托福阅读历年真题精选15

Question 41-50

 The Moon, which has undergone a distinct and complex geological history, presents a

striking appearance. The moon may be divided into two major terrains: the maria (dark

lowlands) and the terrace( bright highlands). The contrast in the reflectivity (the capability

of reflecting light ) of these two terrains suggested to many early observers that the two

(5)  terrains might have different compositions, and this supposition was confirmed by

missions to the Moon such as Surveyor and Apollo. One of the most obvious differences

between the terrains is the smoothness of the maria in contrast to the roughness of the

highlands. This roughness is mostly caused by the abundance of craters; the highlands are

completely covered by large craters( greater than 40-50 km in diameter), while the craters

(10) of the maria tend to be much smaller. It is now known that the vast majority of the Moon’s

craters were formed by the impact of solid bodies with the lunar surface.

    Most of the near side of the Moon was thoroughly mapped and studied from telescopic

pictures years before the age of space exploration. Earth-based telescopes can resolve

objects as small as a few hundred meters on the lunar surface. Close observation of

(15) craters, combined with the way the Moon diffusely reflects sunlight, led to the

understanding that the Moon is covered by a surface layer, or regolith, that overlies the

solid rock of the Moon. Telescopic images permitted the cataloging of a bewildering array

of land forms. Craters were studied for clues to their origin; the large circular maria were

(20) seen. Strange, sinuous features were observed in the maria. Although various land forms

were catalogued, the majority of astronomers’ attention was fixed on craters and their

origins.

    Astronomers have known for a fairly long time that the shape of craters changes as

they increase in size. Small craters with diameters of less than 10-15 km have relatively

(25) simple shapes. They have rim crests that are elevated above the surrounding terrain,

smooth, bowl-shaped interiors, and depths that are about one-fifth to one-sixth their diameters. The complexity of shape increases for larger craters.