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Directions:Read the following passage. The passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
Domestic(驯养的)horses now pull ploughs,race in the Kentucky Derby,and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame(驯服的)enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.
Thousands of years ago,people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time,people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.
As people began to tame and ride horses,they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example,people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced,
they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics.
Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication.
The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts(矿井)with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy,tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.
The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example,horse were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new from of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.
1. Before domestication horses were ____________.
A. caught for sports
B. hunted for food
C. made to pull ploughs D. used to carry people
2. After domestication, a gentle horse may ________.
A. pass the characteristic of gentleness to its young
B. be loved more by people
C. be able to pull heavy loads
D. gain more strength from its gene
3. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ________.
A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse
B. horse used to have gentle personalities
C. some horses have better shaped than others
D. horses were of less variety before domestication
4. Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ________.
A. carrying heavy loads
B. changing farming methods
C. serving as a means of transport
D. advancing agriculture in different areas
5. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. why humans domesticated horses
B. how humans and horses needed each other
C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes
D. how human societies and horses influenced each other
答案及解析
1. B 细节理解题,根据第二段的内容来判断。
2. A 第三段中有“Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced,they passed the characteristics on to their young”等说明。
3. D 在讲到the Shetland horse之前,有一主题句“This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication”,所以有关the Shetland horse的描述就是用来说明此主题的。
4. C 文章最后一段提到:“allowed people to travel far greater distance...encouraged populations...to interact with one another.”
5. D 文章前半部分讲人类如何改良马,后半部分讲马匹对人类的影响。选D合适。
编辑/梁宇清
Domestic(驯养的)horses now pull ploughs,race in the Kentucky Derby,and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame(驯服的)enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.
Thousands of years ago,people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time,people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.
As people began to tame and ride horses,they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example,people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced,
they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics.
Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication.
The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts(矿井)with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy,tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.
The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example,horse were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new from of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.
1. Before domestication horses were ____________.
A. caught for sports
B. hunted for food
C. made to pull ploughs D. used to carry people
2. After domestication, a gentle horse may ________.
A. pass the characteristic of gentleness to its young
B. be loved more by people
C. be able to pull heavy loads
D. gain more strength from its gene
3. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ________.
A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse
B. horse used to have gentle personalities
C. some horses have better shaped than others
D. horses were of less variety before domestication
4. Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ________.
A. carrying heavy loads
B. changing farming methods
C. serving as a means of transport
D. advancing agriculture in different areas
5. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. why humans domesticated horses
B. how humans and horses needed each other
C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes
D. how human societies and horses influenced each other
答案及解析
1. B 细节理解题,根据第二段的内容来判断。
2. A 第三段中有“Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced,they passed the characteristics on to their young”等说明。
3. D 在讲到the Shetland horse之前,有一主题句“This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication”,所以有关the Shetland horse的描述就是用来说明此主题的。
4. C 文章最后一段提到:“allowed people to travel far greater distance...encouraged populations...to interact with one another.”
5. D 文章前半部分讲人类如何改良马,后半部分讲马匹对人类的影响。选D合适。
编辑/梁宇清