Case Study–TOEFL Reading

本文收集筆者喜歡的托福閱讀難題。

• TPO 1-1-5 ⭐⭐
• TPO 1-1-12 ⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 1-3-9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 邏輯腦補
• TPO 1-3-14 ⭐⭐
• TPO 14-3-8 ⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 24-3-13 ⭐⭐
• TPO 38-1-10 ⭐⭐
  • TPO 38-2-4 ⭐ & 5 ⭐⭐
  • TPO 27-1-3 ⭐⭐
• TPO 16-1-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • TPO 25-1-3 ⭐
• TPO 15-1-1 ⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 15-2-14 ⭐⭐
• TPO 17-3-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 19-3-11 ⭐⭐
• TPO 20-3-12 ⭐⭐
• TPO 21-2-5 ⭐⭐
• TPO 22-1-14 ⭐⭐
• TPO 22-2-8 ⭐⭐⭐ — 經驗腦補
• TPO 23-2-6 ⭐⭐⭐ — 補述搗亂
• TPO 22-3-3 ⭐⭐ — 錯字腦補
• TPO 22-2-11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 22-3-13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • TPO 23-1-13 ⭐⭐
• TPO 23-3-7 ⭐
• TPO 24-1-13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 23-1-5 ⭐
• TPO 29-1-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 30-1-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 37-1-12 ⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 41-1-2 ⭐⭐⭐
• TPO 40-1-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 補述搗亂
  • TPO 40-2-2 ⭐⭐⭐

TPO 1-1-5 ⭐⭐

The water was always laden with pebbles, gravel, and sand, known as glacial outwash, that was deposited as the flow slowed down.

The phrase glacial outwash in the passage refers to A. fast rivers; B. glaciers; C. the huge volumes of water created by glacial melting; D. the particles carried in water from melting glaciers

有逗號的插入語有可能是描述前句主語，也有可能是描述緊跟在前的字。托福的習慣是後者，因此答案直覺就是 D。如果一定要描述主語 water，可以寫成： The water, known as glacial outwash, was…. 或者 The water… down, which is known as glacial outwash. 如果說要描述緊跟在前的字，那麼又為何要用逗號插入語呢？這是因為它其實是用來做「非限定」功能，也就是說粗體字的部份並非用來限定的。另一個問題是 that 又是指誰？很簡單，直接拿掉插入語會變成 pebble, gravel, and sand that… 也就是說 that 是用來限定這些石塊的，特指那些水流變緩後沈下來的石塊。P.S. 在限定用法時美式英語習慣使用 that 來限定人事物。

TPO 1-1-12 ⭐⭐⭐

If the pores are large, the water in them will exist as drops too heavy for surface tension to hold, and it will drain away; but if the pores are small enough, the water in them will exist as thin films, too light to overcome the force of surface tension holding them in place; then the water will be firmly held.

A. Surface tension is not strong enough to retain drops of water in rocks with large pores but it strong enough to hold on to thin films of water in rocks with small pores.
C. Small pores and large pores both interact with surface tension to determine whether a rock will hold water as heavy drops or as a thin film.

本題難在很難發現 C 選項與 surface tension 交互作用的其實是 water 而不是 pore，若看出這點就能訊速排除。Pore 其實是「決定」 surface tension 的。

TPO 1-3-9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 邏輯腦補

Wind velocity also increases with altitude and may cause serious stress for trees, as is made evident by the deformed shapes at high altitudes.

A. Because of their deformed shapes at high altitudes, trees are not likely to be seriously harmed by the strong winds typical of those altitudes.
B. As altitude increases, the velocity of winds increase, leading to a serious decrease in the number of trees found at high altitudes.
C. The deformed shapes of trees at high altitudes show that wind velocity, which increase with altitude, can cause serious hardship for trees.
D. Increased wind velocity at high altitudes deforms the shapes of trees, and this may cause serious stress for trees.

首先速讀完可以刪掉 A / B 兩個明顯錯誤。接下來開始思考邏輯圖：

觀查 D 選項 deformed shapes 在句中是一個證據而非因果關係，所以完全不合句意。考生會選錯的原因是自行在腦中加了一個邏輯「stress -> deformed shapes」，這腦補的邏輯理論上沒錯，然而原句並沒有提到，所以不能選。此外，題目還很好心地加了另一個錯誤「this may cause serious stress」，從上圖可以看到，句子是講「強風」造成壓力，而不是「強風把樹變形」這件事情造成壓力。當然，如果用腦補一下邏輯，其實都說的通，也因此本題很容易選錯。

Ans: C

TPO 1-3-14 ⭐⭐

Within a vertical distance of just a few tens of meters, trees disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low shrubs, herbs, and grasses.

