📖 原文
(1) Tools and hand bones excavated from the Swartkrans cave complex in South Africa (2) suggest that a close relative of early humans known as Australopithecus robustus may (3) have made and used primitive tools long before the species became extinct 1 million (4) years ago. It may even have made and used primitive tools long before humanity's direct (5) ancestor, Homo habilis, or "handy man," began doing so. Homo habilis and its successor, (6) Homo erectus, coexisted with Australopithecus robustus on the plains of South Africa (7) for more than a million years. (8) The Swartkrans cave in South Africa has been under excavation since the 1940's. The (9) earliest fossil-containing layers of sedimentary rock in the cave date from about 1.9 (10) million years ago and contain extensive remains of animals, primitive tools, and two or (11) more species of apelike hominids. The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found. (12) (13) The most important feature of the Australopithecus robustus hand was the political (14) distal thumb tip, the last bone in the thumb. The bone had an attachment point for a (15) "uniquely human" muscle, the flexor pollicis longus, that had previously been found (16) only in more recent ancestors. That muscle gave Australopithecus robustus an opposable (17) thumb, a feature that would allow them to grip objects, including tools. The researchers (18) also found primitive bone and stone implements, especially digging tools, in the same (19) layers of sediments. (20) Australopithecus robustus were more heavily built — more "robust" in anthropo- (21) logical terms — than their successors. They had broad faces, heavy jaws, and massive (22) crushing and grinding teeth that were used for eating hard fruits, seeds, and fibrous (23) underground plant parts. They walked upright, which would have allowed them to carry (24) and use tools. Most experts had previously believed that Homo habilis were able to (25) supplant Australopithecus robustus because the former's ability to use tools gave them an innate superiority. The discovery that Australopithecus robustus also used tools (26) means that researchers will have to seek other explanations for their extinction. Perhaps (27) their reliance on naturally occurring plants led to their downfall as the climate became (28) drier and cooler, or perhaps Homo habilis, with their bigger brains, were simply able to (29) make more sophisticated tools. (30)
❓ 试题解析
问题 17： It can be inferred from the first paragraph that all of the following may have made and used tools EXCEPT
A. Australopithecus robustus
B. Homo erectus
C. Homo habilis
D. Australopithecus robustus' ancestors
✅ 正确答案： D）Australopithecus robustus' ancestors
📝 解析： 第一段说 Australopithecus robustus 可能制造和使用工具，甚至早于 Homo habilis，Homo erectus 是其后继者。但未提 Australopithecus robustus 的祖先使用工具。
💡 解题技巧： “EXCEPT”题需区分文中明确提及的物种。
问题 18： The word “extensive” in line 10 is closest in meaning to
A. numerous
B. exposed
C. ancient
D. valuable
✅ 正确答案： A）numerous
📝 解析： “extensive remains” — extensive = 大量的/丰富的。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：extensive = abundant = numerous。
问题 19： Which of the following does the author mention as the most important recent discovery made in the Swartkrans cave?
A. Tools
B. Teeth
C. Plant fossils
D. Hand bones
✅ 正确答案： D）Hand bones
📝 解析： “The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found”。
💡 解题技巧： 细节题定位“key recent discovery”。
问题 20： What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?
