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（种类） 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 form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.Before domestication horses were ______.
| A．caught for sports | B．hunted for food |
| C．made to pull ploughs | D．used to carry people |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Good morning, everyone,
I am Li hua from Xingguang Middle School. The topic of my speech is “Let’s Ride Bicycles”.
As (know) to us all,
the improvement of people’s living standards, cars
(become)a popular means of transport,
(bring) great convenience to our life.
, they have also caused some problems such as air pollution and traffic jams.
How can we solve the problems then? As far as I(concern), bicycles is a good solution. For one thing, bicycles don’t need any petrol and they are energy-saving. For
, bicycles are
(environment) friendly because they won’t give off waste gas. What’s more, riding bicycles is a good way for us to exercise and it is beneficial to our health.
, let’s take the
(responsible) to build up a carbon city by riding bicycles. Come on and join us!
Thank you!
By the midnineteenth century, the term “icebox” had entered the American language, but ice was still only beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States. The ice trade grew with the growth of cities. Ice was used in places like hotels and hospitals, and by some forwardlooking city businessmen in fresh meat, fresh fish, and butter. After the Civil War (1861～1865 ), it also came into household use. Even before 1880, half of the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and onethird of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use. This had become possible because a new household convenience, the icebox, early form of the modern refrigerator，had been invented.
Making an efficient icebox was not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early nineteenth century, people only had some simple and basic knowledge of the physics of heat. The common idea that the best icebox was one that prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken, for it was the melting of the ice that performed the cooling. Early efforts to save ice included wrapping up the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job. Not until near the end of the nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance needed for an efficient icebox.
But as early as 1803, a Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been in the correct direction. He owned a farm and used an icebox of his own design for the transportation of his butter to a market in the village of Georgetown. And there he found that customers would pass up the rapidly melting goods of his competitors to pay a higher price for his butter, still fresh and hard in neat, onepound bricks. One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that farmers would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool.As a result，Moore managed to earn a large sum of money.
| The Origin of Refrigerators |
|
| History of the icebox |
*By the mid19th century the *When cities grew, the ice *Forwardlooking businessmen used ice to keep meat, fish and butter *After the Civil War, due to the |
| Incorrect |
*The icebox *Ice should be |
| Thomas Moore's story |
*As early as 1803, Thomas Moore knew how to use an icebox *An icebox was designed by Thomas Moore to *Thomas Moore was very |
“Equal pay for equal work” is a phrase by the American women who feel they are __(fair) treated by society. They think it is not right for women to be paid less than men for the
__ amount of work. Some people say men have more duties than women. A married man has to earn money to support his family and make important __
__ (decide), so it is right for them to be paid more. Some are even against married women
__(work)at all. When wives go out to work, they say, the home and children are given no attention __
_. If women are encouraged by equal pay to take up jobs, they will __
_ (able) to do the things that they are best at doing: making a nice home and bringing __
_ children. Women who disagree say that they want to escape from the limited place which society wishes them to fill and have __
freedom to choose between a job and home life, __
_ a mixture of the two. In fact women have the right __
_ to equal pay but also to equal chances.
Today I received a sweet letter from Brianna, one of my “cookies”. It was wonderful to hear ___________her. You see
__________ I taught kindergarten, I called all
___________ sweet children “cookies”. Brianna said that every day she would walk into kindergarten and see a smile
__________ my face. I named them “cookies” because I always feel that children can bring great happiness and
__________ (excite) to my life. I still feel that all children are the
____________ (great) joy I could ever have.
So far I _____________ (adopt) and taught children for over 35 years. All my children were
________ are now a great joy of my life.
__________(hope), I feel much fortunate to be able to use my life’s talent to teach children and have fun
___________(do) it every day. I am able to spread my wings and help my “cookies” to spread their wings.
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town stayed with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he
(feel) someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly
of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was
(go). He thought that
must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided
(follow) him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. of them understood the other's language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist (拳头) while
(point) at the Italian's watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife had happened. He was
(great) surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian's.