Question

New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them. Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horseshoes. In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each year. Every police horse in New York gets new shoes every month. Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths(铁匠). There are only about thirty-five of these blacksmiths in the whole United States. The cost of shoeing a horse is between twenty dollars and thirty-five dollars, and it takes a good blacksmith two or three hours to do the job.

A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot. The blacksmith must bend over all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight of the horse’s leg while he works. Clearly, a blacksmith must be very strong. But even more important, he must be able to deal with horses---for before the blacksmith can begin his work, he has to get the horse to lift its leg.

One of the blacksmiths in New York is James Corbin. He came to the country from Ireland in 1948. He not only makes horseshoes for the police but also works for a group of horse owners near the city. Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”

1.According to the reading passage, a blacksmith must be likely a ________________ man.

A. clever                               B. rich                                   C. strong                               D. lucky

2.James Corbin became a blacksmith because he ________________.

A. was interested in horses

B. was needed by the policemen

C. drew a picture of the horseshoe

D. had to make a living

3.In the reading passage “to shape a shoe” is to ________________.

A. fit it on the horse’s foot

B. use it for two or three hours

C. make the form of a horseshoe from a piece of metal

D. draw a picture of the shoe

4.The best title for the passage is “________________”.

A. Policemen on Horseback

B. Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing

C. James Corbin, a Blacksmith

D. Horseshoeing is a Good Way to Make a Living

5.Which of the following is true?

A. Only a few large American cities have some policemen on horseback.

B. New York is the only city in America to have some policemen on horseback.

C. Policemen on horseback enjoy travelling around the United States.

D. Policemen on horseback are less expensive than those in cars.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.B

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：短文大意：纽约是最后有马背上的警察的美国大城市之一。纽约警察有170匹马在城市的某些地方工作。饲养马匹很贵，但更昂贵的是照顾他们。因为马要在街道上行走，他们需要特殊的马蹄铁。修理这些马掌是六个铁匠的工作。在全美国，只有大约三十五个这样的铁匠。钉马掌的成本是二十美元和三十五美元之间，而它需要一个好的铁匠，两个或三个小时来做这项工作。显然，一个铁匠必须很强壮。但更重要的是，他必须能够对付马---在铁匠开始他的工作时，他不得不让马抬起腿。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段第三句Clearly, a blacksmith must be very strong.（显然，一个铁匠必须很强壮。）可知选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章最后一句话Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.” （Corbin对铁匠感兴趣是因为他的父亲是铁匠，并且，正如他所说，“这是谋生的好办法。”）可知选D。

3.词义猜测题。根据句子He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot.（他必须能够打造马蹄形金属鞋，然后把它装到马的脚上）可知选C。

4.标题归纳题。本文主要介绍了铁匠和订马掌，所以选B。

5.细节理解题。根据文章前三句话New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them.（纽约是最后有马背上的警察的美国大城市之一。纽约警察有170匹马在城市的某些地方工作。饲养马匹很贵，但更昂贵的是照顾他们。）可知该选A。

考点：社会现象类短文阅读。