『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 45 Passage 3阅读练习：The word “flexible” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 45 Passage 3阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 45 Passage 3阅读原文The word “flexible” in the passage is closest in meaning to题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

在开阔的海域，动物们经常能在特定的区域或季节找到稳定的食物来源（比如在春天的沿海地区）。

In the open sea, animals can often find food reliably available in particular regions or seasons (e.g., in coastal areas in springtime).

在这种情况下，动物们既不用完全将食物中的热量消化吸收，也不必将保存能量视为最重要的事。

In these circumstances, animals are neither constrained to get the last calorie out of their diet nor is energy conservation a high priority.

然而，海洋深处的食物数量会大大减少，因此这对动物能量约束会更严重。

In contrast, the food levels in the deeper layers of the ocean are greatly reduced, and the energy constraints on the animals are much more severe.

要在这个深度的海域生存，动物们必须最大化摄入能量，去寻找和食用任何存在的潜在食物来源。

To survive at those levels, animals must maximize their energy input, finding and eating whatever potential food source may be present.

在接近表层的地方，有很多大型的，移动速度很快的食肉动物，还有大量的浮游动物以浮游生物为食（微小能够自由漂浮的植物和动物），浮游动物通过一种特殊的结构穿过水流。 

In the near-surface layers, there are many large, fast carnivores as well as an immense variety of planktonic animals, which feed on plankton (small, free-floating plants or animals) by filtering them from currents of water that pass through a specialized anatomical structure.

这些滤食动物在有亮光的海水表层繁殖，因为海洋中有太多微小生物，从细菌到大的海藻，还有甲壳类幼虫。

These filter-feeders thrive in the well-illuminated surface waters because oceans have so many very small organisms, from bacteria to large algae to larval crustaceans.

即使在有些情况下，鱼也可以变为成功的滤食动物。

Even fishes can become successful filter-feeders in some circumstances.

尽管大多数海洋中的鱼是食肉动物，但在接近表层的区域，大量的浮游植物（浮游生物的植物成分）足够支撑大量的沙丁鱼和凤尾鱼等滤食动物。

Although the vast majority of marine fishes are carnivores, in near-surface regions of high productivity the concentrations of larger phytoplankton (the plant component of plankton) are sufficient to support huge populations of filter-feeding sardines and anchovies.

这些小鱼会用它们的鳃丝过滤这个区域主要的藻类。

These small fishes use their gill filaments to strain out the algae that dominate such areas.

沙丁鱼和凤尾鱼是大量渔业的基础，同时也是大量当地食肉动物的食物来源，尤其是海鸟的食物。

Sardines and anchovies provide the basis for huge commercial fisheries as well as a food resource for large numbers of local carnivores, particularly seabirds.

体型更大的须鲸和鲸鲨在多产的海岸和极地水域也是高效滤食动物，尽管它们的过滤对象是小动物（比如桡足动物和磷虾），而不是浮游生物。

At a much larger scale, baleen whales and whale sharks are also efficient filter-feeders in productive coastal or polar waters, although their filtered particles comprise small animals such as copepods and krill rather than phytoplankton.

过滤海水去汲取微小的营养成分是一种高能量需求的摄取营养方式，尤其是当过滤水流必须要由生物自己来完成，正如所有浮游动物所做的一样。

Filtering seawater for its particulate nutritional content can be an energetically demanding method of feeding, particularly when the current of water to be filtered has to be generated by the organism itself, as is the case for all planktonic animals.

每立升海水必须含有2.5毫克微小有机物，才能保证滤食动物的净能量摄入。

Particulate organic matter of at least 2.5 micrograms per cubic liter is required to provide a filter-feeding planktonic organism with a net energy gain.

在大多数沿海区域都能轻松超过这个数值，但在深海区域，有机物含量每立升从几乎没有到大概7毫克都有。

This value is easily exceeded in most coastal waters, but in the deep sea, the levels of organic matter range from next to nothing to around 7 micrograms per cubic liter.

即使在深海有机物含量低可能忽略了部分高浓度区域的存在，但很多深海动物都是处于一个恶劣的状况，也就是正常的滤食动物会饿死的情况。

Even though mean levels may mask much higher local concentrations, it is still the case that many deep-sea animals are exposed to conditions in which a normal filter-feeder would starve.

因此，深海中少有成功的滤食动物，其中一些有大的过滤系统来对抗生物的稀缺。

There are, therefore, fewer successful filter-feeders in deep water, and some of those that are there have larger filtering systems to cope with the scarcity of particles.

这些动物还有另一个解决办法，就是在特定的富含生物有机体的海水层去捕食。

Another solution for such animals is to forage in particular layers of water where the particles may be more concentrated.

许多浅海地区典型的滤食动物群都可以在深海找到代表，而这些都已经变成了捕食性生物。

Many of the groups of animals that typify the filter-feeding lifestyle in shallow water have deep-sea representatives that have become predatory.

浅海物种所发展出的高度过滤系统已经急剧退化。

Their filtering systems, which reach such a high degree of development in shallow-water species, are greatly reduced.

而相对应的，它们演变出了主动或被动的猎物捕捉技巧，包括诱捕，抓取猎物，缠绕猎物或者是粘稠的触角。

Alternative methods of active or passive prey capture have been evolved, including trapping and seizing prey, entangling prey, and sticky tentacles.

