2015年03月14日新托福阅读考题回顾

2015年1月11日新托福阅读考题回顾

2
Passage 2 Title:
大致内容
Birdsong
鸟类歌唱受基因和环境的影响。文章中举了科学家做的一个实验来说明鸟类唱歌的特点和学习歌唱的特点。 C 这种鸟，发现它们小的时候可以记住一些歌，并且 8 周后能准确唱出来，就算把它们隔离开它们也可以唱，说明这是先天的。这篇文章很像经典加试 Birdsong 那篇文章。
点评：本次考试三篇文章，两篇都是生物类话题的动物学场景，第一篇动物利用有利的环境和气候繁衍后代，这篇文章和 TPO 17 Animal Signals in Rain Forest 动物利用光线情况发信号非常相似；第二篇通过各种实验研究动物歌唱，这篇文章和经典加试的 bird singing 很雷同，最后一篇文章是农业工具发展史。
朗阁海外考试研究中心 Research Academy for Foreign Language Examinations
新托福阅读考题回顾
朗阁海外考试研究中心徐露露
考试日期 Passage 1 Title:
大致内容
2015.01.11
Resistant Байду номын сангаасtage
Resistant stage 是指在不适合的条件下动物会减慢自己的生长过程，比如说冬眠。 Eg1: 一种种子，要等到环境有利时它才发芽。 Eg2: 一种青蛙，干旱的时候藏在土里，当气候有利时再出来交配，这样幼蛙可以在短时间内成熟起来。 Eg3: 一种袋鼠，红袋鼠可以在生完幼崽后的极短时间内再一次交配繁殖，这样在极端环境来临时，最大的那只袋鼠已经可以独立了，刚受精的可以在妈妈的肚子里。
Passage 3 Title:
大致内容
欧洲某地区农耕工具的变化
犁对欧洲农业的影响，犁可以挖比较浅和直的沟渠，在南方气候温和的地方优势不是很明显，但在比较潮湿的北方能派上大用场。马的利用，马厩和马鞋的出现，马使得交通得到很大的改善。人的牺牲：以前养牛，牛吃的东西比较低端，但是马吃燕麦，人们不得已要把自己吃的东西节省给马吃，显示出马的重要性。

2015年3月14日托福阅读机经

2015年3月14日托福阅读机经2015年3月14日托福阅读机经下载：/vip/jjyc/tfjj/20150209/352019.html?seo=wenku3035 2015年3月14日托福阅读机经已经和考生见面了，此次机经包含了2015年3月15日托福阅读考试重点考试内容，考生可以复制链接直接进入免费索取下载使用。

1阅读文章中介绍了一个现象：在一个群体中，人们会对集体的决定进行妥协，使得他们个人的意见没有被提出来教授给了一个例子：一家人在屋外闲做，突然爸爸提议开车去市里，然后到饭馆用餐;妈妈觉得天气太热，而且对餐馆不感兴趣，但考虑到是爸爸的提议，所以就同意了;女儿也不太感兴趣，但这已经是父母提出来的，怕自己不同意会让父母感到不好，所以也同意了。

结果，这个旅行即热又无聊，而且餐馆也不是很好。

回家后，女儿抱怨说本来不想去，但碍于父母，母亲也抱怨到是因为爸爸提出了建议，认为女儿也会同意，而爸爸说这只是他提的一个想法而已。

22.leader price,就是搞个商品降价,打广告吸引顾客来买,这就是领导产品...别人来了不仅会买这个产品,还会买其他的...所以虽然这个产品没赚钱,其他的赚了很多。

教授年轻时在超市工作,经理把牛奶降价,打广告,许多顾客来买,顺便买了其他东西23.R e a d i n g—Test Customer: in order to see whetheremployee’s performance, the employer mighthire a ‘customer’ that makespurchases in the store just like regular customers do, then the hired‘customer’ reports to the employer about the employee’s performance.Listening—一个餐厅的 manager 找一个人当 test customer，来测试员工的服务是否到位。

2015年03月12日雅思阅读考题回顾

雅思考试阅读考题回顾朗阁海外考试研究中心宋媛婧考试日期 2015年3月12日Reading Passage 1Title The Extraordinary Watkin TenchQuestion types 是非无判断题6题简答题7题文章内容回顾本篇主要讲英国人Watkin Tench的传记。

