashioned
○ characteristic
○ ancient 324. The conventional explanation for the loss of
Venetian dominance in trade is establishment of
319. Mars’s surface gravity is only 40 percent that the Portuguese direct sea route to the East,
of Earth, so volcanoes rise roughly 2.5 times as replacing the overland Silk Road from the Black sea
high. and the highly profitable Indian Ocean-caravan-
○ typically eastern Mediterranean route to Venice.

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○ informal
○ logical 330. The success of the steam engine resulted in
○ correct increased demands for coal, and the consequent
○ usual increase in coal production was made possible as
the steam-powered pumps drained water from the
325. The ancestors of plants were photosynthetic ever-deeper coal seams found below the water
single-celled organisms that gave rise to plants table.
presumably lacked true roots, stems, leaves, and ○ resulting
complex reproductive structures such as flowers. ○ encouraging
○ originally ○ well documented
○ supposedly ○ immediate
○ obviously
○ usually 331. However, the arrival of the steam engine
initiated a complete transformation in rail
326. If so, the green algae would have been transportation, entrenching and expanding the
subjected to environmental pressures that resulted Industrial Revolution.
in adaptations that enhanced their potential to give ○ anticipated
rise to land-dwelling or organisms. ○ accelerated
○ restricted by ○ spread
○ distant from ○ started
○ exposed to
○ combined with 332. Also, the availability of jobs in railway
construction attracted many rural laborers
327. When plants first made the transition ashore accustomed to seasonal and temporary
more than 400 million years ago, the land was employment.
barren and desolate, inhospitable to life. ○ in need of
○ dusty ○ used to
○ hardened ○ tired of
○ deserted ○ encouraged by
○ dried out
333. Given a year of favorable precipitation, such
328. When plants pioneered the land, they faced a plants will develop vigorously and produce large
range of challenges posed by terrestrial numbers of flowers and fruit.
environments. ○ sudden
○ shared ○ early
○ presented ○ gradual
○ strengthened ○ strong and healthy
○ concealed
334. Another way of countering drought is to have
329. The shift to increased mechanization in a limited amount of mass above ground and to
cotton production is apparent in the import of raw have extensive root networks below ground.
cotton and the sale of cotton goods. ○ eliminating
○ clearly seen in ○ making use of
○ aided by ○ acting against
○ associated with ○ experiencing
○ followed by

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335. These have adapted to the environment by the ○ proceeding
development of long taproots that penetrate ○ exceeding
downward until they approach the assured water ○ challenging
supply provided by groundwater. ○ outlasting
○ pure
○ diminished 341. For some unknown reason, many were
○ guaranteed discarded, often still intact, and thousands have
○ deep been found all over the Near East.
○ unsold
336. It was these conditions that allowed an elite ○ unused
to emerge, probably as an organizing class, and to ○ undamaged
sustain itself through the control of surplus crops. ○ unpainted
○ defend
○ promote 342. This has been interpreted as the remains of a
○ maintain workshop where molten metal was scooped up
○ transform from the channel and poured into molds in the
holes.
337. Uruk, for instance, had two patron gods— ○ documented
Anu, the god of the sky and sovereign of all other ○ debated
gods, and Inanna, a goddess of love and war—and ○ displayed
there were others, patrons of different cities. ○ understood
○ counselor
○ master 343. When rolled over a soft material----primarily
○ defender the clay of bullae (round seals), tablets, or clay
○ creator lumps attached to boxes, jars, or door bolts----the
scene would appear in relief, easily legible.
338. A tablet engraved about 3000 B.C.E. provides ○ printable
the earliest known example from Sumer, a roofed ○ enjoyable
boxlike sledge mounted on four solid wheels. ○ recognizable
○ carved ○ available
○ produced
○ dated 344. The plates have edges that are spreading
○ discovered ridges (where two plates are moving apart and new
seafloor is being created), subduction zones
339. The period from 3000 to 1000 B.C.E., when (where two plates collide and one plunges beneath
the use of bronze became widespread, is normally the other), or transform faults (where two plates
referred to as the Bronze Age. neither converge nor diverge but merely move past
○ obvious one another).
○ significant ○ expand
○ necessary ○ form
○ common ○ rise
○ move closer
340. But Uruk’s dominant size in the entire region,
far surpassing that of other settlements, indicates 345. The Hawaiian islands provide a very
that it was a regional center and a true city. Indeed, instructive answer.
it was the first city in human history. ○ clear

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○ detailed 351. Thus both factors can affect the cycle, which,
○ informative in practice, seems to be generated by conjunction
○ familiar of the two factors.
○ determination
346. In the 1840s American geologist James Daly ○ combination
observed that the different Hawaii islands seem to ○ alternation
share a similar geologic evolution but are ○ transformation
progressively more eroded, and therefore probable
older, toward the northwest. 352. A groundwater reservoir from which water
○ worn down can be extracted is called an aquifer.
○ scattered ○ used
○ developed ○ poured
○ deserted ○ removed
○ kept out
347. For example, given the current position of the
Pacific Plate, Hawaii is above the Pacific Ocean hot 353. The ability of water, or other fluids, to flow
spot. through the interconnected pore spaces in rocks is
○ original termed permeability.
○ ideal ○ considered
○ relative ○ called
○ present ○ limited to
○ caused by
348. When this occurs, the prey population can
rebound. 354. The more poorly sorted or the more tightly
○ escape compacted a sediment is ,the lower its porosity
○ recover and permeability.
○ survive ○ hard
○ resist ○ compressed
○ heavy
349. Ecologists studying hare populations have ○ deeply buried
found that the North American snow shoe hare
follows a roughly ten-year cycle. 355. Water in the vadose zone drains down to the
○ usually water table, leaving behind a thin coating of water
○ repeating on mineral grains.
○ approximately ○ stream
○ observable ○ barrier
○ amount
350. Two factors appear to be generating the cycle: ○ layer
food plants and predators.
○ producing 356. The Sahara is a highly diverse, albeit dry,
○ changing region that has undergone major climatic changes
○ speeding up since 10,000 B.C.
○ smoothing out ○ usually
○ almost
○ though
○ rather

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 ○ increase
357. Their artistic endeavors have been preserved ○ extend
in paintings of wild animals, cattle, goats, humans, ○ delay
and scenes of daily life that extend back perhaps to ○ stimulate
5,000 B.C.
○ methods 363. Another visual signal produced by while-
○ styles tailed deer is termed a buck scrape.
○ scenes ○ associated with
○ efforts ○ visible as
○ known as
358. About 3,500 B.C., climatic conditions again ○ provided by
deteriorated.
○ became unstable 364. On the left bank of the Tiber River in Rome,
○ caused hardship by one of the river ports of the ancient city, is a
○ changed completely substantial hill some 50 meters high called Monte
○ got worse Testaccio.
○ protected
359. A conspicuous sign indicating the presence of ○ man-made
white-tailed deer in a woodlot is a buck rub. ○ large
○ noticeable ○ famous
○ common
○ strange 365. It is made up entirely of broken oil amphorae,
○ particular mainly of the second and third centuries A.D.
○ apparently
360. A decade later another study reported that ○ completely
adult male white-tailed deer exhibited forehead ○ basically
rubbing just before and during the rut. ○ mostly
○ relied on
○ increased 366. But maps that show the various spots where
○ displayed Roman pottery of a particular type has been found
○ preferred tell only part of the story.
○ specific
361. Thus the presence of many well-marked rubs ○ common
is indicative of older, higher-status males being in ○ ancient
the general vicinity rather than simply being a ○ superior
crude measure of relative deer abundance in a
given area. 367. In all but the remotest regions of the empire,
○ rough Roman pottery of a high standard is common at
○ useful the sites of humble villages and isolated
○ necessary farmsteads.
○ obvious ○ rural
○ distant
362. In view of this behavior it has been suggested ○ ancient
that chemicals present in fresh buck rubs may help ○ modest
physiologically induce and synchronize fertility in
females that visit these rubs.

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368. Competition among individuals of the same
species (intraspecies competition), one of the
major mechanisms of natural selection, is the
concern of evolutionary biology.
○ types of natural selection
○ dangers of natural selection
○ problems natural selection solves
○ ways natural selection works
369. This was described by Darwin for indigenous
New Zealand species of animals and plants, which
died out when competing species from Europe
were introduced.
○ native
○ rate
○ most
○ numerous
370. The effects of such competition are
graphically demonstrated when all the animals or
all the plants in an ecosystem come into
competition, as happened 2 million years ago at
the end of Pliocene, when North and South
America became joined by the Isthmus of Panama.
○ vividly
○ frequently
○ broadly
○ typically
371. Together with predation, it is the most
important density-dependent factor in regulating
population growth.
○ controlling
○ explaining
○ observing
○ stopping
372. Moving water was one of the earliest energy
sources to be harnessed to reduce the workload of
people and animals.
○ known
○ depended on
○ recognized
○ utilized
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373. Raising water and grinding corn were by no
means the only uses of the waterpower mill, and
during the following centuries, the applications of
waterpower kept pace with the developing
technologies of mining, iron working, paper
making, and the wool and cotton industries.
○ the uses to which waterpower was put
○ the improvement made to waterpower
○ the method by which waterpower was supplied
○ the source of waterpower available
374. An energy analyst writing in the year 1800
would have painted a very pessimistic picture of
the future for waterpower.
○ negative
○ unlikely
○ surprising
○ incomplete
375. The waterwheel, unaltered for nearly 2,000
years, had finally been superseded.
○ unimproved
○ unequaled
○ unchanged
○ unsatisfactory
376. Play is not without considerable costs to the
individual animal.
○ Initial
○ Practical
○ Eventually
○ Significant
377. Play allows a young animal to explore its
environment and practice skill in comparative
safety since the surrounding adults generally do
not expect the young to deal with threats or
predators.
○ relative
○ temporary
○ sufficient
○ complete
378. There is a danger, of course, that play may be
misinterpreted or not recognized as play by others,
potentially leading to aggression.
○ undoubtedly multiplication of time signals, discrepancy brought
○ possibly discord and strife.
○ unfortunately ○ actual
○ quickly ○ important
○ official
379. Such changes are all but invisible over the ○ effective
short time scale of modern observations, and, it is
argued, they are usually obscured by innumerable 384. These early versions were rudimentary,
gaps in the imperfect fossil record. inaccurate, and prone to breakdown.
○ countless ○ rare
○ occasional ○ small
○ large ○ impractical
○ repeated ○ basic

380. The evolution of North American horse, 385. From the start, however, the towns and cities
which was once presented as a classic textbook took equal hours as their standard, and the public
example of gradual evolution, is now providing clocks installed in town halls and market squares
equally compelling evidence for punctuated became the very symbol of a new, secular
equilibrium. municipal authority.
○ surprising ○ required
○ persuasive ○ expected by the majority of people
○ controversial ○ standardized
○ detailed ○ put in place

381. If it seems difficult to conceive how major
changes could occur rapidly, consider this: an
alteration of a single gene in files is enough to turn
a normal fly with a single pair of wings into one
that has two pairs of wings.
○ imperfection
○ replacement
○ change
○ duplication
382. Occasionally , a sequence of fossil-rich layers
of rock permits a comprehensive look at one type
of organism over a long period of time.
○ undoubtedly
○ basically
○ once in a while
○ to some extent
383. All this was compatible with older devices so
long as there was only one authoritative
timekeeper; but with urban growth and the
386. They were thus the pioneers of mechanical
engineering and served as examples and teachers
to other branches of engineering.
○ leaders
○ opponents
○ employers
○ guardians
387. Physical separation between subpopulations
promotes the formation of new species because
once the members of one subpopulation can no
longer mate with members of another
subpopulation, they cannot exchange variant genes
that arise in one of the subpopulations.
○ describes
○ encourages
○ delays
○ requires
388. In the absence of gene flow between the
subpopulations, genetic differences between the
groups begin to accumulate.

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○ become more significant invested early in life may ultimately lead to a
○ occur randomly reduction in future costs.
○ gradually increase in number ○ easily understood
○ cause changes ○ thorough
○ respectable
389. Allopatric speciation can also be brought by ○ objective
the imperceptibly slow but colossal movements of
the tectonic plates that make up Earth’s surface. 394. Not everyone agrees that programs that seek
○ consistent to enhance academic skills during the preschool
○ gradual years are a good thing.
○ enormous ○ claim
○ effective ○ manage
○ fail
390. Analysis by gel electrophoresis revealed slight ○ attempt
differences in amino acid sequence of the enzymes
of two of the four pairs. 395. Savannas typically experience a rather
○ quality prolonged dry season.
○ order ○ predictable
○ function ○ destructive
○ number ○ lengthy
○ unproductive
391. Whereas parents in China tend to see
preschools primarily as a way of giving children a 396. For example, savanna soils, like many rain
good start academically, Japanese parents view forest soils, are typically oxisols (dominated by
them primarily as a way of giving children the certain oxide minerals) and ultisols (soils
opportunity to be members of a group. containing no calcium carbonate), with a high
○ Although acidity and notably low concentrations of such
○ Because minerals as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and
○ Moreover potassium, while aluminum levels are high.
○ Already ○ similarly
○ especially
392. While many programs designed for ○ usually
preschoolers focus primarily on social and ○ relatively
emotional factors, some are geared mainly toward
promoting cognitive gains and preparing 397. Evidence from other studies suggests that
preschoolers for the formal instruction they will exclusion of fire results in markedly decreased
experience when they start kindergarten. plant-species richness, often with an increase in
○ consider tree density.
○ respect ○ dangerously
○ concentrate ○ noticeably
○ advise ○ rapidly
○ gradually
393. The most recent comprehensive evaluation of
early intervention programs suggests that, taken as 398. Increase in pastureland and subsequent
a group, preschool programs can provide overgrazing have resulted in an expansion of
significant benefits, and that government funds savanna.

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○ expanded in area
○ harmful 403. The old local ruling families, then, were
○ following in time severed from their traditional social context.
○ repeated ○ cut off
○ viewed
399. A fertile, plowed field is rapidly invaded by a ○ protected
large variety of weeds, whereas a neighboring ○ rescued
construction site from which the soil has been
compacted or removed to expose a coarse, infertile 404. First, the opening of the kingdom to the full
parent material may remain virtually free of force of international trade by the Boring Treaty
vegetation for many months or even years despite (1855) rapidly encouraged economic specialization
receiving the sane input of seeds as the plowed in the growing of rice, mainly to feed the rice-
field. deficient portions of Asia (India and china in
○ almost totally particular).
○ unusually ○ the parts that consume rice
○ consistently ○ the parts that do not have enough rice
○ unnaturally ○ the parts where rice is grown
○ the parts that depend primarily on rice
400. A fertile, plowed field is rapidly invaded by a
large variety of weeds, whereas a neighboring 405. The rural population both dispersed and grew,
construction site from which the soil has been and was probably less homogeneous and more
compacted or removed to expose a coarse, infertile mobile than it had been a generation earlier.
parent material may remain virtually free of ○ spread out
vegetation for many months or even years despite ○ gained power
receiving the sane input of seeds as the plowed ○ adapted
field. ○ specialized
○ without
○ almost never 406. Provincial police began to appear, along with
○ even though district officers and cattle registration and land
○ perhaps deeds and registration for compulsory military
service.
401. Many forest plants seem to exhibit the latter ○ foreign
adaptation, and viable seeds of pioneer species can ○ formal
be found in large numbers on some forest floors. ○ required
○ able to survive ○ preferred
○ individual
○ large 407. Though these bees do no sting, rival colonies
○ remaining of some species fight fiercely over potential nesting
sites.
402. The species that are first to colonize a site are ○ established
those that produce abundant seed that is ○ competing
distributed successfully to new sites. ○ nearby
○ new ○ different
○ improved
○ suitable
○ plentiful

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408. Their observations provide insights into the
mechanisms that establish and maintain the 413. The increase in food production in these
regular nest distribution of these species. regions led to a significant growth in population,
○ tools to study while efforts to control the flow of water to
○ opportunities for maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to
○ evidence of protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces
○ an understanding of outside the community provoked the first steps
toward cooperative activities on a large scale.
409. Fights may be escalated into protracted ○ secured
battles. ○ coordinated
○ intensified ○ modeled
○ transformed ○ brought about
○ combined
○ lengthened 414. In 1840 most northwestern grain was shipped
south down the Mississippi River to the bustling
410. Evidence suggests that an important stimulus port of New Orleans.
behind the rise of early civilizations was the ○ famous
development of settled agriculture, which ○ important
unleashed a series of changes in the organization ○ growing
of human communities that culminated in the rise ○ busy
of large ancient empires.
○ reached a high point with 415. Commercial agriculture transformed this
○ originally followed from remarkable treeless environment.
○ partly contributed to ○ dominated
○ marked ○ changed
○ improved
411. The first farmers, who may have lived as long ○ created
as 10,000 years ago, undoubtedly used simple
techniques and still relied primarily on other forms 416. Because eastern plows could not penetrate the
of food production, such as hunting, foraging, or densely tangled roots of prairie grass, the earliest
pastoralism. settlers erected farms along the boundary
○ increasingly separating the forest from the prairie.
○ certainly ○ looked for
○ in general ○ lived on
○ apparently ○ preferred
○ built
412. As time went on, such communities gradually
learned how to direct the flow of water to enhance 417. Native Americans had grown corn in the
the productive capacity of the land, while the region for years, but never in such large fields as
introduction of the iron plow eventually led to the did later settlers who became farmers, whose
cultivation of heavy soils not previously susceptible surpluses were shipped east.
to agriculture. ○ extra goods
○ serve ○ commercial goods
○ improve ○ unprocessed goods
○ control ○ transportable goods
○ protect

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418. It was not until the Cambrian period, 423. These models incorporate current knowledge
beginning about 600 million years ago, that a great on atmospheric circulation patterns, ocean
proliferation of macroscopic species occurred on currents, the effect of landmasses, and the like to
Earth and produced a fossil record that allows us predict climate under changed conditions.
to track the rise and fall of biodiversity. ○ describe
○ decline ○ include
○ extinction ○ expand
○ increase ○ present
○ migration
424. Plants and animals have strong responses to
419. They believed that this impact generated a virtually every aspect of these projected global
thick cloud of dust that enveloped Earth, shutting changes.
out much of the incoming solar radiation and ○ nearly
reducing plant photosynthesis to very low levels. ○ presumably
○ collected ○ usually
○ produced ○ visually
○ spread
○ added 425. The north was developed as a rigidly
hierarchical society in which status was
420. Short-term effects might have included huge determined, or was at least indicated, by the extent
tidal waves and extensive fires. to which one owned, controlled, or labored on
○ widespread land; whereas the Mediterranean south developed
○ sudden a more fluid, and therefore more chaotic, world in
○ numerous which industry and commerce predominated and
○ subsequent social status both reflected and resulted from the
role that one played in the public life of the
421. However, not all of the infrared radiation community.
makes it into space; some is absorbed by gases in ○ extremely
the atmosphere and is reradiated back to Earth’s ○ normally
surface. ○ obviously
○ is reflected ○ strictly
○ collects
○ arrives 426. Though the leading Mediterranean states
○ blends were small in size, they were considerably
wealthier than their northern counterparts.
422. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ○ associates
Change (IPCC) report in 1992, which represents a ○ equivalents
consensus of most atmospheric scientists, predicts ○ opponents
that a doubling of carbon dioxide concentration ○ admirers
would raise global temperatures anywhere between
1.4°C and 4.5°C. 427. Southern communities also possessed urbane,
○ publication multilingual cultures that made them the
○ debate intellectual and artistic leaders of the age.
○ collection ○ cultivated
○ agreement ○ famous
○ popular

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○ exceptional ○ positioned above
○ evolved from
428. Over the course of the twelfth century, the
feudal kingdoms witnessed a proliferation of cities 433. Most ecologists believe that ancient
modeled in large degree on those of the south. populations of chipmunks diverged genetically
○ beginning when isolated from one another by mountains and
○ increase unfavorable ecological habitat.
○ occupation ○ declined
○ construction ○ competed
○ progressed
429. The fact that ecological communities are, ○ separated
indeed, recognizable clusters of species led some
early ecologists, particularly those living in the 434. Chipmunk species actively defend their
beginning of the twentieth century, to claim that ecological zones from encroachment by
communities are highly integrated, precisely neighboring species.
balanced assemblages. ○ complete destruction
○ models ○ gradual invasion
○ categories ○ excessive development
○ examples ○ substitution
○ groups
435. Lodgepoles survive only by virtue of their
430. Clements thought that succession represented aggression.
discrete stages in the development of the ○ in spite of
community (rather like infancy, childhood, and ○ because of
adolescence), terminating in the climatic “adult” ○ unconcerned about
stage, when the community became self- ○ with attention to
reproducing and succession ceased.
○ succeeded 436. Given the seeming intelligence of cetaceans,
○ balanced people are always tempted to compare them with
○ ended humans and other animals.
○ advanced ○ conditioned
○ reluctant
431. Green ash trees are found in association with ○ inclined
plains cottonwood trees because both can survive ○ invited
well on floodplains and the competition between
them is not so strong that only one can persevere. 437. The cortex is the dominant association center
○ reproduce of the brain, where abilities such as memory and
○ fail sensory perception are centered.
○ expand ○ local
○ continue ○ natural
○ chief
432. The presence of tall mountains interspersed ○ specific
with vast areas of arid desert and grassland makes
the West ecologically far different from the East. 438. They have even been known to give
○ distributed among spontaneous responses not taught by the trainers.
○ covered by ○ sophisticated

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○ sensible ○ praised
○ appropriate ○ supported
○ unprompted
444. The mosque of Marrakech in Morocco is
439. Observations of cetaceans in the wild have known as the Kutubiyya, or Booksellers’ Mosque,
provided some insights on their learning abilities. after the adjacent market. Some of the most
○ examples luxurious books were specific commissions made
○ understanding at the order of a particular prince and signed by the
○ directions calligrapher and decorator.
○ discussion ○ major
○ nearby
440. They supposedly use the sponges for ○ ancient
protection against stingrays and other hazards on ○ well-known
the bottom as they search for fish to eat.
○ objects 445. It has been said that Chinese papermakers
○ dangers were among the prisoners captured in a battle
○ species fought near Samarqand between the Chinese and
○ debris the Muslims in 751, and the technique of
papermaking - in which cellulose pulp extracted
441. And the outermost ring, outside the city from any of several plants is first suspended in
limits, is the suburban or commuter’s zone; its water, caught on a fine screen, and then dried into
residents live within a 30- to 60-minute ride of the flexible sheets” - slowly spread westward.
central business district. ○ taken out of
○ most visible ○ produced using
○ best protected ○ discovered in
○ farthest away ○ combined with
○ wealthiest
446. Eventually, six round forms of handwriting,
442. Studies by Park, Burgess, and other Chicago- composed of three pairs of big and little scripts
school sociologists showed how new groups of known collectively as the Six Pens, became the
immigrants tended to be concentrated in separate standard repertory of every calligrapher.
areas within inner-city zones, where they ○ made up of
sometimes experienced tension with other ethnic ○ developed from
groups that had arrived earlier. ○ in addition to
○ divided ○ similar to
○ reduced
○ interested 447. As this early energy crisis grew worse, Britain
○ gathered looked toward its abundant and widely scattered
reserves of coal as an alternative to its vanishing
443. Books became major vehicles for artistic wood.
expression, and the artists who produced them, ○ reliable
notably calligraphers and painters, enjoyed high ○ plentiful
status, and their workshops were often sponsored ○ well-preserved
by princes and their courts. ○ existing
○ visited
○ owned

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448. In the early 1760s, a gifted young Scot named ○ damage
James Watt was drawn to a critical study of the ○ prefer
steam engine.
○ independent 454. Seed beetles are more vulnerable because they
○ talented are much smaller than grasshoppers.
○ famous ○ numerous
○ ambitious ○ harmful
○ open to attack
449. This splendid invention, patented in 1769, ○ difficult to locate
greatly increased the efficiency of the steam engine.
○ original 455. In an area where low temperatures are
○ necessary limiting to life, the importance of the additional
○ magnificent heat near the surface is crucial. The low growth
○ popular form can also permit the plants to take advantage
of the insulation provided by a winter snow cover.
450. Once scarce and expensive, iron became In the equatorial mountains the low growth form
cheap, basic, and indispensable to the economy. is less prevalent.
○ advantageous ○ predictable
○ essential ○ widespread
○ less costly ○ successful
○ highly stimulating ○ developed

451. Ants are portably the most frequent and

certainly the most persistent defenders of plants.
○ they defend plants against a wide variety of
threats
○ they continue to defend plants for as long as the
plants are threatened
○ they are successful defenders of plants
○ they are easily observable defenders of plants

452. This view and the opposing “protectionist”

hypothesis that ants defend plants had been
disputed for over a hundred years when, in 1910, a
skeptical William Morton Wheeler commented on
the controversy.
○ curious
○ doubtful
○ open-minded
○ practical

453. Caterpillars devour the ovaries, where the

seeds are produced, and seed beetle larvae eat
seeds as they burrow in developing fruits.
○ attack
○ eat

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真题词汇题

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Question 1-2
Geologists working during the nineteenth
century understood rock bodies, they would
have to concentrate on natural processes that
continue at a constant rate and that also leave
some sort of tangible record in the rocks.
Evolution is one such process, and geologist
Charles Lyell (1797-1875) recognized this. By
comparing the amount of evolution exhibited by
marine mollusks then, Lyell estimated that 80
million years had elapsed since the beginning of
the Tertiary Period. He came astonishingly close
to the mark, since it was actually about 65
million years. However, for older sequence of
evolutionary development, estimates based on
parts in the fossil record. Rates of evolution for
many orders of plants and animals were not well
understood.
1. The word “tangible” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. physical
B. related
C. significant
D. helpful
3. The word “sequence” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. observations
B. senses
C. series
D. categories
with the famous comet. Halley surmised that
the ocean formed soon after the origin of the
planet and therefore would be only slightly
younger than the age of the solid Earth. He
reasoned that the original ocean was not salty
and that subsequently salt derived from the
weathering of rocks was brought to the sea by
streams.
8. The world “approximating” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. thinking about
B. researching
C. estimating
D. demonstrating
9. The word “subsequently” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. later
B. furthermore
C. evidently
D. accidentally
Question 6-7
The government was obliged to impose controls,
and in the early fourteenth century, the Great
Council prohibited the washing of all cloth and
dyed woolens in the canals, adding that water
used for dyeing could not be flushed into the
canals. Henceforth dirty water of that sort was
to go into the lagoon.