F. Despite being adjacent to the timberline, the alpine tundra is an area where certain kinds of low trees can endure high winds and very low temperatures.

此題的陷井在於，若讀者先入為主認為灌木是樹，那就很容易以為 F 選項是正確的（錯在不是 low tree）。此外，其實在文章一開頭就有提到：trees disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low shrubs, herbs, and grasses.

TPO 14-3-8 ⭐⭐⭐

Certainly, rational appeals in advertising aimed at children are limited, as most advertisements use emotional and indirect appeals to psychological states or associations.

• A. Rational appeals in advertising are certainly limited by children’s emotional immaturity and the indirect nature of their associations.
• B. Indirect appeals to children’s psychological states or associations can limit the effectiveness of rational appeals in advertising.
• C. Rational appeals play a much smaller role in advertisements for children than emotional appeals and psychological associations do.
• D. Rational appeals in advertising aimed at children should certainly be limited until the children are emotionally and psychologically ready.

本題注意到「加逗號」因為語氣斷了，前後兩句變成並列， as 就不是表因果而是指「當」的意思！詳見這篇文章 → As = 因為 = 當 VS because, since, for, when, while ←

Ans: C

TPO 24-3-13 ⭐⭐

Once all this information has been gathered, it becomes possible to judge whether a lake’s flow is mainly due to its surface inputs and outputs or to its underground inputs and outputs. If the former are greater, the lake is a surface-water-dominated lake; if the latter, it is a seepage(滲漏)-dominated lake. ① Occasionally, common sense tells you which of these two possibilities applies. For example, a pond in hilly country that maintains a steady water level all through a dry summer in spite of having no streams flowing into it must obviously be seepage dominated. Conversely, a pond with a stream flowing in one end and out the other, which dries up when the stream dries up, is clearly surface water dominated. ②

插入句：Of course, a lake may be neither surface-water- nor seepage-dominated if, for example, its inputs are predominantly surface and its outputs are predominantly seepage.

本題插在 ① 的位置感覺不錯，按邏輯來說，講完第一種、第二種。然而，若插在這邊，Occasionally, common sense tells you which of these two… 就不合囉！所以正確答案是要插在 ② 的位置。

TPO 38-1-10 ⭐⭐

However, instead of lenses made of glass, the transmission electron microscope uses electromagnets as lenses, as do all electron microscopes.

According to paragraphs 5 and 6, the transmission electron microscope differs from the scanning electron microscope in all of the following ways EXCEPT: B. The transmission electron microscope uses electromagnets as lenses.

此題選項皆為正確，然而文章中留了一個伏筆（紅字）。當略讀找不到答案時，就要靜下心來找看看這種線索。

TPO 38-2-4 ⭐ & 5 ⭐⭐

Furthermore, they have been deliberately introduced throughout the continent. Within the United States, they are commonly taken from one area to another, both legally and illegally, to restock hunting areas and, presumably, because people simply want them to be part of their local fauna. Their appearance and subsequent flourishing in Utah’s Great Salt Lake valley within the last 40 years appears to be from such an introduction.

What is true about raccoons in Utah’s Great Salt Lake valley? B. They were not found there prior to 40 years ago. C. They were often restocked because of illegal hunting.

本題 B 選項其實有點太過絕對了，然而C選項好像也怪怪的。此時應靜下心來細讀，才能發現 illegal 是指「運送」，而不是指 hunting。習慣略讀的人會自動把 illegal 和 hunting 腦補而答錯。考生要記得當選不太出來時，最佳策略就是回去細讀看看是不是自己腦補了什麼，錯過了什麼關鍵字，而不是在那用錯誤的理解做推論。

According to paragraph 3, the introduction of raccoons into Utah’s Great Salt Lake Valley appears to have been an example of an introduction that was A. motivated by a desire to have raccoons among the local wildlife C. carried out by hunters who wanted more raccoons to hunt

兩個答案看起來都對，然而帶過去的並沒說是 hunter！又是一個經典的腦補。考生務必在這種選項都有可能的狀況下，細讀文章以找到選項中可能腦補的地方。

TPO 27-1-3 ⭐⭐

A glance at a map of the Pacific Ocean reveals that there are many islands far out at sea that are actually volcanoes-many no longer active, some overgrown with coral-that originated from activity at points in the interior of the Pacific Plate that forms the Pacific seafloor. Question: B. Many volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean are no longer active and have become islands that support coral. C. There are many islands in the Pacific Ocean that originated as volcanoes in the interior of the Pacific Plate.