他曾参加英国的“第一舰队”，并出版了两本描述这一经历的书。

题型难度分析1-6是非无判断题1. A general deal was known about Tech before arriving to Australia. False2. Tench draw pictures of what he saw during his journey. Not Given3. Generally treat convicts well. False4. Tench's opinion towards Aboriginal remained unchanged. False5. An aboriginals gave Tench food as a gift when they first met.Not Given6. Tench held unusual opinion in his time. True7-13简答题7. Diaries8. 3 years9. Chains10. Governor Phillip11. Hunting birds12. China13. Botany bay题型技巧分析题型简单，难度中等。

是非无判断题出现了6题，继续保持2015年以来的高位态势。

简答题更多的是考细节，定位易，答题不一定也易，一个是基础问题，一个是答题技巧问题。

所以平时不仅要多精读，方法也要掌握，不是随随便便就可以拿高分的。

剑桥雅思推荐原文练习剑9 Test 1 Passage 1 William Henry PerkinReading Passage 2Title 说谎病和艺术家Are artists liars? Question types 段落标题配对题6题是非无判断题5题填空题3题文章内容回顾本篇主要例证了表演者都是很好的谎言家，并通过马龙白兰度的例子加以说明。

2015年03月07日新托福阅读考题回顾

新托福阅读考题回顾朗阁海外考试研究中心张晓予考试日期 2015.03.07（A卷）Passage 1Title: Colonial America and Navigation Acts 美洲殖民地和航海法案大致内容讲英国对殖民地推行的Navigation Acts, 有出口法律限制小商品批发之类的。

补充阅读：Navigation Acts were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign ships for trade between Britain and its colonies. They began in 1651 and ended 200 years later. They reflected the policy of mercantilism, which sought to keep all the benefits of trade inside the Empire, and minimize the loss of gold and silver to foreigners. They prohibited the colonies from trading directly with the Netherlands, Spain, France, and their colonies. The original ordinance of 1651 was renewed at the Restoration by Acts of 1662, 1663, 1670, and 1673 subsequently subject to minor amendment. These Acts formed the basis for British overseas trade for nearly 200 years. Another way to define this is laws created by England to limit their colonies' trade with other countries.On the whole, the Acts of Trade and Navigation were obeyed, except for the Molasses Act of 1733, which led to extensive smuggling because no effective means of enforcement was provided until the 1750s. Irritation because of stricter enforcement under the Sugar Act of 1764 became one source of resentment by merchants in the American colonies against Great Britain. This in turn helped push the colonies to start the American Revolution.The major impetuses for the Navigation Acts were the ruinous deterioration of English trade in the aftermath of the Eighty Years' War, and the concomitant lifting of the Spanish trade-embargoes on trade between the Spanish Empire and the Dutch Republic. The end of the embargoes in 1647 unleashed the full power of the Amsterdam Entrepôt and other Dutch competitive advantagesin world trade. Within a few years, English merchants hadpractically been overwhelmed in the trade on the IberianPeninsula, the Mediterranean and the Levant. Even the tradewith English colonies (partly still in the hands of the royalists, asthe English Civil War was in its final stages and theCommonwealth of England had not yet imposed its authoritythroughout the English colonies) was "engrossed" by Dutchmerchants. English direct trade was crowded out by a suddeninflux of commodities from the Levant, Mediterranean and theSpanish and Portuguese empires, and the West Indies via theDutch Entrepôt, carried in Dutch ships and for Dutch account. Passage 2Title: Mass Production: Method and Impact 大生产：方法和影响大致内容讲工业革命造成产品过剩，通过广告和其他一些手段推销产品。

