Question

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, horses 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．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

3．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

4．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

Answer 1

这是一篇说明文，介绍马的历史：几千年前，人们猎杀野马以获得食物，后来将其中一些进行驯养，于是出现了家养的马匹。马的驯养对社会的发展有很大的影响，推动了文化在世界各地的传播。

1．B   考查细节理解。第二段开头说，几千年前人们猎杀野马是为了食其肉（for food）。

2．D   考查推理判断。第四段说，现代社会马匹的种类繁多，形状和大小各异，然而多样化在驯养马匹之前是不存在的，然后以Shetland马为例进行说明。

3．C   考查细节理解。最后一段说，人类会骑马以后，就能在更短的时间走更长的路，这就鼓励不同地方的人们互相交流，这种新的快速交通工具帮助文化在世界各地传播，由此可知C项正确。

4．D   考查主旨大意。全文介绍马的发展史，人类最初是猎杀马匹取其肉，后来有了家养的马，人们将它作为交通工具，马与人类社会的发展可谓息息相关。