9The Horse and the Camel in Early China

During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 220),China began to trade with lands to its west over the Silk Road, a set of trade routes stretching all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. While some goods reached China from as far away as Rome, many valuable items originated in neighboring Central Asia. Perhaps the most consequential Central Asian goods were able to travel into China under their own power: horses and camels. China required a constant supply of horses for its cavalry,having learned a painful lesson in the importance of mounted horsemen from the Xiongnu, a Central Asian people whose superior horsemanship had once allowed them to invade western China.While it was difficult for the Chinese to breed their own horses, possibly due to the lack of calcium in Chinese soils and water, Central Asia had ample grasslands that were well-suited for producing horses of the highest quality. The Chinese thus traded the silk produced by their silkworms for Central Asian horses, sending tens of thousands of bolts of silk westward each year. Much of it went to the Xiongnu court, where this and other Chinese luxury goods were highly valued.  

In some cases, horses arrived not as objects of trade but as spoils of war. In the early days of the Silk Road, some of the most prized horses were those from the Ferghana valley in present-day Uzbekistan.In 102 B.c.E. the Emperor Wu sent an enormous military expedition to Ferghana, capturing over 3,000 horses and forcing the defeated kingdom to deliver two additional horses to China every year. Historians have traditionally believed that these special horses were acquired for their superiority in the cavalry. Yet one historian, Arthur Waley, has maintained that the Chinese rulers desired Ferghana horses for spiritual, rather than military, reasons. At the time of Emperor Wu’s expedition, many Chinese believed in the existence of water dragons that appeared in the form of special, divine horses and often retained their dragon wings.The association of the Ferghana horses with these imaginary beasts gave them a special status.

The unprecedented prosperity of the Chinese Tang Dynasty in the 7th century led to greater levels of Chinese trade along the Silk Road and a dramatic increase in the number of foreign merchants, religious pilgrims, and other visitors to China. The large number of rich Persian merchants is suggested by the fact that the proverbial phrase “a poor Persian”was used by some Chinese to indicate an inherent contradiction. Tang China became famous for its openness to new products, ideas, and fashions. From Persia, for example, came the game of polo, in which players on horseback attempted to strike a ball through a goal using long wooden sticks. Polo, which was played by both men and women, was so popular for a time that the imperial palace had a field dedicated exclusively to the sport. Some types of horses were better suited to polo than others, and in c.E. 717 special polo ponies were imported from the kingdom of Khotan in what is now Xinjiang province. Overall, the imperial stables held some 40,000 horses for games and war.  

Horses were not the only Central Asian product to figure in the cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty society. Perhaps the most representative import was the camel, which had been used there for transporting goods for thousands of years and was crucial to the functioning of the Silk Road. Aside from the ability to withstand long periods of time without drinking water, camels could survive on the scrub and thorn bushes found in the arid regions of the caravan routes, and they could transport huge loads of up to 500 pounds(about 227 kilograms). The demand for camels in Tang China grew to enormous proportions; they were used not only for transportation, but also for their valuable hair, which was woven into cloth, and sometimes for meat. Many of the colorful ceramic statuettes produced during the Tang depict camels carrying riders with beards and large noses, details that seemed exotic to the Chinese. Camels remained a common sight in some parts of China all the way into the 20th century.

1

During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 220),China began to trade with lands to its west over the Silk Road, a set of trade routes stretching all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. While some goods reached China from as far away as Rome, many valuable items originated in neighboring Central Asia. Perhaps the most consequential Central Asian goods were able to travel into China under their own power: horses and camels. China required a constant supply of horses for its cavalry,having learned a painful lesson in the importance of mounted horsemen from the Xiongnu, a Central Asian people whose superior horsemanship had once allowed them to invade western China.While it was difficult for the Chinese to breed their own horses, possibly due to the lack of calcium in Chinese soils and water, Central Asia had ample grasslands that were well-suited for producing horses of the highest quality. The Chinese thus traded the silk produced by their silkworms for Central Asian horses, sending tens of thousands of bolts of silk westward each year. Much of it went to the Xiongnu court, where this and other Chinese luxury goods were highly valued.  

