No.ofQuestions:2OKTOEFLiBTCompletePracticeTest
TPO31WritingSection
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readingYouhave3minutestoreadthepassage.Clicktobeginreadingnow.AfossilskeletonofadinosaurcalledSinosauropteryx,preservedinvolcanicash,wasdiscoveredinLiaoning,China,in1996.Interestingly,thefossilincludedapatternoffinelinessurroundingtheskeletalbones.SomepaleontologistsinterpretthelinesasevidencethatSinosauropteryxhadfeathers.However,criticshaveopposedtheideathatSinosauropteryxwasafeathereddinosaur,citingseveralreasons.First,thecriticspointsoutthatthefinelinesmaynotevenrepresentfunctionalstructuresofalivingdinosaur,butratherstructuresthatwereformedaftertheanimal’sdeath.Aftertheanimaldiedandwasburiedinvolcanicash,itsskinmayhaveposedintofibers.Theskinfibersthenbecamepreservedaslinesinthefossil;thelinesweremisinterpretedasevidenceoffeathers.Second,evenifthefinelinesareremainsofrealstructuresofaSinosauropteryx,scientistscannottellwithcertaintywhatpartofthedinosaur’sanatomythestructureswere.Manydinosaurshadfrills,ornamentalfan-shapedstructuresgrowingoutofsomepartsoftheirbodies.Someofthecriticsarguethatthelinessurroundingtheskeletonaremuchmorelikelytobefossilizedremainsoffrillsthanremainsoffeathers.Athirdobjectionisbasedonthefactthattheusualfunctionsoffeathersaretohelpanimalsflyorregulatetheirinternaltemperature.However,thestructuresrepresentedbythelinesintheSinosauropteryxfossilweremostlylocatedalongthebackboneandthetailoftheanimal.Thiswouldhavemadethestructuresquiteuselessforflightandofverylimiteduseinthermoregulation.Thissuggeststhatthelinesdonotrepresentfeathers.
Youmayhavetowaitafewsecondsfortheaudiotoloadandplay.
Directions:Youhave20minutestoplanandwriteyourresponse.Yourresponsewillbej