托福阅读的备考，积累背景知识是很关键的一环，而谈及背景知识内容，相对于其他类型的文章，动物类文章多采用简单直接的方式陈述事实，没有社会科学类的繁杂而严重影响对文章的理解。这里为同学们整理新托福阅读背景知识之海洋生物的体温调节，正在备考托福阅读的同学们看过来哦!

　　托福阅读备考1:

　　文章主旨是关于海洋生物的体温调节。

　　第一段说海洋生物分为两种：H和P。

　　第二段说H。这种海洋海洋生物的体温会比周围环境里的海水高，可以让他们的身体运作得比较好。

　　第三段说P。大部分的海洋生物是属于P。但是有的生物既不是H也不是P，比如有两种吞拿鱼(tunas，又名金枪鱼)，可以通过快速游动来保持合适的体温。

　　第四段说动物在冷的环境下会丧失热量，讲了三种丧失热量的方式，最主要的方式是通过皮肤。

　　第五段说海洋动物如何在低水温里防止体温与热量的丧失。出了一个段间关系的题目，答案就是这一段是solution to上一段的热量的丧失。讲了一个海鸟的例子，是跟海鸟的皮毛(furs and feathers)有关的。还讲了一个鲸鱼脂肪的例子。但光是上面这些也不能防止体温丧失。所以的海洋动物就会通过加快其心率来达到这一目的。这里拿了相同大小的海洋动物和陆地动物作比较，目的是为了支持上面这个观点，这里就出了题目考这个。

　　第六段说海洋动物有limbs，这些limb是一个缺点因为会让它们丧失更多热量。然后讲了它的体内如何通过一系列复杂的生理机制(包括血红细胞)来克服这些缺点。

　　托福阅读备考2：

　　大多数与的体温与水的温度差不多，但是有一些鱼是特例。有的鱼的体温比水温高，有的鱼的体温比体温低，然后都分别解释了为什么这样的机制(mechanism)。还说了各自如何使自己的体温调节到与水温一致，就是低温动物如何吸热，高温动物如何散热。还讲了sea otter(海獭)的例子，说它有limbs。limbs的血的温度比较低，而核心(core)附近的血的文帝比较高，然后冷热血管交汇以后体温就平衡了，还有一些鱼都是这样使得体温均衡的，这里有出题点。

　　解析：本文属于海洋生物学的文章。从段落结构看，段落结构清晰，主题明确，阅读文章的难度中等。动物类的文章对事实的描述简单而直接，不会出现像社会科学类文章那样，因为背景知识的生疏而严重影响对于文章理解的情况。但考生们必须提前对相关类型的TPO文章的背景知识与生词熟悉，尤其是各种海洋生物的名称、其各种身体器官以及与体征相关的描述都要熟悉，尽量减少在阅读过程中生词而导致的速度的缓慢。TPO中相关类型的推荐文章包括: Swimming Machines(OG),The Origins of Cetaceans(OG) 与A Warm-Blooded Turtle(TPO15)。

　　相关托福阅读词汇学习资料：

Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature as its own body temperature, thus avoiding the need for internal thermoregulation. The internal thermoregulation process is one aspect ofhomeostasis: a state of dynamic stability in an organism's internal conditions, maintained far from equilibrium with its environment (the study of such processes in zoology has been called ecophysiology or physiological ecology). If the body is unable to maintain a normal temperature and it increases significantly above normal, a condition known as hyperthermia occurs. For humans, this occurs when the body is exposed to constant temperatures of approximately 55 °C (131 °F), and any prolonged exposure (longer than a few hours) at this temperature and up to around 75 °C (167 °F) death is almost inevitable.[citation needed]Humans may also experience lethal hyperthermia when the wet bulb temperature is sustained above 35 °C (95 °F) for six hours.[1]The opposite condition, when body temperature decreases below normal levels, is known as hypothermia.

　　Whereas an organism that thermoregulates is one that keeps its core body temperature within certain limits, a thermoconformer is subject to changes in body temperature according to changes in the temperature outside of its body at a certain temperature.

　　It was not until the introduction of thermometers that any exact data on the temperature of animals could be obtained. It was then found that local differences were present, since heat production and heat loss vary considerably in different parts of the body, although the circulation of the blood tends to bring about a mean temperature of the internal parts. Hence it is important to identify the parts of the body that most closely reflect the temperature of the internal organs. Also, for such results to be comparable, the measurements must be conducted under comparable conditions. The rectum has traditionally been considered to reflect most accurately the temperature of internal parts, or in some cases of sex or species, the vagina, uterus or bladder.

　　Occasionally the temperature of the urine as it leaves the urethra may be of use in measuring body temperature. More often the temperature is taken in the mouth, axilla,ear or groin.

　　Some animals undergo one of various forms of dormancy where the thermoregulation process temporarily allows the body temperature to drop, thereby conserving energy. Examples include hibernating bears and torpor in bats.

　　相关阅读：更多托福考试信息