首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries.
The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries.
admin
2010-07-06
48
问题
The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted hang-glider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved the problems of powered flight, and exactly what these creatures were—reptiles or birds—are among the questions scientists have puzzled over.
Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not e- valve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing like membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaur walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V-shape along each side of the animal’s body.
The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts.
Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hair—like fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.
Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became airborne have led to suggestions that they launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees or even by rising into light winds from the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. The first wrongly assumes that the pterosaurs ’hind feet resembled a bat’s and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high waves to channel updrafts. The wind that made such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne.
Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage?
选项
A、New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view.
B、Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of specific information.
C、Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given.
D、Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected
答案
B
解析
本题是一个推断题。考察考生对文章结构的理解。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/NMDd777K
本试题收录于:
公共英语四级笔试题库公共英语(PETS)分类
0
公共英语四级笔试
公共英语(PETS)
相关试题推荐
ThepagesoftheHarvardBusinessReviewarenotusuallypopulatedbynovelists.ButJosephFinderisjustsuchararity.Recent
Whatisthefirstjobthemanappliedforrightafterhisuniversitygraduation?Whatagegroupsjointhetour?
DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr’sexcellentBlood—AnEpicHistoryofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycopi
WhoearnslessintheUnitedStatesthanthoseinmanyindustrializedcountries?TheUnitedStateshasthehighestlevelofhig
WhoearnslessintheUnitedStatesthanthoseinmanyindustrializedcountries?WhereistheOrganizationforEconomicCoopera
TherecentsocialandeconomicchangesintheU.S.havegreatimpactonalltheAmericanhousingsystem.Mobilehousesarebui
NewfiguresfromFrance,GermanyandItaly--thethreebiggesteconomiesinthe12-countryEurozone-suggestthecontinent’sec
Thefossilremainsofthefirstflyingvertebrates,thepterosaurs,haveintriguedpaleontologistsformorethantwocenturies.
Australia
随机试题
关于妇科术后患者预防肺部感染的护理措施,下列描述正确的是()
患儿,5个月。因发热、咳嗽2天、气喘1天入院。查体:T39.5℃,P150次/min,R50次/min,烦躁不安,面色灰白,两肺有湿啰音。诊断:支气管肺炎。该患儿首选的护理诊断是
A.有头疖B.无头疖C.暑疖D.蝼蛄疖E.疖病多发于项后发际的疾病是
我国案件审理程序实行的是()
房地产经纪人员应提升人际交往能力,培养良好的人际关系,正确的做法是()。
自资格预审文件出售之日起至停止出售之日止,最短不得少于()日。
会计电算化的作用有()。
目前基金注册程序分为简易程序和普通程序,按简易程序注册,注册审查时间原则上不超过();按照普通程序注册,注册审查时间不超过()。
黑格尔是著名的哲学家,其著作包括()。
Windows2000中,按PrintScreen键,则使整个桌面内容()。
最新回复
(
0
)