2015年托福考试写作真题整理

2015年真题2015年1月10日考题All university students should be required to take basic science courses even if they are not the field of their study.2015年1月11日考题The most important characteristic of a successful politician or leader is good communication skills.2015年1月25日考题It is better for colleagues or classmates to communicate in person than through emails in order to do a project.2015年1月31日考题The rules that the whole society today expects young people to follow and obey are too strict.2015年2月1日考题Movies and television have more negative effects than positive effects on the behaviors of young people.2015年3月7日考题（第一次两套试题）Taking children to field trips (for example, to a museum) is a better way of education than learning at school in a classroom.2015年3月7日考题People will spend less time on cooking food in twenty years.2015年3月14日考题People spend too much money on their pets even though there can other good ways to spend money.2015年3月28日考题It is better to finish a project completely and then do another project than do two or more projects at the same time.2015年4月12日考题The Internet is as important as other service, such as building roads, so government should make the Internet access to all the citizens at no cost.2015年4月18日考题Some people always follow their dreams even if the dreams are ambitious. Some think we should focus on achieving realisticgoals. Which do you agree with?2015年5月9日考题All university students should be required to take history courses no matter what field they study.2015年5月16日考题When people spend a lot of time watching sports on television or following their favorite team, it has negative effects on their lives.2015年5月24日考题Which do you think is the best way for a student to make friends?a. joining a sports teamb. participating in community activitiesc. traveling2015年5月30日考题When you have a friend for a long time, whether you will continue the friendship even he or she does something you do not like.2015年6月13日考题It is better to spend money on traveling and vacation than savemoney for the future.2015年6月14日考题Playing sports teaches people lessons about life.2015年6月27日考题It is better to make friends who are intelligent than those with a good sense of humor.2015年7月4日考题Children can benefit in important ways from taking care of animal pets.2015年7月11日考题Teachers should be paid at least as much as doctors, lawyers or business leaders are paid.2015年7月12日考题These days, children spend more time on doing homework or participating in organized activities related to school or sports. However, they would be given more time to do whatever they want.2015年8月22日考题The most effective way for government to encourage energy conservation is to increase the price of gasoline and electricity.2015年8月30日考题It is important to have rules about the types of clothing that people are allowed to wear at work and school.2015年9月5日考题In order to attract more tourists, which should government do: to improve the safety by hiring more police or to repair old buildings and streets?2015年9月12日考题In order to succeed, it is better to be like to others rather than different from everybody else.2015年9月13日考题Older people need to learn the new things as well as the young people.2015年9月17日考题Grandparents cannot give useful advice to their grandchildren because the world of today and the world of fifty years ago are too different.2015年9月19日考题Nowadays, students do many things like surfing the Internet, listening to music when they are learning. Do you agree or disagree that doing other things impose bad effect on learning?2015年10月10日考题Which is better for children's education: 9-month study and 3-month break or 3-month study and 1-month break?2015年10月11日考题It is a waste of money for government to fund space travel or space exploration.2015年10月24日考题School should be more focused on improving facilities (libraries, computers, or labs) for students than on hiring famous professors.2015年10月25日考题People in the past were friendlier than people today.2015年10月31日考题Which one is the most important for teacher of high school? a. the ability to help students plan for their future b. the ability to find the students who need help most and help them c. teach students how to learn outside the classroom.2015年11月8日考题The school has been funding for students to participate in different types of activities, but this year, since the lack of money, the school will fund one activity, which one do you think is the one the school should fund: sports, arts and volunteering (help the development of the community)?.2015年11月14日考题When parents cannot afford time to accompany with their children, they could choose to send their children to a child-care center where many children are cared together, or they could send their children to an individual caregiver. Which one is better?2015年11月15日考题The more money people have, the more money they should give away to charity.2015年11月21日考题The most important things people learn are from their families.2015年11月28日考题It is more important for the government to spend more money on art and music museums than on facilities, like playgrounds and public swimming pools.2015年11月29日考题One quality that a successful leader must have is to make decision quickly; when a leader takes too much time to make decisions, he will be seen as ineffective to the people he leads.2015年12月5日考题Government should provide free access to the Internet; the individual should access to the Internet without paying anything.2015年12月12日考题Some companies provide important products or service, but also damage environment. Some people believe that government should require more penalty, higher tax and larger fine of these companies, while others believe there are better ways. Which do you prefer?2015年12月13日考题Some people think that older children should be required to take care of the younger children. Others think that this should be done by parents or other adults. Which do you prefer?2015年12月19日考题Do you think that the best leader should spend more time listening to other people's ideas than talking his own ideas?2015年12月20日考题To improve health, change an aspect in life: a. kinds of food to eat b. the amount of exercise c. the amount of stress.。