Question 3 2. The word “Henceforth” in the passage is

Also, some very ancient sediments were no closest in meaning to
longer recognizable, having been converted to A. Instead of this
igneous and metamorphic rocks in the course of B. In addition
mountain building. Estimates of Earth’s total C. From this time on
age based on sedimentation rates ranged from as D. In effect(实际上)
little as million to over a billion year.
3. The word “obliged” in the passage is closest
6. The world “converted” in the passage is in meaning to
closest in meaning to A. forced
A. added B. allowed
B. changed C. expected
C. restored D. persuaded
D. reduced
Question 8
Question 4-5 In the thirteenth century, a decision was made to
Yet another scheme for approximating Earth’s create 50 additional cisterns, primarily in the
age had been proposed in 1715 by Sir Edmund recently urbanized area at the edge of the city. At
Halley (1656-1742), whose name we associate
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the same time, a campaign was launched to through the camera by perforating its edge with
repair the existing cisterns. tiny holes and pulling it along by means of
sprockets, projections on a wheel that fit into
8. The word “launched” in the passage is closest the holes of the film.
in meaning to
A. paid for 5. The word “counterpart” in the passage is
B. started closest in meaning to
C. proposed A. addition
D. agreed on B. invention
C. component
Question 9 D. equivalent
The public authorities made efforts to take
bolder action to ensure the supply of fresh water 6. The word “flexible” in the passage is closest
from this parallel source and a number of in meaning to
projects were suggested during the fourteenth A. connected
and fifteenth centuries to channel river water B. smooth
and even to construct an aqueduct. However, the C. bendable
high cost of such initiatives precluded their D. delicate
execution.
Question 13
11. The word “ensure” in the passage is closest Early monies were simple snippets of action—
in meaning to acrobats tumbling, horse running, jugglers
A. improve juggling, and so on. Eventually, the novelty wore
B. increase off and films became less of an attraction. Public
C. control interest was soon rekindled when early
D. guarantee filmmakers discovered that movies could be
used to tell story.
Question 10
First observed by the ancient Greeks, persistence 11. The word “rekindled” in the passage is
of vision became more widely known in 1824 closest in meaning to
when Peter Roget (who also developed the A. reported
thesaurus) demonstrated that human begins B. renewed
retain an image of an object for about one-tenth C. reinforced
of a second after the object is taken from view. D. rewarded
Following Roget’s pronouncement, a host of
toys that depended on this principle sprang up Question 14
in Europe. It was in Egypt and Mesopotamia (modern-day
Iraq) that civilization arose, and it is there that
3. The word “pronouncement” in the passage is we find the earliest examples of that key feature
closest in meaning to of civilization, writing.
A. statement
B. advice 1. The word “key” in the passage is closest in
C. theory meaning to
D. experiment A. frequent
B. essential
Question 11-12 C. original
Edison was apparently trying to provide a visual D. familiar
counterpart to his recently invented
phonograph. When his early efforts did not work Question 15
out, he turned the project over his assistant. Mesopotamia’s rivers boasted no such useful
Using flexible film, Dickson solved the vexing reeds, but its land did provide good clay, and as
problem of how to move the film rapidly a consequence the clay tablet became the
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standard material. Though clumsy and bulky it
has a virtue dear to archaeologists, it is durable.
2. The word “virtue” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. price
B. design
C. desirable quality
D. physical characteristic
Question 16
Writing, it would appear, started as a primitive
form of bookkeeping. Its use soon widened to
document the multitudinous things and acts
that are involved in daily life, from simple
inventories of commodities to complicated
governmental rules and regulations.
9. The word “document” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. include
B. influence
C. organize
D. record
Question 17
These records of factual matters were kept in
storage to be available for reference—they were
in effect, files, or to use the term preferred by
specialists in the ancient Near East, archives.
Now and then these files include pieces of
writing that are of a distinctly different order,
writings that do not merely record some matter
of fact but involve creative intellectual activity.
11. The phrase “Now and then” in the passage
is closest in meaning to
A. always
B. occasionally
C. sooner or later
D. first and last
Question 18
Animal manure includes the waste matter of
cattle, horses, poultry, and other farm animals. It
improves soil structure, adds organic, nitrogen,
and stimulates beneficial soil bacteria and fungi.
1. The word “beneficial” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. necessary
B. helpful
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C. several
D. hidden
Question 19
Today, many farmers rely on commercial
inorganic fertilizers containing nitrogen (as
ammonium ions, nitrate ions, or urea),
phosphorus (as phosphate ions), and
potassium(as potassium ions).
8. The word “rely” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. save
B. depend
C. pile
D. waste money
Question 20
Commercial inorganic fertilizers have some
disadvantages, however. These include (1) not
adding humus to the soil. (2) reducing the soil’s
content of organic matter and thus its ability to
hold water (unless animal manure and green
manure are also added to the soil), (3) lowering
the oxygen content of soil and keeping fertilizer
form being taken up as efficiently, (4) typically
supplying only two or three of the twenty or so
nutrients needed by plants, and (5) releasing
nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that can
enhance global warming.
11. The phrase “twenty or so” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. not quite twenty
B. roughly twenty
C. no more than twenty
D. a total of twenty
Question 21-22
When two explorers came upon the Mayan cities
in the 1830s, they were struck by the sight of
tall pyramids and elaborately carved stones
among luxuriant forest growth. Here was the
archetypal picture of a great lost civilization:
abandoned cities submerged in vegetation.
Theories of catastrophic collapse or apocalyptic
overthrow came naturally to mind to explain
these dramatic scenes.
3. The word “elaborately” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. with great detail
B. artistically crime, pollution, noise—but others were the
C. mysteriously direct result of lack of planning and regulation,
D. gently hand-made such as threat of fire, poor sanitation, and
shoddy building construction.
4. The word “abandoned” in the passage is
closest in meaning to 8. The word “plague” in the passage is closest in
A. carefully hidden meaning to
B. destroyed A. be discussed in
C. enormous B. be found in
D. no longer occupied C. isolate
D. cause trouble for
Question 23-24
Yet it may be incorrect to lay the blame entirely Question 27
on human action. Several of the lowland cities, Distortions of streets and abrupt changes in the
such as Tikal, appear to have depended heavily distance of houses from the street in urban
on the cultivation of raised fields set in the areas, which so clearly delineate where one
marshy depressions known as bajos, which development ended and another began, were
today flood intermittently in the rainy season just the most obvious problems that this lack of
but may originally have been permanent lakes. coordination created.

9. The word “entirely” in the passage is closest 11. The word “abrupt” in the passage is closest
in meaning to in meaning to
A. generally A. noticeable
B. clearly B. random
C. completely C. variable
D. specifically D. sudden

10. The word “intermittently” in the passage is Question 28

closest in meaning to In spring the Siberian air mass warms and loses
A. constantly density, enabling atmosphere currents over the
B. periodically Pacific to steer warmer air into northeast Asia.
C. usually This warm, moisture-laden air covers most of
D. especially southern Japan during June and July.

Question 25 2. The word “enabling” in the passage is closest

Demographic patterns also affected urbanization in meaning to
in two ways: first, urban populations grew A. preparing
steadily throughout the century due to B. requiring
immigration from rural areas, principally by C. allowing
those seeking factory work, and emigration from D. distributing
abroad.
Question 29
5. The word “steadily” in the passage is closest The moisture enables the islands to support
in meaning to uncommonly lush forest cover, but the
A. significantly combination of precipitous slopes and heavy
B. rapidly rainfall also gives the islands one of the world’s
C. continuously highest rates of natural erosion, intensified by
D. unevenly both human activity and the natural shocks of
earthquakes and volcanism. These factors have
Question 26 given Japan its wealth of sedimentary basins, but
Many nineteenth-century urban problems were they have also made mountainsides extremely
those that continue to plague cities today— susceptible to erosion and landslides and hence
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generally unsuitable for agricultural B. explained
manipulation. C. typified
D. worsened
6. The phrase “susceptible to” is closest in
meaning to Question 33
A. slow to replace losses from Farming was still conducted in 1300 roughly the
B. likely to be affected by same way it had been done in 1100, but with a
C. unable to benefit from considerably larger population to feed, there was
D. well-known for little surplus left to generate fresh capital. As a
consequence, food production fell perilously
Question 30 close to subsistence level.
A drop of 2°-3° can lead to a 30-50 percent drop
in rice yield, and the yamase effect is capable of 8. The word “considerably” in the passage is
exceeding that level. This yamase effect does closest in meaning to
not, however, extend very far south, where most A. significantly
precipitation comes in the form of rain and the B. increasingly
bulk of it in spring, summer, and fall, when most C. constantly
useful for cultivation. D. naturally

10. The word “exceeding” is closest in meaning Question 34

to Even whole governments became entangled in
A. almost reaching the credit crisis, England being the most notable
B. going beyond example. The cycle of indebtedness was hardly
C. maintaining inevitable, but the string of bank failures and
D. reducing commercial collapses in the first half of the
fourteenth century was striking.
Question 31
In short, for the past two millennia, the climate 10. The word “striking” in the passage is closest
in general and patterns of precipitation in in meaning to
particular have encouraged the Japanese to A. understandable
cluster their settlements along the southern B. necessary
coast, most densely along the sheltered Inland C. limiting
Sea, moving into the northeast. D. noteworthy

11. The word “cluster” in the passage is closest Question 35

in meaning to The American geologist Frank Taylor published a
A. build pamphlet in 1910 presenting his own theory of
B. group continental drift. He explained the formation of
C. move mountain ranges as a result of the lateral
D. expand movements of continents. He also envisioned
the present-day continents as parts of larger
Question 32 polar continents that eventually broke apart and
After three hundred years of impressive gains in migrated toward equator after Earth’s rotation
wealth and population, Europe’s economy began was supposedly slowed by gigantic tidal forces.
to slow around 1300. Several factors accounted According to Taylor, these tidal forces were
for the decline. One of the most important, generated when Earth’s gravity captured the
though perhaps the least dramatic to relate, was Moon about 100 million years ago. Although we
a shift in climate. know that Taylor’s explanation of continental
drift is incorrect, one of his most significant
1. The phrase “accounted for” in the passage is contributions was his suggestion that the Mid-
closest in meaning to Atlantic Ridge—an underwater mountain chain
A. predicted discovered by the 1872-1876 British HMS
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Challenger expeditions—might mark the site at
which an ancient continent broke apart, forming
the present-day Atlantic Ocean.
4. The word “generated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. strengthened
B. released
C. produced
D. present
Question 36-38
However, it is Alfred Wegener, a German
meteorologist, who is generally credited with
developing the hypothesis of continental drift. In
his monumental book, The Origin of Continents
and Oceans (1915), Wegener proposed that all
landmasses were originally united into a single
supercontinent that he named “Pangaea.”
5. The word “monumental” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. final
B. persuasive
C. well-known
D. great and significant
Wegener portrayed his grand concept of
continental movement in a series of maps
showing the breakup of Pangaea and the
movement of various continents to their
present-day locations. What evidence did
Wegener use to support his hypothesis of
continental drift?
6. The word “portrayed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. proved
B. formed
C. depicted
D. defended
First, Wegener noted that the shorelines of
continents fit together, forming a large
supercontinent and that marine, non-marine,
and glacial rock sequences of Pennsylvanian to
Jurassic ages are almost identical for all
Gondwana continents, strongly indicating that
they were joined together at one time.
Furthermore, mountain ranges and glacial
deposits seem to match up in such a way that
suggests continents could have once been a
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single landmass. And last, many of the same
extinct plant and animal groups are found today
on widely separated continents, indicating that
the continents must have been in proximity at
one time. Wegener argued that this vast amount
of evidence from a variety of sources surely
indicated the continents must have been close
together at one time in the past.
7. The word “vast” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. enormous
B. significant
C. convincing
D. additional
Question 39
Alexander Du Toit, a South African geologist
was one of Wegener’s ardent supporters. He
noted that fossils of the Permian freshwater
reptile “Mesosaurus” occur in rocks of the same
age in both Brazil and South Africa. Because the
physiology of freshwater and marine animals is
completely different, it is hard to imagine how a
freshwater reptile could have swum across the
Atlantic Ocean and then found a freshwater
environment nearly identical to its former
habitat. Furthermore, if Mesosaurus could have
swum across the ocean, its fossil remains should
occur in other localities besides Brazil and South
Africa. It is more logical to assume that
Mesosaurus lived in lakes in what are now
adjacent areas of South America and Africa but
were then united in a single continent.
11. The word “logical” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. satisfactory
B. modern
C. reasonable
D. popular
Question 40
Recent research has also revealed that in some
squid and fish, bioluminescent light may be
produced by bacteria that live in a mutually
beneficial partnership inside the animal’s light
organs.
4. The phrase “mutually beneficial” in the
passage is closest in meaning to
A. helpful to one another
B. generally practical addition, colonial birds detect predators more
C. efficiently balanced quickly than do small groups or pairs and can
D. temporary by design drive the predators from the vicinity of the
nesting area.
Question 41-42
How and why bioluminescence occurs is not 1. The word “vicinity” in the passage is closest
fully understood; however, in the undersea in meaning to
realm, it appears to be used in a variety of A. protection
interesting and ingenious ways. … In the water, B. region
Sapphirina creates short flashes of a remarkably C. population
rich, azure blue light. But its appearance under a D. resources
microscope is even more spectacular, the living
copepod appears as if constructed of delicately Question 45
handcrafted, multicolored pieces of stained All birds in the colony are equally likely to
glass. follow or to be followed and thus contribute to
the sharing of information that helps to ensure
6. The word “ingenious” in the passage is their reproductive success. As a result of their
closest in meaning to enhanced foraging efficiency, parent swallows in
A. inventive large colonies return with food for their
B. important nestlings more often and bring more food each
C. unusual trip than do parents in small colonies.
D. specialized
5. The phrase “contribute to” in the passage is
10. The word “delicately” in the passage is closest in meaning to
closest in meaning to A. learn from
A. individually B. depend upon
B. brilliantly C. take advantage of
C. unusually D. add to
D. finely
Question 46-47
Question 43 Among the costs, colonial nesting leads to
And finally, because what they eat is often increased competition for nest sites and mates,
bioluminescent, many of the transparent deep- the stealing of nest materials, and increased
sea creatures have red or black stomachs to hide physical interference among other effects. In
the potentially flashing contents of ingested spite of food abundance, large colonies
bioluminescent creatures. Without such a sometimes exhaust their local food supplies and
blacked-out stomach, their digestive organs abandon their nests. … In large colonies, they
would flash like a neon sign that says, “Eat me, tend to build new nests rather than use old,
eat me!” infested ones. On balance, the advantages of
colonial nesting clearly outweigh the
12. The word “ingested” in the passage is closest disadvantages, given the many times at which
in meaning to colonial nesting has evolved independently
A. remaining among different groups of birds. Still lacking,
B. eaten however, is a general framework for testing
C. living different hypotheses for the evolution of
D. nutritious coloniality.

Question 44 9. The word “exhaust” in the passage is closest

Colonial nesting has both advantages and in meaning to
disadvantages. First and foremost, individual A. use up
birds are safer in colonies that are inaccessible B. leave
to predators, as on small rocky islands. In C. avoid
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D. hide
10. The phrase “On balance” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. Nevertheless
B. Overall
C. Therefore
D. Periodically
Question 48
Thus the need for fixed capital (equipment and
buildings used in production) soared. Besides
these items, expensive in their own right,
facilities for water, storage, and deliveries were
needed. In addition, pig (raw) iron turned out by
blast furnaces could not be forged until refined
further in a new intermediate stage.
2. The word “Besides” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. In addition to
B. More important than
C. Different from
D. Together with
Question 49
Raw materials, not equipment, constituted
artisans’ major expense in most trades, however.
Whereas in 1583 an Antwerp silk weaver paid
12 guilders for a loom (and made small
payments over many years to pay off the debt for
purchasing the loom), every six weeks he or she
had to lay out 24 guilders for the 2 pounds of
raw silk required to make a piece of cloth. Thus
access to cheap and plentiful primary materials
was a constant preoccupation for independent
producers. Using local materials might allow
even the poorest among them to avoid reliance
on merchant suppliers. The loss of nearby
sources could therefore be devastating.
4. The word “preoccupation” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. necessity
B. concern
C. struggle
D. uncertainty
Question 50 3. The word “deficiencies” in the passage is
Credit was necessary for production but created closest in meaning to
additional vulnerabilities for artisans. Prices for A. complications
industrial products lagged behind those of raw B. illnesses
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materials and foodstuffs, and this, coupled with
rising taxes, made it difficult for many producers
to repay their creditors.
8. The phrase “coupled with” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. caused by
B. compared with
C. affected by
D. combined with
Question 51
Artisans’ autonomy was imperiled, too, by
restrictions on their access to markets. During
the sixteenth century, a situation like this often
resulted from the concentration of export trade
in a few great storage and distribution centers.
10. The word “autonomy” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. independence
B. influence
C. ability to make a living
D. ability to adapt
Question 52
For most of our species’ history, we lived in
small, widely dispersed, nomadic groups. Our
ancestors certainly experienced diseases of
various sorts and would have come into contact
with new diseases as they migrated to new
environments.
1. The word “dispersed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. active
B. scattered
C. varied
D. linked
Question 53
In addition, agriculture also led to a narrowing
of food sources, as compared to the varied diets
of hunters and gatherers. This could have
resulted in nutritional deficiencies, moreover,
the storage of food surpluses attracted new
disease carriers such as insects and rats.
C. shortages
D. irregularities 5. The word “gradual” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
Question 54 A. crucial
But on the heels of the second transition had B. original
come the third epidemiological transition, and we C. beneficial
are in it now. New diseases are emerging, and D. slow
old ones are returning. Both of these
phenomena can be understood in terms of 6. The word “predominate” in the passage is
evolutionary theory. closest in meaning to
A. are in the majority
10. The word “emerging” in the passage is B. are present
closest in meaning to C. are increasing
A. appearing D. first appear
B. spreading
C. becoming more serious Question 58
D. replacing others An expectant mother’s used (venous) blood
must still have enough oxygen in it to diffuse
Question 55 through the placenta into her unborn child’s
Volcanic outgassing continues to be the main bloodstream. It would be very difficult for any
process by which volatile materials are released mammal species to survive in an atmosphere of
from Earth—although it is now going on at a only 10 percent oxygen.
much slower rate. The main chemical
constituent of volcanic gases (as much as 97 11. The word “diffuse” in the passage is closest
percent of volume) is water vapor, with varying in meaning to
amounts of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other A. spread
gases. B. break
C. squeeze
2. The word “constituent” in the passage is D. speed
closest in meaning to
A. source Question 59
B. equivalent In fact, unpredictability is probably a greater
C. component problem than is the severity of the unfavorable
D. product period. How can organisms cope with the
unpredictable onset of good or poor conditions?
Question 56-57
Oxygen is a very reactive chemical, so at first 4. The word “severity” in the passage is closest
most of the free oxygen produced by in meaning to
photosynthesis was combined with iron in ocean A. length
water to form iron oxide-bearing minerals. The B. harshness
evidence of the gradual transition from oxygen- C. unexpectedness
poor to oxygen-rich water is preserved in D. completeness
seafloor sediments. The minerals in seafloor
sedimentary rocks that are more than about 2.5 Question 60-62
billion years old contain reduced (oxygen-poor) When it rains, the adults emerge and congregate
iron compounds. In rocks that are less than 1.8 to mate at temporary ponds. Development is
billion years old, oxidized (oxygen-rich) greatly accelerated: the eggs hatch within 48
compounds predominate. The sediments that hours, and the tadpoles change into toads at 16-
were precipitated during the transition contain 18 days. Consequently, they can complete the
alternating bands of red (oxidized iron) and life cycle during the brief window of favorable
black (reduced iron) minerals. These rocks are conditions, then return to the resistant resting
called banded-iron formations. stage to await the next rainfall. Resting stages
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thus comprise a series of adaptations that allow in meaning to
the species to avoid the most difficult conditions A. short
for life. B. simple
C. separate
8. The word “congregate” in the passage is D. similar
closest in meaning to
A. begin Question 65
B. gather In some cases, this may occur when they are
C. hurry young birds, but in others the main learning
D. expect period is when they set up their territories and
interact with neighbors for the first time,
9. The word “Consequently” in the passage is enabling them to match their neighbor’s songs
closest in meaning to and so countering with them.
A. Eventually
B. In addition 6. The word “enabling” in the passage is closest
C. As a result in meaning to
D. However A. allowing
B. challenging
10. The word “comprise” in the passage is C. forcing
closest in meaning to D. preparing
A. consist of
B. bring about Question 66
C. are similar to In other cases, such as parrots and hill mynahs,
D. take the place of birds can be trained to copy a huge variety of
sounds, though those they learn in the wild are
Question 63 usually more restricted. The amazing capability
Birdsong is the classic example of how genes of mynahs has apparently arisen simply because
(hereditary information) and environment both birds in an area learn a small number of their
have a crucial role to play in the behavioral calls from each other, males from males and
development of animals. Since the pioneering females from females, and these calls are highly
work of W. H. Thorpe on chaffinches (a common varied in structure.
European bird), many species have been studied,
and it has become clear both that learning plays 11. The word “restricted” in the passage is
an important role for all species and also that closest in meaning to
there are constraints on what they are able to A. important
learn. B. popular
C. limited
1. The word “pioneering” in the passage is D. accurate
closest in meaning to
A. recent Question 67-68
B. famous In Greek and Roman civilization, parks were
C. original associated with spirituality, public recreation,
D. controversial and city living. Greek philosophers pondered the
meaning of nature and its innermost workings,
Question 64 the relationships between animals and
But these notes lacked the detailed structure humankind, and how matter related to spirit.
found in wild birds, nor was the song split up The philosophy of Aristotle (384—332 B.C.)
into distinct phrases as it usually is. This advanced the fundamental notion of nature as
suggested that song development requires some the embodiment of everything outside culture,
social influence. an essence opposed to art and artificiality. This
sense of nature and culture as distinct opposites
2. The word “distinct” in the passage is closest continues to govern ideas about the
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environment and society today. in Chaco, the Bonito phase (A.D. 900-1140),
was obviously a time of immense cooperative
1. The word “pondered” in the passage is the effort. At least 200,000 wooden beams averaging
closest in meaning to 5 meters long and 20 centimeters in diameter
A. explained were brought to the canyon from distances
B. argued over between 40 and 100 kilometers away to build a
C. thought about dozen great houses, signifying a huge labor
D. understood investment and a complex production process.
The bulk of construction took place in the
2. The word “fundamental” in the passage is the eleventh century, but by A.D. 1140 it had ceased
closest in meaning to abruptly, after which there was a rapid decline in
A. famous use of the great houses and apparent
B. basic abandonment of the canyon in the thirteenth
C. revolutionary century.
D. original
1. The word “signifying” in the passage is
Question 69 closest in meaning to
The spiritual significance of the sacred grove A. creating
mandated specific preservationist measures. B. indicating
Civil restrictions and environmental codes of C. initiating
practice governed the use of such spaces. D. requiring

8. The word “mandated” in the passage is 2. The word “ceased” in the passage is closest in
closest in meaning to meaning to
A. contributed to A. slowed down
B. produced B. accelerated
C. limited C. stopped
D. required D. changed in style

Question 70
Meanwhile, the fundamental purpose of the
grove—the visitation of resident gods –
sometimes promoted activities not entirely
conducive to modern concepts of conservation.
Animals were routinely captured to serve as
sacrifices to the gods. Many groves witnessed
horticultural and architectural improvements.
Flowers were planted, trails cut, and statues,
fountains, and caves installed for the benefit of
visitors. The grove served as a recreational
center for Greek society, a realm of ritual,
performance, feasting, and even chariot racing.
10. The word “promoted” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. repeated
B. altered
C. encouraged
D. performed
Question 71-72
The entire episode of great house construction
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Question 73
As scientific interpretations about Chaco
changed, the focus of explanatory models
changed from the attractiveness of the canyon
for farmers to the position of the canyon within
a regional network of dispersed agricultural
communities.
7. The word “dispersed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. connected
B. scattered
C. stable
D. developed
Question 74
Most of these indicators occur only at Pueblo
bonito, but archaeologists generally assume that
all the great houses had a similar ritual function.
In fact, some scholars have suggested that the
great houses were temples rather than
residences.
10. The word “function” in the passage is closest be directly observed, and we cannot be sure how
in meaning to elaborate their parental care was.
A. center
B. practice 10. The word “elaborate” in the passage is
C. design closest in meaning to
D. purpose A. widespread
B. reliable
Question 75 C. well developed
Most of our evidence comes from alleged D. long lasting
dinosaur rookeries (places where nests are
built). Several have been excavated in eastern Question 79-80
Montana, where a large concentration of One of the most important factors driving
dinosaur nests was found at a place now called Europe’s slow emergence from the economic
Egg Mountain. stagnation of the Early Middle Ages (circa
500-1000 B.C.E.) was the improvement of
1. The word “alleged” in the passage is closest in agricultural technology. … Such a pattern of
meaning to agriculture and settlement was no basis for
A. scattered sustained cultural or economic life.
B. supposed
C. isolated 1. The word “stagnation” in the passage is
D. exposed closest in meaning to
A. instability
Question 76-77 B. lack of growth
Evidence for parental care following hatching is C. dependence on others
much more controversial. Behavioral speculation D. decline
based on indirect fossil evidence is dangerous
because the data is not always as unambiguous 3. The word “sustained” in the passage is closest
as might appear. … Thus, the fossil evidence for in meaning to
an advanced parental care system in extinct A. continued
dinosaurs is suggestive but inconclusive, and it B. established
is hard even to imagine the sort of paleontologic C. ordinary
discovery that could settle this debate for good. D. active

