Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the questions from 39 to 43.
Dogs originally came from wolves. Wolves look a lot like dogs, but they are bigger. They are also quite fierce. At some point, some wolves changed through evolution. Some of them were smaller and gentler. These nicer wolves were the first dogs. No one knows for sure when this happened or why. Some people say it happened naturally over 50,000 years ago. Others say people made it happen between 15 000 and 50 000 years ago.
However they came to be, people quickly saw that dogs were useful. Scientists who study humans say the first tame dogs appeared with humans about 13,000 years ago in the Middle East. Not long after there were dogs in Asia, Africa, Europe and eventually, North America. These dogs were probably used mostly for hunting and traveling. They were also good companions.
Dogs were an important part of life in ancient Egypt. Egyptian dogs were used not only for hunting but as guards and warriors as well. They believed the god that guarded hell was a dog. Ancient Egyptians also named their pet dogs. Some popular names meant Brave One, Reliable, North-wind, Blacky, and Useless.
Dogs were also good ancient Roman warriors. The Roman army used dogs all over Europe. Sometimes the dogs were attack dogs, but other times the dogs were messengers.
There are many different kinds of dogs today. How could they all come from wolves? There are many different explanations. Some scientists believe that dogs mixed with other animals from the Canidae family. This includes coyotes, foxes and jackals. Most scientists also believe that evolution and breeding influenced the variation. Later, people found breeds of dogs they liked and combined them to make all new breeds. In this way. people are still helping new breeds to appear today!
Question 39: Which of the following best states the main idea of the reading?
A. No one knows for sure where dogs first appeared with humans.
B. There are two theories about the evolution of dogs.
C. Evolution and breeding have made dogs what they are today.
D. Human beings used dogs for many jobs, so dogs are the first tame animals.
Question 40: The word “they” in the first paragraph refers to _______.
A. people B. years C. dogs D. wolves
Question 41: According to some scientists, when did the first tame dogs appear with humans?
A. About 15,000 years ago B. Between 15,000 and 50,000 years ago
C. Over 50.000 years ago D. About 13,000 years ago
Question 42: The word “companions” in the second paragraph mostly means ______.
A. messengers B. co-workers C. traveling friends D. hunting animals
Question 43: According to the reading, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Most people like to name their dogs Reliable, Blacky, and Useless.
B. The Roman always used dogs as messengers.
C. The first tame dogs appeared in ancient Egypt.
D. According to some studies, dogs mixed with coyotes and jackals.