The word”consequential”in the passage is closest in meaning to

Aimportant

Bfamiliar

Cpractical

Dfamous

 

2

During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 220),China began to trade with lands to its west over the Silk Road, a set of trade routes stretching all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. While some goods reached China from as far away as Rome, many valuable items originated in neighboring Central Asia. Perhaps the most consequential Central Asian goods were able to travel into China under their own power: horses and camels. China required a constant supply of horses for its cavalry,having learned a painful lesson in the importance of mounted horsemen from the Xiongnu, a Central Asian people whose superior horsemanship had once allowed them to invade western China.While it was difficult for the Chinese to breed their own horses, possibly due to the lack of calcium in Chinese soils and water, Central Asia had ample grasslands that were well-suited for producing horses of the highest quality. The Chinese thus traded the silk produced by their silkworms for Central Asian horses, sending tens of thousands of bolts of silk westward each year. Much of it went to the Xiongnu court, where this and other Chinese luxury goods were highly valued.  

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

AThe Xiongnu taught the Chinese about horsemanship and provided China with a constant supply of horses.

BWestern China had once been invaded by the Xiongnu, a Central Asian people with superior horsemanship.

CThe invasion of western China by mounted horsemen from Xiongnu was very painful to China.

DThe experience of invasion by Xiongnu horsemen led China to demand a constant supply of horses for its cavalry.

 

3

During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 220),China began to trade with lands to its west over the Silk Road, a set of trade routes stretching all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. While some goods reached China from as far away as Rome, many valuable items originated in neighboring Central Asia. Perhaps the most consequential Central Asian goods were able to travel into China under their own power: horses and camels. China required a constant supply of horses for its cavalry,having learned a painful lesson in the importance of mounted horsemen from the Xiongnu, a Central Asian people whose superior horsemanship had once allowed them to invade western China.While it was difficult for the Chinese to breed their own horses, possibly due to the lack of calcium in Chinese soils and water, Central Asia had ample grasslands that were well-suited for producing horses of the highest quality. The Chinese thus traded the silk produced by their silkworms for Central Asian horses, sending tens of thousands of bolts of silk westward each year. Much of it went to the Xiongnu court, where this and other Chinese luxury goods were highly valued.  

According to paragraph 1,the lack of calcium in Chinese soils and water may have resulted in which of the following?

AThe need to import calcium-rich foods from Central Asia

BThe superiority of Chinese silkworms

CThe failure to raise horses in China

DThe high quality of Chinese horses

 

4

In some cases, horses arrived not as objects of trade but as spoils of war. In the early days of the Silk Road, some of the most prized horses were those from the Ferghana valley in present-day Uzbekistan.In 102 B.c.E. the Emperor Wu sent an enormous military expedition to Ferghana, capturing over 3,000 horses and forcing the defeated kingdom to deliver two additional horses to China every year. Historians have traditionally believed that these special horses were acquired for their superiority in the cavalry. Yet one historian, Arthur Waley, has maintained that the Chinese rulers desired Ferghana horses for spiritual, rather than military, reasons. At the time of Emperor Wu’s expedition, many Chinese believed in the existence of water dragons that appeared in the form of special, divine horses and often retained their dragon wings.The association of the Ferghana horses with these imaginary beasts gave them a special status.

According to paragraph 2， which of the following was the result of Emperor Wu’s military expedition in 102 B.C.E.?

AThree thousand soldiers from Ferghana were captured by the Chinese army.

BThe Chinese gained a large supply of Ferghana horses.

CThe superiority of the Chinese cavalry led to the defeat of the kingdom of Ferghana.

DThe Chinese people stopped believing in the existence of water dragons.

 

5

In some cases, horses arrived not as objects of trade but as spoils of war. In the early days of the Silk Road, some of the most prized horses were those from the Ferghana valley in present-day Uzbekistan.In 102 B.c.E. the Emperor Wu sent an enormous military expedition to Ferghana, capturing over 3,000 horses and forcing the defeated kingdom to deliver two additional horses to China every year. Historians have traditionally believed that these special horses were acquired for their superiority in the cavalry. Yet one historian, Arthur Waley, has maintained that the Chinese rulers desired Ferghana horses for spiritual, rather than military, reasons. At the time of Emperor Wu’s expedition, many Chinese believed in the existence of water dragons that appeared in the form of special, divine horses and often retained their dragon wings.The association of the Ferghana horses with these imaginary beasts gave them a special status.

In paragraph 2， why does the author provide the information that horses from the Ferghana valley were associated with water dragons?