2015年托福考试写作真题整理-推荐下载

2015年真题2015年1月10日考题All university students should be required to take basic science courses even if they are not the field of their study.2015年1月11日考题The most important characteristic of a successful politician or leader is good communication skills.2015年1月25日考题It is better for colleagues or classmates to communicate in person than through emails in order to do a project.2015年1月31日考题The rules that the whole society today expects young people to follow and obey are too strict.2015年2月1日考题Movies and television have more negative effects than positive effects on the behaviors of young people.2015年3月7日考题（第一次两套试题）Taking children to field trips (for example, to a museum) is a better way of education than learning at school in a classroom.2015年3月7日考题People will spend less time on cooking food in twenty years.2015年3月14日考题People spend too much money on their pets even though there can other good ways to spend money.2015年3月28日考题It is better to finish a project completely and then do another project than do two or more projects at the same time.2015年4月12日考题The Internet is as important as other service, such as building roads, so government should make the Internet access to all the citizens at no cost.2015年4月18日考题Some people always follow their dreams even if the dreams are ambitious. Some think we should focus on achieving realisticgoals. Which do you agree with?2015年5月9日考题All university students should be required to take history courses no matter what field they study.2015年5月16日考题When people spend a lot of time watching sports on television or following their favorite team, it has negative effects on their lives.2015年5月24日考题Which do you think is the best way for a student to make friends?a. joining a sports teamb. participating in community activitiesc. traveling2015年5月30日考题When you have a friend for a long time, whether you will continue the friendship even he or she does something you do not like.2015年6月13日考题It is better to spend money on traveling and vacation than savemoney for the future.2015年6月14日考题Playing sports teaches people lessons about life.2015年6月27日考题It is better to make friends who are intelligent than those with a good sense of humor.2015年7月4日考题Children can benefit in important ways from taking care of animal pets.2015年7月11日考题Teachers should be paid at least as much as doctors, lawyers or business leaders are paid.2015年7月12日考题These days, children spend more time on doing homework or participating in organized activities related to school or sports. However, they would be given more time to do whatever they want.2015年8月22日考题The most effective way for government to encourage energy conservation is to increase the price of gasoline and electricity.2015年8月30日考题It is important to have rules about the types of clothing that people are allowed to wear at work and school.2015年9月5日考题In order to attract more tourists, which should government do: to improve the safety by hiring more police or to repair old buildings and streets?2015年9月12日考题In order to succeed, it is better to be like to others rather than different from everybody else.2015年9月13日考题Older people need to learn the new things as well as the young people.2015年9月17日考题Grandparents cannot give useful advice to their grandchildren because the world of today and the world of fifty years ago are too different.2015年9月19日考题Nowadays, students do many things like surfing the Internet, listening to music when they are learning. Do you agree or disagree that doing other things impose bad effect on learning?2015年10月10日考题Which is better for children's education: 9-month study and 3-month break or 3-month study and 1-month break?2015年10月11日考题It is a waste of money for government to fund space travel or space exploration.2015年10月24日考题School should be more focused on improving facilities (libraries, computers, or labs) for students than on hiring famous professors.2015年10月25日考题People in the past were friendlier than people today.2015年10月31日考题Which one is the most important for teacher of high school? a. the ability to help students plan for their future b. the ability to find the students who need help most and help them c. teach students how to learn outside the classroom.2015年11月8日考题The school has been funding for students to participate in different types of activities, but this year, since the lack of money, the school will fund one activity, which one do you think is the one the school should fund: sports, arts and volunteering (help the development of the community)?.2015年11月14日考题When parents cannot afford time to accompany with their children, they could choose to send their children to a child-care center where many children are cared together, or they could send their children to an individual caregiver. Which one is better?2015年11月15日考题The more money people have, the more money they should give away to charity.2015年11月21日考题The most important things people learn are from their families.2015年11月28日考题It is more important for the government to spend more money on art and music museums than on facilities, like playgrounds and public swimming pools.2015年11月29日考题One quality that a successful leader must have is to make decision quickly; when a leader takes too much time to make decisions, he will be seen as ineffective to the people he leads.2015年12月5日考题Government should provide free access to the Internet; the individual should access to the Internet without paying anything.2015年12月12日考题Some companies provide important products or service, but also damage environment. Some people believe that government should require more penalty, higher tax and larger fine of these companies, while others believe there are better ways. Which do you prefer?2015年12月13日考题Some people think that older children should be required to take care of the younger children. Others think that this should be done by parents or other adults. Which do you prefer?2015年12月19日考题Do you think that the best leader should spend more time listening to other people's ideas than talking his own ideas?2015年12月20日考题To improve health, change an aspect in life: a. kinds of food to eat b. the amount of exercise c. the amount of stress.。

2015年1月10日新托福阅读考题回顾

新托福阅读考题回顾朗阁海外考试研究中心王婧考试日期2015.01.10Passage 1Title:16世纪手工艺人如何出现衰退的问题大致内容16世纪后期由于r现象，削弱了artisan的繁荣发展（有题），一些技术的发展使得成本上升，手工艺人无法承担（有题），原料的买卖大权掌握在big merchants手中（有题），穷苦的手工艺人只能依靠便宜的local materials（有推论题），很多独立的producers沦为大商人的employees, 同时，他们又担心rural areas的发展，因为那里成本更低，更好招人（有题）。

