The single, decisive factor(因素) that made it possible for mankind to settle in lasting communities(社区，聚居地) was agriculture. After farming was developed in the Middle East in about 6500 BC, people living in family units did not have to be on the move continually searching for food or hunting their animals. Once people could control the production of food and be assured of a reliable supply of it, their lives changed completely.

Farming was a revolutionary discovery. It not only made settlements possible and later the building of cities but it also made available a reliable food supply. With more food available, more people could be fed. Population therefore increased. The growing number of people available for more kinds of work led to the development of new social formations. With more and more food, a community could support a variety of workers who were not farmers.

Farming in the world over has always relied upon a dependable water supply. For the earliest societies this meant rivers and streams or regular rainfall. The first great civilizations grew up along rivers. Later communities were able to develop by taking advantage of the rainy seasons.

    All of the ancient civilizations probably developed in much the same way, in spite of a few differences. As villages grew, the production of more numerous goods became possible. Cloth could be woven from wool. Houses made of wood, brick, and stone could be put up.

    The science of mathematics was an early outgrowth of agriculture. People studied the movements of the moon, the sun, and the planets to work out seasons. In so doing they created the first calendars(日历). With a calendar it was possible to find out the arrival of each growing season. Measurement of land areas was necessary if field was to be divided accurately. Measurements of amounts, for example, of seeds or grains was also a factor in farming and housekeeping. Later came measures of value as money exchange became common.

    All of the major ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China appeared in the 4^th millennium BC. Historians still argue over which one came into being first. It may well have been the Middle East. This place reaches out from the Nile River in Egypt northward along the coast of former Palestine, then eastward into Asia to include Mesopotamia. In this area people settled along the riverbanks and practiced field agriculture. This kind of farming depended on the reproduction of seed, normally from grain crops.

1. The final result of the development of agriculture was that_________ . 

  A. the population increased slowly

  B. a constant supply of food was certain

  C. a new social formation came into being

  D. a variety of jobs were open to people

2. Which of the following is true according to the writer?

  A. Mathematics helped create the agricultural society.

  B. Societies in the past in different parts of the world grew in similar ways.

  C. Modern cities developed out of originally wealthier villages.

  D. Cloth-making marked an important period in agricultural development.

3. The development of mathematics ________ .

  A. enabled people to arrange their agricultural activities better

  B. got the society out of the agricultural age

  C. helped create early agricultural civilization around the world

  D. made possible the exchange of agricultural goods

4. It can be safely concluded that _______ .

  A. the development of mathematics played a decisive role in the birth of modern cities

  B. the earliest civilization first came into being in the Middle East

  C. all ancient civilizations around the world developed in exactly the same way

  D. the development of agriculture played a very important role in human history

5. The text is mainly about _________ .

  A. the importance of agriculture

  B. the relationship between agriculture and mankind

  C. the origin of agriculture

  D. the ancient civilization

Scientists have devised a way to determine roughly where a person has lived using a strand of hair, a technique that could help track the movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims.

The method relies on measuring how chemical variations in drinking water show

up in people’s hair.

“You’re what you eat and drink, and that’s recorded in your hair,” said Thure Cerling, a geologist at the University of Utah.

While U.S diet is relatively identical, water supplies vary. The differences result

from weather patterns. The chemical composition of rainfall changes slightly as rain

clouds move.

Most hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are stable, but traces of both elements are also present as heavier isotopes (同位素). The heaviest rain falls first. As a result, storms that form over the Pacific deliver heavier water to California than to Utah.

Similar patterns exist throughout the U.S. By measuring the proportion of heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes along a strand of hair, scientists can construct a geographic timeline. Each inch of hair corresponds to about two months.

Cerling’s team collected tap water samples from 600 cities and constructed a map of the regional differences. They checked the accuracy of the map by testing 200 hair samples collected from 65 barber shops. They were able to accurately place the hair samples in broad regions roughly corresponding to the movement of rain systems.

“It’s not good for pinpointing(精确定位),” Cerling said. “It’s good for eliminating many possibilities.”

Todd Park, a local detective, said the method has helped him learn more about an

unidentified woman whose skeleton was found near Great Salt Lake.

The woman was 5 feet tall. Police recovered 26 bones, a T-shirt and several strands of hair.

