Botany （植物学） , the study of plants, occupies a particular position in the history of human knowledge．For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest （模糊的）） of insights．It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient．This is logical．Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things even for other plants．They have always been enormously important to the welfare of people not only for food but also for clothing, tools, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes．Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each．To them, botany has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of "knowledge" at all．
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become, the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge grows．Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple．When nor Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer fields the next season—the first, great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken．Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture: cultivated crops．From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild, and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience with plants in the wild would begin to fade away．
【小题1】What does the writer mean when he says "This is logical" in the first paragraph?

Botany （植物学） , the study of plants, occupies a particular position in the history of human knowledge．For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest （模糊的）） of insights．It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient．This is logical．Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things even for other plants．They have always been enormously important to the welfare of people not only for food but also for clothing, tools, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes．Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each．To them, botany has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of "knowledge" at all．
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become, the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge grows．Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple．When nor Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer fields the next season—the first, great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken．Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture: cultivated crops．From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild, and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience with plants in the wild would begin to fade away．

1. 1.

   What does the writer mean when he says "This is logical" in the first paragraph?

   1. A.
      Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed．
   2. B.
      It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants．
   3. C.
      There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor's knowledge of plant．
   4. D.
      It is reasonable to assume our ancestors behave much like people in pre-industrial societies．
2. 2.

   According to the passage, general knowledge of botany begun to fade away because ____．

   1. A.
      people no longer value plants as a useful resource
   2. B.
      direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased
   3. C.
      botany is not recognized as a special branch of science
   4. D.
      research is unable to keep up with the increasing number of plants
3. 3.

   We learn that the first great step toward the practice of agriculture is____．

   1. A.
      the changing diets of early humans
   2. B.
      the development of a system of names for plants
   3. C.
      the invention of agricultural implements （工具） and machinery
   4. D.
      the discovery of certain grasses that could be harvested and replanted
4. 4.

   Human would depend on the controlled production of a few plants for living with         

   1. A.
      the knowledge of plants
   2. B.
      the discovery of certain grasses
   3. C.
      the development of machinery
   4. D.
      the appearance of agriculture

Botany, the study of plants, plays a strange role in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was one field about which humans had little knowledge. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age Ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of preindustrial societies that still exists, a detailed learning of plants and their properties（特征）must be very ancient. This is reasonable. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been greatly important to the good of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, medicines, housing, and a great many other purposes. Tribes（部落）living today in the woods of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.

Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct relation with plants, and the less clear our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on a surprising amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple. When our New Stone Age ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10 000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer production the next season, the first great step in a new connection of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the marvel of agriculture: planted crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the collected knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relations with plants in the wild would begin to disappear.

67. Which of the following assumptions（假设）about early humans is expressed in the passage?

A. They probably had wide knowledge of plants.

B. They clearly divided knowledge into separate fields

C. They did not enjoy the study of botany.

D. They placed great importance on ownership of property.

68.According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany decreased?

A.        People no longer value plants as a useful resource.

B.        Botany is not recognized as a special branch of science.

C.        Research is unable to keep up with the increasing number of plants.

D.       Direct relation with a variety of plants has decreased.

69. In paragraph 2, the underlined word “marvel” is closest in meaning to _____.

A. edge      B. sign      C. beginning      D. wonder

70. According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?

A.   The invention of agriculture tools and machines.

B.   The development of a system of names for plants.

C.   The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted.

 (江苏省金坛一中2009届高三5月模拟E篇)

Botany, the study of plants, plays a strange role in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was one field about which humans had little knowledge. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age Ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of preindustrial societies that still exists, a detailed learning of plants and their properties（特征）must be very ancient. This is reasonable. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been greatly important to the good of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, medicines, housing, and a great many other purposes. Tribes（部落）living today in the woods of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.

Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct relation with plants, and the less clear our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on a surprising amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple. When our New Stone Age ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10 000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer production the next season, the first great step in a new connection of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the marvel of agriculture: planted crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the collected knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relations with plants in the wild would begin to disappear.

67. Which of the following assumptions（假设）about early humans is expressed in the passage?

A. They probably had wide knowledge of plants.

B. They clearly divided knowledge into separate fields

C. They did not enjoy the study of botany.

D. They placed great importance on ownership of property.

68.According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany decreased?

A.        People no longer value plants as a useful resource.

B.        Botany is not recognized as a special branch of science.

C.        Research is unable to keep up with the increasing number of plants.

D.       Direct relation with a variety of plants has decreased.

69. In paragraph 2, the underlined word “marvel” is closest in meaning to _____.

A. edge              B. sign              C. beginning          D. wonder

70. According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?

A.   The invention of agriculture tools and machines.

B.   The development of a system of names for plants.

C.   The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted.