Question 32-40
Generally, in order to be preserved in the fossil record, organisms must possess hard body parts
such as shells or bones. Soft, fleshy structures are quickly destroyed by predators pr decayed by
bacteria. Even hard parts left on the surface for and length of time will be destroyed Therefore,
organisms must be buried rapidly to escape destruction by the elements and to be protected
(5) agents of weathering and erosion Marine organisms thus are better candidates for
fossilization than those living on the land because the ocean is typically the site of sedimentation,
whereas the land is largely the site of erosion.
The beds of ancient lakes were also excellent sites for rapid burial of skeletal remains of
freshwater organisms and skeletons of other animals, including those of early humans Ancient
(10)swamps were particularly plentiful with prolific growths of vegetation, which fossilized in
abundance. Many animals became trapped in bogs overgrown by vegetation. The environment of
the swamps kept bacterial decay to a minimum, which greatly (aideD)in the preservation of plants
and animals. The rapidly accumulating sediments in flood plains, deltas, and stream channels
buried freshwater organisms, along with other plants and animals that happened to fall into the
(15)water.
Only a small fraction of all the organisms that have ever lived are preserved as fossils. Normally,
the remains of a plant or animal are completely destroyed through predation and decay. Although
it seems that fossilization is common for some organisms, for others it is almost impossible. For
the most part, the remains of organisms are recycled in the earth, which is fortunate because
(20)otherwise soil and water would soon become depleted of essential nutrients. Also, most of the
fossils exposed on Earth’s surface are destroyed by weathering processes. This makes for an
incomplete fossil record with poor or no representation of certain species.
The best fossils are those composed of unaltered remains. Generally, it is the inorganic hard parts,
composed mostly of calcium carbonate, that form the vast majority of unaltered fossils. Calcite and
(25)aragonite also contributed to a substantial number of fossils of certain organisms.
【題組】37. The word "aided" in line 12 is closest in meaning to
(A) reversed
(B) helped
(C) reformed
(D) counted
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