5. The word “controversial” in the passage is Question 81

closest in meaning to Moreover, making full use of it required more
A. limited animal power, and this had a host of
B. convincing implications of its own. The full importance of
C. relevant this was even more apparent in the centuries
D. debatable after 1000, when oxen began to give way in
certain parts of Western Europe to horses.
6. The word “inconclusive” in the passage is
closest in meaning to 7. The word “implications” in the passage is
A. not decisive closest in meaning to
B. insignificant A. requirements
C. not valid B. inequalities
D. misleading C. consequences
D. disadvantages
Question 78
Because extinct dinosaurs also descended from Question 82
that ancestor, the simplest and most general Another indicator of how compelling and
theory is that extinct dinosaurs also shared important was the new horse agriculture was its
these characteristics, even though they cannot sheer cost. Unlike oxen and other cattle, horses
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cannot be supported exclusively on hay and 7. The word “appreciated” in the passage is
pasturage, they require, particularly in northern closest in meaning to
climates where pasturing seasons are short, A. proposed
cropped food, such as oats and alfalfa. B. understood
C. approved
11. The word “exclusively” in the passage is D. expected
closest in meaning to
A. cheaply 9. The word “vicinity” in the passage is closest
B. easily in meaning to
C. reliably A. center
D. solely B. fields
C. city
Question 83 D. surrounding area
The older predynastic (pre-3100 B.C.) centers of
power, This and Hierakonpolis, were too remote Question 86
from the vast expanse of the delta, which had The foundation of the national capital at the
been incorporated into the unified state. Only a junction of an important trade route with the
city within easy reach of both the Nile valley to Nile valley is not likely to have been accidental.
the south and the more spread out, difficult
terrain to the north could provide the necessary 11. The phrase “to have been accidental” in the
political control that the rulers of early dynastic passage is closest in
Egypt (roughly 3000-2600 B.C.) required. A. to have gone wrong
B. to have been helpful
1. The word “vast” in the passage is closest in C. to have occurred by chance
meaning to D. to have made a difference
A. fertile
B. huge Question 87-88
C. unique The geologic processes related to the movement
D. irregular of fluids on a planet’s surface can completely
resurface a planet many times. These processes
Question 84-85 derive their energy from the Sun and the
It appears that the location of Memphis may gravitational forces of the planet itself. As these
have been even more advantageous for fluids interact with surface materials, they move
controlling trade, transport, and particles about or react chemically with them to
communications than was previously modify or produce materials. On a solid planet
appreciated. Surveys and drill cores have shown with a hydrosphere and an atmosphere, only a
that the level of the Nile floodplain has steadily tiny fraction of the planetary mass flows as
risen over the last five millenniums. When the surface fluids. Yet the movements of these fluids
floodplain was much lower, as it would have can drastically alter a planet. Consider Venus
been in predynastic and early dynastic ties, the and Earth, both terrestrial planets with
outwash fans (fan-shaped deposits of atmospheres.
sediments) of various wadis (stream-beds or
channels) that carry water only during rainy 1. The word “modify” in the passage is closest
periods) would have been much more in meaning to
prominent features on the east bank. The fan A. obtain
associated with the Wadi Hof extended a B. change
significant way into the Nile floodplain, forming C. replace
a constriction in the vicinity of Memphis. The D. absorb
valley may has narrowed at this point to a mere
three kilometers, making it the ideal place for 2. The word “drastically” in the passage is
controlling river traffic. closest in meaning to
A. gradually
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B. permanently B. distance
C. extensively C. reliability
D. possibly D. available storage space

Question 89 Question 93
The carbon dioxide acts as a blanket, creating an By 1850, over half of all the people in England
intense greenhouse effect and driving surface lived in cities, a first in human history. In one
temperatures high enough to melt lead and to sense, this pattern seems inevitable growing
prohibit the formation of carbonate minerals. numbers of people pressed available resources
on the land, even when farm-work was
4. The word “prohibit” in the passage is closest combined with a bit of manufacturing, so people
in meaning to crowded into cities seeking work or other
A. prevent resources.
B. speed up
C. affect 8. The word “inevitable” in the passage is
D. encourage closest in meaning to
A. unexplainable
Question 90 B. undesirable
Heated by the Sun, the water moves in great C. unavoidable
cycles from the oceans to the atmosphere, over D. unpredictable
the landscape in river systems, and ultimately
back to the oceans. Question 94
By 1900, in some parts of Western Europe life
8. The word “ultimately” in the passage is expectancy in the cities began to surpass that of
closest in meaning to the rural areas. Industrial societies had figured
A. finally out ways to combine large and growing cities
B. slowly with population growth, a development that
C. repeatedly would soon spread to other parts of the world.
D. constantly
10. The word “surpass” in the passage is closest
Question 91 in meaning to
After 1850, however, the expansion of foods A. exceed
more regularly kept pace with population B. influence
growth, though the poorer classes remained C. equal
malnourished. D. differ from

4. The phrase “kept pace with” in the passage is Question 95-96

closest in meaning to It could also be hypothesized that the United
A. exceeded States, Australia, and Canada, all of which
B. matched the increase in exhibit shorter job tenures than do most
C. increased the rate of European countries or Japan, are large, sparsely
D. caused populated countries that historically have
attracted people willing to emigrate from abroad
Question 92 or resettle internally over long distances. In a
Steam shipping, which improved speed and country of “movers,” moving may not be seen by
capacity, as well as new procedures for canning either worker or employer as an unusual or
and refrigerating foods (particularly after 1870), especially traumatic event.
was fundamental to these developments.
8. By indicating that the United States,
6. The word “capacity” in the passage is closest Australia, and Canada are “sparsely” populated,
in meaning to the author means that the population of these
A. variety of goods countries
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A. is widely scattered
B. has increased rapidly
C. is very large
D. has remained stable over the years
10. The word “traumatic” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. important
B. unreasonable
C. expensive
D. upsetting
Question 97
On the other hand, lower mobility costs (and
therefore greater mobility) among workers may
well serve to reduce the incentives of their
employers to provide job training. Whether the
presence of job changing costs is a social boon
or bane, these costs and the mobility associated
with them are factors with which all employers
must contend.
12. The word “incentives” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. authority
B. obligation
C. ability
D. motivation
Question 98
When a chunk of fine-grain stone is struck with
sufficient force at the proper angle with another
rock or with a wood or bone baton, a shock
wave will pass through the stone and detach a
flake of the desired size and shape.
1. The word “detach” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. separate
B. sharpen
C. loosen
D. produce
Question 99-100
Through experimentation, some archaeologists
are able to produce copies of almost every stone
tool type used in antiquity. A common research
strategy is to make flint tools, use them to cut
up meat, saw wood, clean hides, bore holes, etc,
and then compare the resulting wear traces with
the marks found on ancient artifacts. Sometimes
electron-scanning microscopes are used to study
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minute variations in these use marks. Some
rough correspondence can be found between the
types of uses and the characteristics of wear
marks, but there are many ambiguities.
3. The word “minute” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. unusual
B. important
C. hidden
D. tiny
4. The word “ambiguities” in the passage
describes things that
A. do not make any sense
B. are not well documented
C. can be interpreted in more than one way
D. do not fit with the available data
Question 101
Societies throughout history have invested their
objects with styles that have profound and
complex meanings and effects. In the case of the
Maya and every other early civilization, rulers
used particular symbols and styles as
mechanisms through which they portrayed,
communicated, and implemented their power.
10. The word “portrayed”, in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. claimed
B. represented
C. defended
D. established
Question 102-104
The ocean’s role in global warming stems
principally from its huge capacity to absorb
carbon dioxide and to store and transport heat.
In the sea, photosynthesis by marine plants and
algae, especially phytoplankton, removes great
quantities of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Hence, the greater the growth
(productivity) of phytoplankton in the sea, the
greater the removal of carbon dioxide. But what
controls the ocean’s productivity? There are
several limiting factors, but results from a recent
experiment suggest that in areas of the ocean
where other nutrients are plentiful, iron may be
one of the most important and, until recently,
unrecognized variables controlling
phytoplankton production. Some have proposed
a radical, highly controversial and uncertain
means to counteract global warming—adding
iron to the oceans to induce phytoplankton
blooms. Perhaps increased phytoplankton
growth would use up a significant amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but perhaps
not, and there might well be side effects that
could be detrimental to the ocean ecosystem.
2. The word “principally” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. obviously
B. apparently
C. mainly
D. originally
4. The word “controversial” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. experimental
B. fascinating
C. producing disagreement
D. demonstrating poor judgment
5. The word “induce” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. supply nutrients to
B. cause the formation of
C. expand
D. strengthen
Question 105
The ocean is also a great reservoir and
transporter of heat. Heat from the ocean warms
the atmosphere and fuels tropical storms. Heat
is transported by currents from the equator to
the poles.
9. The word “fuels” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. provides energy for
B. determines the route of
C. carries
D. breaks up
Question 106
Puppies, by contrast, are most likely to pounce
flat-footed on a ball of yarn. They bit and bark
and their tails wag. Ethologists came to believe
that ultimately even the most complex animal
behaviors could be broken down into a series of
unchangeable stimulus/response reactions.
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1. The word “ultimately” in the passage is
closest in the meaning to
A. noticeably
B. importantly
C. some of the time
D. in the end
Question 107
The comparative behaviorists disagreed: learning
and rewards are more important factors than
instinct in animal behavior. Geese are not born
with the ability to retrieve lost eggs when they
roll out the nest, they learn to do so.
6. The word “retrieve” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. find
B. recover
C. remember
D. hatch
Question 108-109
The arguments came to a peak in the 1950s and
became known as the nature or nurture
controversy. Consider how differently an
ethologist and a comparative behaviorist would
interpret the begging behavior of a hatchling
bird. The first time a hatchling bird is
approached by its parent, it begs for food. All
baby birds of a particular species beg in exactly
the same way. Obviously, said the ethologists,
they inherited the ability and the tendency to
beg. Baby birds did not have to learn the
behavior, they were born with it—a clear
example of innate, unchanging behavior. Not so,
countered the comparative behaviorists. Parent
birds teach their young to beg by stuffing food in
their open mouths. Later experiments showed
that before hatching, birds make and respond to
noises of their nest mates and adults. Is it not
possible that young birds could learn to beg
prenatally?
8. The word “Obviously” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. Originally
B. Clearly
C. Similarly
D. Consequently
9. The word “countered” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. learned D. large
B. argued back
C. assumed Question 113
D. predicted The difference between a merchant mill and a
custom mill was one of degree as much as kind.
Question 110 Most merchant mills had started as custom
It was hard for ethologists to accept that innate mills, and the colonial and state governments
behaviors could be modified by learning. It was often compelled merchant mills to set aside
equally difficult for comparative behaviorists to certain days for custom work.
accept that genetic factors could dominate
learning experiences. The controversy raged for 7. The word “compelled” in the passage is
over a decade. Eventually, however, the closest in meaning to
distinctions between the two fields narrowed. A. required
The current view is that both natural B. advised
endowments and environmental factors work C. selected
together to shape behavior. D. helped

11. The word “current” in the passage is closest Question 114

in meaning to In other words, the cash economy allowed
A. ideal producers to seek the best bargains in that
B. basic wider, impersonal market of which the export of
C. alternative agricultural surpluses formed the principal part.
D. present Of course, few in this age would have welcomed
total release from the support and obligations
Question 111 that local trade conferred.
Trading based on book credit gave more value to
maintaining equilibrium between local supply 11. The word “obligations” in the passage is
and demand and to preserving a cooperative closest in meaning to
spirit among neighbors than to expanding A. trust
production beyond the immediate needs of the B. safety
locality. C. responsibilities
D. advantages
2. The word “preserving” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 115
A. limiting Such reinforcing cues, however, are not enough
B. revealing to guide hatchlings away from the artificial
C. maintaining lights that now burn on many a beach
D. creating environment. Artificial lighting is often strong
enough to completely overcome the signals a
Question 112 hatchling sea turtle is programmed to recognize.
In the early 1750s, the most densely populated
towns of eastern and southern New England had 4. The word “reinforcing” in the passage is
begun importing substantial quantities of flour closest in meaning to
and rice from the middle and southern colonies A. guiding
to compensate for grain deficits that developed B. supporting
in their region. C. indirect
D. valuable
4. The word “substantial” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 116-117
A. modest When they surface again, the head for open sea.
B. sufficient This time, they are guided not by sight but
C. necessary apparently exclusively by the direction of the
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incoming waves. Experiments with loggerheads,
greens, and leatherbacks have shown that
hatchlings swim toward approaching waves; but
if the sea is calm, they swim randomly or in
circles. Under experimental conditions,
hatchlings will swim into the waves even if
doing so sends them back to the beach again.
7. The word “exclusively” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. with great accuracy
B. strongly
C. in part
D. only
9. The word “experimental” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. favorable
B. trial
C. certain
D. difficult
Question 118
Recent experiments suggest that leatherback
and olive ridley hatchlings “switch on” their
geomagnetic compass almost as soon as they are
out of the nest. Though the hatchlings position
themselves geomagnetically as soon as they
leave the nest and appear to be able to use that
position as a reference point, they will not
follow it automatically if other cues, such as
light and sound, are available.
11. The word “switch on” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. follow
B. change
C. control
D. activate
Question 119
The crown of thorns starfish, Acanthaster Tlanci,
is large, twenty-five to thirty-five centimeters in
diameter, and has seven to twenty-one arms that
are covered in spines. It feeds primarily on coral
and is found from the Indian Ocean to the west
coast of Central America, usually at quite low
population densities. Since the mid-1950s,
population outbreaks at densities four to six
times greater than normal have occurred at the
same time in places such as Hawaii, Tahiti,
Panama, and the Great Barrier Reef.
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2. The word “outbreak” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. brief appearance
B. sudden increase
C. exposure
D. observation
Question 120
Areas of dead coral are usually colonized rapidly
by algae and often are later colonized by sponges
and soft corals. Increases in abundance of plant-
eating fish and decreases in abundance of coral-
feeding fish accompany these changes. Coral
larvae settle among the algae and eventually
establish flourishing coral colonies.
4. The word “accompany” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. occur along with
B. speed up
C. precede
D. end
Question 121
One theory, the adult aggregation hypothesis,
maintains that most species is more abundant
than we realize when a storm destroys coral and
causes a food shortage. The adult Acanthasters
converge on remaining portions of healthy coral
and feed hungrily. Certainly there have been
outbreaks of Acanthaster following large storms,
but there is little evidence that the storms have
caused the enough reef damage to create a food
shortage for these starfish.
6. The word “converge” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. rest
B. come together
C. spread out
D. depend
Question 122
It seems probable that there is no single
explanation but that there are elements of the
truth in several of the hypotheses. That is there
are natural processes that have led to outbreaks
in the past, but human impact has increased the
frequency and severity of the outbreaks.
12. The word “severity” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. lands
B. efficiency
C. speed
D. seriousness
Question 123
The rise of Moscow during medieval times was a
fundamental development in Russian history.
Moscow began with very little and for a long
time could not be compared to such flourishing
principalities as Novgorod or Galicia. Even in its
own area, the northeast, it was junior to old
centers like Rostov and Suzdal. In accounting for
Moscow's rise, historians have emphasized
several factors or rather groups of factors.
1. The word “flourishing” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. powerful
B. fortunate
C. neighboring
D. prosperous
Question 124
First, attention may be given to the doctrine of
geographic causation. It stresses the decisive
importance of the location on Moscow for the
later expansion of the Muscovite state (the
medieval state centered in Moscow) and
includes several lines of argument.
2. The word “doctrine” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. principle
B. role
C. problem
D. power
Question 125
In fact some specialists have tried to estimate
precisely how close to the geographic center of
the Russian people Moscow was situated, noting
also such circumstances as proximity to the land
dividing the two main dialects of the Great
Russian language. Central location within
Russia, to make an additional point, cushioned
Moscow from outside invaders. Thus, for
example, it was the city of Novgorod, not
Moscow, that continuously had to meet enemies
from the northwest, while in the southeast
Riazan absorbed the first blows from the
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direction.
6. The word “cushioned” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. excluded
B. divided
C. distracted
D. protected
Question 126
The economic argument is linked in part to the
geographic. The Moscow River served as an
important trade artery, and as the Muscovite
principality expanded around its waterways, it
profited by and in turn helped to promote
increasing economic intercourse. One school of
thought has treated the expansion of Moscow
largely in terms of the growth of a common
market.
9. The word “intercourse” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. exchange
B. growth
C. influence
D. independence
Question 127
The structure of a forest changes as well in
secondary succession. Depending on the type
and the severity of the disturbance, a moderate
to large amount of dead organic matter from the
previous forest remains on the site immediately
from the disturbance. The leaf area of the forest
is at a minimum and slowly increases as new
vegetation occupies the site.
5. The word “severity” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. suddenness
B. seriousness
C. location
D. timing
Question 128-130
In the second stage of forest development there
is tree mortality caused by competition for light,
nutrients and water. The intense intraspecies
(within a species) and interspecies (between
species) competition for light, nutrients and
water induces the mortality of plants that are
shaded or have one or more life-history
characteristics that are not well adapted to the
changing environment. The third stage of forest
development is characterized by openings in the
overstory canopy, caused by tree mortality, and
the renewed growth of understory in response to
increased light reaching the forest floor.
Consequently, the forest canopy becomes more
complex, or multilayered. The final stage of
forest development, the climax or old growth
stage, is characterized by a species composition
that in theory can continue to replace itself
unless a catastrophic disturbance occurs. Unique
characteristics of old growth forests include
large accumulation of standing and fallen dead
trees--referred to as coarse woody debris. Also,
the annual input of forest litter is dominated by
coarse woody debris compared to the earlier
stages of forest development, when leaf and fine
root debris were the dominant sources of
nutrients and organic matter input into the soil.
7. The word “induces” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. explains
B. increases
C. disappears with
D. brings about
8. The word “consequently” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. in other words
B. nevertheless
C. as a result
D. basically
9. The word “catastrophic” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. extremely harmful
B. very complex
C. different
D. long-lasting
Question 131-132
In the last half of the sixteenth century England
emerged as a commercial and manufacturing
power in Europe due to a combination of
demographic, agricultural and industrial factors.
The population of England and Wales grew
rapidly from about 2.5 million in the 1520s to
more than 3.5 million in 1580, reaching about
4.5 million in 1610. Reduced mortality rates and
increased fertility, the latter probably generated
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by expanding work opportunities in
manufacturing and farming (leading to earlier
marriage and more children), explained this
rapid rise in population. While epidemics and
plague occasionally took their toll, the people in
England still suffered less than did those in
continental Europe. Furthermore, the country
had been pulled out of the war that occurred in
France and central Europe during the same
period.
1. The word “generated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. produced
B. strengthened
C. followed
D. dominated
2. The word “furthermore” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. however
B. in addition
C. similarly
D. in general
Question 133
The great land estates of the English society
largely remained intact and many wealthy land
owners aggressively increased the size of their
holdings, a precondition for increased
productivity. Marriages between the children of
landowners also increased the size of land
estates. Primogeniture (the full inheritance of
land by the eldest son) helped prevent land from
being subdivided. Younger sons of independent
land owners left the family and went to find
other respective locations. Larger farms were
conducive more to commercialized farming at
the time when an expanding population pushed
up demand and prices. Farmland owners turned
part of their land into pasture land for sheep in
order to adapt to developing woollen trade.
5. The phrase “conducive to" in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. a result of
B. favorable to
C. able to
D. expanded to
Question 134
Many farmers selected crops for sales in growing
London market. In their quest for greater profits, A. ancient
many land owners put their squeeze on their B. wealthy
tenants. Between 1580 and 1620 land lords C. powerful
raised rents and altered conditions of land D. extensive
tenure in their favor, preferring shorter phases
and forcing tenants to pay an entry fee before 2. The word “drawbacks” in the passage is
agreeing to rent them land. closest in meaning to
A. requirements
8. The word “quest” in the passage is closest in B. techniques
meaning to C. exceptions
A. organization D. disadvantages
B. exchange
C. search 3. The word “sequentially” in the passage is
D. argument closest in meaning to
A. secretly
Question 135 B. one after another
England’s exceptional economic development C. formerly
also drew the country's natural resources, D. in partnership with each other
including iron, timber, and coal, extracted in far
greater quantity than elsewhere in the continent. Question 139
New industrial development expanded the A fourth problem relates to the nature of the
production of iron and pewter in and around the Inca conquests of the other people in the
city of Birmingham. Americas before the Spanish arrived and how
accurate the accounts of those conquests are---
10. The word “exceptional” in the passage is whether related by the Spaniards or by the Incas
closest in meaning to on whom they relied. It was certainly in the
A. predictable Inca's interest to describe themselves as
B. initial invincible and just. However, lacking accounts
C. extraordinary by conquered people about their interactions
D. complex with the Incas, it is unknown how much of the
information of the Inca conquest as related by
Question 136-138 the ruling class is factual.
The Incans ruled a vast empire in western South
America when the Spaniards encountered them 9. The word “just” in the passage is closest in
in the sixteenth century. Although the Incas had meaning to
no writing system of their own, historical A. fair
information about Incas is available to B. strong
researchers because early Spaniards wrote C. independent
documents about them. However, there are D. wise
drawbacks to use the written record. First, the
Spanish writers were describing activities and Question 140-141
institutions that were very different from their The timing of flowering and seed production is
own, but they often described Inca culture in precisely tuned to a plant's physiology and the
terms of their own society. As an example, rigors of its environment. In temperate climate
consider the list of kings given by the Incas. As plants lost flower early enough so that their
presented in the historical chronology, Spanish seeds can mature before the deadly winds of
sources indicate there were thirteen kings who autumn.
ruled sequentially. The names were given to
them by Inca informants. 1. The word “rigors” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
1. The word “vast” in the passage is closest in A. characteristics
meaning to B. advantages
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C. stability
D. difficulties
2. The word “precisely” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. severely
B. quickly
C. exactly
D. efficiently
Question 142-143
Plant scientists can induce flowering in the
cocklebur by exposing leaves to long nights
(longer than its 8.5 hour critical period) in a
special chamber, while the rest of the plant
continues to experience short nights. Clearly, a
signal that induces flowering transmitted from
the leave to the flowering bud. … Using genetic
manipulation, it is likely, however, that
interactions among multiple and yet unidentified
plant hormones stimulate or inhibit flowering,
and that these chemicals may differ among plant
species. Researchers have had more success in
determining how plants measure the length of
uninterrupted darkness, which is a crucial
stimulus for producing whatever substance
control flowering.
7. The word “induce” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. bring about
B. prevent
C. settle down
D. control
10. The word “inhibit” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. speed up
B. restrain
C. contribute to
D. prolong
Question 144
Social groups also offer opportunities for
reproductive interference. Breeding males that
live in close association with more attractive
rivals may lose their mates to these individuals.
In addition, sociality has two other potential
disadvantages. The first is heightened
competition for food, which occurs in animals as
different as colonial fieldfares (a kind of
songbird) and groups of lions, whose females
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are often pushed from their food by hungry
males.
2. The word “potential” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. possible
B. serious
C. common
D. related
Question 145-146
Paragraph 4 If social living carries a heightened
risk of infection, then the larger the group, the
greater the risk. This prediction holds for cliff
swallows, which pack their nests side by side in
colonies composed of anywhere from a handful
of birds to several thousand pairs.
Paragraph 5 The parasites and fungi that make
life miserable for swallows and other social
creatures demonstrate that if sociality is to
evolve, the assorted costs of living together must
be outweighed by compensatory benefits. Cliff
swallows may join others to take advantage of
the improved foraging that comes from
following companions to good feeding sites,
while other animals, such as male imperial
penguins, save thermal energy by huddling
shoulder to shoulder during the brutal
Antarctica winter.
6. The word “heightened” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. long-term
B. increased
C. real
D. unnecessary
8. The word “assorted” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. usual
B. obvious
C. various
D. severe
Question 147
Pumpkinseed sunfish are in no way inferior to or
less well adapted than bluegills because they are
solitary; they simply gain less through social
living, which makes solitary nesting the adaptive
tactic for them.
11. The word “tactic” in the passage is closest in belt comets move in nearly circular orbits that
meaning to lie roughly in the same plane as the planets. A
A. strategy chance collision between two comets, or the
B. development gravitational influence of one of the Jovian
C. result planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
D. characteristic —may occasionally alter the orbit of a comet in
these regions enough to send it to the inner
Question 148-149 solar system and into our view.
The size of the coma varies greatly from one
comet to another. Extremely rare ones exceed 9. The word “roughly” in the passage is closest
the size of the Sun, but most approximate the in meaning to
size of Jupiter. Within the coma, a small glowing A. frequently
nucleus with a diameter of only a few kilometers B. approximately
can sometimes be detected. As comets approach C. typically
the Sun, some develop a tail that extends for D. clearly
millions of kilometers. Despite the enormous
size of their tails and comas, comets are Question 152
relatively small members of the solar system. The farmers of the middle colonies-
Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New
2. The word “exceed” in the passage is closest in York-set their wooden plows to much richer
meaning to soils than New Englanders did. They enjoyed the
A. become additional advantage of setting an area already
B. grow to partly cleared by Native Americans who had
C. approach relied more on agriculture than had New
D. go beyond England tribes. Thus favored, mid-Atlantic farm
families produced modest surpluses of corn,
3. The word “detected” in the passage is closest wheat, beef, and pork.
in meaning to
A. noticed 4. The word “modest” in the passage is closest
B. created in meaning to
C. expanded A. mixed
D. displayed B. moderate
C. growing
Question 150 D. constant
The observation that the tail of a comet points
away from the Sun in a slightly curved manner Question 153
led early astronomers to propose that the Sun By the eighteenth century, amid widespread
has a repulsive force that pushes the particles of property ownership, a rising population pressed
the coma away, thereby forming the tail. Today, against a limited land supply, especially in New
two solar forces are known to contribute to this England. Family farms could not be divided and
formation. subdivided indefinitely, for it took at least fifty
acres(of which only a quarter could usually be
6. The word “propose” in the passage is closest cropped) to support a single family.
in meaning to
A. offer the theory 6. The word “indefinitely” in the passage is
B. prove closest in meaning to
C. agree A. fairly
D. discover B. safely
C. more than once
Question 151 D. without limit
During the past decade over a hundred of these
icy bodies have been discovered. Most Kuiper Question 154
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The decreasing fertility of the soil compounded
the problem of dwindling farm size in New
England. When land had been plentiful, farmers
planted crops in the same field for three years
and then let it lie fallow (unplanted) in pasture
seven years or more until it regained its fertility.
But on the smaller farms of the eighteenth
century, farmers had reduced fallow time to only
a year or two. Such intense use of the soil
reduced crop yields, forcing farmers to plow
marginal land or shift to livestock production.
8. The word “compounded” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. added to
B. resulted from
C. led to
D. occurred before
Question 155
Wherever they took up farming, northern
cultivators engaged in agricultural work routines
that were far less intense than in the south. The
growing season was much shorter, and the
cultivation of cereal crops required incessant
labor only during spring planting and autumn
harvesting. This less burdensome work rhythm
let many northern cultivators to fill out their
calendars with intermittent work as
clockmakers, shoemakers, carpenters, and
weavers.
11. The word “burdensome” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. frequent
B. productive
C. difficult
D. well-paid
Question 156
These included a common mammalian fauna of
large mammals, a common flora composed of
broad grasslands as well as wind-swept dunes
and tundra, and a common climate with cold,
dry winters and somewhat warmer summers.
The recognition that many aspects of the
modern flora and fauna were present on both
sides of the Bering Sea as remnants of the ice-
age landscape led to this region being named
Beringia.
1. The word “remnants” in the passage is closest
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in meaning to
A. remains
B. evidence
C. results
D. reminders
Question 157
It is through Beringia that small groups of large
mammal hunters, slowly expanding their
hunting territories, eventually colonized North
and South America. On this archaeologists
generally agree, but that is where the agreement
stops. One broad area of disagreement in
expanding the peopling of the Americas is the
domain of paleoecologists, but it is critical to
understanding human history: what was
Beringia like?
2. The word “domain” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. field of expertise
B. challenge
C. interest
D. responsibility
Question 158
Further, nearly all of the ice-age fauna had teeth
that indicate an adaptation to grasses and
sedges; they could not have been supported by a
modern flora of mosses and lichens. Guthrie has
also demonstrated that the landscape must have
been subject to intense and continuous winds,
especially in winter. He makes this argument
based on the anatomy of horse and bison, which
do not have the ability to search for food
through deep snow cover.
5. The word “continuous” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unpredictable
B. very cold
C. dangerous
D. uninterrupted
Question 159
Investigations of the plants found grasses,
sedges, mosses, and many other varieties in a
nearly continuous cover, as was predicted by
Guthrie. But this vegetation had a thin root mat
with no soil formation, demonstrating that there
was little long-term stability in plant cover, a
finding supporting some of the arguments of
Colinvaux. A mixture of continuous but thin
vegetation supporting herds of large mammals is
one that seems plausible and realistic with the
available data.
11. The word “plausible” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. understandable
B. believable
C. sustainable
D. necessary
Question 160
Wind is very good at moving pollen a long way;
pollen can be blown for hundreds of kilometers,
and only birds can get pollen anywhere near as
far. The drawback is that wind is obviously
unspecific as to where it takes the pollen. It is
like trying to get a letter to a friend at the other
end of the village by climbing onto the roof and
throwing an armful of letters into the air and
hoping that one will end up in the friend’s
garden.
1. The word “drawback” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. other side of the issue
B. objection
C. concern
D. problem
Question 161
Wind pollination does, of course, require a lot of
pollen. Birch and hazel trees can produce 5.5
and 4 million grains per catkin, respectively.
There are various adaptations to help as much of
the pollen go as far as possible.
7. The word “respectively” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. over time
B. separately
C. in that order
D. consistently
Question 162-163
Pollen is shed primarily when the air is dry to
prevent too much sticking to wet surfaces or
being knocked out of the air by rain. Despite
these adaptations, much of the pollen fails to
leave the top branches, and only between 0.5
percent and 40 percent gets more than 100
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meters away from the parent. But once this far,
significant quantities can go a kilometer or
more. Indeed, pollen can travel many thousands
of kilometers at high altitudes. Since all this
pollen is floating around in the air, it is no
wonder that wind-pollinated trees are a major
source of allergies.
10. The word “significant” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. sufficient
B. considerable
C. increasing
D. small
11. The phrase “no wonder” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unsurprising
B. understandable
C. well-known
D. unfortunate
Question 164
In the open sea, animals can often find food
reliably available in particular regions or seasons
(e.g., in coastal areas in springtime). In these
circumstances, animals are neither constrained
to get the last calorie out of their diet nor is
energy conservation a high priority. In contrast,
the food levels in the deeper layers of the ocean
are greatly reduced, and the energy constraints
on the animals are much more severe. To survive
at those levels, animals must maximize their
energy input, finding and eating whatever
potential food source may be present.
1. The word “severe” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. extreme
B. complex
C. basic
D. immediate
Question 165
There are, therefore, fewer successful filter-
feeders in deep water, and some of those that are
there have larger filtering systems to cope with
the scarcity of particles. Another solution for
such animals is to forage in particular layers of
water where the particles may be more
concentrated. Many of the groups of animals
that typify the filter-feeding lifestyle in shadow
water have deep-sea representatives that have
become predatory.
7. The word “scarcity” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. speed
B. variety
C. lack
D. size
Question 166-167
Another consequence of the limited availability
of prey is that many animals have developed
ways of coping with much larger food particles,
relative to their own body size, than the
equivalent shallower species can process.
Among the fishes there is a tendency for the
teeth and jaws to become appreciably enlarged.
In such creatures, not only are the teeth hugely
enlarged and/or the jaws elongated but the size
of the mouth opening may be greatly increased
by making the jaw articulations so flexible that
they can be effectively dislocated. Very large or
long teeth provide almost no room for cutting
the prey into a convenient size for swallowing;
the fish must gulp the prey down whole.
10. The phrase “coping with” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. absorbing
B. finding
C. approaching
D. managing
11. The word “flexible” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. huge
B. adaptable
C. powerful
D. precise
Question 168
The freshwater Devonian lobe-finned fish
rhipidistian crossopterygian is of particular
interest to biologists studying tetrapod
evolution. These fish lived in river channels and
lakes on large deltas. The delta rocks in which
these fossils are found are commonly red due to
oxidized iron minerals, indicating that the deltas
formed in a climate that had alternate wet and
dry periods. If there were periods of drought,
any adaptations allowing the fish to survive the
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dry conditions would have been advantageous.
2. The word “advantageous” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. beneficial
B. necessary
C. available
D. common
Question 169
A second adaptation of these fish was in the
structure of the lobe fins. The fins were thick,
fleshy, and quite sturdy, with a median axis of
bone down the center. They could have been
used as feeble locomotor devices on land,
perhaps good enough to allow a fish to flop its
way from one pool of water that was almost dry
to an adjacent pond that had enough water and
oxygen for survival.
5. The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. nearby
B. available
C. temporary
D. fresh
Question 170
Industrial output increased smartly across nearly
all of Europe between 1450 and 1575. Although
trade with the Americas had something to do
with this, the main determinants of this
industrial advance lay within Europe itself.
1. The word “determinants” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. origins
B. long-term benefits
C. causes
D. effects
Question 171
Government activities to build and strengthen
the state were a stimulus to numerous
industries, notably shipbuilding, textiles, and
metallurgy. To cite just one example, France
hastened to develop its own iron industry when
the Hapsburgs—the family that governed much
of Europe, and whom France fought repeatedly
in the sixteenth century—came to dominate the
manufacture of weapons in Germany and the
cities of Liege and Milan, which boasted
Europe’s most advanced technology.
2. The word “hastened” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. needed
B. rushed
C. decided
D. attempted
Question 172
The supply of goods was also significantly
modified. Migration had long been critical for
the diffusion of knowledge that spawned new
trades or revived others. Now thousands of
workers, and sizable amounts of capital, moved
from one region to another. … The best-known
and most widely adopted new industry was
printing with movable type, which spread swiftly
throughout Europe after Johannes Gutenberg
perfected his innovation in 1453.
6. The word “perfected” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. marketed
B. completed
C. announced
D. exhibited
Question 173
Other archaeologists have identified the
immediate cause of this abandonment to be a
series of short growing seasons that would have
put pressure on corn production at that high an
altitude. Kohler, however, assets that a growing
population led to human-environmental
interactions that caused people to live in
villages, intensify agrarian food production,
deforest the region, deplete the local soils, and
ultimately abandon the area.
1. The word “ultimately” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. quietly
B. gradually
C. eventually
D. simply
Question 174
A final source of evidence was the seeds found
in the archaeological deposits, which had blown
or been brought to the settlement. As time went
on, there was a substantial increase in seeds
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from pioneer plants, attesting both to
agricultural intensification and to an increasingly
disturbed local environment.
4. The word “substantial” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. gradual
B. appropriate
C. apparent
D. significant
Question 175-176
Hence, the very nature of the initial slash-and-
burn agriculture encouraged a further
dependence on agriculture and the aggregation
of people into denser settlements. … Larger and
larger villages became possible, but this also
made the system vulnerable to collapse. A
reliance on the management of resources
through cooperative action reduced their
flexibility of action, so that when poor seasons
occurred, people were seriously hurt. Thus an
expectable aberration in the climatic regime may
have been enough to cause the collapse of the
village system in the Dolores area.
8. The word “denser” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. more distant
B. more crowded
C. newer
D. more permanent
9. The word “reliance” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. dependence
B. disagreement
C. policy
D. limit
Question 177
Beyond this, some personnel had to be devoted
to making decisions about the allocation of
available water among the users and ensuring
that these directions were carried out. With
irrigation water also came potential problems,
the most obvious being the susceptibility of low-
lying farmlands to disastrous flooding and the
longer-term problem of salinization (elevated
levels of salt in the soil).
4. The word “potential” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. serious
B. basic
C. new
D. possible
Question 178
Salinization is caused by an accumulation of salt
in the soil near its surface. This salt is carried by
river water from the sedimentary rocks in the
mountains and deposited on the Mesopotamian
fields during natural flooding or purposeful
irrigation.
5. The word “accumulation” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. distribution
B. mixture
C. buildup
D. exchange
Question 179
Solutions for salinization were not as
straightforward as for flooding, but even in
ancient times it was understood that the
deleterious effects of salinization could be
minimized by removing harmful elements
through leaching the fields with additional fresh
water, digging deep wells to lower the water
table, or instituting a system of leaving fields
uncultivated.
7. The word “straightforward” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. successful
B. simple
C. common
D. complex
Question 180
Growing agrarian societies often tried to meet
their food-producing needs by farming less-
desirable hill slopes surrounding the favored
low-lying valley bottoms. Since bringing
irrigation water to a hill slope is usually
impractical, the key is effective utilization of
rainfall. Rainfall either soaks into the soil or
runs off of it due to gravity.
11. The word “impractical” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unnecessary
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B. unsafe
C. unrealistic
D. unpredictable
Question 181
The islands, such as New Zealand, that were
originally parts of continents still carry some
small plant and animal remnants of their earlier
biota (animal and plant life), and they also have
been extensively modified by evolution,
adaptation, and the arrival of new species.
1. The word “remnants” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. remainders
B. reminders
C. reproductions
D. resemblances
Question 182
Second, the further east the islands, generally
the less the species diversity, largely because of
the distance that had to be crossed and because
the eastern islands tended to be smaller, more
scattered, and remote. This easterly decline in
species diversity is well demonstrated by birds
and coral fish. It is estimated that there were
over 550 species of birds in New Guinea, 127 in
the Solomon Islands, 54 in Fiji, and 17 in the
Society Islands.
4. The word “remote” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. unknown
B. isolated
C. hostile
D. infertile
Question 183
In Hawaii, for example, the highly adapted 39
species and subspecies of honeycreepers, several
hundred species of fruit flies, and more than 750
species of tree snails are often cited to epitomize
the extent of localized Oceanic endemism
(species being native to the area).
10. The word “cited” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. expected
B. believed
C. compared
D. mentioned

