首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS 1 The domestication of wild species led directly to denser human populations by yielding more foo
THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS 1 The domestication of wild species led directly to denser human populations by yielding more foo
admin
2012-01-14
47
问题
THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS
1 The domestication of wild species led directly to denser human populations by yielding more food than the hunter-gatherer lifestyle could provide. In societies that possessed domestic animals, livestock helped to feed more people by providing meat, milk, and fertilizer, and by pulling plows. Large domestic animals became the societies’ main source of animal protein, replacing wild game, and they also
furnished
wool, leather, and land transport. Humans have domesticated only a few species of large animals, with "large" defined as those weighing over 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Fourteen such species were domesticated before the twentieth century, all of them terrestrial mammals and herbivores. The five most important of these are sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cattle or oxen.
2 Small animals such as ducks, geese, rabbits, dogs, cats, mink, bees, and silkworms have also been domesticated. Many of these small animals provided food, clothing, or warmth. However, none of them pulled plows or wagons, none carried riders, and none except dogs pulled sleds. Furthermore, no small domestic animals have been as important for food as have large domestic animals.
3 Early herding societies quickly domesticated all large mammal species that were suitable for domestication. There is archaeological evidence that these species were domesticated between 10,000 and 4,500 years ago, within the first few thousand years of the origins of farming-herding societies after the last Ice Age. The continent of Eurasia has been the primary site of large mammal domestication. Having the most species of wild mammals to begin with, and losing the fewest to extinction in the last 40,000 years, Eurasia has generated the most candidates for domestication.
4 Domestication involves transforming wild animals into something more useful to humans. Truly domesticated animals differ in many ways from their wild ancestors. These differences result from two processes: human selection of individual animals that are more useful to humans than other individuals of the same species, and evolutionary responses of animals to the forces of natural selection operating in human environments rather than in wild environments.
5 To be domesticated, a wild species must possess several characteristics.
A candidate for domestication must be primarily a herbivore because it takes less plant biomass to feed a plant eater than it does to feed a carnivore that consumes plant eaters.
No carnivorous mammal has ever been domesticated for food simply because it would be too costly. A candidate must not only weigh an average of over 100 pounds but also grow quickly. That eliminates
gorillas
and elephants, even though they are herbivores. Moreover, candidates for domestication must be able to breed successfully in captivity.
6 Since almost any sufficiently large mammal species is capable of killing a human, certain qualities
disqualify
a wild animal for domestication. The animal cannot have a disposition that is nasty, dangerous, or unpredictable—characteristics that eliminate bears, African buffaloes, and some species of wild horses. The animal cannot be so nervous that it
panics
around humans. Large herbivorous mammal species react to danger from predators or humans in different ways. Some species are nervous, fast, and programmed for instant flight when they perceive danger. Others are less nervous, seek protection in herds, and do not run until necessary. Most species of deer and antelope are of the former type, while sheep and goats are of the latter.
7 Almost all domesticated large mammals are species whose wild ancestors share three social characteristics: living in a herd, maintaining a dominance hierarchy in the herd, and having herds that occupy overlapping home ranges instead of mutually exclusive territories. Humans have taken advantage of these characteristics in keeping domestic animals together with others of their species and in close proximity to other species of domestic animals.
Glossary:
terrestrial: living on land rather than in water
herbivores: animals that feed mainly on plants
According to the passage, when did early humans domesticate all suitable large mammal species?
选项
A、After humans had populated every continent
B、Before the Ice Age caused many animals to become extinct
C、At the same time they domesticated small animals
D、Within a few thousand years after farming and herding began
答案
D
解析
Early humans domesticated all suitable large mammal species within a few thousand years after farming and herding began. Clues: Early herding societies quickly domesticated all large mammal species that were suitable for domestication; ... these species were domesticated.., within the first few thousand years of the origins of farming-herding societies....(1.1)
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/PxyO777K
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
ClassifythefollowingcharacteristicsasrelatingtoASocialScienceBMedicalScienceCBothSocialScienceandMedicalScien
ChooseTHREEletters,A-F.Writethecorrectlettersinboxesonyouranswersheet.Thelistbelowincludescharacteristics
Tiktaalikrosaeisconsideredtobeanevolutionary______.【38】
Thestoryillustratesthatdogsare______animals.【16】
Thestoryillustratesthatdogsare______animals.【15】
Thestoryillustratesthatdogsare______animals.【14】
Whichcolumnofthebarchartrepresentsthefiguresquoted?Buyshock-absorbinginserts
Whichcolumnofthebarchartrepresentsthefiguresquoted?AstreatmentforbackpaintheClinicmainlyrecommends______.
Awetlandisanareawherethesoilistypicallywater-logged.Plantsandanimalslivingtheredependonthewenessfortheir
随机试题
激光是利用辐射激发光放大原理,产生出一种单色、方向性强、光亮度大的光束。()
含有副交感纤维的脑神经是
某患者停经2个月,阴道出血20天,低热3天。出血开始似月经量,并有血块及肉样组织排出,后出血淋漓。B超提示宫腔内不均回声3cm×2cm。该患者可能诊断为
根据《中华人民共和国环境影响评价法》、《规划环境影响评价条例》和相关文件,关于跟踪评价的要求,下列说法中,错误的是()。
通常情况下,投资后管理工作是股权投资基金和被投资企业在()的沟通中完成的。
根据规定,对上市公司增发股票构成障碍的行为有()。
品德的心理结构包括四种基本心理成分,关于这四种成分说法正确的是()
某市制定了峰谷分时电价方案,峰时电价为原电价的110%,谷时电价为原电价的八折。小静家六月用电400度,其中峰时用电210度,谷时用电190度。实行峰谷分时电价调整方案后小静家用电成本为调整前的多少?()
边际产量
第二天清早,她起早出了门。她走进批发行商业区,但是每当她走到一个商号,打算进去申请工作时,她的勇气就消失了。她心里骂自己是胆小鬼,所以她继续往前走,走了又走,最后终于走进了一家商号。结果还是老样子。她出来时感到命运在和她作对,因此一切努力都是徒劳的。
最新回复
(
0
)