Domestic   horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren't tame   enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today. Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication. As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals' genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics. Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn't exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds--typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts   with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads. The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horse were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new from of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world. Before domestication horses were   _  . A) caught for sports B) hunted for food C) made to pull ploughs D) used to carry people
B

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded for a novel written by a writer from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the 'Booker Prize'. In 2002, the Man Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping 'Booker'. Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be submitted that they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee gives advice if there have been any changes to the rules for the prize and selects the people who will judge the books. The judging panel changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once. Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender  and professions within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a well-known person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been decided, they are left to make their own decisions. Meanwhile, the prize sponsor has no further right to take part in any more. The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably, in addition to thePS50,000 that comes with the prize. Who can submit books to the prize? A) Judges. B) Writers. C) Readers. D) Sponsors.
A

Many French academics,teachers and parents complain because they feel that intellectual levels are falling rapidly!The figures prove it:young people visit museums less,spend their lives chatting on the Internet,read nothing but Stephen King,while watching American soaps such as Friends or reality shows like Star Academy on television,music player glued to their cars,and the games console handy. It is,however,easy to see these habits  in a positive light.Music is the favorite leisure activity:86% of 14-to18-year-olds put it at the top of their activities,above the cinema(71%),clubbing(68%),sport(56%) and television(48%).For 90% of young people aged 14to 18,radio is also very popular:they listen to it every day without exception.International popular music has a strong showing,but songs in French are still in the majority(60%). Young people do,of course,watch a lot of television,but less than their elders,and if they tend to choose mostly soaps and reality TV shows,that is because these are the programs people talk about,which encourages social interaction.Do young people read less than they used to?Maybe,but that's also true of the elders.Young people still read more than their elders.When asked,"Do you like reading?",94% of 14-to-18-year-olds say they do,and 81% are convinced that computers will never replace books. Contrary to popular belief,reading continues to occupy an extremely important place in leisure-time activities,but the reading matter young people choose has changed considerably:there is a greater variety of media(computers and new technologies) and young people admit to taste they would perhaps have been ashamed of in the past.For example,comic strips,Stenphen King or other authors not recognized by mainstream culture,such as Betty Mahmoody (Not Without My Daughter),Mary Higgins Clark or Jostein Gaader (Sophie's World).As Beatrice Toulon,Editor in Chief of the magazine Phosphore,see it,"They don't read the same things as their parents did,but they are not afraid to admit it.They have their own... Which of the following can be best title for the passage? A) The Future of Books B) More Books,Less TV C) Young People and Culture in France D) Young People and Their Elders in France.
