阅读理解

Passage Three

Hunting is at best a precarious way of procuring food, even when the diet is supplemented with seeds and fruits. Not long after the last Ice Age, around 7, 000 B. C. (during the Neolithic period) , some hunters and gatherers began to rely chiefly on agriculture for their sustenance. Others continued the old pastoral and nomadic ways. Indeed, agriculture itself evolved over the course of time, and Neolithic peoples had long known how to grow crops. The real transformation of human life occurred when huge numbers of people began to rely primarily and permanently on the grain they grew and the animals they domesticated.

Agriculture made possible a more stable and secure life. With it Neolithic peoples flourished, fashioning an energetic, creative era. They were responsible for many fundamental inventions and innovations that the modem world takes for granted First, obviously, is systematic agriculture—that is, the reliance of Neolithic peoples on agriculture as their primary, not merely subsidiary, source of food. Thus they developed the primary economic activity of the entire ancient world and the basis of all modem life. With the settled routine of Neolithic fanners came the evolution of towns and eventually cities. Neolithic fanners usually raised more food than they could consume, and their surpluses permitted larger, healthier populations. Population growth in turn created an even greater reliance on settled farming, as only systematic agriculture could sustain the increased numbers of people. Since surpluses o food could also be bartered for other commodities, the Neolithic era witnessed the beginnings of large-scale exchanged of goods. In time the increasing complexity of Neolithic societies led to the development of writing, prompted by the need to keep records and later by the urge to chronicle experiences, learning and beliefs.

The transition to settled life also had a profound impact on the family. The shared needs and pressures that encourage extended-family ties are less prominent in settled than in nomadic societies. Bonds to the extended family weakened. In towns and cities, the nuclear family was more dependent on its immediate neighbors than on kinfolk.

单选题 What does the passage mainly discuss?

A、 Why many human societies are dependent on agriculture.
B、 the changes agriculture brought to human life.
C、 How Neolithic peoples discovered agriculture.
D、 Why the first agricultural societies failed.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】第一段讲了新石器时代，人们开始将农业作为生活来源。第二段讲的是农业给新石器时代人们带来的益处。第三段讲的是安稳的务农生活给家庭带来的影响。因此，全文主要讲的是农业给人类生活带来的变化。

单选题 According to the passage, agricultural societies produced larger human populations because agriculture.

A、 created more varieties of food
B、 created food surpluses
C、 resulted in increases in leisure time
D、 encouraged bartering

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】由第二段倒数第三句Neolithic farmers usually raised more food than they could consume, and their surpluses permitted larger, healthier populations可知，新石器时代的农民种植的粮食过剩，为人口增长创造了有利条件。

单选题 According to the passage, all of the following led to the development of writing EXCEPT the.

A、 need to keep records
B、 desire to write down beliefs
C、 extraction of ink from plants
D、 growth of social complexity

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】第二段最后一句指出了写作发展的原因。 A、 B、 D三项均有提到，而C项“从植物中提取墨” 并未提及。故C项错误。

单选题 According to the passage, how did the shift to agricultural societies impact people’ s family relationships?

A、 the extended family became less important.
B、 Immediate neighbors often became family members.
C、 the nuclear family became self-sufficient.
D、 Family members began to work together to raise food.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】由最后一段内容可知，农业生活使得大家庭成员间的关系没有那么紧密了，小家庭越来越依靠邻居而不是亲戚。

单选题 Which of the following is true about the human diet prior to the Neolithic period?

A、 It consisted mainly of agricultural products.
B、 It varied according to family size.
C、 It was based on hunting and gathering.
D、 It was transformed when large numbers of people no longer depended on the grain they grew themselves.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】由第一段第二句Not long after the last Ice Age,around 7, 000 B. C. (during the Neolithic period) , some hunters and gatherers began to rely chiefly on agriculture for their sustenance中的hunter、 gatherer可知新石器时代前人们通过狩猎和采集来维持生活。