Question 184
One thing that is certain is that the universe is
expanding. In every direction we look, distant
galaxies are moving away from each other. Until
the 1960s, the expansion of the universe was the
primary fact of cosmological significance that
cosmological theories had to accommodate.
2. The word “significance” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. change
B. expansion
C. activity
D. importance
Question 185
The essential idea of the evolutionary cosmology
is that there was a beginning—a moment of
creation at which the universe came into
existence in a hot, violent explosion—the Big
Bang. In the beginning, the universe was very
hot, very dense, and very tiny. As the explosion
evolved, the temperature dropped, the
distribution of matter and energy thinned, and
the universe expanded. From the current
observed rate of expansion, we conclude that the
creation event occurred between ten and twenty
billion years ago.
4. The word “essential” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. familiar
B. new
C. fundamental
D. controversial
Question 186
The steady-state theory is based on an idea
called the “perfect cosmological principle.” It is
“perfect” in that it maintains that the universe is
uniform not only in space but in time. Thus it is
the hypothesis that the large-scale universe has
always been the way it is now and will be this
way forever in the future. This view is consistent
with philosophical approaches that reject the
notion of an absolute beginning of the universe
as unacceptable.
beginning and no end.
6. The word “notion” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
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A. nature
B. argument
C. question
D. idea
Question 187
Paragraph 5: In an expanding universe, the
galaxies move away from each other, spreading
matter more thinly over space. On the other
hand, the perfect cosmological principle requires
that the density of matter in the universe remain
constant over time. To make the steady-state
theory compatible with the expanding universe,
its proponents introduced the notion of
continuous creation. As the universe expands
and the galaxies move farther apart, new matter
—in the form of hydrogen—is introduced into
the universe.
8. The word “compatible” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. respected
B. equivalent
C. consistent
D. competitive
Question 188
Most species of seaweed are benthic (living on
the seafloor); they grow on rock, sand, mud, and
coral on the sea bottom. Other species live on
other organisms and as part of fouling
communities (plants and animals that live on
pilings, boat bottoms, and other artificial
surfaces).
1. The word “artificial” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. suitable
B. human-made
C. uneven
D. available
Question 189
Paragraph 3: The environmental factors that are
most influential in governing the distribution of
seaweeds are light and temperature. Some other
abiotic (nonliving) factors critical in governing
the distribution of seaweeds are duration of tidal
exposure and desiccation (drying out), wave
action and surge, salinity, and availability of
mineral nutrients.
4. The word “duration” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. frequency
B. force of impact
C. length of time
D. occurrence
Question 190
Because green light penetrates deepest in coastal
waters and the accessory pigments of red algae
absorb mostly green wavelengths, red algae were
thought to extend to the greatest depth. It
followed that green algae, which have pigments
absorbing mostly blue and red wavelengths that
are diminished rapidly in seawater, should be
found at the shallowest depths.
5. The word “diminished” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. reduced
B. scattered
C. transmitted
D. altered
Question 191
Temperature is not usually a limiting factor for
algae that live in tropical and subtropical seas,
although temperatures in intertidal areas (those
areas between high and low tides) may become
too warm and contribute to seasonal mass
mortality of many seaweeds and the animals
they shelter. At high latitudes, freezing and
scouring by ice may eliminate seaweeds from the
intertidal and shallow subtidal zones.
11. The word “mortality” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. movement
B. exposure
C. death
D. injury
Question 192
Precisely when the planets came into being has
been a difficult issue to resolve. While Earth’s
water is necessary for life, its abundance near
the planet’s surface makes rapid erosion
inevitable. Continuous alteration of the crust by
erosion and also by igneous (volcanic) and
metamorphic (pressure and heat within Earth)
processes makes unlikely any discovery of rocks
nearly as old as Earth.
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2. The word “inevitable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. continuous
B. obvious
C. certain
D. easy
Question 193
Some meteorites consist of rocky material and,
accordingly, are called stony meteorites. Others
are metallic and have been designated iron
meteorites even though they contain lesser
amounts of elements other than iron.
4. The word “accordingly” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. correspondingly
B. frequently
C. interestingly
D. informally
Question 194
Meteorites have been radiometrically dated by
means of several decay systems, including
rubidium-strontium, potassium-argon, and
uranium-thorium. The dates thus derived tend
to cluster around 4.6 billion years, which
suggests that this is the approximate age of the
solar system. After many meteorites had been
dated, it was gratifying to find that the oldest
ages obtained for rocks gathered on the surface
of the Moon also were approximately 4.6 billion
years.
8. The word “cluster” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. approach
B. spread
C. group
D. vary
Question 195
Determining the age of the universe has been
more complicated. Most stars in the universe are
clustered into enormous disk-like galaxies. The
distance between our galaxy, known as the Milky
Way, and all others is increasing. In fact, all
galaxies are moving away from one another,
evidence that the universe is expanding.
10. The word “enormous” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. expanding
B. very bright
C. distant
D. huge
Question 196
Presumably, the calories and materials that go
into flight muscle development and maintenance
have to come out of the general energy budget of
the animal. This means that other organ systems
cannot develop as rapidly as they could
otherwise, which may mean that the flight-
capable individual is, in some other respects,
less fit to survive.
1. The word “Presumably” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. It is reasonable to assume
B. It is possible
C. It can be argued
D. It is certainly true
Question 197
Dispersing individuals not only have to pay
energetic, developmental, and travel costs but
are also more often exposed to predators—all of
which raises the question, why are animals so
often willing to leave home even when this
means leaving a familiar, resource-rich location?
This question is particularly pertinent for
species in which some individuals disperse while
others do not or do not disperse as far.
3. The word “pertinent” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. puzzling
B. important
C. complex
D. relevant
Question 198
There may, however, be another reason why
male mammals disperse greater distances than
females. The usual rule is that males, not
females, fight with one another for access to
mates, and, therefore, males that lose such
conflicts may find it advantageous to move away
from same-sex rivals that they cannot subdue.
Although this hypothesis probably does not
apply to Belding’s ground squirrels, since young
males have not been seen fighting with older
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ones around the time of dispersal, the idea is
more plausible with respect to some other
species, such as lions.
9. The word “subdue” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. remove
B. fight
C. defeat
D. accept
Question 199
The sedentary females benefit from their
familiarity with good hunting grounds and safe
breeding dens in their natal territory, among
other things. The departure of many young male
lions coincides with the arrival of new mature
males that violently displace the previous
masters of the pride and chase off the males that
are not yet adults in the pride as well. These
observations support the mate-competition
hypothesis for male dispersal.
11. The phrase “coincides with” in the passage
is closest in meaning to
A. is driven by
B. occurs at the same time as
C. makes possible
D. is a sign of
Question 200
As a result, agricultural yields were substantially
increased without disrupting established
agricultural practice. That increase in turn
allowed, or stimulated, population growth. For
the first time there was enough demand for
specialized crafts and services to justify the
existence of full-time craftspeople, who could be
supported from the extra agricultural output.
3. The word “justify” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. include within the social system
B. provide a rational basis for
C. employ
D. encourage
Question 201
The demand for metalwork stimulated further
specialization in crafts such as toolmaking and
jewelry making. The new tools promoted the
development of other crafts, like carpentry and
shipbuilding.
6. The word “promoted” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. required
B. benefited from
C. encouraged
D. speeded up
Question 202-203
Renfrew argued that any single innovation
would have had a limited or negligible effect on
social organization because the inherently
conservative nature of societies acts to minimize
change. However, the interaction of several
simultaneous developments created a multiplier
effect. In the Aegean, increased agricultural
productivity provided the means to support craft
specialization, while bronze metallurgy provided
the technology for producing highly valued new
products. … Thus Aegean society was
transformed from one consisting of basically
self-sufficient and egalitarian farming villages to
one of prosperous, hierarchical chiefdoms, with
palace-dwelling rulers, actively competing with
one another both at home and in international
trade.
9. The phrase “several simultaneous
developments” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. independent developments
B. developments that reinforced each other
C. developments that occurred at the same time
D. developments that followed one another in a
sequence
10. The word “hierarchical” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. having several levels of authority
B. dependent on military support
C. hereditary
D. nondemocratic
Question 204
The most extensive studies of cognitive maps
have been made for animals exhibit seasonal
migration, the regular back-and-forth movement
of animals between two geographic areas at
particular times of the year. Seasonal migration
enables many species to access rich food
resources throughout the year and to breed or
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winter in areas that favor survival.
1. The word “exhibit” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. display
B. prefer
C. initiate
D. enjoy
Question 205
Navigating by the Sun or by stars requires an
ability to keep track of compass direction. Many
migrators also must have an internal timing
mechanism that compensates for the continuous
daily movement of Earth relative to celestial
objects. The timing mechanism must also allow
for the apparent change in position of celestial
objects as the animal moves over its migration
route.
6. The word “compensates for” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. follows
B. recognizes
C. makes up for
D. is consistent with
Question 206
Another interesting, and more or less open,
question about migration is how birds continue
navigating when the Sun or stars are obscured
by clouds. These is strong evidence that some
birds can orient to Earth’s magnetic field.
Magnetite, the iron-containing mineral once
used by sailors as a crude compass, is probably
involved in sensing the field. The mineral has
been found in the heads of pigeons, in the
abdomens of bees, and in certain bacteria that
orient to a magnetic field.
8. The word “crude” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. effective
B. temporary
C. reliable
D. primitive
Question 207-208
In 1558 Giovanni Battista Della Porta wrote in
his twenty-volume work Magia naturalis
(meaning “natural magic”) instructions for
adding a convex lens to improve the quality of
the image thrown against a canvas or panel in
the darkened area where its outlines could be
traced. Later, portable camera obscures were
developed, with interior mirrors and drawing
tablets on which the artist could trace the image.
For the artist, this technique allows forms and
linear perspective to be drawn precisely as they
would be seen from a single viewpoint. Mirrors
were also used to reverse the projected images
to their original positions.
2. The word “portable” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. valuable
B. practical
C. moveable
D. popular
3. The word “projected” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. whole
B. corrected
C. enlarged
D. shown
Question 209
The map hung on the opposite wall was a real
map in Vermeer’s possession, reproduced in
such faithful detail that some kind of tracery is
suspected. Vermeer did not have any students,
did not keep any records, and did not encourage
anyone to visit his studio, facts that can be
interpreted as protecting his secret use of a
camera obscura.
7. The word “faithful” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. unusual
B. extensive
C. exact
D. historical
Question 210
So what are we to conclude? If these artists did
use a camera obscura, does that diminish their
statue? Hockney argues that the camera obscura
does not replace artistic skill in drawing and
painting.
11. The word “diminish” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. reduce
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B. affect
C. reflect
D. determine
Question 211-212
Researchers who study habitat selection have
proposed various models for the process. Marine
biologist Peter F. Sale hypothesized the existence
of a simple mechanism of habitat selection in
fish that is based on levels of exploratory
behavior. Sense organs monitor specific stimuli
in the environment and send a summation of
pertinent stimuli back to central-nervous-system
centers, which regulate the amount of
exploration. As the constellation of cues
approaches some optimum level, exploratory
behavior ceases and the animal stays where it is.
1. The word “pertinent” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. important
B. selected
C. strong
D. relevant
3. The word “ceases” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. stops
B. decreases
C. succeeds
D. occurs
Question 213
Sale’s model still does not explain how the
animal “knows” what is suitable and what is
not, or how stimuli from multiple cues are
integrated. Nor does it explain the role of
photoperiod (the duration of the animal’s daily
exposure to sunlight) in the response of dark-
eyed juncos to photographs of their natural
habitat.
5. The word “integrated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. interpreted
B. produced
C. found
D. combined
Question 214-215
Moreover, the land was virtually treeless and
lacked building stone and mineral resources.
During the next thousand years, however, this
unpromising area became the seat of Sumer, the
first great civilization known to history, with
large concentrations of people, bustling cities,
monumental architecture, and a wealth of
religious, artistic, and literary traditions that
influenced other ancient civilizations for
thousands of years.
1. The word “unpromising” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unfavorable
B. underdeveloped
C. distant
D. expansive
2. The phrase “a wealth of ” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. a strong competition among
B. a valuable source of
C. a deep respect for
D. an abundance of
Question 216-217
Since Sumer was virtually devoid of natural
resources other than its rich soil, it traded with
other people, thereby contributing to the
diffusion of Sumerian civilization. The scarcity of
stone, for tools as well as for buildings, probably
hastened the adoption of copper and bronze.
Copper, at least, was already known before the
rise of Sumerian civilization, but lack of demand
for it among the Stone Age peasant villages
inhibited its widespread use.
6. The phrase “scarcity of ” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. using up
B. looking for
C. lacking in
D. uninterested in
7. The word “diffusion” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. stability
B. spread
C. prosperity
D. productivity
Question 218
Although the crater is only slightly more than
one kilometer across, an area covering hundreds
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of square kilometers was probably battered by
the blast and ejecta—the debris ejected or
displaced during the formation of an impact
crater. Far bigger impacts have occurred,
sometimes with catastrophic consequences for
life on Earth.
1. The word “catastrophic” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. widespread
B. disastrous
C. important
D. immediate
Question 219-220
While collecting geological samples in Italy in
1978, the father-son team of Luis and Walter
Alvarez discovered a thin layer of dark sediment
that had apparently been deposited 65 million
years ago—at about the same time that the
dinosaurs and many other organisms suddenly
became extinct. Subsequent studies found
similar sediment deposited at the same time at
many sites around the world. … This conclusion
was not immediately accepted and still generates
some controversy, but it now seems clear that a
major impact coincided with the death of the
dinosaurs.
2. The word “Subsequent” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. Detailed
B. Later
C. Recent
D. Additional
3. The phrase “coincided with” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. occurred before
B. happened at the same time as
C. speeded up
D. caused
Question 221
The impact also sent huge quantities of dust
high into the stratosphere, where it remained for
several years, blocking out sunlight, cooling the
surface, and affecting atmospheric chemistry.
Plants died for lack of sunlight, and effects
propagated throughout the food chain.
11. The word “propagated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. were seen
B. occurred
C. caused harm
D. spread
Question 222
Paragraph 2: It is long known that Earth’s orbit
around the Sun changes periodically, cyclically
affecting the way solar radiation strikes the
Earth, but the idea that these changes affect
climate was first advanced by James Croll in the
late 1800s. Later, Milutin Milankovitch
elaborated the theory with calculations that
convincingly argued that the cycles, now known
as Milankovitch cycles, could cause climatic
variations.
1. The word “elaborated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. corrected
B. defended
C. studied
D. developed
Question 223-224
Milankovitch worked out the ideas of climatic
cycles in the 1920s and 1930s, but it was not
until the 1970s that a detailed chronology of the
Pleistocene temperature changes was
determined that could test the predictions of
this theory. A correspondence between
Milankovitch cycles and climate fluctuations of
the last 65 million years seems clear.
Furthermore, studies of rock samples drilled
from the deep-sea floor and the fossils contained
in them indicate that the fluctuation of climate
during the past few hundred thousand years is
remarkably close to that predicted by
Milankovitch.
5. A “chronology” is
A. a study of past events
B. a list that pairs past events with dates
C. an explanation of why past events happened
when they did
D. an ordering of past events according to how
long they lasted
7. The phrase “remarkably close” in the passage
is closest in meaning to
A. sufficiently close
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B. relatively close
C. extremely close
D. frequently close
Question 225
Still others argue that volcanic dust injected into
the atmosphere shields Earth from the Sun’s
rays and initiates an ice age. However, no
correlation has been found between volcanic
activity and the start of the last ice age.
10. The word “initiates” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. begins
B. accelerates
C. ends
D. avoids
Question 226
Overexploitation is the overuse by humans of a
population of organisms to an extent that
threatens the viability of the population or
radically alters the natural community in which
it lives. There is a tendency to think that
overexploitation is a relatively new
phenomenon. However, that view is a bit naïve,
as we will see in some examples of past
overexploitation.
1. The word “viability” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. ability to exist
B. mobility
C. rate of growth
D. ability to change
Question 227
Currently, the worst overexploitation may be
happening through global overfishing. This is
partially disguised by the fact that we are still
able to harvest huge quantities of marine
species; only on closer inspection does one
notice that the predatory fish that used to
dominate catches are being replaced by species
further down the food chain.
11. The word “disguised” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. hidden
B. contradicted
C. balanced
D. made worse
 regulated by native predators and parasites. This
Question 228-229 situation is not true for nonindigenous pests in
The species living in rain forests must engineer North America, such as brown rats and
their calls to accommodate all of the obstacles, cockroaches. After centuries, it is evident that
such as leaf cover, that can deflect and degrade these pests cannot be eradicated. The best that
the sounds intended for a potential receiver. can be done is to introduce pest control
Over, short, loud bursts of sound tend to be measures that will control their numbers.
more effective than longer calls at cutting
through the dense foliage. 1. The word “evident” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
1. To “deflect” sounds means to change their A. surprising
A. direction B. obvious
B. volume C. believed
C. frequency D. frustrating
D. clarity
Question 233-234
2. The word “potential” in the passage is closest But biological control, like chemical control, can
in meaning to backfire. The success of the cactus-feeding moth
A. favorable in controlling prickly pear in Australia
B. possible encouraged its introduction to several West
C. expected Indies islands to control prickly pear there. In
D. chosen time the moth made its way to Florida, where it
now threatens the existence of several native
Question 230-231 prickly pear species. The moral is that although
A species of tree frog in Borneo has an inventive using nonindigenous predators as biological
approach to getting its mating call heard over controls can be effective, these species possess
the noise. Mataphrenella sudana, which is only their own inherent dangers that must be
an inch long, has learned to exploit the sound assessed before they are released. They, too, can
properties of a water-filled hole in a tree in the become alien invaders.
same way that a person uses resonance, the
intensification and enrichment of a sound by 6. The word “assessed” in the passage is closest
added vibration, in the shower to sing like a in meaning to
professional performer. A. minimized
B. identified
3. The word “inventive” in the passage is closest C. evaluated
in meaning to D. dealt with
A. simple
B. alternate 7. The word “moral” in the passage is closest in
C. relative meaning to
D. creative A. situation
B. argument
4. The word “exploit” in the passage is closest in C. fact
meaning to D. lesson
A. identify
B. be aware of Question 235
C. take advantage of Successful IPM requires the knowledge of the
D. examine population ecology of each pest and its
associated species and the dynamics of the host
Question 232 species. It involves considerable field work
Many pest species that are native to North monitoring the pest species and its natural
America, such as white-footed mice and ground enemies by such techniques as egg counts and
moles, are more nuisance pests and are usually the trapping of adults to acquire information to
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determine the necessity, timing, and intensity of
control measures.
11. The word “considerable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. tiring
B. a large amount of
C. complicated
D. carefully planned
Question 236
Why has life flourished on Earth? This question
has a two-part answer. First, Earth has been a
cradle for life because of its position relative to
the Sun. second, once life began on Earth,
simple early life-forms (photosynthetic bacteria)
slowly but inexorably altered the environment in
a manner that not only maintained life but also
paved the way for later, complex life-forms.
1. The word “altered” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. transformed
B. protected
C. made use of
D. adapted to
Question 237-238
Earth’s earliest atmosphere contained several
gases: hydrogen, water vapor, ammonia,
nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, but no
oxygen. Gas mixtures emitted from present-day
volcanoes resemble this early atmosphere,
suggesting its origin from volcanic eruptions. In
Earth’s earliest atmosphere, methane and
carbon dioxide occurred at much higher levels
than at present—a circumstance that was
favorable for early life. Methane and carbon
dioxide are greenhouse gases that warm
atmospheres by retarding loss of heat to space.
These two gases kept Earth warm during the
Sun’s early history, when the Sun did not burn
as brightly as it now does. (An early dim period,
with later brightening, is normal for stars of our
Sun’s type.)
3. The word “emitted” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. disappearing
B. examined
C. released
D. taken
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4. The word “retarding” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. regulating
B. slowing
C. restoring
D. directing
Question 239
The modern atmosphere supports many forms
of complex life that would not have been able to
exist in Earth’s first atmosphere because the
oxygen level was too low. Also, if atmospheric
methane and carbon dioxide were as abundant
now as they were in Earth’s earliest atmosphere,
the planet’s temperature would likely be too hot
for most species living today.
7. The word “abundant” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. pure
B. balanced
C. plentiful
D. warm
Question 240
When our Sun later became hotter, the
continued removal of atmospheric carbon
dioxide and methane by early bacteria kept
Earth’s climate from becoming too hot to
sustain life. Modern cyanobacteria still provide
these valuable services today.
9. The word “sustain” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. change
B. generate
C. destroy
D. support
Question 241
The entire subsequent history of these two large
groups of organisms was affected by the two
different paths taken by their remote ancestors.
The vertebrates were able to develop such huge
creatures as dinosaurs, elephants, and whales. A
large crab is the largest type that the arthropods
were able to achieve.
3. The word “remote” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. corresponding
B. distant
C. separate
D. direct
Question 242
Organisms are compromises among competing
demands. How far a particular structure or
organ can respond to the forces of selection
depends, to a considerable extent, on the
resistance offered by other structures and
organs, as well as components of the genotype
(the totality of an individual’s genes).
6. The word “resistance” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. opposition
B. pressure
C. interaction
D. competition
Question 243
A further constraint on natural selection is the
capacity for non-genetic modification. The more
plastic the organism’s body characteristics are
(owing to developmental flexibility), the more
this reduces the force of adverse selection
pressures. Plants, and particularly
microorganisms, have a far greater capacity for
individual modification than do animals.
9. The word “adverse” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. harmful
B. continuous
C. strong
D. excessive
Question 244
Chance operates at every level of the process of
reproduction, from the transmission of parental
chromosomes to the survival of the newly
formed individual. Furthermore, potentially
favorable gene combinations are often destroyed
by indiscriminate environmental forces such as
storms, floods, earthquakes, or volcanic
eruptions, without natural selection being given
the opportunity to favor these genotypes.
12. The word “indiscriminate” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. dangerous
B. random
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C. common
D. powerful
Question 245-246
Wild cereals were particularly hard hit by the
Younger Dryas owing to a decrease in the
concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the
atmosphere. This diminution, carefully
documented from air bubbles trapped in
Antarctic ice, inhibited their photosynthesis and
markedly reduced their yields. Consequently,
whatever cultivation practices had begun during
the Early Natufian period—weeding,
transplanting, watering, pest control—may now
have become essential to secure sufficient food.
And these may have created the first
domesticated strains.
5. The word “inhibited” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. altered
B. required
C. restricted
D. allowed
6. The word “sufficient” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. enough
B. fresh
C. valuable
D. nutritious
Question 247-248
The geographical range of the Late Natufians
also changed. With their increased interest in
plant cultivation, the Late Natufians drifted
away from the depleted woodlands where their
forebears once flourished. They were drawn to
the alluvial soils (soils deposited by rivers) of
the valleys, not only those of the River Jordan,
but also those found by the great rivers of the
Mesopotamian plain and in the vicinity of lakes
and rivers throughout the Middle East.
10. The word “flourished” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. settled
B. struggled
C. gathered
D. prospered
11. The phrase “drawn to” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 252
A. concerned by High-altitude populations of certain salamanders
B. attracted toward have higher frequencies of neoteny than do low-
C. impressed by elevation population of these species. If the
D. surrounded by larval environment is rich compared to the harsh
adult environment, selection may favor neoteny.
Question 249 One research study, has ruled out simple food
Organisms that metamorphose undergo radical effects, supplemental food did not increase the
changes over the course of their life cycle. A frog frequency with which organisms reached the
egg hatches a tadpole that metamorphoses into adult stage.
an adult frog within a few days or weeks.
11. The word “harsh” in the passage is closest in
1. The word “radical” in the passage is closest in meaning to
meaning to A. severe
A. extreme B. typical
B. distinctive C. restricted
C. periodic D. available
D. structural
Question 253-254
Question 250 Different types of reefs and reefs in different
One prevailing hypothesis is that metamorphic oceans may have diverse origins and histories.
species specialize so as to exploit habitats with The greatest interest in the origin of reefs has
high but transient (short term) productivity— centered on atolls. For many years, humans
and hence high potential for growth. Part of this speculated as to how such reefs could develop in
strategy is that specializations for feeding, such deep water, miles from the nearest
dispersal, and reproduction are separated across emergent land. This interest was heightened
stages. when it was discovered that reef corals cold not
live deeper than 50-70 meters. … When the
5. The word “exploit” in the passage is closest in island has disappeared, corals continue to grow
meaning to on the outside and keep the reef at the surface.
A. identify On the inside, where the island used to be, quiet
B. adapt to water conditions and high sedimentation
C. use to advantage prevail. These conditions prevent continued
D. become established in vigorous coral growth, hence, a lagoon develops.

