2025届人教版(2019)高考英语一轮话题复习高考题型通关练：话题23　对社会有突出贡献的人（学生版）.pdf

话题23对社会有突出贡献的人

Ⅰ.阅读理解

TodayChinaistheworld’sbiggestconsumerofwheat.Butitwasn’talwaysthatway.

WheatonlycametotheareanowknownasnorthernChinatowardtheendofthe

Neolithic(新石器)period，some4，600yearsago.Initially，wheatdidn’tseemtobeso

deliciousandhadbeentreatedasacropofdesperationratherthanacooking

delight.ThefirstfarmersofnorthernChinaprimarilygrewmillet(粟)，startingasearly

as11，500yearsago.BythetimeoftheTangDynasty，wheathadreplacedmillet，

becomingamajorcrop.Butrelativelylittlewasknownaboutexactlywhythisshift

occurred.

Inanattempttotracktheanswer，Iaccumulatedacollectionofnearly1，200data

pointscoveringmorethan50sitesfromthemid－Neolithic，about9，000yearsago，

tothecollapseoftheEasternHanDynastyin220AD.Thesiteswereacross8modern

provinces，rangingfromGansuProvinceinthenorthwesttoShandongProvinceinthe

east.

Onepossibleexplanationisamajorclimateshift，calledtheHoloceneEvent3，which

happened4，000to4，500yearsago.Atthattime，theclimatebecamecolderanddrier

acrosscontinents，causingdamagetocropproduction.

Ontopofthis，thelateNeolithicperiodwasalsoatimeofrapidpopulationgrowth

aroundtheworld.Withanever－increasingpopulationandunsteadycropproduction，

itisreasonabletoassumethatNeolithicfarmersinnorthernChinawerestruggling.

Wheat，itturnsout，actuallyneedsmorewaterthanmillet，makingitseemapoor

choiceforadryperiodofhistory.Butimportantly，itcanbesowedaftermillethasbeen

harvested.That，wethink，isthemostlikelyreasonwhythepeopleacrossnorthern

Chinastartedtogrowwheat.

Frommoreextremeweathertochangingcoastlines，climatechangehasalwaysbrought

unexpectedandsometimesdramaticchangestosocieties.Inthisinstance，the

consequenceoftheHoloceneEvent3innorthernChinaproved，eventually，delicious.

1.Whatcanwelearnaboutwheatfromthesecondparagraph?

A.Itreplacedmilletforitsgreattaste.

B.Itwasap