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 on certain parts of the city.The horses are expensive to feed(喂养), but it is even more expensive to look after them.Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horse shoes.In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each day.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 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(安装) it to the horse foot.The blacksmith must bend over(弯腰) all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight(重量) of the horse’s leg while he works.Clearly, a blacksmith must be very strong.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 his 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 the job of blacksmiths because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”

1.According to the passage, a blacksmith must be 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 horse shoes

D.had to make a living

3.In the 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】

试题分析：本文讲述了纽约警察局的马及为马做鞋的铁匠。喂养马费用高，照顾马更贵，为了让马在街道上行走，它们需要特殊的马鞋。维修马鞋是六位铁匠的工作。一双马鞋要20到35美元，这需要一位好的铁匠二、三个小时。铁匠的工作不容易，他们要弯下腰并且承受马腿的重要。短文还介绍了继承父业的铁匠科尔宾。

1.C 细节理解题。题意：根据短文，一位鞋匠一定是一个什么样的人？A.clever聪明；B.rich富裕；C.strong强壮；D.lucky幸运。由第三段中的：a blacksmith must be very strong.可知一名鞋匠一定很强壮。故选C。

2.D 细节理解题。题意：詹姆斯科尔宾成为一个鞋匠是因为他什么？A.was interested in horses对马感兴趣；B.was needed by the policemen警察需要；C.drew a picture of the horse shoes花了一副马鞋的画；D.had to make a living必须谋生。由短文最后一句：It’s a good way to make a living.可以，他认为这是一种好的谋生方式。故选D。

3.C 词义猜测题。题意：文中 “to shape a shoe” 是做什么？A.fit it on the horse’s foot合马的脚；B.use it for two or three hours用两、三小时；C.make the form of a horseshoe from a piece of metal用一块金属做成马鞋的形式；D.draw a picture of the shoe 画一只鞋的图片。He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse foot.他必须要能用一块金属to shape a shoe然后把它装在马脚上。可以推测出其意思是做成鞋的形状。故选C。

4.B 主旨大意题。题意：短文最好的标题是什么？A.Policemen on Horseback马背上的警察；B.Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing鞋匠和马鞋；C.James Corbin, a Blacksmith詹姆斯科尔宾，一位鞋匠；D.Horseshoeing Is a Good Way to Make a Living马鞋是谋生的好手段。本文讲述了纽约警察局的马及为马做鞋的铁匠。故选B。

5. 推理判断题。题意：下面哪一个是对的？A.Only a few large American cities have some policemen on horseback.只有一些美国的大城市有骑马的警察；B.New York is the only city in America to have some policemen on horseback.纽约是唯一一座有骑马的警察的城市；C.Policemen on horseback enjoy travelling around the United States.骑马的警察喜欢周游美国；D.Policemen on horseback are less expensive than those in cars.警察骑马没有坐车贵。根据短文第一段第一句和最后一句，可知纽约是美国有骑马的警察的城市之一，而整个美国只有35个为马做鞋的鞋匠。由此可以推测出美国有骑马的警察的城市不多。故选A。

考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读。