在海水的深处，动物们极有可能等待有机物或者猎物的到来，而不是主动出击去寻找它们（这样可以减少能量消耗）。

In the deeper waters of the oceans, there is a much greater tendency for animals to await the arrival of food particles or prey rather than to search them out actively (thus minimizing energy expenditure).

这会导致一种更加秘密的捕食方式，更加强调诱捕或者伸长的附属器官的进化，这样能增加动物控制和监控的活动水量。

This has resulted in a more stealthy style of feeding, with the consequent emphasis on lures and/or the evolution of elongated appendages that increase the active volume of water controlled or monitored by the animal.

有限的猎物来源产生另一个结果就是很多动物发展出一系列办法来处理和它们体型相比更大的有机物，这比同等的浅海区域生物能处理的生物大很多

Another consequence of the limited availability of prey is that many animals have developed ways of coping with much larger food particles, relative to their own body size, than the equivalent shallower species can process.

鱼群的牙齿和下颌逐渐开始变得很大。

Among the fishes there is a tendency for the teeth and jaws to become appreciably enlarged.

在这些生物中，不仅它们的牙齿变得很大或者它们下颌变长，而且它们嘴通过高效地脱臼和下颌灵活咬合张的更大。 

In such creatures, not only are the teeth hugely enlarged and/or the jaws elongated but the size of the mouth opening may be greatly increased by making the jaw articulations so flexible that they can be effectively dislocated.

太大或太长的牙齿几乎没有办法把猎物切割成吞咽时合适的大小，鱼必须要将猎物整个吞下。

Very large or long teeth provide almost no room for cutting the prey into a convenient size for swallowing; the fish must gulp the prey down whole.

What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about why energy conservation is not a high priority for ocean animals in coastal waters during the spring?

What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about fish?

According to paragraph 2, how do sardines and anchovies obtain food near the surface of the ocean?

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

The word “scarcity” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Why does the author include the information that animals in the deep ocean place an “emphasis on lures” and have evolved “elongated appendages”?

The word “flexible” in the passage is closest in meaning to

According to paragraph 5, why do some fish swallow their prey whole?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Such a passive approach requires those animals to develop specialized methods of acquiring food.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Feeding Strategies in the Ocean In the open sea, animals can often find food reliably available in particular regions or seasons (e.g., in coastal areas in springtime). In these circumstances, animals are neither constrained to get the last calorie out of their diet nor is energy conservation a high priority. In contrast, the food levels in the deeper layers of the ocean are greatly reduced, and the energy constraints on the animals are much more severe. To survive at those levels, animals must maximize their energy input, finding and eating whatever potential food source may be present. In the near-surface layers, there are many large, fast carnivores as well as an immense variety of planktonic animals, which feed on plankton (small, free-floating plants or animals) by filtering them from currents of water that pass through a specialized anatomical structure. These filter-feeders thrive in the well-illuminated surface waters because oceans have so many very small organisms, from bacteria to large algae to larval crustaceans. Even fishes can become successful filter-feeders in some circumstances. Although the vast majority of marine fishes are carnivores, in near-surface regions of high productivity the concentrations of larger phytoplankton (the plant component of plankton) are sufficient to support huge populations of filter-feeding sardines and anchovies. These small fishes use their gill filaments to strain out the algae that dominate such areas. Sardines and anchovies provide the basis for huge commercial fisheries as well as a food resource for large numbers of local carnivores, particularly seabirds. At a much larger scale, baleen whales and whale sharks are also efficient filter-feeders in productive coastal or polar waters, although their filtered particles comprise small animals such as copepods and krill rather than phytoplankton. Filtering seawater for its particulate nutritional content can be an energetically demanding method of feeding, particularly when the current of water to be filtered has to be generated by the organism itself, as is the case for all planktonic animals. Particulate organic matter of at least 2.5 micrograms per cubic liter is required to provide a filter-feeding planktonic organism with a net energy gain. This value is easily exceeded in most coastal waters, but in the deep sea, the levels of organic matter range from next to nothing to around 7 micrograms per cubic liter. Even though mean levels may mask much higher local concentrations, it is still the case that many deep-sea animals are exposed to conditions in which a normal filter-feeder would starve. There are, therefore, fewer successful filter-feeders in deep water, and some of those that are there have larger filtering systems to cope with the scarcity of particles. Another solution for such animals is to forage in particular layers of water where the particles may be more concentrated. Many of the groups of animals that typify the filter-feeding lifestyle in shallow water have deep-sea representatives that have become predatory. Their filtering systems, which reach such a high degree of development in shallow-water species, are greatly reduced. Alternative methods of active or passive prey capture have been evolved, including trapping and seizing prey, entangling prey, and sticky tentacles. In the deeper waters of the oceans, there is a much greater tendency for animals to await the arrival of food particles or prey rather than to search them out actively (thus minimizing energy expenditure).  This has resulted in a more stealthy style of feeding, with the consequent emphasis on lures and/or the evolution of elongated appendages that increase the active volume of water controlled or monitored by the animal.  Another consequence of the limited availability of prey is that many animals have developed ways of coping with much larger food particles, relative to their own body size, than the equivalent shallower species can process.  Among the fishes there is a tendency for the teeth and jaws to become appreciably enlarged. In such creatures, not only are the teeth hugely enlarged and/or the jaws elongated but the size of the mouth opening may be greatly increased by making the jaw articulations so flexible that they can be effectively dislocated. Very large or long teeth provide almost no room for cutting the prey into a convenient size for swallowing; the fish must gulp the prey down whole.