ATo provide an example of the Chinese belief in the existence of special, divine horses

BTo provide evidence that many Chinese gave a special status to imaginary beasts

CTo identify a possible spiritual reason for the Chinese rulers’ desire for the horses

DTo support the claim that the horses were acquired for their superiority in the cavalry

 

6

The unprecedented prosperity of the Chinese Tang Dynasty in the 7th century led to greater levels of Chinese trade along the Silk Road and a dramatic increase in the number of foreign merchants, religious pilgrims, and other visitors to China. The large number of rich Persian merchants is suggested by the fact that the proverbial phrase “a poor Persian”was used by some Chinese to indicate an inherent contradiction. Tang China became famous for its openness to new products, ideas, and fashions. From Persia, for example, came the game of polo, in which players on horseback attempted to strike a ball through a goal using long wooden sticks. Polo, which was played by both men and women, was so popular for a time that the imperial palace had a field dedicated exclusively to the sport. Some types of horses were better suited to polo than others, and in c.E. 717 special polo ponies were imported from the kingdom of Khotan in what is now Xinjiang province. Overall, the imperial stables held some 40,000 horses for games and war.  

Paragraph 3 suggests that people in Tang China believed which of the following about Persians?

AThey usually visited China as religious pilgrims.

BThey were usually wealthy.

CTheir behavior was contradictory.

DThey were typically poor.

 

7

The unprecedented prosperity of the Chinese Tang Dynasty in the 7th century led to greater levels of Chinese trade along the Silk Road and a dramatic increase in the number of foreign merchants, religious pilgrims, and other visitors to China. The large number of rich Persian merchants is suggested by the fact that the proverbial phrase “a poor Persian”was used by some Chinese to indicate an inherent contradiction. Tang China became famous for its openness to new products, ideas, and fashions. From Persia, for example, came the game of polo, in which players on horseback attempted to strike a ball through a goal using long wooden sticks. Polo, which was played by both men and women, was so popular for a time that the imperial palace had a field dedicated exclusively to the sport. Some types of horses were better suited to polo than others, and in c.E. 717 special polo ponies were imported from the kingdom of Khotan in what is now Xinjiang province. Overall, the imperial stables held some 40,000 horses for games and war.  

In paragraph 3,why does the author mention that for a time the imperial palace had a field dedicated to the Persian sport of polo?

ATo demonstrate the high level of prosperity attained by the Tang Dynasty

BTo support the claim that Tang China was open to new experiences

CTo suggest that wealthy Persians were entertained there by the emperor

DTo explain why the imperial stables held more horses for games than for war

 

8

Horses were not the only Central Asian product to figure in the cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty society. Perhaps the most representative import was the camel, which had been used there for transporting goods for thousands of years and was crucial to the functioning of the Silk Road. Aside from the ability to withstand long periods of time without drinking water, camels could survive on the scrub and thorn bushes found in the arid regions of the caravan routes, and they could transport huge loads of up to 500 pounds(about 227 kilograms). The demand for camels in Tang China grew to enormous proportions; they were used not only for transportation, but also for their valuable hair, which was woven into cloth, and sometimes for meat. Many of the colorful ceramic statuettes produced during the Tang depict camels carrying riders with beards and large noses, details that seemed exotic to the Chinese. Camels remained a common sight in some parts of China all the way into the 20th century.

Which of the following is NOT given in paragraph 4 as a reason why camels were essential to the functioning of the Silk Road?

AThey needed very little water.

BThey could feed themselves on the vegetation growing along the trade routes.

CThey could move through scrub and thorn bushes without getting hurt or lost.

DThey could carry very heavy loads.

 

9

Horses were not the only Central Asian product to figure in the cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty society.■ Perhaps the most representative import was the camel, which had been used there for transporting goods for thousands of years and was crucial to the functioning of the Silk Road. Aside from the ability to withstand long periods of time without drinking water, camels could survive on the scrub and thorn bushes found in the arid regions of the caravan routes, and they could transport huge loads of up to 500 pounds(about 227 kilograms). ■ The demand for camels in Tang China grew to enormous proportions; they were used not only for transportation, but also for their valuable hair, which was woven into cloth, and sometimes for meat. ■Many of the colorful ceramic statuettes produced during the Tang depict camels carrying riders with beards and large noses, details that seemed exotic to the Chinese. ■Camels remained a common sight in some parts of China all the way into the 20th century.