分析：本文属于历史类文章，关注的是手工艺人和新兴科技的关系，在TPO中有很多类似的文章，例如TPO 16 Trade and the Ancient Middle East, 考生可以参考并了解背景知识。

Passage 2Title:History and Disease大致内容讲了disease的三个历史阶段。

第一个阶段是infection, 在这之前很少有传染病，因为人们居住分散，接触不够（有题），然后农业发展，接触动物和其他人多了，疾病开始大规模传染，包括土壤里的生物、食物等因素（有否定题，答案是rotted那个）。

第二个阶段是慢性病，医疗发展了，基本杜绝了传染病，但现代人的生活让慢性病比如心脏病、肺结核等更普遍（有题）。

第三个阶段是现代社会，传染病重新出现，慢性病也没克服，多种以前没有的疾病出现。

有一题是跟抗药性的细菌有关。

分析：本文属于生物类与历史类文章的综合题材，并涉及少量医学相关内容。

因此生词较多，较难理解，会造成阅读上的障碍。

建议考生课后可了解相关背景知识和词汇。

Passage 3Title:空气中氧气的形成大致内容最初大气中没有氧气。

通过和太阳的比较，现在空气中比以前少了一些元素（有题），有人说是火山爆发导致的（有题），其实氧气产生包括小部分的p物质，即水分解放出氧，和大部分的par sis, 即植物转化，这两个来源（有题）。

2015年3月14日托福阅读真题回忆

2015年3月14日托福阅读真题回忆机经词汇：Chaotic=disorderedCoalesce=joinDefining=importantDesignation=identificationLateral=sideRetain=preserveDomestic=householdConstantDurableAggregation第一篇：眼睛的起源考生回忆：文章开始说，眼睛只存在于多细胞动物中，但是单细胞动物可能可以感知光线的。

然后提到了寒武纪，在寒武纪的时候化石数量激增，说明有动物大爆发。

然后提到了一种B的生物，它的化石是关于动物有眼睛的第一个直接证据。

同时在化石中找到了软组织，所以可以保存下来确实很不容易。

但是B的眼睛还是太先进了，所以科学家认为first eyes 应该出现在B之前。

总之文章主线就是说一个时代X没有完整清晰的化石证明物种有眼睛，后来有一个时代Y又有了完整的化石证据。

科学家推断在这两个X与Y的时期之间，物种就已经演化出了眼睛。

解析：物种起源类主题的文章是托福阅读常考的文章。

这一类文章通常段落结构清晰，主题明确，对背景的描述会比较详尽，不会出现因为背景知识的生疏而严重影响对于文章理解的情况。

需要注意的是，必须提前对相关类型的TPO文章的生词熟悉，尽量减少生词恐惧带来的内耗。

推荐TPO30的文章The Pace of Evolutionary Change第二篇：地球大气的形成考生回忆：大气的形成是从行星的形成开始讲的。

先讲了行星的形成，各种碰撞各种剧烈的过程，形成了早期的地球。

由于高温，所以较重的铁元素下沉，形成地核，于是就组建有了地磁场，轻一点物质的就向上drift，形成了地幔和地壳以及大陆，再轻一点的气体就从地面上冒出来。

但是大部分的氢气和氧气都跑掉了。

之后，大量的火山爆发喷出各种气体和水，这也是大气的原材料。

同时各种形成行星的物质围着太阳转呀转，然后继续各种相互碰撞，还形成了月球。

2015.3月托福阅读考试真题

2015.3月托福阅读考试真题R1：金星/地球液态水的不同金星与地球有很多相同点。

两者最大的区别：与太阳的位置。

其实金星和地球曾经都是有很多水，但是正是因为金星离太阳近，水蒸发了，大气剩下了CO2，但是地球的液态水流的比较好，而且有很多river valley，这些水不仅对于生命的存活很重要，而且也改变了地貌。

【解析】本篇是天文/地质相结合的文章。

两类行星：类地行星(Terrestrial planets)和类木行星(Jovial planets)是大家会接触到的内容。

金星和地球同属terrestrial planets，所以性质是相同的，组成皆以rocks为主: Dense rocky andmetallic material, with minor amounts of gases，关于两类行星的特点和性质，建议备考的同学还是要去熟悉的!此篇章不排除之后会有重复考察的可能。

