Question

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

Very few people in the modern world obtain their food supply by hunting and gathering in the natural environment surrounding their homes. This method of harvesting from nature’s provision is the oldest known subsistence strategy and has been practised for at least the last two million years. It was, indeed, the only way to obtain food until rudimentary farming and the domestication of wild animals were introduced about 10,000 years ago.

Because hunter-gatherers have fared poorly in comparison with their agricultural cousins, their numbers have dwindled, and they have been forced to live in marginal environments, such as deserts and arctic wastelands. In higher latitudes, the shorter growing seasons have restricted the availability of plant life. Such conditions have caused a greater dependence on hunting, and on fishing along the coasts and waterways. The abundance of vegetation in the lower latitudes of the tropics, on the other hand, has provided a greater opportunity for gathering a variety of plants. In short, the environmental differences have restricted the diet and have limited possibilities for the development of subsistence societies.

Contemporary hunter-gatherers may help us understand our prehistoric ancestors. We know from the observation of modern hunter-gatherers in both Africa and Alaska that a society based on hunting and gathering must be very mobile. While the entire community camps in a central location, a smaller party harvests the food within a reasonable distance from the camp. When the food in the area has become exhausted, the community moves on to exploit another site. We also notice seasonal migration patterns evolving for most hunter-gatherers, along with a strict division of labor between the sexes. These patterns of behavior may be similar to those practised by mankind during the Paleolithic Period.

The word “conditions” in the second paragraph refers to ______.

A. the environments where it is not favorable for vegetation to grow

B. the situations in which hunter-gatherers hardly find anything to eat

C. the places where plenty of animals and fish can be found

D. the situations in which hunter-gatherers can grow some crops

Answer 1

Đáp án A

Trên đoạn 2, câu 2 và 3:

In higher latitudes, the shorter growing seasons have restricted the availability of plant life. Such conditions have caused a greater dependence on hunting, and on fishing along the coasts and waterways. Such conditions có nghĩa: những điều kiện như vậy. Điều kiện như vậy là thế nào? Câu trước chữ such sẽ giải nghĩa nó cho chúng ta. Đọc câu trước, ta thấy ngay nghĩa tiêu cực “restricted the availability of plant life” (giới hạn sự sẵn có của thực vật), mang nghĩa này xét từng phương án: 1. nhắc tới việc cây trồng (vegetation) không thích hợp (not favorable) để sống (grow). Phù hợp.

B. hunter-gatherers không thể tìm cái gì ăn. Chỉ nhắc đến yếu tố con người, mà chưa nhắc được ý “hạn chế cây trồng”. Loại.

C. plenty (phong phú, đông đảo) hoàn toàn ngược với restricted (hạn chế). Loại.

D. can grow some crops (có thể trồng một vài vụ mùa). Chưa nhắc đến yếu tố “hạn chế”.
Vậy, A. đúng nhất.