老托阅读2000年8月.docVIP

2000年8月TOEFL试题 Section Three: Reading Comprehension Questions 1-8 Prehistoric mammoths have been preserved in the famous tar pits of Rancho La Brea (Brea is the Spanish word for tar) in what now the heart of Los Angeles, California. These tar pits have been known for centuries and were formerly mined for their natural Line asphalt, a black or brown petroleum-like substance. Thousands of tons were extracted (5) before 1875, when undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site. excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site The tar pits were found to contain the remains of scores of species of animals from the last 30,000 years of the Ice Age. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from (10) invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses. The creatures found range form insects and birds to giant ground sloth’s, but a total of 17 proboscides (animal with a proboscis or long nose)- including mastodons and Columbian mammoths- have been recovered, most of them from Pit 9, the deepest bone-bearing deposit, which was excavated in 1914. Most of the fossils date to between (15) 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust. Unwary animals would become trapped on these thin sheets of liquid asphalt, which are extremely sticky in warm weather. Stuck, the unfortunate beasts would die of exhaustion and (20) hunger or fall prey to predators that often also became stuck. As the animals decayed, more scavengers would be attracted and caught in their turn. Carnivores greatly outnumber herbivores in the collection: for every large herbivore, there is one saber-tooth cat, a coyote, and four wolves. The fact that some bones are hea