托福真题80分班讲义第3个篇章Running Water on Mars，看题目就觉得是这个篇章的“孪生兄弟”，只不过《火星上的液态水》叙述的角度是通过照片证据试图去证明火星上曾经有水，但是这个篇章涉及两个讨论对象(Venus/Earth)，建议大家在阅读的时候要注意选项的“张冠李戴”，“半对半错”以及“答非所问”，尤其要关注选项无中生有的一些副词、形容词、绝对词和比较词。

另外推荐阅读TPO16-3 Planets in Our Solar System，希望大家以此为基础，去进一步探究天外“星星”，有效结合外文网站，做好学科词汇和背景知识的储备。

R2：埃及首都的选择埃及首都在选择的时候考虑的是管理，其中涉及到3个城市，为什么不选另外两个城市，是因为另外两个城市和一个地方很远，所考虑的首都选址交通贸易都很方便。

【解析】本篇于历史类文章，选址类的文章对我们来说是不陌生的，从篇章的结构来看，写法以并列/对比为主，类似的文章容易考察讨论对象之间的优/劣势比较，正如21-2 The Origins of Agriculture，agriculture逐渐代替huntingand gathering，其实农业相较于狩猎采集其实是有劣势的，但最终还是发展起来了，接下来就说明农业本身的优势。

托福真题回忆及解析-2015年3月28日-智课网

智课网TOEFL备考资料2015年3月28日托福阅读真题及答案解析机经词汇：attest to= provide evidence ofseverely=very seriouslypermanentsimultaneously=at the same timereadily=easilyreflect=indicateeploit=make use ofaccumulate=build upcurious=strangeties=connection第一篇：辫状河（braided stream)考生回忆：本文主要说了沙洲（bar)、冲积扇（alluvial fan)、三角洲（delta) 这些辫状河是如何形成的。

一开始说有的地方水块，然后冲积就会带走一些石头。

同时这些水流到了某些地方，由于地形的关系导致两边的水快而中间的水慢，所以那些石头就会沉淀下来形成枝干。

还说了逆流（upstream)和顺流(downstream)沉淀物的比较。

河曲沙洲（point bar)是河流内外侧流速不一样，同时干旱半干旱山区和冰川地区容易形成冲积扇，在湖泊和海边流速慢的地方会形成三角洲。

后面还提到了要在尼罗河边建筑堤坝，防止河水泛滥成灾。

解析：本文围绕各种网状河流的结构如何形成这个主题展开论证。

段落结构会以各种河流形成的过程描述为主。

读文章时需注意记录笔记，总结每一段的段落大意对于结构化阋读及最后一题的解答有很大好处。

以地理地质类为主题是托福阋读常见考点，段落结构不会很难把握，但背景词汇却是考生们比较畏惧的。

需注意注意积累TPO中相关题材文章的背景词汇。

推荐的阋读文章是TP08的文章 Running Water on Mars.Running Water on MarsPhotographic evidence suggests that liquid water once existed in great quantity on the surface of Mars. Two types of flow features are seen: runoff channels and outflow channels. Runoff channels are found in the southern highlands. These flow features are extensive systems—sometimes hundreds of kilometers in total length—of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem to merge into larger, wider channels. They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys. Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid water widespread.Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only in equatorial regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. Instead, they are probably the paths taken by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the northern plains. The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped "islands”(resembling the miniature versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of the outflow channels. Judging from the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly enormous—perhaps as much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great Amazon river. Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same times as the northern volcanic plains formed.Some scientists speculate that Mars may have enjoyed an extended early Period during which rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans adorned its surface. A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta—a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expenses of water on the earlyMartian surface. A computer-generated view of the Martian north polar region shows the extent of what may have been an ancient ocean covering much of the northern lowlands. The Hellas Basin, which measures some 3,000 kilometers across and has a floor that lies nearly 9 kilometers below the basin's rim, is another candidate for an ancient Martian sea.These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced "beaches” shown in one image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated and the shoreline receded. But detractors maintain that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water. Furthermore, Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers—layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen—that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans. However, more recent data imply that at least some parts of the planet did in fact experience long periods in the past during which liquid water existed on the surface.Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today, and the amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is tiny. Yet even setting aside the unproven hints of ancient oceans, the extent of the outflow channels suggests that a huge total volume of water existed on Mars in the past. Where did all the water go? The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet's polar caps.第二篇：N文明考生回忆：一开始说在撤哈拉中部平原，那里的人发展了农牧业。