Why Did Agriculture Arise
Sometime around 10,000 years ago, some hunter-gatherers took up agriculture. Though the advantages may seem obvious, there are also disadvantages: Farmers work harder and longer hours than hunter-gatherers, and domesticate plants and animals are more prone to catastrophic disease. So why did this change come about? By and large, some archaeologists suggest two moving principles: climate change and rising populations. In very general terms, it is argued that, as droughts intensified, food became harder to obtain and, at the same time, there were more people to feed. The first farmers were therefore acting rationally when they invented farming as a response to the challenge that the environment was presenting, or they began to mimic nature and encouraged seeds to grow near their settlements.
This changeover can be seen at, for instance, Abu Hureyra, an archaeological site overlooking the Euphrates River. Archaeologist Andrew Moore and botanist Gordon Hillman found that the layered mound left by many generations of humans living at Abu Hureyra had been occupied and abandoned, and then reoccupied. At about 9000 B.C.E. open forests were close to the settlement; people could gather nuts and fruits and stroll back to their mud houses. They also exploited wild einkorn wheat and rye. Sedentism(the lifestyle of living in settlements year-round)thus came about before agriculture.
After a few centuries, a drier climatic regimen caused the forests to retreat. The people of Abu Hureyra therefore concentrated on wild grasses that were still within walking distance of their homes. But even these more hardy plants disappeared as the drought intensified. By 8000 B.C.E., Abu Hureyra was no longer a viable settlement site, and the people abandoned it. Three centuries later people returned and began to build new mud dwellings on the foundations of the old, decayed ones. Now they were depending not on wild plants but on domesticated emmer wheat, rye, and barley. They were agriculturalists.
An advantage of seeds is that they can be stored in large quantities. People can therefore remain in one place for longer; they do not exhaust the natural foods within walking distance and then have to move on to other locations that can be exploited, as hunter- gatherers do. Sedentary life in villages and towns becomes possible. And so a chain of consequences, not all favorable, was triggered. Fields degraded natural soils, and erosion sometimes set in with disastrous results. If agriculture was indeed a form of human adaptation, it was sometimes questionably so. As fields grew in size, they demanded more water and, as a result, irrigation was developed in some parts of the world. There were also health hazards. Disease can rampage through closely packed towns with inadequate sanitation. Then, too, a starch diet can lead to tooth decay and other health problems. Mobile foragers have to keep their populations restricted because children are not easily transported from camp to camp, but sedentary populations do not suffer from this restriction. All in all, agriculture and its consequences were not always advantageous.
Some archaeologists offer a similar explanation for the domestication of animals. First of all, they look for environmental conditions that may have led to domestication. They cite such factors as growing aridity that could gradually change the relationship between people and animals that existed when hunting was the norm. Many species of animals live in herds. Therefore all the people had to do was to control the herds to prevent them from wandering off to seek water and grazing; they thus interfered with the natural patterns of breeding and genetic change. Keep one herd separate from all others, and domesticated species are the result. But why would people wish to do this?
One answer that springs to the minds of many Westerners is that domestication of animals is labor-saving. But that is not necessarily true. Domesticated herds have to be tended, protected from predators and taken to pasturage. Then, disease can sweep through herds more disastrously than it does through scattered populations of wild animals. A different kind of explanation is that hunters became too effective and, as a result, diminished the wild species they pursued. The logical answer was to corral them and to allow them to breed, culling them for food only when necessary.
1
Sometime around 10,000 years ago, some hunter-gatherers took up agriculture. Though the advantages may seem obvious, there are also disadvantages: Farmers work harder and longer hours than hunter-gatherers, and domesticate plants and animals are more prone to catastrophic disease. So why did this change come about? By and large, some archaeologists suggest two moving principles: climate change and rising populations. In very general terms, it is argued that, as droughts intensified, food became harder to obtain and, at the same time, there were more people to feed. The first farmers were therefore acting rationally when they invented farming as a response to the challenge that the environment was presenting, or they began to mimic nature and encouraged seeds to grow near their settlements.
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the people who lived at Abu Hureyra in 9000 B.C.E.?
Inference Questions推理题
AThey did not include einkorn wheat and rye in their diets.
BThey built their houses closer to the Euphrates River than earlier settlers of the area.
CThey were settled foragers.