答案 B 雖然有提到 coral 但答案卻是 C。這是因為仔細看 volcanoes-many 其實是 em-dash （看起來真的不像）也就是說，後面的句子就算是補述，不需要考慮。此外 B 錯在 many，應該是 some。

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TPO 15-1-1 ⭐⭐⭐

it deals with the chilly waters in a way unique among reptiles.

unique 放在 the way 後面，是後置型容詞的用法。翻成中文，會變成「獨特方法在爬蟲類中」。這邊真正的意思是「對於其他所有爬蟲類來說，一種獨特的方法」。這邊注意 among 要代入「對於其他」的概念。否則，中文的邏輯很容易誤解成「爬蟲類的獨特方法」。

若要翻成「爬蟲類的獨特方法」，那英文應該是 in the way unique for reptiles. 冠詞應換成「限定」，因為被「爬蟲類的」限定。然後使用 for，把 reptile 變成單一主體，也就是說「對於爬蟲類來說，他們的獨特方法」。

P.S. 影片是到一個重要誤區： between A, B, and C 是正確的。 Among A, B, and C 是錯誤的。

TPO 15-2-14 ⭐⭐

Researchers have observed 26-million-year cycles in extinction rates of a number of fossil groups that could all be attributed to the same cause.

讀者們想必看到「所有都歸疚於一樣的原因」，心裡就先給他一個「叉」了吧！然而，不知道讀者會不會「漏掃」了「could」這個字呢！？本句因為 could 而把「所有」這個武斷的字給轉成「可能所有」。這個轉化，讓本選項成為正解。

TPO 17-3-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europe’s maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seas-the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and, to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continent-not of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding one’s way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create. Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.

The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen. Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water; hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if they hugged the African coastline, they had little chance of surviving a crossing of the Indian Ocean. Shortly after 1400, shipbuilders began developing a new type of vessel properly designed to operate in rough, open water: the caravel. It had a wider and deeper hull than the galley and hence could carry more cargo; increased stability made it possible to add multiple masts and sails. In the largest caravels, two main masts held large square sails that provided the bulk of the thrust driving the ship forward, while a smaller forward mast held a triangular-shaped sail, called a lateen sail, which could be moved into a variety of positions to maneuver the ship.

1. Europeans wanted to import spices from Asia in order to improve the taste of food and to make perfumes and medicines.
2. For trade in Asian goods such as spices to be profitable, these items needed to be transported in large quantities by sea.
3. Wind-driven caravels were developed to carry cargo across the oceans.

的第二段一整個就是在講 caravel，所以 3 不算細節，而是正確答案。其次，選項 1 提到的 large quantity 一整個就是在講 caravel 出現的原因，也是正解。最後，選項 2 關於食物、香水等等都沒有其他內文論述，所以算細節。如果選項 2 想要變正確答案，可將其論述改為：「為了利用香料增加食物香氣…，更多的投資是必需的…繞過中東…」之類的，就能將該句的範圍擴張到其他內文。

TPO 19-3-11 ⭐⭐

Why does the author mention that “some of the forts continued in occupation long after Rome ceased to have any formal authority in Britain”?

This process of settling in as a community over several generations, combined with local recruitment, presumably accounts for the apparent stability of the British northern frontier in the later Roman period. It also explains why some of the forts continued in occupation long after Rome ceased to have any formal authority in Britain, at the beginning of the fifth century A.D.