Question 251 3. The phrase “was heightened” in the passage is

In the previous examples, the reproductive closest in meaning to
function is delegated to the adult. Under certain A. developed
ecological conditions, however, it is apparently B. varied
advantageous for reproduction to occur in the C. continued
larval stage. Thus, even the reproductive D. increased
function typically fulfilled by the adult can
apparently be modified under certain 4. The word “prevail” in the passage is closest in
circumstances. meaning to
A. dominate
9. The word “apparently” in the passage is B. combine
closest in meaning to C. spread
A. usually D. compete
B. especially
C. seemingly Question 255
D. certainly Ladd and other geologists reported borings at
Eriwetok atoll in the Marshall Islands that
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penetrated 1,283meters of reef limestone and
then hit volcanic rock. This was the evidence
that Darwin’s theory was substantially correct.
The correctness of this theory has been
strengthened by the discovery of flat-topped
mountains or guyots that, at present, have their
tops many hundreds or thousands of meters
below the ocean surface, but have on their
surface the remains of shallow water corals.
8. The word “substantially” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. often
B. largely
C. probably
D. undoubtedly
Question 256
The extensive reefs around the Indonesian
Islands, the Philippines, New Guinea, Fiji and
most of the Caribbean Islands are there because
a suitable substrate in shallow water existed on
which they could initiate growth. In none of
these areas are large land areas subsiding, not
will these reefs ultimately become atolls.
11. The word “initiate” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. begin
B. encourage
C. establish
D. maintain
Question 257
People experimented with alternative strategies
for almost a thousand years in different
locations, and many experiments succeeded for
centuries, but eventually all except one
succumbed to environmental problems caused
by human impact or climate change.
1. The word “eventually” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. to some degree
B. unfortunately
C. in the end
D. gradually
Question 258-259
A more conservative strategy was to plant crops
only in areas with reliable springs and
groundwater tables. That was the solution
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initially adopted by the Mimbres and by people
in the phase known as Pueblo II. However, it
then became dangerously tempting to expand
agriculture during wet decades with favorable
growing conditions into marginal areas with less
reliable springs and groundwater. The
population multiplying in those marginal areas
might then find itself unable to grow crops and
might starve when the unpredictable climate
turned dry again. That fate actually befell the
Mimbres, who started by farming the floodplain
and then began to farm adjacent land above the
floodplain as their population came to exceed
the floodplain’s capacity to support it.
4. The word “initially” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. first
B. possibly
C. sometimes
D. reluctantly
5. The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. neighboring
B. higher
C. unused
D. additional
Question 260
The remaining strategy was to plant crops and
live near permanent or dependable sources of
water, but on landscape benches above the main
floodways, so as to avoid the risk of a heavy
flood washing out fields and villages, and to
practice a diverse economy, exploiting
ecologically diverse zones so that each
settlement would be self-sufficient.
9. The word “dependable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. adequate
B. familiar
C. reliable
D. plentiful
Question 261
Printing with movable type, a revolutionary
departure from the old practice of copying by
hand, was invented in the 1440s by Johannes
Gutenberg, a German goldsmith. Mass
production of identical books and pamphlets
made the world of letters more accessible to a
literate audience. Two preconditions proved
essential for the advent of printing: the
industrial production of paper and the
commercial production of manuscripts.
1. The word “advent” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. success
B. increase
C. arrival
D. practice
Question 262
Papermaking came to Europe from China via
Arab intermediaries. By the fourteenth century,
paper mills were operating in Italy, producing
paper that was much more fragile but much
cheaper than parchment or vellum, animal skins
that Europeans had previously used for writing.
2. In describing the paper produced by Italian
paper mills in the fourteenth century as
comparatively “fragile” the author means that
this paper was
A. variable in quality
B. limited in how it could be used
C. easily damaged
D. dark in color
Question 263
Movable type, however, allowed entire
manuscripts to be printed. The process involved
casting durable metal molds to represent the
letters of the alphabet. The letters were arranged
to represent the text on a page and then pressed
in ink against a sheet of paper.
7. The word “durable” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. light
B. movable
C. long lasting
D. flexible
Question 264
Printing facilitated the free expression and
exchange of ideas, and its disruptive potential
did not go unnoticed by political and church
authorities. Emperors and bishops in Germany,
the homeland of the printing industry, moved
quickly to issue censorship regulations.
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12. The word “facilitated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. introduced
B. standardized
C. made easier
D. transformed
Question 265
To understand most of the processes at work on
Earth, it is useful to envisage interactions within
the Earth system as a series of interrelated
cycles. One of these is the energy cycle, which
encompasses the great “engines”—the external
and internal energy sources—that drive the
Earth system and all its cycles.
1. The word “encompasses” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. explains
B. includes
C. combines
D. creates
Question 266
The smallest source of energy for Earth is the
kinetic (motion) energy of Earth’s rotation. The
Moon’s gravitational pull lifts a tidal bulge in the
ocean; as Earth spins on its axis, this bulge
remains essentially stationary. As Earth rotates,
the tidal bulge runs into the coastlines of
continents and islands, causing high tides. The
force of the tidal bulge “piling up” against land
masses acts as a very slow brake, actually
causing Earth’s rate of rotation to decrease
slightly. The transfer of tidal energy accounts for
approximately 3 terawatts, or 0.002 percent of
the tidal energy budget.
7. The word “stationary” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. isolated
B. visible
C. raised
D. unmoving
Question 267
Thus, if large expanses of land are converted
from forest to plowed land, or from forest to
city, the actual reflectivity of Earth’s surface, and
hence its albedo, may be altered. Any change in
albedo will, of course, have an effect on Earth’s
energy budget.
9. The word “hence” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. therefore
B. perhaps
C. sometimes
D. obviously
Question 268
The portion of incoming solar energy that is not
reflected back into space, along with tidal and
geothermal energy, is absorbed by materials at
Earth’s surface, in particular the atmosphere and
hydrosphere. This energy undergoes a series of
irreversible degradations in which it is
transferred from one reservoir to another and
converted from one form to another.
11. The word “irreversible” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. severe
B. permanent
C. complex
D. poorly understood
Question 269
In 1999 Bruce Babbitt, then the United States
interior secretary, said, “Of the 75,000 large
dams in the United States, most were built a
long time ago and are now obsolete, expensive,
and unsafe. They were built with no
consideration of the environmental costs. As
operating licenses come up for renewal, dam
removal and habitat restoration to original
stream flows will be among the options
considered.”
3. The word “obsolete” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. unpopular
B. inefficient
C. out of date
D. unnecessary
Question 270
Where 50-kilogram king salmon once fought
their way up waterfalls to lay their eggs in gravel addition to sweeper tentacles and stinging
beds, there now are only concrete walls holding
back still water and deep beds of muddy
deposits. Removing the mud, uncovering gravel
beds where fish spawn, and finding suitable
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salmon types to rebuild the population is a
daunting task.
7. The word “suitable” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. new
B. healthy
C. appropriate
D. similar
Question 271
Environmental groups, encouraged by these
examples, have begun to talk about much more
ambitious projects. Four giant dams on the
Snake River in Washington State, for example,
might be removed to restore salmon and
steelhead fish runs to the headwaters of the
Columbia River.
9. The word “ambitious” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. impressive but difficult to achieve
B. dangerous and require considerable planning
C. complex and unlikely to be completed
D. greatly needed
Question 272
How does one weigh the many different
economic, cultural, and aesthetic considerations
for removing or not removing these dams? Do
certain interests, such as the rights of native
people or the continued existence of native
species of fish or wildlife, take precedence over
economic factors, or should this be a utilitarian
calculation of the greatest good for the greatest
number?
11. The phrase “take precedence over” in the
passage is closest in meaning to
A. affect
B. have greater importance than
C. get included among
D. minimize
Question 273
The faster-growing form repairs the damage and
continues to overgrow its competitor. In
filaments, corals have several other mechanisms
available for attack or defense.
3. The word “mechanisms” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. adaptations
B. weapons
C. parts
D. means
Question 274
Massive corals are generally more shade tolerant
and able to survive at greater depths. Therefore,
on many reefs it is the fast-growing, branching
corals that ultimately dominate at the upper,
shallower portion of the reef, whereas more
massive forms dominate in deeper areas.
4. The word “ultimately” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. naturally
B. eventually
C. quickly
D. clearly
Question 275
Survival of coral in shallow water, therefore, may
depend on grazing by plant-eating echinoderms
(starfish and sea urchins) and fishes. In Jamaica,
overfishing removed most of the plant-eating
fish from coral reefs. Initially, algal growth was
kept in check by grazing sea urchins, but in
1982, a pathogen reduced the population by 99
percent. Without grazers, the algae were able to
completely overgrow the coral.
5. The phrase “kept in check” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. limited
B. prevented
C. allowed
D. stimulated
Question 276
Although less studied than on rocky shores,
predation almost certainly has a significant
influence on the community structure of coral
reefs. Fish and other predators may
preferentially prey on such competitors of corals
as sponges and gorgonians, giving competitively
inferior reef corals an advantage in securing
space. Many species of fish, mollusks, and
crustaceans also feed directly on coral polyps.
10. The word “securing” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
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A. looking for
B. getting
C. maximizing
D. sharing
Question 277
On the whole, social animals carry more
parasites and species-specific diseases than do
solitary animals. Parasites and diseases diminish
the strength and limit the growth of animals,
and among highly social creatures, epidemics
can devastate whole populations.
4. The word “devastate” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. alter
B. spread to
C. destroy
D. involve
Question 278-279
To capture wildebeest some members of a group
of lions follow their prey and herd them toward
others lying in ambush. In other species,
individuals forage or hunt simultaneously and
share the food. Vampire bats that have had a bad
day, for instance, are fed by more successful
members of the community, but they are
expected to return the favor in the future.
Cooperation can even involve sharing
information about the location of food. Some
colonial birds, such as bank swallows, use the
departure direction of a successful forager (food
hunter) to locate concentrations of prey.
Information transfer can be unintentional
though some species make use of special
assembly calls or behavior.
6. The word “simultaneously” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. at the same time
B. in the same way
C. for the same reason
D. on the same scale
7. The word “unintentional” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unsuccessful
B. unplanned
C. inaccurate
D. impractical
Question 280
A herd of gazelles (small antelope) is far more
likely to spot a lurking lion or a concealed
cheetah than is a lone individual, and at a
greater distance. In fact, a group enters into a
kind of time-sharing arrangement in which
individual antelope alternate biting off a
mouthful of grass with a period of erect and
watchful chewing. A larger group can afford
more bites per individual per minute, there
being more eyes to scan for danger.
10. The word “alternate” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. make a habit of
B. have conflicts over
C. show a preference for
D. take turns at
Question 281-282
Archaeology has its own fashions too: the
isolation of new sites may be the prime goal in
one decade and the excavation of pyramids the
focus in the next. In a third decade, outlying
structures rather than principal buildings may
absorb archaeologists’ energies. Nor should one
forget that excavators are vulnerable to local
interests. … Also, modern construction often
determines which ancient sites can be excavated.
In Mexico City, for example, the building of the
subway initiated the excavations there and
renewed interest in the old Aztec capital.
4. The word “outlying” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. ceremonial
B. temporary
C. far from the center
D. simple
6. The word “initiated” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. destroyed
B. interfered with
C. occurred at the same time as
D. started
Question 283-284
But the study of Mesoamerican art is not based
exclusively on archaeology. Much useful
information about the native populations was
written down in the sixteenth century,
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particularly in central Mexico, and it can help us
unravel the pre-Columbian past (the time prior
to the arrival of Columbus in the Americas in
1492). Although many sources exist, the single
most important one to the art historian is
Bernardino de Sahagún’s General History of the
Things of New Spain. A Franciscan friar
(member of the Roman Catholic religious
order), Sahagún recorded for posterity many
aspects of pre-Hispanic life in his encyclopedia
of twelve books, including history, ideology, and
cosmogony (theories of the origin of the
universe), as well as detailed information on the
materials and methods of the skilled native craft
workers.
7. The word “exclusively” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. exactly
B. solely
C. traditionally
D. primarily
9. The word “posterity” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. the religious leadership
B. publication
C. the native people
D. future generations
Question 285-287
Climate is most influential in determining the
nature and intensity of weathering and the type
of vegetation that further affects soil formation.
The soil material experiences daily and seasonal
variations in heating and cooling. Open surfaces
exposed to thermal radiation undergo the
greatest daily fluctuations in heating and
cooling, soils covered with vegetation the least.
Hill slopes facing the sun absorb more heat than
those facing away from the sun. Radiant energy
has a pronounced effect on the moisture regime,
especially the evaporative process and dryness.
Temperature can stimulate or inhibit
biogeochemical reactions in soil material.
3. The word “further” in the passage is closest in
meaning to as a
A. result
B. additionally
C. potentially
D. eventually

4. The word “fluctuations” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. extremes
B. increases
C. variations
D. effects
5. The word “inhibit” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. initiate
B. remove
C. slow down
D. damage
Question 288
Certain acid soils in humid regions develop in
2,000 years because the leaching process is
speeded by acidic materials. Parent materials
heavy in texture require a much longer time to
develop into soils because of an impeded
downward flow of water. Soils develop more
slowly in dry regions than in humid ones. Soils
on steep slopes often remain poorly developed
regardless of geological age because rapid
erosion removes soil nearly as fast as it is
formed.
9. The word “impeded” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. excessive
B. restricted
C. diverted
D. uneven
Question 289
The great concentration of wealth and resources
in the river valleys brought with it further
technological advances, such as wheeled
vehicles, multicolored pottery and the pottery
wheel, and the weaving of wool garments.
Advances in metal technology just before 2000
B.C.E. resulted in the creation of bronze, a
durable alloy (or mixture) of about 90 percent
copper and 10 percent tin that provided a sharp
cutting edge for weapons.
5. The word “durable” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. existing for a long time without significant
damage
B. difficult to produce
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C. recently discovered
D. extremely useful
Question 290
The totality of these developments resulted in
the appearance, around 3000 B.C.E., of a new
form of culture called civilization. The first
civilizations had several defining characteristics.
They had economies based on agriculture. They
had cities that functioned as administrative
centers and usually had large populations. They
had different social classes, such as free persons
and slaves.
8. The word “defining” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. important
B. obvious
C. identifying
D. interesting
Question 291
Bronze was a valuable commodity in these
civilizations, the copper and tin needed for its
manufacture did not exist in river valleys and
had to be imported. Bronze was therefore used
mainly for luxury items, such as jewelry or
weapons, not for everyday domestic items,
which were made from pottery, animal products,
wood, and stone. In particular, bronze was not
used for farming tools.
10. The word “domestic” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. practical
B. household
C. standard
D. necessary
Question 292
However, there are no signs of hearths before
about 200,000 years ago. This suggests that
humans used fire opportunistically and had not
yet domesticated it enough to survive the harsh
winters of Ice Age Inner Eurasia.
30. The word “harsh” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. severe
B. lengthy
C. exceptional
D. dark

