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 horses 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 distances in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form 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. horses used to have gentle personalities

   C. some horses have better shapes 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. how human societies and horses influenced each other

Luo Gaoqi hopes to join the increasing number of Chinese students in the United States because he wants the experience of studying in a foreign land as it will help his future job at home. “I want to try Western education because people there think differently,” said the 21-year-old who is in his final year of undergraduate studies. “I also hope to meet friends from different cultures. The social connections may help in the future.”
The latest report from the US-based institute of International Education said China, for the first time, has become the top country of origin for international students in the United States.
For Yang Fan, a journalism student, said studying in the United States is a way to escape the competition for places in China’s top universities.
“Due to limited education resources, only about 60 percent of high school graduates in China enter college, and a much lower rate enters the top-level ones. “A foreign degree will definitely help when I seek a job in China,” Yang said.
Both Yang’s and Luo’s parents are supportive of them studying abroad. Neither of them is thinking of settling down in the United States after graduation.
“It is not realistic to do so. As a journalism student, there would be no advantage for me to work in the United States,” Yang said. “But in China, with a US degree and good English, I may stand out against other students who have only studied in China.”
China still needs to improve its environment for scientists and high-level talents, said Xiao Mingzheng, director of the Center for Human Resource Development and Management Research of Peking University, adding that, in particular, the country needs to improve its policies relating to research environments.
In June, the Chinese government published a plan concerning talent development for the next 10 years. In it, it has improved policies and increased budgets to attract talented students back home.
【小题1】Why does Luo Gaoqi wants to study in a foreign land according to his words?

Luo Gaoqi hopes to join the increasing number of Chinese students in the United States because he wants the experience of studying in a foreign land as it will help his future job at home. “I want to try Western education because people there think differently,” said the 21-year-old who is in his final year of undergraduate studies. “I also hope to meet friends from different cultures. The social connections may help in the future.”

The latest report from the US-based institute of International Education said China, for the first time, has become the top country of origin for international students in the United States.

For Yang Fan, a journalism student, said studying in the United States is a way to escape the competition for places in China’s top universities. “Due to limited education resources, only about 60 percent of high school graduates in China enter college, and a much lower rate enters the top-level ones. “A foreign degree will definitely help when I seek a job in China,” Yang said.

Both Yang’s and Luo’s parents are supportive of them studying abroad. Neither of them is thinking of settling down in the United States after graduation.

“It is not realistic to do so. As a journalism student, there would be no advantage for me to work in the United States,” Yang said. “But in China, with a US degree and good English, I may stand out against other students who have only studied in China.”

China still needs to improve its environment for scientists and high-level talents, said Xiao Mingzheng, director of the Center for Human Resource Development and Management Research of Peking University, adding that, in particular, the country needs to improve its policies relating to research environments.

In June, the Chinese government published a plan concerning talent development for the next 10 years. In it, it has improved policies and increased budgets to attract talented students back home.

1.Why does Luo Gaoqi wants to study in a foreign land according to his words?

A. Because the people there are more intelligent.

B. Because the foreign countries are more developed.

C. Because he can make more friends there.

D. Because the culture there is different from that in China.

2.What do Guo Gaoqi and Yang Fan have in common?

A. Their major is the same, which is journalism.

B. Both of them want to go back to China after graduation.

C. Their parents are against their decision.

D. They are forced to study in a foreign land by their parents.

3.From the passage, we can infer that _______.

A. scientists and high-level talents need a better environment in China

B. the students abroad are unwilling to go back to China

C. China doesn’t need those people to come back to our country at all

D. we all need to go abroad to study and then serve our own country