C. To support the claim that forts continued to serve an important economic function even after they ceased to be of any military use
D. To describe one of the things that resulted from frontier garrisons’ becoming part of the local community over a long period

本題 C 選項提到的東西和文章裡 also 之後的東西一模一樣，因此特別容易被騙。這邊提醒讀者一定要看完選項！選項 D 的論述看似比 C 還差，然而有點機會。此時就要回到原文徹底理解文意，以下為理解後腦中應有的架構：「開頭講的 community 解釋了 (account for) 壹、stability in later Roman period。貳、continuing after Rome.」。

TPO 20-3-12 ⭐⭐

the chances of escaping complete destruction are vastly improved if the organism happens to have a mineralized skeleton and dies in a place where it can be quickly buried by sediment. Both of these conditions are often found on the ocean floors, where shelled invertebrates (organisms without spines) flourish and are covered by the continuous rain of sedimentary particles.

According to the passage, all of the following assist in fossil preservation EXCEPT
B. the presence of large open areas along an ocean floor

Ocean floor 確實是正解，不過，此選項 the presence of open area 才是主詞，可以看到 along 帶出來的 ocean floor 變成修飾語了。典型的托福陷井題。

TPO 21-2-5 ⭐⭐

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? “The temperature increased dramatically in a short period of time (years rather than centuries), allowing for a growth of the hunting-gathering population due to the abundance of resources. “

• The resources needed by the growing hunting and gathering population increased rapidly once temperatures rose.
• Higher temperatures led to the existence of increased resources, thus enabling the hunting and gathering population to grow.

首先，原句開頭描述「溫度上升」。看起來兩句都有。接下來「括號」的部份是補充，完全不要理他。接下來是個因果句「人口上升 <= 資源」。仔細觀查第一個選項會發現沒有描述到因果，其「needed by」僅只是一個修飾語，所以這個選項真正描述到的「事件」，只有「資源上升」。這題可以說是與 TPO 14-3-8 相同的陷井題。

TPO 22-1-14 ⭐⭐

The Allende meteorite is classified as a chondrite. Chondrites take their name from the Greek word chondros-meaning “seed” -an allusion to their appearance as rocks containing tiny seeds.

A. When Allende entered Earth’s atmosphere, it broke into thousands of pieces called chondrites because they look like glassy, black seeds.

本題其實很簡單，訊速找到關鍵字回文章一找就會找到答案了。然而，筆者把這題放在這邊是想讓高手更上一層樓。有志考滿分的讀者，於閱讀文章時就應該不停地在腦中圖形化總結。例如讀到 is classified as a chondrite 就應該在腦中畫出 Allende = chondrite 的關係圖。醬子能確保您的答題時間再加速，對日後出國留學也定會有很大的助益。

TPO 22-2-8 ⭐⭐⭐ — 經驗腦補

Because the medium was so prolific, in the sense that it was possible to produce a multitude of images very cheaply, it was soon treated as the poor relation of fine art, rather than its destined successor.

A. Photography did not replace other fine arts because people felt the image looked cheap in relation to the other arts.

B. Photography was not considered a true art because people could use it to create many images cheaply.

C. Photography was so cheap and readily available that it could be purchased by people who were too poor to purchase fine art.

D. Photography not only spread quickly but also was a cheap art form and so became the successor of fine arts rather than its poor relation.

本題難在 B 選項「true art」文中沒提到，而 A 選項則看起來蠻對的，結果就錯選了 A。這邊最重要的技巧是只看主幹句：「Because the medium was so prolific, it was soon treated as the poor relation of fine art.」。仔細觀查 A 選項中的「looked cheap」並沒有在文中提到，原句的意思是它「真的很便宜」而不是讓人覺得便宜，然而讀者很容易按自身經驗腦補而答錯。

Ans: B

TPO 23-2-6 ⭐⭐⭐ — 補述搗亂

The frequency with which certain simple motifs appear in these oldest sites has led rock-art researchers to adopt a descriptive term-the Panaramitee style-a label which takes its name from the extensive rock pavements at Panaramitee North in desert South Australia, which are covered with motifs pecked into the surface.

A. The oldest rock art sites have simpler motifs than the best known sites of Panaramitee North.

B. Because motifs primarily associated with the Panaramitee region are common in the oldest sites, the term Panaramitee style has become the general term for rock art of this type.

C. Because the Panaramitee style is so common in the older sites, researchers have described it most extensively.

D. The motifs carved in the rocky surface of the Panaramitee region make up the oldest form of rock art discovered in Australia.

