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Do you know where a mule comes from? It is the child of a donkey and a horse. (22) Mules have strong muscles like horses, but they eat less, can work longer, and are gentler, like donkeys.
George Washington was the first person in the United States to own mules. He had heard that mules made good farm animals and he contacted the U.S. ambassador in Spain to ask about them. (23) In 1785, King Charles III of Spain sent Washington a male donkey as a gift. That male donkey became the father of the mule industry in the U.S.
Every April, Maury County holds a Mule Day celebration. Held in Columbia, Tennessee, Mule Day had its beginnings as "Breeder,'s Day" in the 1840s. (24) Farmers and farm animal breeders would bring their animals to market every April to show, buy, and trade. This was an important business before the days of tractors, when many families made a living from farming and mules were used as work animals. (25) Eventually, tractors began to replace mules, making them less in demand.
A parade was added to Mule Day in 1934 to attract more people. Over the years other activities have been added, and today more than 200,000 people show up each year to watch and participate. If you visit during Mule Day celebrations, you might see mule-driving contests, square dances, horse shows or even tree-cutting competitions.
未听先知
预览四道题各选项,由 muscles, horses, donkeys,pet, mule-driving competition, mules可以初步 推测,短文内容与一种动物有关,而且这种动物很可能是骤子;再结合第22题选项中的 longer,less和第23题选 项中的 brought, donated可以进一步推测,短文内容涉及骤子与其他动物的比较及其来源。
详解详析
22. What does the speaker say about mules?
A)。(详解)短文开头提到,骤子像马一样拥有强健的肌肉,但是它们比马吃得少,比马工作的时间更长 而且像驴一样,比马更加温和。因此答案为A)。
23. What do we learn about the donkey which is said to be the father of the U.S. mule industry?
C)。(详解)短文中提到,1785年,西班牙国王查尔斯三世送给了华盛顿一头公驴作为礼物,这头公驴成了 美国的骡界之父。因此答案为C)。
24. What did farmers usually do on Mule Day in the 1840s?
C)。(详解)短文中提到,19世纪40年代,每年四月骡子节时,农民和农畜饲养员会将他们的牲畜带到市 场上展出、购买和交易。因此答案为C)。
25. What made mules less in demand in America?
B)。(详解)短文中提到,最后拖拉机开始替代骡子,这让骡子的需求量变少了。因此答案为B)。