DPeople chose to grow certain types of trees and plants near their settlements.
2
After a few centuries, a drier climatic regimen caused the forests to retreat. The people of Abu Hureyra therefore concentrated on wild grasses that were still within walking distance of their homes. But even these more hardy plants disappeared as the drought intensified. By 8000 B.C.E., Abu Hureyra was no longer a viable settlement site, and the people abandoned it. Three centuries later people returned and began to build new mud dwellings on the foundations of the old, decayed ones. Now they were depending not on wild plants but on domesticated emmer wheat, rye, and barley. They were agriculturalists.
According to paragraph 3， which of the following occurred at the resettled Abu Hureyra three centuries after its abandonment?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
APeople focused on harvesting wild grasses within walking distance of their homes.
BPeople depended on domesticated grains for their food rather than wild grasses.
CClimatic conditions led to the reappearance of hardy plants.
DDwelling places were built with different materials than earlier structures.
3
An advantage of seeds is that they can be stored in large quantities. People can therefore remain in one place for longer; they do not exhaust the natural foods within walking distance and then have to move on to other locations that can be exploited, as hunter- gatherers do. Sedentary life in villages and towns becomes possible. And so a chain of consequences, not all favorable, was triggered. Fields degraded natural soils, and erosion sometimes set in with disastrous results. If agriculture was indeed a form of human adaptation, it was sometimes questionably so. As fields grew in size, they demanded more water and, as a result, irrigation was developed in some parts of the world. There were also health hazards. Disease can rampage through closely packed towns with inadequate sanitation. Then, too, a starch diet can lead to tooth decay and other health problems. Mobile foragers have to keep their populations restricted because children are not easily transported from camp to camp, but sedentary populations do not suffer from this restriction. All in all, agriculture and its consequences were not always advantageous.
The word “exhaust” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
Abring back
Bdepend on
Csearch out
Duse up
4
An advantage of seeds is that they can be stored in large quantities. People can therefore remain in one place for longer; they do not exhaust the natural foods within walking distance and then have to move on to other locations that can be exploited, as hunter- gatherers do. Sedentary life in villages and towns becomes possible. And so a chain of consequences, not all favorable, was triggered. Fields degraded natural soils, and erosion sometimes set in with disastrous results. If agriculture was indeed a form of human adaptation, it was sometimes questionably so. As fields grew in size, they demanded more water and, as a result, irrigation was developed in some parts of the world. There were also health hazards. Disease can rampage through closely packed towns with inadequate sanitation. Then, too, a starch diet can lead to tooth decay and other health problems. Mobile foragers have to keep their populations restricted because children are not easily transported from camp to camp, but sedentary populations do not suffer from this restriction. All in all, agriculture and its consequences were not always advantageous.
The word “hazards”in the passage is closest in meaning to
Vocabulary Questions词汇题
Aneeds
Beffects
Crisks
Dquestions
5
An advantage of seeds is that they can be stored in large quantities. People can therefore remain in one place for longer; they do not exhaust the natural foods within walking distance and then have to move on to other locations that can be exploited, as hunter- gatherers do. Sedentary life in villages and towns becomes possible. And so a chain of consequences, not all favorable, was triggered. Fields degraded natural soils, and erosion sometimes set in with disastrous results. If agriculture was indeed a form of human adaptation, it was sometimes questionably so. As fields grew in size, they demanded more water and, as a result, irrigation was developed in some parts of the world. There were also health hazards. Disease can rampage through closely packed towns with inadequate sanitation. Then, too, a starch diet can lead to tooth decay and other health problems. Mobile foragers have to keep their populations restricted because children are not easily transported from camp to camp, but sedentary populations do not suffer from this restriction. All in all, agriculture and its consequences were not always advantageous.
Paragraph 4 mentions which of the following as being true about seeds and their effect on people’s lifestyles?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AThey allowed farmers to quickly switch from sedentism to nomadism when needed.
BThey keep well and can be gathered in large amounts so people do not have to look for food elsewhere.
CThey allowed people to live in settlements with low population density.
DThey intensified economic activity among neighboring settlements and towns.