Question 293
However, hunting is a more difficult, dangerous,
and unreliable way of life than gathering.
Animals, unlike plants, can evade predators and
may even fight back. Hunters must also cover
more ground than gatherers.
31. The word “evade” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. escape
B. trick
C. capture
D. threaten
Question 294
Thus, hunters have to plan in advance and in
great detail. They need reliable information
about the movements and habits of animal prey
over large areas, which can be secured only by
maintaining regular contacts with neighboring
groups. Such planning appears in the choice of
hunting gear, in the selection of routes and prey,
in the choice of companions and timing, in the
maintenance of communications with neighbors,
and in the methods of storage. Failure at any
point can be fatal for the entire group.
35. The word “habits” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. likes and dislikes
B. biological instincts
C. usual behaviors
D. home environments
Question 295
Internally, groups may split for long periods as
hunting parties travel over great distances. All in
all, each group has to exist and survive in several
distinct configurations.
39. The word “configurations” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. environments
B. arrangements
C. situations
D. conditions
Question 296
For those ancient civilizations that used writing
—for instance, all the great civilizations in
Mesoamerica, China, Egypt, and the Near East—
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written historical records can answer many
social questions. A prime goal of the
archaeologist studying these societies is
therefore to find appropriate texts.
1. The word “appropriate” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. ancient
B. suitable
C. new
D. complete
Question 297-298
In each early literate society, writing had its own
function and purpose. For instance, the clay
tablets of Mycenaean Greece, dating from
around 1200 B.C., were all, without exception,
primarily records of commercial transactions
(goods coming in or going out) at the
Mycenaean palaces. This discovery gives us an
impression of many aspects of the Mycenaean
economy and a glimpse into craft organization
(through the names for the different kinds of
craftspeople), as well as introducing the names
of the offices of state. But here, as in other cases,
accidents of preservation may be important. It
could be that the Mycenaeans wrote on clay only
for their commercial records and used other
perishable materials for literary or historical
texts now lost to us. It is certainly true that for
the Classical Greek and Roman civilizations, it is
mainly official decrees inscribed on marble that
have survived.
4. The phrase “a glimpse into” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. new evidence of
B. surprising information about
C. a brief view of
D. a complete picture of
5. The word “perishable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to likely to
A. decay
B. difficult to repair
C. valuable
D. hard to find
Question 299
In recent years, one of the most significant
advances in Mesoamerican archaeology has
come from deciphering many of the inscribed
symbols (glyphs) on the stone stelae (pillars or
columns) at the largest centers. It had been
widely assumed that the inscriptions were
exclusively of a calendrical nature or that they
dealt with purely religious matters, notably the
deeds of the gods. But the inscriptions can now
in many cases be interpreted as relating to real
historical events, mainly the deeds of the Maya
kings.
36. The word “notably” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. particularly
B. probably
C. usually
D. understandably
Question 300
The temperature rise is probably necessary to
generate the increased biochemical reaction
rates that are needed for sustained activity. In
contrast, some intertidal animals are not true
Poikilotherms, they maintain themselves at
lower-than-ambient body temperature, using
both evaporation and circulation of body fluids
to avoid being heated at low tide by the Sun.
29. The word “sustained” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. intense
B. necessary
C. continued
D. physical
Question 301
Because animals have a circulatory system, heat
loss from the body surface also occurs as warm
interior blood is transferred and moves into
contact with the periphery of the body. Their
bodies also radiate heat, usually in the infrared
part of the spectrum. Finally, as animals exhale,
the resulting evaporation of water involves a
considerable loss of heat.
32. The word “considerable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. gradual
B. unusual
C. temporary
D. significant
Question 302
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The first line of defense against heat loss is a
well-insulated body surface. Marine birds deal
with this problem by means of specially adapted
feathers. A series of interlocking contour
feathers encloses a thick layer of down feathers
that traps stationary air, which in turn acts as an
insulating layer. Whales, porpoises, and seals are
insulated against the lower sea temperatures by
a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
34. The word “stationary” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. warm
B. surface
C. nonmoving
D. nearby
Question 303
This spatial relationship of circulatory vessels
minimizes heat loss to the flipper and thence to
the water. Although the anatomical details are
quite different, fishes such as skipjack tuna have
a circulatory anatomy based on the same overall
design. Arteries and veins in the near-surface
musculature are in contact, and in arteries and
veins, respectively, blood flows in opposite
directions.
38. The word “overall” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. simple
B. effective
C. well-planned
D. general
Question 304-305
The trend toward more sedentary settlement,
the cemeteries, and the occasional social
differentiation revealed by elaborate burials are
all reflections of an intensified use of resources
among these relatively affluent hunter-gatherers
of 3000 B.C. Mesolithic societies intensified the
food quest by exploiting many more species,
making productive use of migratory waterfowl
and their breeding grounds, and collecting
shellfish in enormous numbers. … These
phenomena may, in part, be a reflection of rising
sea levels throughout the Mesolithic that
flooded many cherished territories. There are
signs, too, of regional variations in artifact forms
and styles, indicative of culture differences
between people living in well-delineated
territories and competing for resources.
46. The word “exploiting” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. calling attention to
B. focusing on
C. taking advantage of
D. searching for
47. The word “indicative of ” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. suggesting
B. leading to
C. resulting from
D. decreasing
Question 306
Mesolithic cultures are much less well-defined
elsewhere in Europe, partly because the climatic
changes were less extreme than in southern
Scandinavia and because there were fewer
opportunities for coastal adaptation. In much of
central Europe, settlement was confined to
lakeside and riverside locations, widely
separated from one another by dense forests.
50. The word “confined” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. adapted to
B. limited to
C. expanded to
D. located next to
Question 307-308
In addition, there has been much study of
modern plant morphology (structure) and
genetics in order to determine which living
species might be most closely related to the
ancient ancestors of angiosperms. Despite
intensive efforts for over 200 years, scientists
have still not reached consensus on which type
of plant was the ancestor to the angiosperms,
and when and where the angiosperms first
evolved. Indeed, Charles Darwin himself called
the origin of the flowering plants an
“abominable mystery.”
43. The word “intensive” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. periodic
B. various
C. strong
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D. promising
44. The phrase “not reached consensus on” in
the passage is closest in meaning to
A. not formulated a theory about
B. not agreed on
C. not been able to explain
D. not found evidence for
Question 309
Some paleontologists have suggested that the
common ancestor may have been a type of cycad
(palm-like tropical plants). Other
paleontologists maintain that the angiosperms
may have evolved from seed-bearing ferns.
46. The word “maintain” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. reply
B. assume
C. suspect
D. claim
Question 310
Recently discovered fossils complicate our
understanding of the origin of the angiosperms
even further. Paleontologists from China have
found beautifully preserved fossils of an
angiosperm plant, including flowers and seeds,
in Jurassic period deposits from China. The site,
which is about 130 million years old, is near
modern Beijing.
53. In describing Jurassic-age fossils found in
China as “beautifully preserved” the author
means that these fossils
A. seem much younger than they actually are
B. were found as a result of unusually good luck
C. have suffered little damage over time
D. were comparatively easy to dig up
Question 311
In open grasslands there is no place for a large
animal to hide. Thus a watchful grazing animal
will see the slight movement that betrays the
presence of a predator long before it is close
enough to launch an attack. It sounds as though
the hunters (predators) stand no chance at all.
Unfortunately for the grazers, life is not so
simple, however.
43. The word “slight” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. hidden Question 315
B. slow An animal swimming on the surface of the water
C. distant uses extra energy in order to overcome drag.
D. small Thus, for our purposes, efficient “swimming”
means underwater locomotion by animals with
Question 312 streamlined bodies, not the exhausting,
The grazers exploit this weakness by making it inefficient locomotion of humans in swimming
as difficult as they can for the predators to pools.
choose an individual as a target. They do not
graze alone, scattered widely across the 6. The word “exhausting” in the passage is
landscape, but together, as a herd. closest in meaning to
A. enjoyable
49. The word “exploit” in the passage is closest B. corresponding
in meaning to C. extremely tiring
A. react to D. very complicated
B. spread out
C. cover up Question 316
D. take advantage of Flying animals move through air that is less
dense and less viscous than water, so why does
Question 313 flying cost more than swimming? First, most
There is no way for a hunter to approach a herd flying animals move much faster than a
unobserved. When a member of the herd spots swimmer in order to produce enough lift (the
trouble, it starts to move away. Other members upward force necessary to overcome gravity).
of the herd move with it and the entire herd This higher speed increases the drag that a flyer
starts to move. If the trouble is serious and must overcome. Furthermore, a flyer has an
close, the herd will run. The individual raising extra source of drag that a swimmer does not
the alarm is simply protecting itself, but in doing have: the extra drag that comes from lift
so it is warming all of the others. production. In a way, the extra drag represents
the cost of supporting the flyer’s weight in air.
50. The word “approach” in the passage is
closest in meaning to 7. The word “Furthermore” in the passage is
A. come nearer to closest in meaning to
B. drive apart A. Unfortunately
C. attack B. In addition
D. pursue C. However
D. Consequently
Question 314
Herding is highly successful, provided members Question 317
of the herd stay together in a tight bunch. The In swimming and flying, animals accelerate and
hunter moves with the herd, watching for an decelerate relatively little over the course of a
individual to wander away from the others. tail stroke or a wingbeat, so less energy is
When that happens, it tries to move between consumed by this process. As an analogy,
that individual and the rest of the herd, consider riding a bicycle.
preventing it from rejoining.
10. The word “consumed” in the passage is
52. The word “provided” in the passage is closest in meaning to
closest in meaning to A. saved
A. if B. depended on
B. because C. transferred
C. unless D. used up
D. therefore
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Question 318
Scientists have attempted to explain how living
things that are not native to the Hawaiian
Islands were able to reach the islands from
distant places. The way in which birds reached
the Hawaiian Islands is obvious enough.
15. The word “obvious” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. unusual
B. natural
C. clear
D. simple
Question 319
Metrosideros shows great variability in its
appearance in different environments, from a
large tree in the wet rain forest, to a shrub on
windswept ridges, to as little as 15 centimeters
high in peatlands, and it is therefore the
dominant tree of the Hawaiian forest. The
different forms are not distinct species, and
intermediates are found where two different
types are adjacent to one another.
20. The phrase “adjacent to” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. next to
B. mixed with
C. competing with
D. related to
Question 320-321
Dispersed by sea accounts for only about 5
percent of the nonendemic Hawaiian seed
plants. As well as the widespread coconut, the
islands also contain Scaevola toccata, this shrub
has white, buoyant fruits and forms dense
hedges along the edge of the beach. Another
seaborne migrant is Erythrina, most species of
this plant have buoyant, beanlike seeds.
22. The word “widespread” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. impressive
B. common
C. adaptable
D. hardy
23. The word “dense” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. long
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B. tall
C. beautiful
D. thick
Question 322
The first major modern art movement in Latin
America was Mexican muralism, which featured
large- scale murals painted on the wall surfaces
of public buildings. One of the most persistent
strands in Latin American art in the last 80 years
has been an engagement with political and social
issues, including the struggle for social justice.
This in turn has been accompanied by a desire
for authentic forms of self- expression and
freedom from cultural dependency.
29. The word “persistent” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. important
B. fascinating
C. lasting
D. powerful
Question 323-324
The muralist movement was not a unified force,
however. The painters who were its leaders took
different directions and did not always see eye to
eye. Diego Rivera (1886-1957) sought to
promote a pluralistic vision of Mexican society
by drawing on the rich heritage of the pre-
Columbian past (before Christopher Columbus
arrived in the Americas in 1492) and
contemporary popular culture, and he
investigated pre- Columbian styles and
techniques in an effort to create an aesthetic
language that was new and Mexican. … He
offers no comforting narratives and his
expressive, aggressive technique serves as a
metaphor of Mexico’s harsh, contradictory
reality. David Alfaro Siqueiros (1898-1976) was
the most politically active of the three and was
an internationalist both ideologically and
artistically.
34. The word “promote” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. express
B. create
C. emphasize
D. encourage
35. The word “contradictory” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. discouraging
B. conflicting
C. unchanging
D. unusual
Question 325
The Mexican muralist movement is undoubtedly
one of the most important manifestations of
twentieth-century Mexican culture. Its impact
elsewhere in the region, as well as in the United
States and Europe, has been enormous.
39. The word “manifestations” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. expressions
B. modifications
C. contributions
D. components
Question 326
The emergence of plant and animal
domestication represented a monumental
change in the ways that humans interacted with
Earth’s resources: the rate at which Earth’s
surface was modified and the rates of human
population growth. The development of
agriculture was accompanied by fundamental
changes in the organization on human society:
disparities in wealth, hierarchies of power, and
urbanization.
1. The word “monumental” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. innovative
B. surprising
C. complex
D. enormous
Question 327
Phrases like “plant and animal domestication”
and “the invention of agriculture” create the
impression that humans made the transition to
cultivating plants and tending animals rather
abruptly, maybe with a flash of insight. Most
scholars don’t think so. It seems more likely that
humans used and manipulated wild plants and
animals for many hundreds of thousands of
years.
3. The word “manipulated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
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A. observed
B. consumed
C. skillfully used
D. protected
Question 328
Many of the known locations of agricultural
innovation lie near early trade centers. People in
such places would have had at least two reasons
to pursue cultivation and animal raising; they
would have had access to new information,
plants, and animals brought in by traders, and
they would have had a need for something to
trade with the people passing through.
8. The word “pursue” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. practice
B. encourage
C. prefer
D. combine
Question 329
As more labor was needed to supply the trade,
humans produced more children. As populations
expanded, more resources were put into
producing food for subsistence and for trade.
Gradually, hunting and gathering technology
was abandoned as populations, with their
demands for space, destroyed natural habitats.
11. The word “subsistence” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. profit
B. surplus
C. enjoyment
D. survival
Question 330
The creosote bush of United States deserts self-
prunes, or removes parts of itself, in the face of
extreme heat or drought, starting from the
highest and most exposed twigs and working
downward to bigger and bigger branches; it’s a
desperate act because if the creosote bush loses
too much wood, it dies.
28. The word “exposed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. distant
B. unprotected
C. easily replaced
D. unproductive
Question 331
Some willows have a brittle zone at the base of
small branches that encourages breaking in the
wind, seemingly for propagation. Other cases of
“natural pruning” are more startling: elm trees,
and to a certain extent others, such as oaks, have
a reputation for dropping large branches (up to
half a meter in diameter) with no warning on
calm, hot afternoons.
30. The phrase “with no warning” in the passage
is closest in meaning to
A. without any benefit
B. without any stress
C. without any indication beforehand
D. without any damage
Question 332
Another way of reducing potential congestion is
to make some branches smaller than others.
Branches in the shade grow smaller than those
in the sun. But trees can also regulate branch
length from within. In many trees there is a clear
distinction between long and short branches or
shoots. The long shoots build the framework of
the tree, making it bigger.
34. The word “congestion” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. loss
B. damage
C. overcrowding
D. stress
Question 333
In the third and the second millennia B.C. long-
distance trade supposedly had the character of
an expedition. By the start of the last
millennium B.C., however, a new approach to
engaging in such trade emerged. Based on the
principle of colonization, it was pioneered by the
Phoenicians and Greeks, who established
colonies along the Mediterranean Sea. The new
approach to long-distance trade, known as the
commercial revolution, led to changes in a
number of political and economic patterns.
1. The word “pioneered” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. adopted
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B. described
C. demonstrated
D. introduced
Question 334-335
For the first time, the planting of colonies in
distant lands became possible. The Phoenician
settlements in the central and western
Mediterranean, such as Carthage, and the
slightly later establishment of Greek colonies are
early examples, while the settlement of south
Arabians in Eritrea around the middle of the last
millennium marks the subsequent spread of this
sort of commercial consequence to the Horn of
Africa. In the third or second millennia B. C., a
state such as Egypt might colonize areas outside
its heartland, such as Nubia. But this
colonization comprised military outposts and
ethnic settlements that were planted to hold the
contiguous territories of a land empire, not
distant localities far separated from the home
country.
3. The word “subsequent” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. initial
B. anticipated
C. later
D. increasing
5. The word “comprised” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. resulted in
B. focused on
C. was inspired by
D. consisted of
Question 336-337
Instead, their policies shifted toward controlling
geographical accessibility to the products of
commerce and to ensuring security and other
conditions that attracted and enhanced the
movement of goods. No longer could kings rely
on agriculturally supported and religiously based
claims to an ability to protect their lands and
people; now they also had to overtly support the
material prosperity of their people compared to
other societies. And rather than exerting a
monopoly over prestige commodities, as had
Egyptian kings of the third and second
millennia, and redistributing such commodities
in ways designed to reinforce the allegiance of
their subjects and enhance the awesomeness of
their position, rulers turned to the taxation of
trade and to the creation and control of currency,
more and more relying on duties and other
revenues to support the apparatus of the state.
7. The word “enhanced” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. improved
B. influenced
C. protected
D. necessitated
8. The word “reinforce” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. demand
B. strengthen
C. earn
D. repay
Question 338
The Scientific Revolution represents a turning
point in world history. By 1700 European
scientists had overthrown the science and
worldviews of the ancient philosophers:
Aristotle and Ptolemy. Europeans in 1700 lived
in a vastly different intellectual world than that
experienced by their predecessors in, say, 1500.
The role and power of science, as a way of
knowing about the world and as an agency with
the potential of changing the world, likewise
underwent profound restricting as part of the
Scientific Revolution.
15. The word “profound” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. frequent
B. intense
C. challenging
D. careful
Question 339-340
In the late 1430s, Johannes Gutenberg,
apparently independently of the development of
woodblock printing in Asia, invented printing
with movable type, and the spread of this
powerful new technology after 1450 likewise
altered the cultural landscape of early modern
Europe. The new medium created a revolution
in communications that increased the amount
and accuracy of information available and made
copying of books by scribes obsolete. Producing
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some 13,000 works by 1500, printing presses
spread rapidly throughout Europe and helped to
break down the monopoly of learning in
universities and to create a new group of
nonreligious intellectuals. … Whereas
Europeans first learned of ancient Greek science
largely through translations from the Arabic in
the twelfth century, in the later fifteenth century
scholars brought forth new editions from Greek
originals and uncovered influential new sources,
notably the Greek mathematician Archimedes.
Similarly, printing disseminated previously
obscure handbooks of technical and magical
secrets that proved influential in the developing
Scientific Revolution.
19. The word “obsolete” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. costly
B. less frequent
C. unappealing
D. out of date
20. The word “obscure” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. little known
B. expensive
C. forbidden
D. celebrated
Question 341
Particularly in Italy, the revival of cultural life
and the arts in the late fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries commonly known as the Renaissance
must also be considered as an urban and
comparatively secular phenomenon, aligned
with courts and courtly patronage but not with
the universities, which were religiously base.
One associates the great flourish of artistic
activity of the Renaissance with such talents as
Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and
Michelangelo.
24. The word “associates” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. compares
B. appreciates
C. connects
D. presents
Question 342
By the 1750s one-third of all imperial vessels
were American-owned, mostly by merchants in
the northeast and in mid-Atlantic colonies. The
swift growth of this merchant marine diversified
the northern colonial economy and made it more
self-sufficient.
3. The word “swift” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. gradual
B. fast
C. protective
D. long-term
Question 343
Furthermore, Anglo-American exporters of
tobacco and rice—the chief commodities
affected by enumeration—had their burdens
reduced by two significant concessions.
7. The word “significant” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. problematic
B. considerable
C. minor
D. temporary
Question 344
The navigation system’s impact on the colonies
encouraged economic diversification as well.
Parliament used British tax money to pay
modest incentives to Americans producing such
items as silk, iron, dyes, hemp, and lumber,
which Britain would otherwise have had to
import from other countries, and it raised the
price of commercial rivals’ imports by imposing
protective tariffs on them.
8. The word “modest” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. direct
B. relatively small
C. adequate
D. various
Question 345
Steady overseas demand for colonial products
created a prosperity that enabled colonists to
consume ever-larger amounts not only of
clothing but of dishware, home furnishings, tea,
and a range of other items both produced in
Britain and imported by British and colonial
merchants from elsewhere. Consequently, the
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share of British exports sold to the colonies
rapidly increased from just 5 percent in 1700 to
almost 40 percent by 1760.
11. The word “Consequently” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. However
B. Similarly
C. In addition
D. Therefore
Question 346
Not surprisingly, these industries were
trailblazers in developing advertising and
marketing techniques. Strategies for
encouraging consumer demand and for
differentiating one product from another were
an important component of the American post-
Civil War industrial transformation.
15. The word “component” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. theme
B. development
C. part
D. tool
Question 347-348
Through brand names, trademarks, guarantees,
and slogans, manufacturers built demand for
their products and won remarkable consumer
loyalty. Americans in large numbers bought a
brand of soap first made in 1897 in Cincinnati,
Ohio, because of the absurd overly precise but
impressive pledge that it was “99 and 44/100th
percent pure.” … In marketing a new
technology, Eastman had revolutionized an
industry and democratized a visual medium
previously confined to a few.
19. The word “remarkable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. immediate
B. extraordinary
C. apparent
D. steady
21. The phrase “confined to” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. available to
B. known to
C. limited to
D. attractive to
Question 349
The cost was high, too, for millions of American
workers, immigrant and native born alike. The
new industrial order was built on the backs of an
army of laborers who were paid subsistence
wages and who could be fired on a moment’s
notice when hard times or new technologies
made them expendable. Moreover,
industrialization often devastated the
environment with pollution in the relentless
drive for efficiency and profit.
24. The word “relentless” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. competitive
B. unceasing
C. reckless
D. passionate
Question 350
Forests yielded an abundance of wood for
buildings, for boats, and for sculpture. Beyond
them the Rocky Mountains were an
impenetrable barrier against raids. The area
appears to have been settled around 500 A.D. by
tribes of diverse origins speaking mutually
unintelligible languages: from north to south
they include the Tlingit, the Haida, the
Tsimshian, the Bella Coola, the Kwakiutl, and
the Nootka. The culture to which they
contributed has, nevertheless, an underlying
homogeneity and a distinct visual character.
30. When the author states that the tribes speak
“mutually unintelligible” languages, this means
that the tribes
A. speak languages of similar difficulty
B. cannot understand each other’s languages
C. cannot understand the languages of tribes in
neighboring areas
D. understand the languages of tribes of similar
origin
Question 351
The peoples of the Northwest engaged in trade
as well as warfare with one another, and this
may account for the diffusion of cultural traits
and artistic motifs throughout the area. Much of
their art was concerned with religious ritual
objects. But the rest is secular and springs from
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a preoccupation with the hereditary basis of
their complex social structures.
31. The word “diffusion” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. development
B. variety
C. similarity
D. spread
Question 352-353
The Tlingit and other nations or language
groups were collections of autonomous village
communities composed of one or more families,
each with its own chief, who inherited his
position through matrilineal descent. They had
no centralized political or religious organization,
but cohesion was given by extensive kinship
networks established through marriage, and
men and women were obliged to many outside
the larger divisions of clans and moieties (tribal
subdivisions) into which they were born and
into which the social group was divided by
matrilineal or patrilineal descent. Thus families
built up riches by marriage without any one
family acquiring a dominant position
33. The word “autonomous” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. small
B. well organized
C. independent
D. wealthy
34. The word “obliged” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. required
B. allowed
C. forbidden
D. advised
Question 354
Japanese construction techniques and
architectural styles changed in the eighth
century C.E. from more traditional Japanese
models to imported continental (especially
Chinese) models. Several factors contributed to
this, in particular with respect to the creation of
two new capital cities. In essence, changes then
occurring in Japanese political life were
rendering past arrangements for the rulers’
headquarters obsolete, and continental models
offered an alternative.
1. The phrase “In essence” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. Actually
B. Basically
C. However
D. Moreover
Question 355
These arrangements had the effect of
encouraging frequent changes in royal residence
as children matured and marriage alliances
changed. The customs of multiple palaces and a
moveable court were feasible as long as a ruling
group was modest in size and its architectural
practices relatively simple.
3. The word “feasible” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. practical
B. customary
C. acceptable
D. supported
Question 356
As rulers of the sixth and seventh centuries
expanded their realm, however, they acquired
more and more underlings, administrative
paraphernalia, weaponry, and tribute goods, and
they needed more and more buildings to house
them. As the scale of government grew,
moreover, it became more important to have
these people and resources close at hand where
they could be more easily controlled and
utilized.
6. The word “scale” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. importance
B. duties
C. needs
D. size
Question 357
A solution to the problem was advocated by
experts from the continent. This was the use of
continental principles of urban design and
techniques of construction. These produced
geometrically laid out capital cities whose major
gates and buildings employed stone foundations,
mortise-and-tenon framing (a technique for
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attaching timbers), and tile roofs that largely
eliminated the problem of rot and the
consequent need for replacement.
8. The word “advocated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. discovered
B. solved
C. promoted
D. questioned
Question 358
Continental regimes, the glorious new Chinese
dynasties most notably, had them: they
constituted an expression of political triumph, a
legitimizing symbol of the first order. Moreover,
the architecture was an integral part of
Buddhism, and acceptance of this religion in
Japan at this time fostered adoption of its
building style.
11. The word “fostered” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. quickened
B. initiated
C. determined
D. encouraged
Question 359
This material formed a vast cloud of dust and
gases called a nebula. The nebular hypothesis
suggests that all bodes of the solar system
formed from an enormous nebular cloud
consisting mostly of hydrogen and helium as
well as a small percent of all the other heavier
elements known to exist. The heavier substances
in this frigid cloud of dust and gases consisted
mostly of such elements as silicon, aluminum,
iron, and calcium—the substances of today’s
common rocky materials.
16. The word “frigid” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. moving
B. giant
C. original
D. cold
Question 360
By this time the once vast cloud had assumed a
flat disk shape with a large concentration of
material at its center, called the protosun (pre-
Sun). Astronomers are fairly confident that the
nebular cloud formed a disk because similar
structures have been detected around other
stars.
19. The word “detected” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. formed
B. predicted
C. discovered
D. recorded
Question 361-362
At the same time that the inner planets were
forming, the larger, outer planets (Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), along with their
extensive satellite systems, were also
developing. Because of low temperatures far
from the Sun, the material from which these
planets formed contained a high percentage of
ices—water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and
methane—as well as rocky and metallic debris.
The accumulation of ices partly accounts for the
large sizes and low densities of the outer
planets. The two most massive planets, Jupiter
and Saturn, had surface gravities sufficient to
attract and hold large quantities of even the
lightest elements—hydrogen and helium.
25. The word “extensive” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. developing
B. large
C. complex
D. centralized
26. The phrase “accounts for” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. explains
B. creates
C. encourages
D. illustrates
Question 363
According to Taylor, these tidal forces were
generated when Earth’s gravity captured the
Moon about 100 million years ago.
4. The word “generated” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. strengthened
B. released
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C. produced
D. present
Question 364-366
However, it is Alfred Wegener, a German
meteorologist, who is generally credited with
developing the hypothesis of continental drift. In
his monumental book, The Origin of Continents
and Oceans (1915), Wegener proposed that all
landmasses were originally united into a single
supercontinent that he named “Pangaea.”
Wegener portrayed his grand concept of
continental movement in a series of maps
showing the breakup of Pangaea and the
movement of various continents to their
present-day locations. … Wegener argued that
this vast amount of evidence from a variety of
sources surely indicated the continents must
have been close together at one time in the past.
5. The word “monumental” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. final
B. persuasive
C. well-known
D. great and significant
6. The word “portrayed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. proved
B. formed
C. depicted
D. defended
7. The word “vast” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. enormous
B. significant
C. convincing
D. additional
Question 367
Furthermore, if Mesosaurus could have swum
across the ocean, its fossil remains should occur
in other localities besides Brazil and South
Africa. It is more logical to assume that
Mesosaurus lived in lakes in what are now
adjacent areas of South America and Africa but
were then united in a single continent.
11. The word “logical” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. satisfactory with population growth, a development that
B. modern would soon spread to other parts of the world.
C. reasonable
D. popular 10. The word “surpass” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
Question 368 A. exceed
After 1850, however, the expansion of foods B. influence
more regularly kept pace with population C. equal
growth, though the poorer classes remained D. differ from
malnourished.
Question 372
4. The phrase “kept pace with” in the passage is In 1890, James went on to claim that "people
closest in meaning to feel sorry because they cry, furious because they
A. exceeded strike, afraid because they shudder."
B. matched the increase in Simultaneously with James' proposition, Carl
C. increased the rate of Lange, a Danish physiologist and psychologist,
D. caused independently formulated virtually similar
theory. The James-Lange theory of emotion
Question 369 (Lange and James, 1922) suggests that different
Steam shipping, which improved speed and patterns of arousal in the autonomic nervous
capacity, as well as new procedures for canning system create the different emotions people feel,
and refrigerating foods (particularly after 1870), and that physiological arousal occurs prior to the
was fundamental to these developments. emotion is perceived.