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

Nevertheless, in the popular imagination camels remained associated with foreign lands.

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

From the Han Dynasty through the Tang Dynasty, horses and camels were among the goods imported to China from Central Asia.

ADuring the Han Dynasty, Chinese traders brought Central Asian horses along the Silk Road all the way to the Mediterranean, where they were purchased by Roman traders.

BBoth horses and camels attained cultural significance as signs of wealth, and during the reign of Emperor Wu, horses could be owned only by the emperor and his family.

CDuring the Tang Dynasty, camels gradually replaced horses for both recreation and transportation, as camels were regarded as exotic symbols of wealth and foreign style.

DThe superior horses of Central Asia were brought to China under various circumstances, some of them traded for high volumes of Chinese silk and others taken in battle.

EHorses were used in the cavalry and for sport, particularly for polo during the Tang Dynasty, and some horses may also have had spiritual significance for the Chinese people.

FCamels were well suited to transportation along the Silk Road, and they provided other products, including their meat and their hair, which could be used for cloth.

 

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答案：

1A

2D

3C

4B

5C

6B

7B

8C

9C

10 DEF

在汉朝（公元前206年至公元220年）期间，中国开始通过丝绸之路与西方国家进行贸易，这条贸易路线一直延伸到地中海。虽然有些商品来自远至罗马的地区，但许多珍贵物品源自邻近的中亚。可能最具影响力的中亚货物是可以自行进入中国的：马和骆驼。中国需要不断供应马匹给其骑兵部队，因为它从匈奴人那里痛苦地学到了骑马兵的重要性，匈奴人是中亚人，他们卓越的马术曾让他们能够入侵中国西部。尽管中国人很难繁殖自己的马，可能是由于中国土壤和水中缺乏钙质，但中亚拥有广阔的草原，非常适合繁殖高品质的马。因此，中国人用自家的蚕丝交换中亚马匹，每年向西方输送数以万计的丝绸。其中大部分送到了匈奴王庭，那里的人非常重视这些以及其他中国奢侈品。

 

有时，马匹不是作为贸易商品到达，而是作为战争的战利品。在丝绸之路的早期，一些最珍贵的马匹来自今天乌兹别克斯坦的费尔干纳谷。公元前102年，武帝派遣了一支庞大的军事远征队伍到费尔干纳，俘获了3000多匹马，并迫使被击败的王国每年向中国交付两匹马。历史学家传统上认为这些特殊的马匹是因为它们在骑兵队中的优越性能而被获取。然而，历史学家亚瑟·韦利认为，中国统治者渴望费尔干纳马匹是出于精神上的原因，而非军事上的。在武帝远征的时期，许多中国人相信存在以特殊、神圣的马匹形式出现的水龙，这些马匹通常保留着龙的翅膀。费尔干纳马与这些虚构生物的关联给它们带来了特殊的地位。

 

7世纪中国唐朝的前所未有的繁荣，带来了中国沿丝绸之路的贸易水平的提升，以及外国商人、宗教朝圣者和其他访客数量的大幅增加。众多富有的波斯商人的存在可以从中国人使用“穷波斯人”这一矛盾的谚语中看出。唐朝因其对新产品、思想和时尚的开放而闻名。例如，从波斯传来的马球游戏，玩家骑在马上用长木棍尝试将球打入球门。马球一度非常流行，以至于皇宫专门为这项运动设立了一个场地。有些类型的马更适合马球，公元717年，特别的马球小马从现在的新疆省的于阗王国进口。整体而言，皇家马厩大约有40,000匹马供游戏和战争使用。

 

马不是唐朝社会多元文化中唯一的中亚产品。可能最具代表性的进口商品是骆驼，骆驼在那里已被用于运输货物数千年，对丝绸之路的运作至关重要。除了能够长时间不饮水的能力外，骆驼能够在商队路线的干旱区域存活，食用灌木和荆棘，它们还能运输高达500磅（约227公斤）的重载。唐朝对骆驼的需求达到了巨大的规模；它们不仅被用于运输，还因其宝贵的毛发（被编织成布）和有时的肉而被利用。许多唐代生产的色彩鲜艳的陶塑像描绘了搭载着有着大胡子和大鼻子的骑手的骆驼，这些细节对中国人来说显得很异国。骆驼在中国某些地区一直常见，直到20世纪。