Early Saharan Pastoralists
The Sahara is a highly diver, albeit dry, region that has undergone major climatic changes since 10,000 B.C. As recently as 6,000 B.C. the southern frontier of the dert was far to the north of where it is now, while miarid grassland and shallow freshwater lakes covered much of what are now arid plains. This was a landscape where antelope of all kinds abounded----along with Bos primigenius, a kind of oxen that has become extinct. The areas that are now dert were, like all arid regions, very susceptible to cycles of higher and lower levels of rainfall, resulting in major, sudden changes in distributions of plants and animals. The people who hunted the spar dert animals responded to drought by managing the wild resources they hunted and gathered, especially wild oxen, which had to have regular water supplies to survive.
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Even before the drought, the Sahara was never well watered. Both humans and animals were constantly on the move, in arch of food and reliable water supplies. Under the circumstances, archaeologist Andrew Smith believes, the small herds of Bos primigenius in the dert became smaller, more cloly knit breeding units as the drought took hold. The beasts were more disciplined, so that it was easier for hunters to predict their habits, and capture animals at will. At the same time, both cattle and humans were more confined in their movements, staying much clor to permanent water supplies
for long periods of time. As a result, cattle and humans came into clo association.
Smith believes that the hunters were well aware of the more disciplined ways in which their prey behaved. Instead of following the cattle on their annual migrations, the hunters began to prevent the herd from moving from one spot to another. At first, they controlled the movement of the herd while ensuring continuance of their meat diet. But soon they also gained genetic control of the animals, which led to rapid physical changes in the herd. South African farmers who maintain herds of wild eland (large African antelopes with short, twisted horns) report that the offspring soon diminish in size, unless wild bulls are introduced constantly from outside. The same effects of inbreeding may have occurred in controlled cattle populations, with some additional, and perhaps unrecognized, advantages. The newly domesticated animals behaved better, were easier to control, and may have enjoyed a higher birth rate, which in turn yielded greater milk supplies. We know from rock paintings deep in the Sahara that the herders were soon lecting breeding animals to produce offspring with different horn shapes and hide colors.
It is still unclear whether domesticated cattle were tamed independently in northern Africa or introduced to the continent from southwest Asia. Whatever the source of the original tamed herds might have been, it ems entirely likely that much the same process of juxtaposition (living side by
side) and control occurred in both southwest Asia and northern Africa, and even in Europe, among peoples who had an intimate knowledge of the behavior of wild cattle. The experiments with domestication probably occurred in many places, as people living in ever-drier environments cast around for more predictable food supplies.
The cattle herders had only a few posssions: unsophisticated pots and polished adzes. They also hunted with bow and arrow. The Saharan people left a remarkable record of their lives painted on the walls
of caves deep in the dert. Their artistic endeavors have been prerved in paintings of wild animals, cattle, goats, humans, and scenes of daily life that extend back perhaps to 5,000 B.C.. The widespread distribution of pastoral sites of this period suggests that the Saharans ranged their herds over widely parated summer and winter grazing grounds.
About 3,500 B.C., climatic conditions again deteriorated. The Sahara slowly became drier and lakes vanished. On the other hand, rainfall incread in the interior of western Africa, and the northern limit of the tt fly, an inct fatal to cattle, moved south. So the herders shifted south, following the major river systems into savanna regions. By this time, the Saharan people were probably using do
mestic crops, experimenting with such summer rainfall crops as sorghum and millet as they move out of areas where they could grow wheat, barley, and other Mediterranean crops.
[Glossary]
adzes: cutting tools with blades t at right angles to the handle.
Paragraph 1: The Sahara is a highly dry, region that has undergone major climatic changes since 10,000 B.C. As recently as 6,000 B.C. the southern frontier of the dert was far to the north of where it is now, while miarid grassland and shallow freshwater lakes covered much of what are now arid plains. This was a landscape where antelope of all kinds abounded----along with Bos primigenius, a kind of oxen that has become extinct. The areas that are now dert were, like all arid regions, very susceptible to cycles of higher and lower levels of rainfall, resulting in major, sudden changes in distributions of plants and animals. The people who hunted the spar dert animals responded to drought by managing the wild resources they hunted and gathered, especially wild oxen, which had to have regular water supplies to survive.
1.According to paragraph 1, what was true of the Sahara region around 6,000 B.C.?
O Much less of it was dert than is now the ca.
O Most areas that are now grassland were covered by shallow lakes.
O It had just undergone a major climatic change.
february的音标O Wild oxen and antelopes lived in parate parts of the region.
O usually
O almost
O though
O rather
3.According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of all arid regions?
