新GRE中短篇阅读真题精选

　　E. third star would be more likely to encounter a pair than it would to encounter a blue straggler

　　2. Information presented in the passage suggests which of the following about blue stragglers?

　　A. They originate from stars that are hotter and more massive than the Sun.

　　B. They are burning more rapidly than other types of stars observed in ancient star clusters.

　　C. They are older than most other types of stars within the same star cluster.

　　D. They are less numerous in low-density globular clusters than are pairs of stars.

　　E. They generally originate from the oldest stars among those found in ancient star clusters.

　　3. The passage cites which of the following as evidence undermining the theory presented in the second sentence?

　　A. A discrepancy between the number of mergers between single stars in certain low-density globular clusters and that in other low-density globular clusters

　　B. A discrepancy between the heat and mass of blue stragglers formed by one type of process and the heat and mass of blue stragglers formed by another type of process

　　C. A discrepancy between the frequency of star mergers in low-density globular clusters and those in high-density globular clusters

　　D. A discrepancy between the amount of heat and mass of ancient single stars and that of blue stragglers

　　E. A discrepancy between the number of mergers between single stars in certain star clusters and the number of blue stragglers in those clusters

　　答案：C B E

　　Passage 10

　　MacArthur and Wilson suggested that the biodiversity of an island will vary in direct proportion to a function of the island’s size (i.e., larger islands can support a greater number of species) and in inverse proportion to a function of its distance from the mainland (i.e., many remote islands will tend to support fewer species). Reduced biodiversity in an island context is likely to require significant adaptation on the part of colonizing human populations. Evans argues that this limitation makes islands ideal laboratories for the study of human adaptations to the natural environment, whilst Renfrew and Wagstaff, in the introduction to their study of Melos, focus on this limitation in biodiversity as a “significant characteristic of the island ecosystem.” For human communities, however, this limitation may potentially be offset by other factors. The reduced biodiversity of an island ecosystem applies only to terrestrial resources: the resources of the sea will be as rich as on any other coastal area, and may be equally important to human communities. A small island such as Malta or Melos allows all communities direct access to the sea, providing an important nutritional “safety net,” as well as an element of dietary diversity, which may actually give island communities an advantage over their landlocked counterparts. Islands may also have specific nonbiological resources (such as obsidian on Melos), which may be used in exchange with communities on other islands and adjacent mainlands.

　　1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

　　A. evaluate two contrasting approaches to island biodiversity

　　B. discuss the relevance of certain data pertaining to island biodiversity

　　C. call into question a particular understanding of island biodiversity

　　D. consider various reasons for reduced biodiversity on islands

　　E. contrast large and small islands in terms of overall biodiversity

　　Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

　　2. According to the author, factors of potential importance to human communities on islands include

　　A. the accessibility of the sea’s resources

　　B. a diet superior in some respects to the diet of landlocked communities

　　C. nonbiological resources that can be exploited

　　3. The author suggests that in considering the biodiversity of islands, Evans