本題看似字多結構亂很困難，其實只要抓出主軸句「The frequency with which certain simple motifs appear in these oldest sites has led rock-art researchers to adopt a descriptive term」後，再抓選項裡的主軸句，把所有的 because 蓋起來不看，就會發現只有 B 選項在聊「term」。

Ans: B

補充長句解讀：首先 the frequency with which 讀完一定要思考一下主詞動詞是什麼，否則會被 which 後的補充說明牽著鼻子走。接著，第二個 which 前面的寫法蠻特別的「-the Panaramitee style-」是逗號同位語用法，正常會看到的寫法是「a descriptive term, the Panarmitee Style, which」，結果他後面又來個同位語 a label 然後用 which 來說明 label。第三個 which 前有逗號，是非限定用法，所以不是補述 which 前的 Australia，而是補述前面整句或者裡面的某個東西（pavement）。

TPO 22-3-3 ⭐⭐ — 錯字腦補

Numerous insects occupy the marsh, feeding on living or dead cordgrass tissue, and redwing blackbirds, sparrows, rodents, rabbits, and deer feed directly on the cordgrass.

A. Insects feed only on dead cordgrass, while most other marsh inhabitants feed on live cordgrass.

B. The marsh is a good habitat for insects, but a relatively poor one for birds and animals.

C. Although cordgrass provides food for birds and animals, it gives insects both food and a place to live.

D. Cordgrass provides food for numerous insects, birds, and other animals.

D 選項描述的沒錯，然而似乎漏掉了主幹句的 occupy。然而注意到本題開頭寫 insects 住在 marsh 而不是 cordgrass，所以 C 的描述錯誤，只能選 D 了。這個錯誤來自人類的盲點，因為整篇文章都在講 cordgrass 所以很容易錯以為句子開頭寫的也是 cordgrass。

Ans: D

TPO 22-2-11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The rapid technical development of photography–the introduction of lighter and simpler equipment, and of new emulsions that coated photographic plates, film, and paper and enabled images to be made at much faster speeds–had some unanticipated consequences. Scientific experiments made by photographers such as Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) and Etienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) demonstrated that the movements of both humans and animals differed widely from the way they had been traditionally represented in art. Artists, often reluctantly, were forced to accept the evidence provided by the camera. The new candid photography-unposed pictures that were made when the subjects were unaware that their pictures were being taken-confirmed these scientific results, and at the same time, thanks to the radical cropping (trimming) of images that the camera often imposed, suggested new compositional formats. The accidental effects obtained by candid photographers were soon being copied by artists such as the French painter Degas.

A. It inspired artists to use technological themes in their painting.
B. It lent prestige to those artists who used photographs as models for paintings.
C. It provided artists with new types of equipment to speed up the painting process.
D. It motivated artists to think about new ways to compose images in their paintings.

此題相當適合用來練習速讀長句。首先 em-dash 可以快速 scan 它的結尾，中間是補述語可以完全跳過，省掉大把細節處理時間。, and 這邊如果能注意到要寫第二個主句了，就能輕易辨識出後面的 ,thanks 也是補述語。如果這兩關沒過的話，就會花大把大把的時間才能找到關鍵語「compositional format」。

有趣的是，candid photography 正常人應該不會知道是什麼，所以需要看一下補述語才能理解。如果按我們所說的方法跳過，那不就完全不能理解了？請放心，因為選項裡沒有在討論這個東西，所以還是請您先跳過，若發現有在問這個東西的話，再回來看也不遲。

此TPO有個單字小插曲，順手記錄在此：surprising = unusual, or unexpected ；unintentional = not done in a way that is planned or intended ；accidental = not done in a way that is planned or intended。可看出 accidental 是與個人的「意志」有關的，而 surprise 則完全是「被動」的。

TPO 22-3-13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spartina is an exceedingly competitive plant. (A) It spreads primarily by underground stems; colonies form when pieces of the root system or whole plants float into an area and take root or when seeds float into a suitable area and germinate. (B) Spartina establishes itself on substrates ranging from sand and silt to gravel and cobble and is tolerant of salinities ranging from that of near freshwater (0.05 percent) to that of salt water (3.5 percent). (C) Because they lack oxygen, marsh sediments are high in sulfides that are toxic to most plants. (D) Spartina has the ability to take up sulfides and convert them to sulfate, a form of sulfur that the plant can use; this ability makes it easier for the grass to colonize marsh environments.

Spartina is particularly able to tolerate high salinities because salt glands on the surface of the leaves remove the salt from the plant sap.

