单选题
In the Arctic Circle, it is not that Eskimos lack ability or industry, but the surroundings restrict constructive effort to the barest necessities of existence. This effectually retards progress to higher development.
Agriculture is impossible all along the thousands of miles of the north shore. The only wood is such as drifts in. Other than this driftwood, the only available building materials are snow, ice, stone, and bones of animals. All of these have been used for habitations and storage places, differing in various tribes according to the requirements and skill of the workers.
The lack of necessary timbers to build walls and span wide spaces is probably one reason why these tribes construct their houses at least partly beneath the surface of the ground. This device also makes the houses more impervious (不能渗透的) to the cold.
Most of us are inclined to think that the Eskimo lives always in an igloo or snow house. This is not entirely true. After the long cold winter, the family is very likely to move, when the weather permits, into a tent of sealskin. The actual construction of such a tent is similar to that used by other, more southerly tribes and will be described later.
The snow house, however, is an interesting and unique habitation. Our summer campers will not build with snow, but the delicate art is worth recording and some of our winter camps in the mountains might try to make snow houses.
单选题
Eskimos" efforts to build houses ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题是一道具体细节题。问爱斯基摩人建房的努力如何。利用查阅式阅读法，我们可以在第一段中找到相关内容。这段指出，居住在北极圈里的爱斯基摩人，不是因为缺乏能力或勤劳的精神，而是环境将其建筑水平限制在仅能满足最起码的生存需要的水平，这大大地阻碍了他们向前发展的步伐。从第一句话来看，effort是restrict的宾语；换言之，受限的是努力或尝试，而限制努力或尝试变为现实的是环境(Surroudings或environment)。因此，本题的正确答案应是B“受限于恶劣的环境”。
A“结果是建造了各种各样的房屋”。第二段第四句指出，环境客观上限制了爱斯基摩人只能利用有限的建筑材料来建筑住处或贮藏室(habitations and storage．places)，而这些建筑物又根据不同需要和建筑者的技术水平在不同部落有所不同。可见，这里强调的不是主观上想建造不同风格的房子，而是客观上为适应环境的需要而建造不同材料的房子。
C“为他们的能力所限”。这正是文章中第一句话所否定的。
D“使较快的发展步伐受到阻碍”。这并非努力的结果，而是努力受到客观限制的结果。
因此，A、C和D均为错误选项。
单选题
Which of the following about the construction of houses is true?