6. The word “capacity” in the passage is closest 3. The word “formulated” in the passage is
in meaning to closest in meaning to
A. variety of goods A. published
B. distance B. developed
C. reliability C. revealed
D. available storage space D. duplicated

Question 370 Question 373-374

By 1850, over half of all the people in England
lived in cities, a first in human history. In one
sense, this pattern seems inevitable growing
numbers of people pressed available resources
on the land, even when farmwork was combined
with a bit of manufacturing, so people crowded
into cities seeking work or other resources.
8. The word “inevitable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. unexplainable
B. undesirable
C. unavoidable
D. unpredictable
Question 371
By 1900, in some parts of Western Europe life
expectancy in the cities began to surpass that of
the rural areas. Industrial societies had figured
out ways to combine large and growing cities
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In 1962, Schachter and Singer proposed a two-
factor theory. Stanley Schachter thought that the
early theories of emotion excluded a critical
component that the subjective cognitive
interpretation of why a state of arousal has
occurred. … When people are in a state of
physiological arousal but do not know why they
are aroused, they tend to label the state as an
emotion that is appropriate to their situation at
the time. There were several attempts to
replicate the findings of this theory, but they
have not been successful.
6. The word “component” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. procedure
B. explanation
C. argument
D. element
9. The word “replicate” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. interpret
B. reproduce
C. revise
D. defend
Question 375
From this appraisal, the physiological arousal
and all other aspects of the emotion arise. In
brief, Lazarus contends that emotions are roused
when cognitive appraisals of events or
circumstances are positive or negative-but not
neutral.
11. The word “contends” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. doubts
B. argues
C. proves
D. reports
Question 376-378
With regard to the view that these complex
organic compounds could have begun to shape
in Earth’s oceans, some researchers remain
skeptical. The probability that the fundamental
building blocks of life, formaldehyde (H2CO)
and hydrogen cyanide(HCN), even though they
were probably available, would have been
concentrated sufficiently to allow further
reactions to occur was likely small. And the
more complex organic compounds that might
have formed in this way would not have lasted
long in the surface-ocean environment, because
photochemical and thermal reactions would
have destroyed them. Therefore, researchers
have sought alternative explanations for how
complex organic compounds formed.
2. The word “skeptical” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. doubtful
B. confident
C. hopeful
D. puzzled
4. The word “sufficiently” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. quickly
B. repeatedly
C. initially
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D. adequately
5. The word “sought” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. accepted
B. proposed
C. challenged
D. looked for
Question 379
It is thought that some of the molecules created
in the interstellar environment have survived the
collapse of the gas and dust cloud that formed
our solar nebula and Sun. They would have been
incorporated into solid materials that condensed
out of the nebula and formed asteroids and
comets. Such materials might have been
delivered to Earth in great quantities during the
heavy bombardment period of solar system
history, between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago.
10. The phrase “been incorporated into” in the
passage is closest in meaning to
A. been attracted by
B. been changed into
C. formed around
D. become part of
Question 380
Generally, gliding is used for some animal
species as a mean of fleeing from the predators
since it enables them to move between trees
without the need to descend to the ground and
it also is an energy-efficient way to travel long
distances between scattered food resources. For
scientist, gliding animals (flying squirrels, flying
frogs, and flying lizards with wings of skin that
allow them to glide through the tropical forest)
have long been the intriguing subject of study.
1. The word “scattered” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. seasonally available
B. hard to find
C. highly varied
D. widely separated
Question 381-382
Another theory, known as broken-forest
hypothesis, speculates that animals in Southeast
Asia must risk descending to the ground or glide
to move between trees because the top layer of
the forest-the tree canopy-has fewer woody vines
connecting tree crowns in Southeast Asian
forests than in New World and African forests.
… But it is observed by ecologist working in
different regions of world that, depending on the
site conditions of soil, climate, slope elevation,
and local disturbance, there is a tremendous
local variation in tree height, canopy structure,
and abundance of vines.
6. The word “speculates” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. claims
B. puts forward as a possibility
C. recognizes
D. concludes from evidence
8. The word “tremendous” in paragraph 3 is
closest in meaning to
A. seasonal
B. unexpected
C. enormous
D. endless
Question 383
Assuming this hypothesis is true, we can predict
that group members have close genetic ties.
Otherwise, kin selection would not work. But
this prediction does hold true. A dominant,
breeding female is mother to 75 percent of all
the litters in a group, and one dominant male
fathers 75 percent of all the pups born. Even
though a typical meerkat group includes a few
immigrants, most subordinate adults are
siblings or half siblings. Therefore, it is likely
that subordinate adults share 25 or 50 percent of
their genes.
3. The word “includes” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. contains
B. attracts
C. allows
D. brings
Question 384
On account of most meerkat group members
being family, it is possible that kin selection has
favored sentinel behavior. Nonetheless, by itself,
a close inherent relationship is not enough
evidence to conclude that kin selection has
played a role. Thus, we need further evidence,
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and must improve the prediction.
5. The word “improve” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. reject
B. clarify
C. refine
D. discard
Question 385
This hypothesis produces the prediction that
there should be a regular rotation of sentry duty
within the group and that the ones who neglect
this duty should be chastised. However, this is
not observed. In fact, the group members do
take turns on sentry duty, but there is no
predetermined order for this. In addition, when
some members shorten their shift, other group
members increase their contributions to
compensate. The predictions and observations of
the reciprocal-altruism hypothesis do not
coincide with each other.
7. The phrase “In addition” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. Over time
B. Astonishingly
C. Furthermore
D. Ultimately
Question 386
Over the course of 2,000 hours of observation,
no sentinels were attacked or killed by
predators. They may actually be safer because
they are the first to sense the predator.
Moreover, they generally stand guard within 5
meters of a burrow, and are the first
underground when a predator comes close.
11. The phrase “comes close” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. approaches
B. move about
C. assaults
D. assails
Question 387-388
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
portraiture is, “a representation or delineation of
a person, especially of the face, made by life, by
drawing, painting, photography, engraving... a
likeness.” However, this simplistic definition
disregards the complexities of portraiture.
Portraits are works of art that engage with ideas
of identity as they are perceived, represented,
and understood in different times and places,
rather than simply aim to represent a likeness.
… Despite the fact that the majority of portraits
portray the subject matter in some amount of
verisimilitude, (an appearance of being true or
real), they are still the outcome of prevailing
artistic fashions and favored styles, techniques,
and media. Therefore, portrait art is a vast art
category which provides a wide range of
engagements with social, psychological, and
artistic practices and expectations.
1. The word “engage” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. construct
B. are pleased
C. are altered
D. are involved in
3. The word “prevailing” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. apparent
B. distinct
C. steady
D. current
Question 389
In Europe, during the seventeenth and
eighteenth century, the sitting time was
sometimes decreased by focusing solely on the
head and using professional drapery painters to
finish the painting.
6. In the passage, the word “solely” is closest in
meaning to
A. only
B. primarily
C. particularly
D. directly
Question 390
Michelangelo’s well known protest that he
would not paint portraits because there were not
enough ideally beautiful models is only one
example of the dismissive attitude to portraiture
that persisted among professional artist - even
those who, ironically, made their living from
portraiture. In the time of modernism, during
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the
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attitude towards portraiture was critical.
11. The word “critical” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. misunderstanding
B. fault-finding
C. ignorant
D. insignificant
Question 391
Some factors that can be considered are people’s
demand for local authority, voluntarily, to defend
themselves against outside threats or to form
religious communities. Whatever the impetus,
such formation of large villages was due to
improvements in the agricultural technologies.
4. The word “impetus” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. situation
B. purpose
C. motivation
D. outcome
Question 392
Among many improvements in agriculture, field
leveling was the most basic practice used to
optimize the land for farming. The farmers
would create flat land for farming by leveling a
field. They then would use the surfeit soil from
the field to level the slightly slanted field. As a
result, two fields of difference in altitude would
be formed.
6. The word “optimize” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. harness
B. take advantage of
C. enhance
D. make the best use of
Question 393
Rice crops require ample water for growth and it
takes much time until they are ready to be
harvested. So farmers naturally worked by places
where they had access to ample supply of water,
such as riverbanks, streams and ponds.
However, natural water supply was inefficient
for the growth of rice, especially in sweltering
summers.
9. The word “ample” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. constant
B. reliable
C. plenty
D. nearby
Question 394
In case a farmer having enough fields for crop
output required for his family, he would expand
his fields no that one had to put into farming for
his crops to grow. This was further compounded
by the scarcity of land for fanning as well as
limiting capacity for water and fertilizer
supplies, not to mention the likelihood of
antagonizing neighbors.
12. The word “antagonizing” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. altering
B. belittling
C. alienating
D. angering
Question 395-396
To support research on various types of
ecosystems, during the 1970s, The National
Science Foundation started what is known as the
Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program.
With the LTER program, scientists working at
far-away sites can share data and collaborate to
identify and understand large scale ecological
patterns. At one LTER site in the Flint Hills of
Northeastern Kansas, scientists made an
important discovery about the influence of
precipitation on plant productivity, the fuel on
which ecosystems run. It was found that
grasslands respond more strongly to pulses in
rainfall than any other ecosystem. Dramatic
bursts of plant growth and significant increases
in primary productivity result from intermittent
rainfall in grasslands. This pattern indicates that
grasslands have a high underlying growth
potential that surfaces when enough water is
suddenly available.
2. The word “collaborate” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. work together
B. make an attempt
C. compare outcomes
D. acquire evidence
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4. The word “intermittent” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. strong
B. regular
C. occasional
D. unusual
Question 397
When maintaining grasslands, fire plays an
essential role. In the summer, dry grasses and
their dead remains which have accumulated over
previous years on the upper layer of soil (known
as mulch) make a highly combustible fuel for
fires started by people or lightning. When there
is an absence of rain, dry lightning is a common
occurrence in grassland areas, as is the
accidental escape of campfires or other human-
related fires.
8. The word “essential” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. integral
B. busy
C. likely
D. known
Question 398-399
Prior to this event, the economy of the British
Isles, which was based on manufacturing, was
centered mainly on the household and on craft
skills, and where the best quality and greatest
range of goods were largely a monopoly of the
tribal aristocracies. This was the nature of the
economy which lasted in regions of Britain that
were unconquered by the Roman Empire, even
though some Roman products were utilized in
such areas. The majority of these Roman
artifacts were glass vessels, pots, as well as small
metal objects that were dispersed over a vast
region.
2. The word “lasted” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. endured
B. spread
C. was copied
D. was presented
3. The word “dispersed” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. found
B. spread
C. amassed
D. manufactured
Question 400
The control of precious metals moved to the
imperial government immediately after the
conquest, and gold and silver were also removed
from circulation when captured as booty during
the invasion. Similarly, changes in taste and the
fashions of wealth and status display were
stimulated by the arrival of new things like
Roman dress, architecture, and sculpture.
9. The word “Similarly” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. Although
B. Unavoidably
C. Shockingly
D. Likewise
Question 401
New changes in manufacturing production were
coupled with huge increase in the importation of
goods from elsewhere in the empire. These
commodities, which included Mediterranean
foodstuffs such as olive oil as well as
comparatively low-value objects such as
decorated pottery, also achieved a wide
distribution and are found in many different
types of site.
11. The word “huge” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. instant
B. vast
C. steady
D. quick
Question 402
The harmony present in any ecological system
relies on the inclusion of different types of
species, each with a specific role or set of roles.
Although to some extent all species contribute
in important ways, scientists are now learning
about the pivotal parts played by, what are being
called foundational and keystone species.
1. The word “extent” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. amount
B. explanation
C. purpose
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D. average
Question 403
Coral, which tends to grow in large colonies, is
often pointed to as an example. Eventually a
group of colonies will form a coral reef, which
can sustain a complete ecosystem around it.
3. The word “sustain” in the passage could best
be replaced by
A. endure
B. create
C. receive
D. support
Question 404
The keystone receives the smallest amount of
pressure of all the stones in the arch, but, if it is
removed, the arch will collapse. In the same way,
research is now showing, certain species within
ecosystems, although they are smaller in
numbers and biomass than most of the other
species present, act like keystones.
8. The phrase “In the same way” in the passage
could best be replaced by
A. Similarly
B. Usually
C. Conversely
D. Strongly
Question 405
But many protists (animal-like, plantlike, or
fungus-like unicellular organisms that require a
water-based environment) can detect light by
using aggregations of pigment molecules, and
they use this information to modify their
metabolic activity or motility (the ability to
move spontaneously and independently).
1. The word “aggregations” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. parts
B. reactions
C. groups
D. types
Question 406
The eyes of some Burgess organisms sat on
stalks; those of others were on or a part of the
body surface. One animal, Opabinia, had five
eyes: two lateral pairs and a single medial eye; at
least one of the lateral pairs had stalks that themselves were formed from a disk of rocky
could have been movable. material spinning around the young Sun. This
material gradually coalesced into lumps called
4. The word “lateral” in the passage indicates a planetesimals as gravity and chance smashed
location at the smaller pieces together, a chaotic and violent
A. front process that became more so as planetesimals
B. back grew in size and gravitational pull. Within each
C. top orbit, collisions between planetesimals
D. side generated immense heat and energy.

Question 407 1. The word “chaotic” in the passage is closest

The Burgess Shale fossils are extraordinarily in meaning to
important because among them are remains of A. rapid
soft-bodied creatures, many of them lacking B. disorganized
shells and other hard parts that fossilize easily. C. intense
Consequently, their preservation is little short of D. long-lasting
miraculous (as are the delicate methods used to
reconstruct three-dimensional structure from 10. The word “coalesced” in the passage is
these flattened fossils), and they are one of the closest in meaning to
few known repositories of early soft-bodied A. collided
animals. B. joined
C. changed
8. The phrase “little short of miraculous” is D. shrank
closest in meaning to
A. very highly valued Question 411
B. amazing because almost impossible Visual evidence of these processes can be seen
C. causing controversy by looking at the Moon. Because the Moon has
D. almost but not quite complete no atmosphere, its surface is not subject to
erosion, so it retains the marks of its early
Question 408 history.
Not all of the Burgess animals had eyes.
However, some did. (Gross features location, 3. The word “retains” in the passage is closest in
size, and hemispheric shape are responsible for meaning to
the designation of some structures as eyes). The A. reveals
reconstructed eyes of these Burgess animals look B. acquires
superficially like eyes of some living crustaceans, C. hides
particularly those of shrimp and crabs whose D. preserves
eyes are mounted on stalks that improve the
range of vision by raising the eyes above the Question 412
surface of the head. So we must imagine the early Earth as a mixture
of rocky materials, metals, and trapped gases,
10. The word “designation” in the passage is subject to constant bombardment by smaller
closest in meaning to planetesimals and without much of an
A. evolution atmosphere.
B. identification
C. reconstruction 5. The word “constant” in the passage is closest
D. confusion in meaning to
A. considerable
Question 409-410 B. unpredictable
In order to understand the origin of Earth's C. continual
atmosphere, we must go back to the earliest D. violent
days of the solar system, before the planets
112/132
Question 413 The preferred architectural style for these new
The lightest materials of all, including gases designs was the Beaux Arts style. In this school,
such as hydrogen and helium, bubbled through architects were trained to draw on Classical,
Earth's interior to the surface. So we can Renaissance, and Baroque styles, synthesizing
imagine the surface of the early Earth as a them in designs for new buildings for the
massive volcanic field. And we can judge pretty Industrial Age.
well what gases bubbled up to that surface by
analyzing the mixture of gases emitted by 7. The word “synthesizing” in the passage is
volcanoes. closest in meaning to
A. combining
11. The word “emitted” in the passage is closest B. simplifying
in meaning to C. using
A. released D. copying
B. consumed
C. contained Question 417
D. heated Le Corbusier's ideal city featured linear clusters
of high-density, medium-rise apartment blocks,
Question 414 elevated on stilts and segregated from industrial
The roots of modern Western urban planning districts; high-rise tower office blocks; and
and design can be traced to the Renaissance and transportation routes all separated by broad
Baroque periods (between the fifteenth and expanses of public open space.
seventeenth centuries) in Europe, when artists
and intellectuals dreamed of ideal cities, and rich 10. The word “elevated” in the passage is closest
and powerful regimes used urban design to in meaning to
produce extravagant symbolizations of wealth, A. raised
power, and destiny. Inspired by the classical art B. imagined
forms of ancient Greece and Rome, Renaissance C. separated
urban design sought to recast cities in a D. designed
deliberate attempt to show off the power and
the glory of the state and church. Question 418
It was suggested that Aegean people had visited
2. The word “regimes” in the passage is closest Iberia in southwestern Europe in search of metal
in meaning to ores and had introduced the idea of collective
A. cities burial in massive tombs, which then spread
B. builders northward to Brittany, Britain, North Germany,
C. governments and Scandinavia.
D. planners
1. The word “collective” in the passage is closest
Question 415 in meaning to
Dramatic advances in weaponry brought a surge A. above ground
of planned redevelopment that featured B. public
impressive geometric-shaped fortifications and C. elaborate
an extensive sloping, clear zone of fire. D. group

5. The phrase “a surge of ” is closest in meaning Question 419

to It is now clear that the megaliths are a western
A. a combination of and northern European invention, not an
B. an altered approach to introduced idea. Even so, they are still a subject
C. a sudden increase in of speculation and inquiry. What induced their
D. a return to builders to invest massive efforts in erecting
such monumental tombs? How was the
Question 416 necessary labor force assembled? What
113/132
underlies their striking similarities? D. temperatures

4. The word “erecting” in the passage is closest Question 423

in meaning to
A. designing
B. constructing
C. protecting
D. decorating
Question 420
Most megaliths occur in areas inhabited in the
postglacial period by Mesolithic hunter-
gatherers (~8500 B.C.— c. 4000 B.C.). Their
adoption of agriculture through contact with
Neolithic farmers, Renfrew argues, led to a
population explosion in the region and
consequent competition for farmland between
neighboring groups.
Carbon is chemically quite stable, so charred
plants (plants converted to charcoal or carbon)
and seeds preserve well. Carbonized plant
remains can be retrieved by flotation: excavated
sediments are mixed with water or some other
fluid and the charred plant fragments rise to the
surface, where they can be skimmed off and
identified.
4. The word “excavated” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. dug from the ground
B. concentrated in solid form
C. deposited
D. dried

7. The word “consequent” in the passage is Question 424

closest in meaning to When they were analyzed, it was found that one
A. intense of them was a coca leaf chewer (the earliest
B. increasing known), while other bodies showed the changes
C. resulting of the bones of the inner ear that are
D. continual characteristic of people who spend a lot of time
diving in cold water.
Question 421
The tombs belonged to the ancestors, through 9. The word “characteristic” in the passage is
whom the living society laid claim to their land. closest in meaning to
This interpretation reinforces Renfrew's view of A. expected
the megaliths as territorial markers. B. typical
C. suggestive
11. The word “reinforces” in the passage is D. destructive
closest in meaning to
A. represents Question 425
B. differs from A rapidly growing technical specialty within
C. expands on archaeology is geoarchaeology, which combines
D. supports archaeological and geological analyses. Geology
and archaeology form a natural marriage in
Question 422 many obvious ways because both disciplines are
Climates and the world’s geomorphology the concerned with the alteration of natural
shape and constituents of land surface shave landscapes.
changed greatly over the past several million
years of human history, and each archaeological 10. The word “alteration” in the passage is
analysis begins with an effort to reconstruct the closest in meaning to
physical world of the culture being analyzed. A. destruction
B. preservation
1. The word “constituents” in the passage is C. authenticity
closest in meaning to D. modification
A. components
B. locations Question 426
C. size Scientists noted that male tungara frogs calling
114/132
in a breeding pond added chucks to their calls 3. The word “scattered” in the passage is closest
when they heard the recorded calls of other in meaning to
males played back. That observation suggested A. hard to find
that it was the presence of other calling males B. seasonally available
that incited frogs to make their calls more C. widely separated
complex by adding chucks to the end of the D. highly varied
whine.
Question 430
1. The word “incited” in the passage is closest in A second theory, which we might call the
meaning to broken-forest hypothesis, speculates that the top
A. allowed layer of the forest the tree canopy has fewer
B. stimulated woody vines connecting tree crowns in
C. forced Southeast Asian forests than in New World and
D. helped African forests.

Question 427-428 6. The word “speculates” in the passage is

Predation was an astonishing 19 percent of the
frogs per night in the smallest chorus and a
substantial 1.5 percent per night even in the
largest chorus. When a male frog shifts from a
simple whine to a whine-chuck call, it increases
its chances of attracting a female, but it
simultaneously increases its risk of attracting a
predator…. However, as chorus size increases,
competition with other males also increases
while the risk of predation falls. In that
situation, the advantage of giving a complex call
apparently outweighs the risks.
closest in meaning to
A. concludes from evidence
B. recognizes
C. puts forward as a possibility
D. claims
Question 431
Yet ecologists who work in different regions of
the world observe tremendous local variation in
tree height, canopy structure, and abundance of
vines, depending on the site conditions of soil,
climate, slope elevation, and local disturbance.

9. The word “substantial” in the passage is 8. The word “tremendous” in the passage is
closest in meaning to closest in meaning to
A. average A. seasonal
B. smaller B. endless
C. considerable C. unexpected
D. surprising D. enormous

10. The word “outweighs” in the passage is Question 432

closest in meaning to
A. exceeds
B. ignores
C. minimizes
D. disguises
Question 429
Gliding has generally been viewed as either a
means of escaping predators, by allowing
animals to move between trees without
descending to the ground, or as an energetically
efficient way of traveling long distances between
scattered resources. But what is special about
Southeast Asian rain forests
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The ocean's role in global warming stems
principally from its huge capacity to absorb
carbon dioxide and to store and transport heat.
In the sea, photosynthesis by marine plants and
algae, especially phytoplankton, removes great
quantities of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere.
2. The word “principally” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. obviously
B. apparently
C. mainly
D. originally
 D. frequently
Question 433-434
Some have proposed a radical, highly Question 437
controversial, and uncertain means to counteract Species that produce their own organic carbon
global warming adding iron to the oceans to compounds are called primary producers, and
induce phytoplankton blooms. Perhaps increased they are the base of the marine food web.
phytoplankton growth would use up a Virtually all of the photosynthesis that supports
significant amount of carbon dioxide in the the rich life of oceans and lakes comes from
atmosphere, but perhaps not, and there might plants living in the upper 10 to 30 meters of
well be side effects that could be detrimental to water.
the ocean ecosystem.
3. The word “Virtually” in the passage is closest
4. The word “controversial” in the passage is in meaning to
closest in meaning to A. Apparently
A. experimental B. Usually
B. fascinating C. Nearly
C. producing disagreement D. Fortunately
D. demonstrating poor judgment
Question 438
5. The word “induce” in the passage is closest in In the open waters that cover much of the globe,
meaning to however, the primary producers of organic
A. supply nutrients to carbon are tiny, often one-celled algae (called
B. cause the formation of phytoplankton), which are suspended in the
C. expand water.
D. strengthen
5. The word “suspended” in the passage is
Question 435 closest in meaning to
The ocean is also a great reservoir and A. dissolved
transporter of heat. Heat from the ocean warms B. floating
the atmosphere and fuels tropical storms. Heat C. invisible
is transported by currents from the equator to D. released
the poles. Ocean circulation is strongly
controlled by wind and by the sea's balance of Question 439
salt and heat. Tropical lakes and oceans show pronounced
permanent stratification of their physical
9. The word “fuels” in the passage is closest in properties, with warm, well-oxygenated, and
meaning to lighted surface water giving way to frigid, dark,
A. provides energy for deep water almost devoid of oxygen. Oxygen
B. determines the route of cannot be replenished at great depths where
C. carries there are no photosynthetic organisms to
D. breaks up produce it, and the stable thermal stratification
prevents mixing and re-oxygenation by surface
Question 436 water.
When solar radiation strikes water, some is
reflected, but most penetrates the surface and is 8. The word “replenished” in the passage is
ultimately absorbed. closest in meaning to
A. absorbed
1. The word “ultimately” in the passage is B. restored
closest in meaning to C. contained
A. probably D. obtained
B. quickly
C. eventually Question 440
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The situation is somewhat different in meaning to
temperate and polar waters. Deep lakes, in A. goal
particular, undergo dramatic seasonal changes: B. weakness
they develop warm surface temperatures and a C. meaning
pronounced thermocline in summer, but freeze D. excitement
over in winter.
Question 444
10. The word “dramatic” in the passage is On any given night, each actor is trying to better
closest in meaning to his or her previous performance, and no one
A. partial knows when this collective effort will coalesce
B. complex into something sublime. The actors' constant
C. frequent striving toward self-transcendence gives the
D. striking theater a vitality that is missing from
performances fixed unalterably on videotape or
Question 441 celluloid.
Unlike video and cinema (although sometimes
employing elements of both), the theater is a 10. The word “vitality” in the passage is closest
living, real-time event, with both performers and in meaning to
audience mutually interacting, each aware of the A. style
other's immediate presence. This turns out to be B. energy
an extremely important distinction. C. purpose
D. quality
1. The word “distinction” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 445
A. idea Predictions can then be made that an earthquake
B. blend of that magnitude has a high probability of
C. definition occurrence within a specified time interval, if the
D. difference date of the last earthquake is known.

Question 442 1. The word “specified” in the passage is closest

The first of these is the rapport existing between in meaning to
actor and audience. Both are breathing the same A. probable
air; both are involved at the same time and in B. stated
the same space with the stage life depicted by C. short
the play. D. typical

4. The word “rapport” in the passage is closest Question 446

in meaning to Research leading to short-term forecasting,
A. excitement which involves a shorter time interval, has been
B. balance focused on precursors observed prior to previous
C. bond earthquakes.
D. fascination
4. The word “focused” in the passage is closest
Question 443 in meaning to
One reason for the excitement, of course, is that A. dependent
in live performance, mistakes can happen; this B. funded
possibility occasions a certain abiding tension, C. concentrated
perhaps even an edge of stage fright, which D. published
some people say creates the ultimate thrill of the
theater. Question 447
Radon gas has been observed to increase in
9. The word “thrill” in the passage is closest in wells prior to earthquakes. These increases are
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perhaps related to the release of radon gas from A. best understood
rocks during the formation of microcracks. The B. most controversial
pattern of seismic activity is also significant in C. generally accepted
the vicinity of a fault area where rupture is D. recently proposed
imminent.
Question 451
10. The word “imminent” in the passage is These ideas seemed incredible at the time, but
closest in meaning to in support of their theory Wegener and du Toit
A. frequent pointed to similarities in fauna and flora, and
B. well understood the distributions of fossils such as Glossopteris
C. known to occur provided an important piece of evidence in the
D. about to happen assembly of the Gondwana jigsaw puzzle.

Question 448 10. The word “incredible” in the passage is

However, the fault did not cooperate, and those closest in meaning to
predictions were not successful. Continued A. unfamiliar
research and study of future earthquakes will B. unsupported
certainly lead to refinement of the dilatancy C. hard to understand
model or to a replacement model with more D. impossible to believe
accurate predictive capabilities.
Question 452
12. The word “refinement” in the passage is But the Olmecs had an advanced social and
closest in meaning to economic system, with networks for commerce
A. reconsideration extending far to the west and south. The fertile
B. acceptance gulf plain probably allowed for an agricultural
C. improvement surplus, controlled by only a handful of
D. extension individuals.