本題若思考從「大寫到小」或者說是從 General to Detail，那必然是 B 選項合理。然而特別注意到，若插在 B 位，那 sand / silt / gravel / cobble 就會很突兀。相較於一般使用 G2D 的考題，這個陷阱可說是很難閃過。此外，也可以發現 marsh sediments 講完才講 Spartina 的特殊能力，可說是文章裡暗示讀者應採用這個順序。

Ans: C

TPO 23-1-13 ⭐⭐

In addition to dairy farming and cultivating industrial crops, a third sector of the Dutch economy reflected the way in which agriculture was being modernized-horticulture. In the sixteenth century, fruit and vegetables were to be found only in gardens belonging to wealthy people. This changed in the early part of the seventeenth century when horticulture became accepted as an agricultural sector. (C) Whole villages began to cultivate fruit and vegetables. (D) The produce was then transported by water to markets in the cities, where the consumption of fruit and vegetables was no longer restricted to the wealthy.

Some villages specialized in growing cabbages and carrots; others grew onions, mustard, and coriander; and still others produced fruit and cultivated trees in nurseries.

觀查 C/D 兩個位置，其實都合理，結果就只能用 general to detail 的方法來判斷。也就是 horticulture => fruit / vegetables => cabbages… fruit

Ans: D

TPO 23-3-7 ⭐

The precise “configuration” of a heat island depends on several factors. For example, the wind can make a heat island stretch in the direction it blows. When a heat island is well developed, variations can be extreme; in winter, busy streets in cities can be 1.7°C warmer than the side streets.

The word “configuration” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. location B. history C. temperature D. shape

configuration 一般來說我們記的是電腦配備設定或遊戲的參數設定。所以 temperature 會比較像答案。然而，本題教會大家 configuration 原本的意思是結構、格局（the particular arrangement or pattern of a group of related things）。例如 We tried the furniture in different configurations to see which fit best.

TPO 24-1-13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

And besides the awkwardness of having to share walls with neighbors, living in aggregated pueblos introduced other problems. ① For people in cliff dwellings, hauling water, wood, and food to their homes was a major chore. ② The stress on local resources, especially in the firewood needed for daily cooking and warmth, was particularly intense, and conditions in aggregated pueblos were not very hygienic.

插入句 Performing everyday household tasks required more effort.

本題相當困難，因為 ①② 都符合英語 coherence 的原則（前後句要提到相關的事物），而且放哪邊其實都不優（出題的人刻意少掉了一些轉折語）。

如果放 ② 的話，感覺非常合理！因為 chore（日常瑣事） 和 household task（家的事） 可以更靠近。反之，如果放在 ① 的位置，was a major chore 會顯的很奇怪，感覺後面還要寫一些東西把它和選項之間的關係連起來，例如，應該要加一句「這些瑣事都更變的更難了」。

要答對 ① 的話，需把 problem 拿進來考慮。仔細觀查，a major chore 並不是一個 problem。也就是說，problem 1 是 more effort、problem 2 是 stress on local resource、problem 3 是hygien。

TPO 23-1-5 ⭐

The word “consumption” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. sale B. storage C. exploration D. utilization

consume = 消耗 / consumption = 消費，這個字是從使用者的觀點出發。 sell = 賣 / sale = 銷售，這個字則是從賣家的觀點出發。

Ans: D

TPO 29-1-14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

E. Investigation of the ecological role of competition is difficult because ordinarily the competition cannot be observed directly and must be inferred from its presumed effects.

本題是最後的總結題，難在有四個選項看似都是答案，然而又都有一點模糊的空間。時間不夠的狀況下，很容易就只看到 difficult because 後面符合文章，而錯選了這個答案。然而這邊若仔細看主要句，會發現他的論點是「競爭的角色」，而文章中指出的困難點並非競爭的角色，而是競爭的狀況。這或許又是那個中文母語人士的問題：「總是從細節開始」，而不好好地去看 because 前面的主要句。

TPO 30-1-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The punctuated equilibrium hypothesis challenged gradualism, which holds that species evolve in relatively sudden bursts of brief duration.