O They include at least some freshwater lakes.
O They have similar distributions of plants and animals.
O They are greatly affected by changes in the amount of rain they receive.
O They have frequent droughts that make it difficult to manage the wild resources.
Paragraph 2: Even before the drought, the Sahara was never well watered. Both humans and animals were constantly on the move, in arch of food and reliable water supplies. Under the circumstances, archaeologist Andrew Smith believes, the small herds of Bos primigenius in the dert became smaller, more cloly knit breeding units as the drought took hold. The beasts were more disciplined, so that it was easier for hunters to predict their habits, and capture animals at will. At the same time, both cattle and humans were more confined in their movements, staying much clor to permanent water supplies for long periods of time. As a result, cattle and humans came into clo association.
4.Paragraph 2 supports which of the following ideas about wild oxen in the Sahara region after the drought took hold?
O They traveled in smaller herds.
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O They were harder for hunters to capture.
O They tended to be significantly smaller in size.
O They moved along less predictable routes.
5.According to paragraph 2, what was it that brought cattle and humans into clo association?
香港教科书O The development of smaller breeding units within hers.
O Cattle and humans staying clo to permanent water supplies for long period of time.
O The development of greater discipline among cattle.
O Cattle and humans constangly on the move arching for food and reliable water supplies.
Paragraph 3: Smith believes that the hunters were well aware of the more disciplined ways in which their prey behaved. Instead of following the cattle on their annual migrations, the hunters began to prevent the herd from moving from one spot to another. At first, they controlled the movement of the herd while ensuring continuance of their meat diet. But soon they also gained genetic control of the a
nimals, which led to rapid physical changes in the herd. South African farmers who maintain herds of wild eland (large African antelopes with short, twisted horns) report that the offspring soon diminish in size, unless wild bulls are introduced constantly from outside. The same effects of inbreeding may have occurred in controlled cattle populations, with some additional, and perhaps unrecognized, advantages. The newly domesticated animals behaved better, were easier to control, and may have enjoyed a higher birth rate, which in turn yielded greater milk supplies. We know from rock paintings deep in the Sahara that the herders were soon lecting breeding animals to produce offspring with different horn shapes and hide colors.
新福尔摩斯下载6.Why does the author mention the “rock paintings deep in the Sahara”?
O To help explain why the hunters wanted to control the herds.
O To provide support for the idea that the herders soon gained genetic control of the cattle手续费英语
山市翻译O To show that the herders had artistic as well as practical abilities
宝贝英语O To argue that the herders soon began to value their cattle for more than food.
nowok7.According to paragraph 3, all of the following statements were true of newly domesticated animals
EXCEPT
O They were controlled more easily by the farmers.
O They produced a larger number of offspring.
O They produce more milk.
O They were larger in size.
in many places, as people living in ever-drier environments cast around for more predictable food supplies.
8. .which of the ntences below best express the esntial information in the highlighted ntence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out esntial information.
O Regardless of where the first tamed herds came from, people tried to control them by living in juxtaposition with them.
O Regardless of where the first tamed herds came from, they resulted from the same process of juxtaposition and control by people who understood the behavior of wild cattle.
O People who had an intimate knowledge of the behavior of wild cattle moved clor together to cooperate in taming the herd, regardless of where they found them.
O The process of taming herds was certainly the same in southwest Asia, northern Africa, and Europe becau people knew a lot about the behavior of wild cattle, regardless of where they lived.
Paragraph 5: The cattle herders had only a few posssions: unsophisticated pots and polished adzes.
the walls of caves deep in the dert. Their have been prerved in paintings of wild animals, cattle, goats, humans, and scenes of daily life that extend back perhaps to 5,000 B.C.. The widespread distribution of pastoral sites of this period suggests that the Saharans ranged their herds over widely
parated summer and winter grazing grounds.
9.According to paragraph 5, each of the following was true about the early Saharan people EXCEPT
O They had few posssions apart from cattle.
O After about 5,000 B.C., they lived primarily in caves that were located deep in the dert.
O Between the summer and winter asons, they moved their herds over long distances.
O They painted animals and scenes of daily life on the walls of caves.
O methods
O styles
O scenes
O efforts
and lakes vanished. On the other hand, rainfall incread in the interior of western Africa, and the northern limit of the tt fly, an inct fatal to cattle, moved south. So the herders shifted south, following the major river systems into savanna regions. By this time, the Saharan people were probably using domestic crops, experimenting with such summer rainfall crops as sorghum and millet as they move out of areas where they could grow wheat, barley, and other Mediterranean crops.兼收并蓄
11.T
O became unstable
O caud hardship
O changed completely
O got wor