Question 449 2. The word “surplus” in the passage is closest

Among the enduring legacies of the famous in meaning to
European voyages of discovery in the eighteenth A. advantage
and nineteenth centuries are a collection and B. excess quantity
scientific description of plants and animals from C. system
around the world. D. supply

1. The word “enduring” in the passage is closest Question 453

in meaning to
A. exciting
B. lasting
C. unexpected
D. well-known
Question 450
At the time the Gondwana hypothesis was
conceived, the prevailing theory of Earth saw
continents as fixed in their relative positions.
The problem of linking up the various elements
of Gondwana was solved by hypothesizing the
existence of ancient land bridges.
7. The word “prevailing” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
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The axe exhibits many qualities of the style we
now call Olmec: precious blue-green translucent
jade, worked to reveal a figure in both two and
three dimensions. More than half the axe is
devoted to the creature’s face an open, toothless
mouth, and closely set, slanting eyes which has
often been likened to the face of a howling
human infant.
8. The word “exhibits” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. displays
B. includes
C. combines
D. introduces
Question 454
It was not until 1955, after several seasons of Question 458
excavation at La Venta had produced many fine Egyptian cities and towns shared certain
jade objects and a convincing series of characteristics with other contemporary
radiocarbon dates in the first millennium B.C., societies but also displayed unique traits
that objects such as the Kunz axe were at last influenced by the culture and environment of
understood by scholars to embody the principles the Nile valley.
of the first great art style of Mesoamerica.
12. The phrase “contemporary societies” in the
9. The word “embody” in the passage is closest passage means societies that
in meaning to A. existed at the same time
A. utilize B. were located in the same region
B. reveal C. were the same size
C. incorporate D. had the same resources
D. clarify
Question 459
Question 455-456 It has long been recognized that the dinosaurs
Although the evidence for actual marketplaces is disappeared from the fossil record at the end of
less than clear for southern Mesopotamia, the the Cretaceous period (65 million years ago),
remnants of shop-lined streets indicate vigorous and as more knowledge has been gained, we
commercial activity involving large numbers of have learned that many other organisms
people. This activity in turn promoted disappeared at about the same time.
competition among city-states to obtain supplies
of exotic raw materials.
1. The word “recognized” in the passage is
5. The word “remnants” in the passage is closest closest in meaning to
in meaning to A. suspected
A. remains B. argued
B. locations C. assumed
C. number D. accepted
D. existence
Question 460
7. The word “exotic” in the passage is closest in The fern spike (sudden increase), as it is termed,
meaning to has been found also in some marine deposits
A. high-quality (such was the abundance of fern spores blown
B. popular around the world), and it occurs in exactly the
C. diverse same layer of deposit where the plankton
D. foreign disappear. We can conclude that the major
marine and terrestrial events occurred
Question 457 simultaneously.
Topography and the formation of the early state
were the major factors contributing to this 6. The word “simultaneously” in the passage is
dispersal. Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt had closest in meaning to
relatively secure and defined borders, allowing a A. rapidly
single state to dominate the area. B. repeatedly
C. at the same time
8. The word “dominate” in the passage is closest D. for different reasons
in meaning to
A. enclose Question 461
B. control Many theories have been put forward for the
C. protect extinction of the dinosaurs, but most of them
D. acquire can be dismissed. Since 1980 there have been
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more focused, but still controversy-ridden, C. ordinary
investigations. D. released

9. The word “dismissed” in the passage is Question 465

closest in meaning to More complex species, on the other hand, search
A. further explored for food away from a central nest. To ensure that
B. rejected they can work in safety, they burrow shallowly
C. completely revised through the earth or build mud-covered tunnels
D. replaced on the surface of the ground or trees and around
the food they wish to harvest.
Question 462
Iridium occurs in meteorites and volcanic 9. The word “ensure” in the passage is closest in
material, but in the latter case it is accompanied meaning to
by elevated levels of nickel and chromium. A. show
B. prove
10. The word “elevated” in the passage is closest C. suggest
in meaning to D. guarantee
A. high
B. varying Question 466
C. unusual The creation of life requires a set of chemical
D. adequate elements for making the components of cells.
Life on Earth uses about 25 of the 92 naturally
Question 463 occurring chemical elements, although just 4 of
Some species of fungi are found only in termite these elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and
mounds of a particular species; without their nitrogen make up about 96 percent of the mass
caretakers, these fungi would die. Needless to of living organisms.
say, the termites eat the fungi; neither can live
without the other. 1. The word “components” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
4. The phrase “Needless to say” in the passage A. parts
is closest in meaning to B. bodies
A. On the other hand C. combinations
B. Most importantly D. characteristics
C. Obviously
D. Besides Question 467-468
Nevertheless, every star system studied has at
Question 464 least some amount of all the elements used by
The evolutionary trend in termites is to forsake life. Moreover, when planets were small, solid
excavated nests in soil or wood, like those of objects formed in the early solar system that
most ants, for carton nests constructed inside may accumulate to become planets condense
excavations or on trees. (When referring to within a forming star system, they are inevitably
termites, carton means, broadly, nesting material made from heavy elements because the more
consisting of a mix of adhesive saliva or feces common hydrogen and helium remain gaseous.
with earth or pulp, and even sand, to create
cells, floors, walls, graceful arches, tiered roofs, 5. The word “Nevertheless” in the passage is
chimney stacks, and buttressed towers up to closest in meaning to
twenty feet high.) A. additionally
B. however
6. The word “adhesive” in the passage is closest C. in particular
in meaning to D. on the contrary
A. sticky
B. wet 6. The word “inevitably” in the passage is
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closest in meaning to Railroads also attracted market gardeners who
A. typically now could grow and ship fruits and vegetables
B. unsurprisingly to the expanding and newly accessible markets
C. necessarily of these cities.
D. naturally
3. The word “accessible” in the passage is
Question 469 closest in meaning to
Studies of meteorites and comets suggest that A. profitable
organic molecules are widespread among both B. competitive
asteroids and comets. C. created
D. reachable
10. The phrase “widespread among” is closest in
meaning to Question 473
A. frequently present in Among Ottoman consumers, increasingly
B. widely separated in frequent changes in taste, along with the rising
C. a significant part of availability of cheap imported goods, stimulated
D. found throughout the bodies of a rising consumption of goods.

Question 470 7. The word “stimulated” in the passage is

However, these molecules tend to be destroyed closest in meaning to
by solar radiation on surfaces unprotected by A. encouraged
atmospheres. Moreover, while these molecules B. followed
might stay intact beneath the surface (as they C. suggested
evidently do on asteroids and comets), they D. demonstrated
probably cannot react with each other unless
some kind of liquid or gas is available to move Question 474
them about. In many cases, families increased the amount of
time at work, bringing into cultivation
11. The word “intact” in the passage is closest in uncultivated land already under their control.
meaning to They also engaged in share cropping agreeing to
A. buried work another’s land and paying that person a
B. whole share of the output.
C. confined
D. active 9. The word “engaged” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
Question 471 A. succeeded
Abroad, especially after 1840, the living B. believed
standards and buying power of many Europeans C. invested
improved substantially, permitting them to buy D. participated
a wider choice and quantity of goods. Rising
domestic markets within the empire were also Question 475
important, thanks to increased urbanization as Irrigation projects, one form of intensive
well as mounting personal consumption. agriculture, developed in some areas, and the
use of modern agricultural tools increased. But
2. The word “substantially” in the passage is more intensive exploitation of existing resources
closest in meaning to remained comparatively unusual, and most
A. without interruption increases in production derived from placing
B. significantly additional land under cultivation.
C. rapidly
D. unexpectedly 10. The word “exploitation” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
Question 472 A. improvement
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B. use The history of biology is filled with incidents in
C. management which research on one specific topic has
D. investigation contributed richly to another, apparently
unrelated area. Such a case is the work of
Question 476 Frederick Griffith, an English physician whose
A person’s performance on tasks can be attempts to prevent the disease pneumonia led
enhanced or impaired by the mere presence of to the identification of the material in cells that
others, and a person's behavior as part of a contains genetic information—the information
group can be quite different from the person’s that determines an organism's characteristic
behavior when acting alone. structure.

1. The word “enhanced” in the passage is closest 1. The word “apparently” in the passage is
in meaning to closest in meaning to
A. interrupted A. seemingly
B. improved B. surprisingly
C. influenced C. relatively
D. hurt D. previously

Question 477 Question 480

In one of the first studies in social psychology, However, when Griffith inoculated other mice
psychologist Norman Triplett looked at coaction with a mixture of living R bacteria and heat-
effects. He had observed in official bicycle killed S bacteria, to his astonishment, the mice
records that bicycle racers pedaled faster when became ill with pneumonia.
they were pedaling against other racers than
when they were racing against the clock. Was 4. The word “astonishment” in the passage is
this pattern of performance peculiar to closest in meaning to
competitive bicycling A. alarm
B. surprise
4. The phrase “peculiar to” in the passage is C. disappointment
closest in meaning to D. interest
A. damaging to
B. unique to Question 481
C. rare in As a final step, Avery, with Colin MacLeod and
D. new in Maclyn McCarty, isolated virtually pure DNA
from a sample of pneumococcal transforming
Question 478 extract and showed that it caused bacterial
What happens in cooperative tasks when two or transformation.
more people are working together instead of
competing? Do they increase their effort or slack 9. The word “virtually” in the passage is closest
off? Researcher Bibb Latan used the term social in meaning to
loafing to refer to people's tendency to exert less A. perfectly
effort when working with others on a common B. nearly
task than when they work alone. C. partially
D. relatively
8. The word “exert” in the passage is closest in
meaning to Question 482
A. put forth In retrospect, the work of Avery, MacLeod, and
B. waste McCarty, published in 1944, was a milestone in
C. demand establishing that DNA is the genetic material.
D. accept However, at the time, it had little impact on
scientists’ view about the physical basis of
Question 479 inheritance.
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 D. at the least
10. The phrase “In retrospect” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 486
A. By general agreement Second, learning is important enough in song
B. In reality acquisition that white-crowns learn not just
C. Looking back their species' song but local or regional variants
D. Practically speaking of it, which they are able to recall months after
last hearing them.
Question 483
Many young songbirds do no singing of their 8. The word “recall” in the passage is closest in
own until nearly a year after their birth. With meaning to
the coming of their second spring, their A. repeat
testosterone levels rise and this in turn prompts B. remember
them to begin singing, with their song C. recognize
development following a predictable pattern D. complete
over a period of weeks.
Question 487
1. The word “prompts” in the passage is closest Growing cereals and legumes together is good
in meaning to for the fields, and eating them together is good
A. stimulates for the farmers. In order to build and maintain
B. strengthens body tissue, people need protein or more
C. prepares specifically, the amino acids in protein.
D. forces
5. The word “specifically” in the passage is
Question 484 closest in meaning to
In nature, however, things are different. For A. precisely
example, the white-crown found year-round in B. importantly
the San Francisco area sings a particular regional C. frequently
variant or dialect of the basic white-crown song D. likely
and begins singing within six weeks or so of
birth and may progress to fully crystallized song Question 488
as early as three months after birth, meaning When cereals and legumes are eaten together,
about September. they provide all eight of the essential amino
acids, a fact that the ancestors of early
3. The word “particular” in the passage is agriculturalists undoubtedly understood at least
closest in meaning to on a practical level and their descendants took
A. popular advantage of that knowledge.
B. specific
C. well-known 6. The word “undoubtedly” in the passage is
D. complex closest in meaning to
A. possibly
Question 485 B. typically
Interestingly, all white-crowns that are reared in C. certainly
isolation from birth eventually sing nearly D. initially
identical versions of a kind of standard white-
crown song. Question 489-490
Cereals and legumes are technically dry fruits
7. The word “eventually” in the passage is (they have a hard dry layer around their seeds).
closest in meaning to Early agriculturalists also experimented with
A. generally growing succulent fruits like apples, olives,
B. probably grapes, and melons, but most of these were
C. in the end brought into domestication much later than
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cereals and legumes, and in most cultures
they've always been supplementary foods rather 3. The phrase “wiped out” in the passage is
than staples. closest in meaning to
A. damaged
9. The word “technically” in the passage is B. threatened
closest in meaning to C. spread through
A. more complex than D. killed off
B. generally understood to be
C. often confused with Question 494
D. scientifically classified as In extreme cases, major assaults on ecosystems
can lead to a total collapse in which the
10. The word “supplementary” in the passage is ecosystem doesn't bounce back to the way it was
closest in meaning to or transition to a new, healthy state.
A. valued
B. rare 10. The phrase “assaults” on in the passage is
C. seasonal closest in meaning to
D. extra A. imbalances in
B. changes in
Question 491 C. problems for
These temperature increases have been enough D. attacks on
to trigger changes in ecosystems all over the
world, especially in places where the warming Question 495
has been the greatest. In some places, the Psychology professor Carolyn Rovee-Collier
changes have been subtle, perhaps a slight shift argues that the onset of independent locomotion
in vegetation that only a careful observer would at around nine months old marks an important
notice. transition in memory development.

1. The word “subtle” in the passage is closest in 2. The word “onset” in the passage is closest in
meaning to meaning to
A. limited A. achievement
B. unimportant B. beginning
C. not obvious C. improvement
D. gradual D. practice

Question 492 Question 496

In the northernmost state of the United States, These examples show that gross motor
Alaska, for example, warming has paved the way development has implications beyond the
for a spike in the numbers of spruce bark immediately apparent benefits of crawling and
beetles. walking.

2. The phrase “paved the way for” in the passage 3. The phrase “apparent” in the passage is
is closest in meaning to closest in meaning to
A. come together with A. available
B. made possible B. obvious
C. increased the intensity of C. desirable
D. made absolutely certain D. useful

Question 493 Question 497

In the mid-1990s, the bark beetle population Renowned psychologist Jean Piaget argued that
exploded, and over the next few years the pests the development of reaching and grasping was a
wiped out white spruce forests over an area the key aspect of development because it formed an
size of the U.S. state of Connecticut. important link between biological adaptation
124/132
and intellectual adaptation. Shifting the head closer to the ground, reducing
horn size, and growing a hump to cantilever, or
6. The word “Renowned” in the passage is support, the head's weight enabled bison to
closest in meaning to graze for long periods without strain.
A. Educational
B. Controversial 10. The word “strain” in the passage is closest in
C. Famous meaning to
D. Theoretical A. stopping
B. rest
Question 498 C. movement
An infant who reaches for and grasps an object D. stress
so as to explore it pushes his development
forward as he engages in processes such as Question 502
adapting his grip to the size and shape of the Giant horns, which enabled males to defend
object. territory, may also have become a liability as
being able to stay close together became more
7. The phrase “engages” in in the passage is valuable.
closest in meaning to
A. repeats 11. The word “valuable” in the passage is closest
B. learns about in meaning to
C. performs A. common
D. imitates B. possible
C. important
Question 499 D. natural
The giant horns that gave Bison priscus its
common name tell us some important things Question 503
about its lifestyle. Animals with gigantic The accessions of Arcadius and Honorius, sons
weapons on their heads usually live alone or in of Theodosius, as emperors in the East and
small groups. West, respectively, illustrate the unfortunate
pattern of child heirs that had unfavorable
2. The word “gigantic” in the passage is closest effects for both empires.
in meaning to
A. very big 1. The word “unfavorable” in the passage is
B. very dangerous closest in meaning to
C. powerful A. negative
D. sharp B. uncontrollable
C. unexpected
Question 500 D. long lasting
Members warned each other of danger, and they
fought off predators by joining forces (e.g. by Question 504-505
forming a circle with vulnerable backsides to the Compared with the East, however, the West
center and dangerous horns facing the faced a greater number of external threats along
periphery). more permeable frontiers. Whereas the East
could pursue war and diplomacy more effectively
8. The word “vulnerable” in the passage is with their enemies on the long eastern frontier,
closest in meaning to the West was exposed to the more volatile tribal
A. hidden Germanic peoples on a frontier that stretched
B. defenseless along the Rhine and Danube rivers for 1,000
C. harmless miles.
D. useless
4. In describing the frontiers of the Western
Question 501 Empire as more “permeable” the author means
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that these frontiers
A. had more places where crossings could occur
B. were more distant from the center
C. were more likely to be changed
D. were more poorly equipped
5. The word “pursue” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. expand
B. engage in
C. control
D. avoid
Question 506
The East also had a more deeply rooted unity in
the Greek culture of the numerous Greek and
Near Eastern cities that Rome had inherited
from earlier Grecian empires. Latin culture had
not achieved comparable penetration of the less
urbanized West outside of Italy.
6. The word “comparable” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. similar
B. desirable
C. necessary
D. noticeable
Question 507
Also, external parasites, such as ticks and mites,
which are inactive in extreme cold, would
continue to be very active on sleeping tropical
mammals, sucking blood and doing considerable
damage.
1. The word “extreme” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. great
B. repeated
C. unusual
D. constant
Question 508
All the carnivores in Brazil, save pumas, jaguars,
and otters, are known to eat fruit on occasion.
Upon reflection, however, it makes sense that
these mammals consume fruit.
C. Most importantly
D. In general
Question 509
On the other hand, some groups occur solely in
the tropics and do extremely well there. There
are about 75 to 100 species of New World
monkeys (depending on which primate specialist
you consult), all of which occur in tropical areas.
7. The word “consult” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. believe
B. admire
C. find
D. ask
Question 510
Each drone that is successful dies in the process,
however, and a similar fate awaits drones that
aren’t successful; once mating is done, they will
be expelled from their hives or killed.
1. The phrase “expelled from” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. forced from
B. carried from
C. left by
D. guided from
Question 511-512
How, then, does all this work get organized
among tens of thousands of bees? Bees are
prompted to act either because of environmental
conditions (the temperature of the hive, for
example) or because of signals or cues they
receive from other bees. The signals are explicit
acts of communication, as with the famous
waggle dance that bees perform to inform their
fellow workers of the location of food sites.
6. The word “prompted” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. able
B. required
C. programmed
D. stimulated

5. The phrase “Upon reflection” in the passage 7. The word “explicit” in the passage is closest
is closest in meaning to in meaning to
A. For this reason A. unusually creative
B. After consideration B. clearly expressed
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C. ordinary
D. necessary
Question 513
Quite often, however, bees are reacting to cues
they get from other bees that simply imply a
given condition. Take, as an example, a cue that
researcher Thomas Seeley confirmed that has to
do with unloading time at the hive.
9. The word “imply” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. introduce
B. suggest
C. state
D. reveal
Question 514
Until recently it had been argued that the Upper
Paleolithic Revolution was an archaeological
phenomenon found only in Eurasia. The
apparent lack of equivalent evidence in other
regions suggested that a fundamental change
had occurred in human intellectual development
around 40 kya in Europe.
3. The word “equivalent” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. comprehensible
B. concrete
C. comparable
D. widely debated
Question 515
These features include blade and microlithic
technology, bone tools, increased geographic
range, specialized hunting, exploitation of
aquatic resources, long-distance exchange
networks, systematic processing and use of
pigment, and art and decoration.
7. The word “exploitation” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. maintenance
B. discovery
C. transference
D. use
Question 516
The obvious explanation is that the gap between
African developments and the subsequent
better-known European events is a matter of the
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limitations of the archaeological record. This
does not altogether cover the question of why
there was the sudden flowering of creativity at
the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in
Europe.
10. The word “altogether” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. even
B. necessarily
C. merely
D. fully
Question 517-518
Active foragers, on the other hand, spend most
of their time on the ground surface, moving
steadily and poking their heads under fallen
leaves and into crevices in the ground. These
lizards apparently rely largely on chemical cues
to detect insects, and they probably seek out
local concentrations of prey such as termites.
1. The word “steadily” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A. slowly
B. at an unvarying rate
C. cautiously
D. without making noise
2. The word “concentrations” in the passage is
closest in meaning to
A. varieties
B. dense groupings
C. hidden traces
D. shelters
Question 519-520
The body forms of sit-and-wait foragers may
reflect selective pressures different from those
that act on active foragers. Sit-and-wait lizards
are often stout bodied, short tailed, and colored
to match their background. Many of these
species have patterns of different-colored
blotches that probably obscure the outlines of
the lizard’s body as it rests motionless on a rock
or a tree trunk.
6. The word “reflect” in the passage is closest in
meaning to
A. indicate
B. create
C. resist
D. require C. improvement
D. variation
7. The word “obscure” in the passage is closest
in meaning to 9. The word “allowing” in the passage is closest
A. change in meaning to
B. hide A. resulting in
C. fill B. making possible
D. expand C. preceding
D. spreading
Question 521
Classifying animals into phyla is an ongoing Question 525
project for biologists, but modern animals When an object enters into this electric field, it
appear to comprise about 30 different phyla, causes distortions in the current that are
each representing a different body plan. detected by electroreceptor organs distributed
over the fish's skin.
2. The word “ongoing” in the passage is closest
in meaning to 2. The word “distortions” in the passage is
A. uncertain closest in meaning to
B. full-time A. decreases
C. important B. signals
D. continuing C. concentrations
D. irregularities
Question 522
This remarkable flowering of animal diversity Question 526
appears to have begun about 545 million years Moreover, some fish can temporarily interrupt
ago, which corresponds to the start of the their normally continuous train of discharges,
Cambrian period. Hence it is called the and these pauses can be full of meaning.
Cambrian explosion.
5. The word “temporarily” in the passage is
4. The phrase “corresponds to” in the passage is closest in meaning to
closest in meaning to A. deliberately
A. causes B. suddenly
B. occurs before C. partially
C. differs from D. briefly
D. matches
Question 527
Question 523-524 Knife-fish also display a peculiar behavior called
A second factor that may have been important the jamming avoidance response. This response
was the evolution of genetic complexity. As allows knife-fish to prevent interference with
eukaryotes evolved, they developed more and their electric system when they meet other
more genetic variation in their DNA. Some knife-fish.
scientists believe that the Cambrian explosion
marks the point at which organisms developed 11. The word “peculiar” in the passage is closest
certain kinds of genes (homeobox genes) that in meaning to
control body form and that could be combined A. clever
in different ways, allowing the evolution of a B. frequent
great diversity of forms over time. C. unusual
D. helpful
8. The word “complexity” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 528-529
A. sophistication Whether an increase in population across
B. adaptation western Europe, but particularly in the north,
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stimulated innovations or whether such freshly plowed field may heat up faster than an
innovations contributed to a rise in population, adjacent meadow.
the cumulative effect of these changes in
agriculture was apparent in the tenth century. 3. The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest
Conditions in Europe were ripe for an economic in meaning to
and cultural upswing. A. open
B. nearby
5. The word “cumulative” in the passage is C. densely covered
closest in meaning to D. sunny
A. eventual
B. positive Question 533-534
C. combined The warm ground heats the air above it, and the
D. practical air starts to rise. As the warm air rises, it is
replaced by cool air from the surrounding
6. The word “apparent” in the passage is closest terrain, and this new air is heated until it rises.
in meaning to Thermals may be continuous chimneys of rising
A. welcome air, or a series of discrete, doughnut-shaped
B. noticeable bubbles (ring thermals) formed at intervals by
C. predictable the warmed ground.
D. widespread
4. The phrase “at intervals” in the passage is
Question 530 closest in meaning to
Travel on trade routes increased, and some A. at low elevations
towns sprang up to provide rest and refreshment B. in areas without vegetation
to traders. The distance between towns often C. periodically
corresponded to the distance that traders could D. unevenly
cover in a day.
5. The word “discrete” in the passage is closest
9. The phrase “corresponded to” in the passage in meaning to
is closest in meaning to A. separate
A. approached B. rising
B. equaled C. rotating
C. exceeded D. flexible
D. determined
Question 535
Question 531 Colin Pennycuick, a prolific researcher on bird
With the use of coins now the norm, money flight, discounts thermal chimneys and
changers daily posted changing exchange rates recognizes only ring thermals as sources of
so that merchants would know the worth of large-scale, long-lasting updrafts. In any case,
their coins in relation to the worth of other thermals can rise 2 or 3 kilometers above the
merchants’ coins. ground.

11. The phrase “the norm” in the passage is 7. The word “prolific” in the passage is closest in
closest in meaning to meaning to
A. acceptable A. skillful
B. desirable B. experienced
C. common C. highly productive
D. available D. highly respected

Question 532 Question 536

Thermals occur when the Sun heats some parts The Arctic region changed from a productive
of the ground more than others. For example, a herbaceous one that supported a variety of large
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mammals, to a relatively barren waterlogged C. quick
tundra that supported a far sparser fauna. D. complete

4. The word “sparser” in the passage is closest Question 540

in meaning to Eventually, though, the transition was made, but
A. more thinly distributed these early reptiles remained aquatic. The
B. more threatened advantage for laying eggs on land was primarily
C. less adapted to avoid the aquatic larval (pre-adult) stage
D. less mobile during which immature amphibians live
exclusively in water with its inherent risk of
Question 537 predators and drying of ponds.
The second argument against the climatic
hypothesis is the apparent lack of correlation 2. The word “exclusively” in the passage is
between extinctions and the earlier glacial closest in meaning to
advances and retreats throughout the A. only
Pleistocene Epoch. Previous changes in climate B. initially
were not marked by episodes of mass C. primarily
extinctions. D. temporarily

7. The word “episodes” in the passage is closest Question 541

in meaning to This outer membrane provided a place to safely
A. threats store calcium ions, which are poisonous.
B. patterns Accumulating the calcium in a hard shell then
C. reports made it possible for the egg to be laid on land (it
D. occurrences was pre-adapted to be laid there.)

Question 538 4. The word “Accumulating” in the passage is

Proponents of the prehistoric overkill hypothesis closest in meaning to
argue that the mass extinctions in North and A. Forcing
South America and Australia coincided closely B. Collecting
with the arrival of humans. C. Distributing
D. Isolating
8. The word “Proponents” in the passage is
closest in meaning to Question 542
A. creators Predatory insects and microbes can be a major
B. opponents cause of egg mortality. To counter this loss of
C. reviewers eggs, some of the early reptiles began secreting a
D. supporters thin calcareous (containing calcium carbonate)
layer.
Question 539
Finally, few human artifacts are found among 8. The word “counter” in the passage is closest
the remains of extinct animals in North and in meaning to
South America, and there is usually little A. escape
evidence that the animals were hunted. B. stop
Countering this argument is the assertion that C. combat
the impact on the previously unhunted fauna D. delay
was so swift as to leave little evidence.
Question 543
10. The word “swift” in the passage is closest in For Packard and Seymour, the major
meaning to evolutionary breakthrough in reptile eggs was
A. effective the elimination of the thick gelatin coat and
B. unexpected replacing part of it with a fibrous membrane.
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 that may be not much thicker than your arm
11. The word “breakthrough” in the passage is from the appearance of its bark, out of a total
closest in meaning to list of several hundred (or thousand)
A. effect possibilities which may well include some that
B. development have not been described before, so that there is
C. requirement nothing to refer back to.
D. goal
12. The word “task” in the passage is closest in
Question 544 meaning to
Plant species identification can be difficult for all A. difficulty
kinds of reasons even identification of trees, B. job
which are big and conspicuous. For example, for C. strategy
some willow trees, both leaves and flowers may D. requirement
be needed for identification, but the two may
not be present at the same time. Question 548-549
For some, it could have been due to unfavorable
1. The word “conspicuous” in the passage is genetic changes triggered by a dramatic increase
closest in meaning to by a factor of 10,100,1,000 in cosmic-ray
A. close to each other particles reaching the Earth after a supernova
B. common explosion somewhere in the neighborhood of
C. easily noticed the solar system.
D. solitary
2. The word “unfavorable” in the passage is
Question 545-546 closest in meaning to
The uppermost leaves must resist desiccation A. unusual
(drying out). Yet from time to time, and in due B. disadvantageous
season every day, they must also endure C. sudden
tremendous downpours. Leaves that can cope D. major
with such contrasts tend to be thick and leathery
(to resist drought), oval in shape, and have a 3. The word “triggered” in the passage is closest
precaution at the end known as a drip tip to let in meaning to
surplus rain run off the leaf. A. initiated
B. intensified
6. The word “endure” in the passage is closest in C. followed
meaning to D. aided
A. withstand
B. benefit from Question 550
C. avoid The volcanic convulsion that buried the Deccan
D. respond to plateau in lava must also have changed the
composition of the atmosphere and severely
7. The word “surplus” in the passage is closest affected climate.
in meaning to
A. heavy 10. The word “severely” in the passage is closest
B. steady in meaning to
C. sudden A. certainly
D. extra B. consequently
C. greatly
Question 547 D. permanently
Often there is a third of a mile between any two
trees of the same species, and there can be up to Question 551
120 different species of trees in any one acre. However, a long period of strong volcanic
The task, often, is to identify an individual tree activity (again, remember thousands of
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Krakatoas) would at the same time have added a
substantial amount of carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere, reinforcing the greenhouse effect.

11. The word “reinforcing” in the passage is

closest in meaning to
A. making possible
B. spreading
C. introducing
D. strengthening

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