四、阅读理解(共15小题;每题2分，共30分。)

阅读下列短文，然后根据短文的内容从每小题的四个选择项中选出最佳的一项，并把它前面的大写字母填入左边的括弧里。

A

First there was learning. This has always been an important part of human life. By imitating their parents， children learned to hunt， to make tools， and to take care of themselves and others.

Next came education. This was possible only after people developed language. Then adults could explain how to do things. They could talk about traditions， beliefs， and ceremonies of the group. Still， education was oral. Children could learn only what their teachers could remember.

Finally， schools were created. They came into being because writing was invented. The first system for writing appeared about 3，500 B.C. in Sumeria， a land that is now Iraq. The Sumerians also invented a system for calculating with numbers. About 500 years later， the Egyptians discovered writing and calculation， too. And shortly after that， both the Sumerians and the Egyptians started schools. Being able to read and write they allowed people to learn anything that could be recorded. But the early systems were complicated. Children couldn‘t learn them just by watching. That’s why schools became a necessity.

Those first students learned reading， writing， and calculation. Having these skills gave people great power over those who did not have them. Some 5，000 years later， this is still true.

( )51. The main idea of this article is that schools ________.

A. had great power B. became necessary for learning

C. taught children to hunt D. developed language

( )52. You can decide from the article that schools have ________.

A. made education difficult B. held back learning

C. imitated parents D. advanced human skills

( )53. What happened before Egyptians discovered calculation?

A. Egyptians discovered writing. B. Egyptians started schools.

C. Sumerians invented writing. D. Sumerians started schools.

( )54. Education became possible only with the development of _______.

A. learning B. language C. calculation D. clocks

B

Once a landlord wanted to plant garlic in his fields. He found a group of boys and asked them to do the work for him. At lunch time he did not invite the boys to have lunch with his family. The boys had to sit by the door and have lunch on the ground. The landlord was afraid that other people would see the bad food for the boys. So with a smile on his face he said to them： “Boys， go and eat in the house. This is for your food. If you eat here by the door， the dogs will bite you.” The boys were surprised. But they said nothing and went to eat in the house. The landlord was quite pleased.

Supper time came and the boys went into the house again. When they walked past the landlord‘s room， they looked in through the window. What do you think they saw there? They saw a big table with white bread and all kinds of good food on it. The landlord and his family were sitting around the table and eating their dinner. But the food for the boys was bad. The boys were very angry. They wanted to teach the landlord a lesson. So they decided to plant his garlic upside down. And that was what they did the next day.

A few days later the garlic was coming out everywhere but not in the landlord‘s fields. The landlord was very surprised and asked the boys why this was so. “The garlic is afraid that the dogs will bite it，” the boys answered.

( )55. The landlord asked the boys to come because ________.

A. he wanted them to plant garlic for him

B. he wanted to invite them to have lunch with his family

C. he wanted to tell them to sit by the door

D. he wanted them to plant vegetables for him

( )56. The landlord asked the boys to eat in the house because _______.

A. he was afraid the dog would eat their food

B. he was afraid the dog would bite them

C. he thought other people would see the bad food for the boys

D. he was afraid the boys would play with the dog

( )57. The next day the boys planted the landlord‘s garlic upside down because _______.

A. they did not know how to plant it

B. they wanted to teach the landlord a lesson

C. they were afraid the dogs would bite it

D. they made a mistake

( )58. A few days later the landlord‘s garlic did not come out because ________.

A. the garlic was afraid the dogs would bite it

B. the boys had planted it upside down

C. the boys had not planted it at all

D. the boys had not watered it