托福模拟考试及答案解析(19)

托福模拟考试及答案解析（19）

(1~6/共48题)阅读理解

The Migration of the Indigo Bunting

The indigo bunting is a small sparrow-like bird noted for its vivid blue plumage. It is typically found living in forested areas alongside rivers and streams as well as at the edges of fields and on paths going through forests where trees have been cleared for power lines. In these places, the female of the species builds a nest in low brush located no more than a meter above the ground.

Zoologists have carefully studied the migration patterns followed by the indigo bunting. It mostly dwells in the eastern parts of Canada and the United States during the summer breeding season, and it flies south to Mexico as well as to Central America and the northern part of South America during the winter months. While it was once confined to the northern region of the United States in the summer, its territory expanded several decades ago. For instance, in the 1970s, the indigo bunting was discovered living in eastern Canada during the summer months for the first time. Zoologists believe that this change in its range was a result of Canada having warmer summers than it had enjoyed in previous decades.

The total amount of distance covered by the indigo bunting when it migrates is approximately 1,900 kilometers each way. The bird usually migrates in a straight path due south. Those animals living in the east move to wintering grounds in the east while those residing in the west migrate to wintering grounds in the west. Intensive studies of the indigo bunting have proven that it has excellent navigational skills, which permit the bird to migrate at night since it can use the stars for guidance. Experiments with the indigo bunting have showed that it has an internal system allowing it to adjust its flight path as the angles of the stars change while they move through the night sky. This ability allows the bird to fly south to the same wintering grounds every year and then to return north to the same summering grounds.

*migration: the movement from one place to another, often on a temporary basis

*navigational: relating to the planning or guiding of a course

第1题

According to paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT true of the indigo bunting? ______

A.Some of the behavior that it exhibits is thought to have been affected by warm weather.

B.The area in which it dwells in the summertime has gotten larger in recent decades.

C.It breeds in regions that are located both in the United States and Mexico.

D.Its behavior concerning where it flies throughout the year has been studied by scientists.

第2题

In paragraph 3, all of the following questions are answered EXCEPT: ______

A.What experiments did scientists do to learn about the indigo bunting's navigational skills?

B.Why is the indigo bunting able to migrate to new lands by flying at night?

C.What is the average distance the indigo bunting flies when it migrates?

D.How can the indigo bunting manage to fly to the same places on an annual basis?

第3题

Vocabulary

______=bright

第4题

______= around; about

第5题