Building roads by the British

Building roads by the British_______.

put an end to a whole series of quarrels.

prevented the Pathans from carrying on feuds.

lessened the subsidies paid to the Pathans.

gave the Pathans a much quieter life.

答案及解析：本题考查推断。倒数第二句“All along the road people were expected to keep quiet, not to shoot one another, and above all not to shoot at travelers along the road”可知英国人筑路使得当地部落不能随意穿越公路攻打自己的敌人，客观上对于消除部落之间的世仇宿怨起了推动作用，综上，B选项正确。第三段谈到英国人筑路带来的后果。末句指出：“a whole series of quarrels took their origin from this source.”可见筑路不但没能阻止争吵的发生，反而成为矛盾产生的原因，故排除A； 第七句指出：“They sought to ensure the safety of these roads by threats, by forts and by subsidies.”可知英国人采用包括提供补助津贴在内的形式来确保公路的安全，但并不是减少补助，故排除C；D项属于对此句的字面理解，故排除。故正确答案为B项。