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, 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

59. Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                          B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs                       D. used to carry people

60. 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

61. 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

62. 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

59. B 从第二段第一句可以看出，几千年以前，人们捕杀野马作为食物。
60. D 考查对说明方法的理解能力。第四段第二句说明，在人们开始驯养马之前，马的种类并不多。本段第三句就以The Shetland horse 这种马为例来解释本段第二句的观点。

61. C 考查细节理解的能力。从文中最后一句可以看出，使用马作为新型、快捷的交通工具，有助于世界文化的传播。

62. D 考查细节理解的能力。前四段说明，人类驯养了野马，使得马的种类繁多，这是人类社会对马的影响；最后一段说明，马作为交通工具加速了人类文化传播的进程。