A. Features of Australopithecus robustus' hand
B. Purposes for which hominids used tools
C. Methods used to determine the age of fossils
D. Significant plant fossils found in layers of sediment
✅ 正确答案： A）Features of Australopithecus robustus' hand
📝 解析： 第三段讨论手指骨、肌肉附着点、对生拇指等手部特征。
💡 解题技巧： 段落主旨题看首句及关键名词（thumb tip, muscle, opposable thumb）。
问题 21： It can be inferred from the description in the last paragraph that Australopithecus robustus was so named because of the species'
A. ancestors
B. thumb
C. build
D. diet
✅ 正确答案： C）build
📝 解析： “more heavily built — more ‘robust’ in anthropological terms” — robust 意为“强壮的/结实的”。
💡 解题技巧： 推理题定位“robust”及括号内的解释。
问题 22： The word “supplant” in line 24 is closest in meaning to
A. exploit
B. displace
C. understand
D. imitate
✅ 正确答案： B）displace
📝 解析： “Homo habilis were able to supplant Australopithecus robustus” — supplant = 取代/排挤。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：supplant = replace = displace。
问题 23： The word “them” in line 25 refers to
A. tools
B. Homo habilis
C. Australopithecus robustus
D. experts
✅ 正确答案： B）Homo habilis
📝 解析： “the former's ability to use tools gave them an innate superiority” — former 指 Homo habilis，them 也指 Homo habilis。
💡 解题技巧： 代词题找比较结构中的“former”。
问题 24： What does the author suggest is unclear about Australopithecus robustus?
A. Whether they used tools
B. What they most likely ate
C. Whether they are closely related to humans
D. Why they became extinct
✅ 正确答案： D）Why they became extinct
📝 解析： “researchers will have to seek other explanations for their extinction” — 灭绝原因尚不清楚。
💡 解题技巧： 细节题定位“seek other explanations”。
问题 25： The phrase “reliance on” in lines 27-28 is closest in meaning to
A. impact on
B. dependence on
C. tolerance of
D. discovery of
✅ 正确答案： B）dependence on
📝 解析： “their reliance on naturally occurring plants” — reliance = 依赖。
💡 解题技巧： 词汇题：reliance = dependence。
问题 26： Where in the passage does the author mention the materials from which tools were made?
A. Lines 9-11
B. Lines 13-14
C. Lines 17-19
D. Lines 23-24
✅ 正确答案： C）Lines 17-19
📝 解析： “primitive bone and stone implements” — 工具材料：骨头和石头。
💡 解题技巧： 定位题找“bone and stone”。
🌐 中文翻译
从南非斯瓦特克兰洞穴群挖掘出的工具和手骨表明，被称为粗壮 Australopithecus 的早期人类近亲可能在该物种于一百万年前灭绝之前很久就已制造和使用原始工具。它甚至可能在人类直接祖先能人（“手巧的人”）开始这样做之前很久就已制造和使用原始工具。能人及其后继者直立人与粗壮 Australopithecus 在南非平原上共存了一百多万年。 南非的斯瓦特克兰洞穴自20世纪40年代以来一直在进行发掘。洞穴中最古老的含化石沉积岩层可追溯到约190万年前，其中包含大量的动物遗骸、原始工具以及两种或更多种猿样原始人类的遗骸。最近的关键发现涉及粗壮 Australopithecus 的手骨，这是首次发现此类骨骼。 粗壮 Australopithecus 手部最重要的特征是指骨远端拇指尖，即拇指的最后一块骨头。这块骨头上有一个“独特人类”肌肉——长屈拇肌的附着点，此前仅在更近期的祖先中发现过。那块肌肉赋予粗壮 Australopithecus 可对握的拇指，这一特征使他们能够抓握物体，包括工具。研究人员还在同一沉积层中发现了原始的骨器和石器，特别是挖掘工具。 粗壮 Australopithecus 比其后继者体型更重——用人类学的话说更“粗壮”。他们有宽阔的脸、厚重的下颌以及用于吃硬水果、种子和纤维状地下植物部分的大型压碎和研磨牙齿。他们直立行走，这使他们能够携带和使用工具。大多数专家此前认为，能人之所以能够取代粗壮 Australopithecus，是因为前者使用工具的能力赋予了他们天生的优越性。粗壮 Australopithecus 也使用工具的发现意味着研究人员将不得不为其灭绝寻找其他解释。也许随着气候变得更干燥、更凉爽，他们对自然生长植物的依赖导致了他们的衰落，又或许脑容量更大的能人只是能够制造更复杂的工具。
🏷️ 标签：#托福阅读 #真题解析 #备考资料
