Question

New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them. Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horseshoes. In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each year. Every police horse in New York gets new shoes every month. Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths(铁匠). There are only about thirty-five of these blacksmiths in the whole United States. The cost of shoeing a horse is between twenty dollars and thirty-five dollars, and it takes a good blacksmith two or three hours to do the job.

A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot. The blacksmith must bend over all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight of the horse’s leg while he works. Clearly, a blacksmith must be very storng. But even more important, he must be able to deal with horses---for before the blacksmith can begin his work, he has to get the horse to lift its leg.

One of the blacksmiths in New York is James Corbin. He came to the country from Ireland in 1948. He not only makes horseshoes for the police but also works for a group of horse owners near the city. Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”

1.According to the reading passage, a blacksmith must be likely a ________________ man.

A. clever                                                        B. rich                                                        C. strong                                                        D. lucky

2.James Corbin became a blacksmith because he ________________.

A. was interested in horses

B. was needed by the policemen

C. drew a picture of the horseshoe

D. had to make a living

3.In the reading passage “to shape a shoe” is to ________________.

A. fit it on the horse’s foot

B. use it for two or three hours

C. make the form of a horseshoe from a piece of metal

D. draw a picture of the shoe

4.The best title for the passage is “________________”.

A. Policemen on Horseback

B. Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing

C. James Corbin, a Blacksmith

D. Horseshoeing is a Good Way to Make a Living

5.Which of the following is true?

A. Only a few large American cities have some policemen on horseback.

B. New York is the only city in America to have some policemen on horseback.

C. Policemen on horseback enjoy travelling around the United States.

D. Policemen on horseback are less expensive than those in cars.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.B

5.A

【解析】

试题解析:本文大意：纽约是有骑马警察的美国大城市的最后一批中的一个。在城市的某些地方纽约警方有170匹马。喂这些马的代价很大，但是照顾它们的代价更大。因为马必须在街上走，它们需要特殊的马掌。实际上，它们每年需要8000个马掌。纽约的马每个月换一次新马掌。精心修理马掌是六个铁匠的工作。全美国只有三十五个铁匠。一个马掌要花费20-35美元，花费好铁匠2-3个小时完成。铁匠必须强壮，因为当他给马钉掌时必须一直弯腰，承受马腿的重量。

1.细节理解题。根据 Clearly, a blacksmith must be very storng.很明显，一个铁匠必须强壮，可知答案选C

2.细节理解题。根据Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”考彬对做铁匠感兴趣，因为他父亲做这个工作并且他说“是个很好的谋生方法。”可知答案选C

3.细节理解题。根据He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot.，他必须能从一块金属上塑一个掌，然后把它安在马脚上，可知答案选C

4.标题归纳题。根据Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths精心修理这些马掌的是六个铁匠的工作，A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. 铁匠的工作不容易，可知答案选B

5.推理判断题。根据New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them.，可知答案选A

考点：文化类短文阅读。