6
Some archaeologists offer a similar explanation for the domestication of animals. First of all, they look for environmental conditions that may have led to domestication. They cite such factors as growing aridity that could gradually change the relationship between people and animals that existed when hunting was the norm. Many species of animals live in herds. Therefore all the people had to do was to control the herds to prevent them from wandering off to seek water and grazing; they thus interfered with the natural patterns of breeding and genetic change. Keep one herd separate from all others, and domesticated species are the result. But why would people wish to do this?
Paragraph 5 answers which of the following questions about the domestication of animals?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AIn which region of the world do archaeologists believe that the domestication of animals first started?
BHow long did it take for people to transition from hunting to relying on domesticated species?
CHow were people able to affect the breeding patterns of herds?
DWhat kind of specific genetic changes did some herd species show after they were domesticated?
7
Some archaeologists offer a similar explanation for the domestication of animals. First of all, they look for environmental conditions that may have led to domestication. They cite such factors as growing aridity that could gradually change the relationship between people and animals that existed when hunting was the norm. Many species of animals live in herds. Therefore all the people had to do was to control the herds to prevent them from wandering off to seek water and grazing; they thus interfered with the natural patterns of breeding and genetic change. Keep one herd separate from all others, and domesticated species are the result. But why would people wish to do this?
One answer that springs to the minds of many Westerners is that domestication of animals is labor-saving. But that is not necessarily true. Domesticated herds have to be tended, protected from predators and taken to pasturage. Then, disease can sweep through herds more disastrously than it does through scattered populations of wild animals. A different kind of explanation is that hunters became too effective and, as a result, diminished the wild species they pursued. The logical answer was to corral them and to allow them to breed, culling them for food only when necessary.
According to paragraphs 5 and 6， which of the following is true of animals that were domesticated?
Factual Information Questions事实信息题
AThey needed to have their grazing locations controlled and to be protected from predators.
BThey were increasingly needed because of the dangers people encountered while hunting wild animals.
CTheir domestication occurred much earlier than that of plants.
DTheir domestication prevented serious diseases that were common among wild herds.
8
One answer that springs to the minds of many Westerners is that domestication of animals is labor-saving. But that is not necessarily true. Domesticated herds have to be tended, protected from predators and taken to pasturage. Then, disease can sweep through herds more disastrously than it does through scattered populations of wild animals. A different kind of explanation is that hunters became too effective and, as a result, diminished the wild species they pursued. The logical answer was to corral them and to allow them to breed, culling them for food only when necessary.
Why does the author provide the information that “disease can sweep through herds more disastrously than it does through scattered populations of wild animals”?
Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题
ATo provide an example of a disadvantage of domesticating herd animals
BTo support the idea that the disappearance of wild herds may have led to domestication
CTo demonstrate the negative consequences of not taking proper care of domestic animals
DTo explain why effective hunters were still needed in early agricultural societies
9
Sometime around 10,000 years ago, some hunter-gatherers took up agriculture. ⬛Though the advantages may seem obvious, there are also disadvantages: Farmers work harder and longer hours than hunter-gatherers, and domesticate plants and animals are more prone to catastrophic disease. ⬛So why did this change come about? ⬛By and large, some archaeologists suggest two moving principles: climate change and rising populations. ⬛In very general terms, it is argued that, as droughts intensified, food became harder to obtain and, at the same time, there were more people to feed. The first farmers were therefore acting rationally when they invented farming as a response to the challenge that the environment was presenting, or they began to mimic nature and encouraged seeds to grow near their settlements.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
Their efforts involved the cultivation of certain grains and the beginnings of animal herding.Insert Text Questions句子插入题
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
Farming probably arose around 10,000 years ago.
Prose Summary Questions概要小结题
Select 3 answers
AThe first farmers lived at a time when forests were disappearing because of climate change, leaving land clear for cultivation and the construction of permanent mud houses.
BThe wild plants that people depended on were wiped out by a series of catastrophic diseases, so people began to encourage the growth of disease-resistant strains.
CAbu Hureyra provides an example of how the farming lifestyle began with animal domestication and later incorporated plant domestication, which led to sedentism.
DThe practice of agriculture, which required more work than foraging, was probably a response to increased population and the loss of natural food sources due to drought.
EIn some places sedentism and the development of villages arose before agriculture, but agriculture was tied to soil degradation, health problems, and population growth.
FThe domestication of animals may have resulted from hunters becoming too effective and needing to control herds to ensure their animals’ survival.