When Park heard about the research, he gave the hair samples to the researchers.

Chemical testing showed that over the two years before her death, she moved about

every two months.

She stayed in the Northwest, although the test could not be more specific than somewhere between eastern Oregon and western Wyoming.

“It’s still a substantial area,” Park said “But it narrows it way down for me.”

57. What is the scientists’ new discovery?

A. One’s hair growth has to do with the amount of water they drink.

B. A person’s hair may reveal where they have lived.

C. Hair analysis accurately identifies criminal suspects.

D. The chemical composition of hair varies from person to person.

58.　 What does the author mean by “You’re what you eat and drink” (Line 1, Para.3)?

A. Food and drink affect one’s personality development.

B. Food and drink preferences vary with individuals.

C. Food and drink leave traces in one’s body tissues.

D.　Food and drink are essential to one’s existence.

59.　 What is said about the rainfall in America’s West?　

A.There is much more rainfall in California than in Utah.

B. The water it delivers becomes lighter when it moves inland.

C. Its chemical composition is less stable than in other areas.

D. It gathers more light isotopes as it moves eastward.

60.　 What is the practical value of Cerling’s research?

A. It helps analyze the quality of water in different regions.

B. It helps the police determine where a crime is committed.

C. It helps the police narrow down possibilities in detective work.

D. It helps identify the drinking habits of the person under investigation.

Scientists have devised a way to determine roughly where a person has lived using a strand (缕) of hair, a technique that could help track the movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims. The method relies on measuring how chemical variations in drinking water show up in people’s hair.

“You’re what you eat and drink, and that’s recorded in your hair,” said Thure Ceding, a geologist at the University of Utah.

While U.S. diet is relatively identical, water supplies vary. The differences result from weather patterns. The chemical composition of rainfall changes slightly as rain clouds move.

Most hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are stable, but traces of both elements are also present as heavier isotopes (同位素). The heaviest rain falls first. As a result, storms that form over the Pacific deliver heavier water to California than to Utah.

Similar patterns exist throughout the U.S. By measuring the proportion of heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes along a strand of hair, scientists can construct a geographic timeline. Each inch of hair corresponds to about two months.

Ceding’s team collected tap water samples from 600 cities and constructed a map of the regional differences. They checked the accuracy of the map by testing 200 hair samples collected from 65 barber shops. They were able to accurately place the hair samples in broad regions roughly corresponding to the movement of rain systems.

“It’s not good for pinpointing (精确定位),” Ceding said. “It’s good for eliminating many possibilities.” Todd Park, a local detective, said the method has helped him learn more about an unidentified woman whose skeleton was found near Great Salt Lake. The woman was 5 feet tall. Police recovered 26 bones, a T-shirt and several strands of hair. When Park heard about the research, he gave the hair samples to the researchers. Chemical testing showed that over the two years before her death, she moved about every two months. She stayed in the Northwest, although the test could not be more specific than somewhere between eastern Oregon and western Wyoming. “It’s still a substantial area,” Park said. “But it narrows its way down for me.”

1. What is the scientists’ new discovery?

A. One’s hair growth has to do with the amount of water they drink.

B. A person’s hair may reveal where they have lived.

C. Hair analysis accurately identifies criminal suspects.

D. The chemical composition of hair varies from person to person.

2. What does the author mean by “You’re what you eat and drink” (Line 1, Para. 3)?

A. Food and drink affect one’s personality development.

B. Food and drink preferences vary with individuals.

C. Food and drink leave traces in one’s body tissues.

D. Food and drink are indispensable to one’s existence.

3.What is said about the rainfall in America’s West?

A. There is much more rainfall in California than in Utah.

B. The water it delivers becomes lighter when it moves inland.

C. Its chemical composition is less stable than in other areas.

D. It gathers more light isotopes as it moves eastward.

4. What did Ceding’s team produce in their research?

A. A map showing the regional differences of tap water.

  B. A collection of hair samples from various barber shops.

  C. A method to measure the amount of water in human hair.

  D. A chart illustrating the movement of the rain system.

5. What is the practical value of Ceding’s research?

A. It helps analyze the quality of water in different regions.

  B. It helps the police determine where a crime is committed.

  C. It helps the police narrow down possibilities in detective work.

  D. It helps identify the drinking habits of the person under investigation.