此選項筆者將其化簡為 A challenged B, which holds that B is wrong. 大部份學習者看到補述用法就下意識認為 which 可以跳修 A，接著解讀成 A 挑戰 B，A 認為 B 是錯的，就句意而言邏輯正確，進而認定此為正確選項。

然而事實上，此題的 which 是在描述 B。其原因在於 which 可能是在修飾 B，也可能跳躍修飾 A。此時的狀況便是「語義不清」，應採「靠近原則」，認定 which 是在修飾靠近 which 的 B。再仔細觀查，既然 which 指的是 B，那 B 怎麼會認為 B 是錯的呢？所以本句的邏輯不通，是個錯誤的選項。

TPO 37-1-12 ⭐⭐⭐

This exciting burst of intellectual activity was for the most part purely creative. (A) The Greeks, from Thales to Plato and Aristotle, were philosophers and not scientists in today’s sense. (B) It is possible for anyone to create “ideas” about the nature and structure of the universe, for instance, and many times these ideas can be so consistent and elaborately structured, or just so apparently obvious, that they can be persuasive to many people. (C) A scientific theory about the universe, however, demands much more than the various observations and analogies that were woven together to form systems of reasoning, carefully constructed as they were, that would eventually culminate in Aristotle’s model of the world and the universe.

In this respect it more closely resembled the thinking of artists and novelists than the thinking of scientists constrained by fact.

這題很容易不小心就選了 (C) 因為有接到 scientists。然而仔細看 (B) 後方提的正是插入句的前半段，所以答案是在 (A) 的位置。如此一來就可以 it 指活動 B 指前半而 C 指後半插入句。

TPO 41-1-2 ⭐⭐⭐

The paintings and chants used in the ceremonies are directed by well-trained artists and singers who enlist the aid of spirits who are impersonated by masked performers. A. assist B. require C. describe D. recruit

Recruit 一般的印像是徵募，例如 recruit volunteers to help in their work. 按照這個想法套進原句意思會變的不太對。反而是 require 比較像。然而特別注意到 recruit 還有這個意思：to persuade (someone) to join you in some activity or to help you 例如 I recruited my brother to drive us to the concert. 這樣看來就跟 enlist 很像了：to get the support and help of (someone or something) 例如 They’re enlisting volunteers for an experiment.

TPO 40-1-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 補述搗亂

The tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudes-a fact that is not always evident when we examine commonly used projections of Earth’s curved surface, since this tends to exaggerate the areas of land in the higher latitudes-and some biogeographers regard the differences in diversity as a reflection of this effect.

A. Some biogeographers believe that the tropics have larger surface areas than they actually do because of the distortions produced by projections of Earth’s curved surface.

B. High levels of diversity in the tropics are sometimes attributed to the fact that the tropics have more surface area of land than the higher latitudes do, though distortions in commonly used projections may seem to suggest otherwise.

C. Because biogeographers disagree on whether or not the tropics are correctly represented in projections of Earth’s surface, it is difficult to determine the relationship their surface area has to their diversity.

D. Most biogeographers agree that the tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudes do, but they disagree on whether or not the tropics’ level of diversity is a reflection of that larger surface area.

本題的補述句既長又插在句中間，所以顯的更難了！訣竅一樣是只看主句去找答案。A 選項提到的東西和主句沒啥關係可以直接刪去。然而若您好好讀了補述句，那便會被這個選項迷惑，或者至少浪費時間去思考這個選項。C 選項在主要句後半有提到「some bbiogeogrphers」，所以看起來是正確的，而其提到的細節則是在補充句中有提到，所以也是相當迷惑人的一個選項。然而如果您有按正確方法去讀，也就是說直接跳過補充句，腦裡沒有 projection 的概念，那就不會受影響。 D 看到 most 直接刪去，因為 some 對應的是 50%

TPO 40-2-2 ⭐⭐⭐

The tolerance range in body temperature represents the range of temperatures within which a species can survive. One species of North American newt is still active when temperatures drop to -2ºC while one South American frog feels comfortable even when temperatures rise to 41ºC-the highest body temperature measured in a free-ranging amphibian.

Why does the author mention a “South American frog” species in the passage?
A. To make the point that an amphibian’s temperature tolerance depends on a number of factors B. To indicate how precise the range of body temperatures is for certain amphibians C. To contrast its ability to adapt to that of the North American newt D. To help illustrate the range of environmental conditions to which amphibians have adapted

本題 C 選項指出是為了對比。這樣說其實也對，然而請注意在文章中舉例前提到 range 也因此並不是為了對比，而是為了例證這個 range。所以答案才會是 D