TOEFL Sample Question
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CLI 아카데미
작성일
2013-04-19 10:11
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4257
Read the following passage. Then fill in the diagram with the information that you read.
The Theory of Continental Drift
In 1910, Frank Bursley Taylor presented the idea that the continents of the Earth moved in relation to each other. In 1912, it was Alfred Wegener who formally utilized the expression “continental drift” in his papers. In the 1950s and 1960s, geologists conducted valuable research that built upon the set of evidence that supported valuable research that built upon the set of evidence that supported the theory. The emergence of evidence of continental drift goes back as far as the late 1500s. A Dutch mapmaker noticed the complementary shapes of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas. He surmised that it was possible they were once conjoined and had drifted apart, thus forming the Atlantic Ocean. It is as if these continents, particularly South America and Africa, fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The eastern coastline of South America corresponds with the coastline of the western part of Africa. The theory states that, at one point, South America and Africa were part of one continent. Then, the continental plates broke apart and continued to drift in opposite directions over the span of history.
In later centuries, paleontologists used plant and animal fossils to help support the idea that these continents were once joined. For example, they discovered similar fossils of the very same species of freshwater crocodile in both Brazil and South Africa. In addition, Wegener realized that remarkably similar plant fossils from the Paleozoic age existed on several different continents. Glossopteris, an ancient fern, was discovered in the southern part of Africa and South America. That they transported themselves across the ocean did not make sense. Therefore, he concluded that these plants must have grown on a single continent before it began to drift apart in pieces.
Further supporting continental drift was geological evidence that spanned the continents. Wegener discovered huge formations that matched up on the continents. In particular, the stratification of rocks of Santa Catarina in Brazil. This could be seen in the identical patterns of various layers of crust and sedimentary rocks. These distinct similarities suggest that the continents had indeed once been attached as part of a larger mass.
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Conduct: to direct
Complementary: fitting; corresponding
Conjoin: to combine
Transport: to move from one place to another
Stratification: the layered formation of rocks
Sedimentary: related to the rock material that is deposited through natural processes
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Q. According to paragraph 1, the theory of continental drift originated when
(A) geologists began conducting research on species
(B) Frank Bursley Taylor discussed the movement of continents
(C) someone noticed that the Earth’s landforms fit together
(D) Alfred Wegener used “continental drift” in his papers
A > (C) someone noticed that the Earth’s landforms fit together