Question

Have you dreamed of building your own machine? Do you wish you could invent something new? Here we look at a few British inventions of recent times.

Adaptive glasses

Do you wear glasses? If so，can you imagine life without them? In 1985，Joshua Silver，a professor at Oxford University，asked himself，“Can I invent a pair of glasses that could be changed by the wearer？”He designed two plastic lenses(透镜) that are filled with a special liquid.Using syringes(注射器) you change the liquid between the lenses until you can see clearly.The glasses are not beautiful but they are easy to use and cheap to make.

The wind­up radio

When you switch your TV on tonight，think about all those people without electricity.Thinking about this，Trevor Baylis came up with the idea of designing a radio that could be powered by hand.In common with Joshua Silver he wanted his invention to be cheap and easy to use.He wanted even the poorest people in developing countries，who don't have electricity and cannot afford batteries，to use it.The radio has a generator(发电机) which is powered by turning a handle.In 1996 it won the BBC Design Award for Best Product and Best Design.

The Dyson vacuum(真空) cleaner

In many homes around the world you can see a cleaner that looks like a spaceship.This is the Dyson vacuum cleaner which uses something called “cyclonic，separation” to separate the dirt.You do not need a bag for your cleaner and it does not get blocked so it is very practical.The idea came to Sir James Dyson after he kept having problems with his vacuum cleaner.He decided he could design a better one and in 1993 he opened his own factory.The Dyson is now one of the bestselling cleaners in the UK and Dyson is believed to have earned over a billion pounds.

The Zapata Flyboard

Have you ever dreamed of zooming through the water and leaping in the air like a dolphin? Now you can thanks to a flyboard，built by water sports enthusiast Frank Zapata.With it you can dive back in the water and out again.It's possible to jump to incredible heights out of the water—over 30 feet.The basic flyboard model comes in at ￡4，200.

So keep dreaming and inventing.One day you might get it right.

16．Which might be the best title for the passage?

A．Greatest Inventions  B．Scientists' Stories

C．Magic Glasses  D．Beautiful Minds

17．What can we learn about adaptive glasses?

A．They are very expensive.

B．The inventor is a student.

C．The glasses are fragile.

D．They don't look very nice.

18．Which invention won an award?

A．Adaptive glasses.

B．The wind­up radio.

C．The Dyson vacuum cleaner.

D．The Zapata Flyboard.

19．The Dyson vacuum cleaner was invented with the purpose of ________．

A．helping people use cleaners more easily

B．making Dyson a rich businessman

C．keeping the house cleaner than before

D．taking the place of human cleaners

Answer 1

本文通过向大家介绍近期英国的几项发明来鼓励大家积极思考，发明新事物。

16．D　主旨大意题。根据文章内容可知，作者意在通过介绍英国最近的几项发明来鼓励人们创新思维并进行发明创造，故D项作为本文的标题最合适。

17．D　细节理解题。根据“Adaptive glasses”介绍中的最后一句“The glasses are not beautiful…”可知，这种眼镜并不美观。

18．B　细节理解题。根据“The wind­up radio”介绍中的最后一句“In 1996 it won the BBC Design Award for Best Product and Best Design.”可知答案为B项。

19．A　推理判断题。根据“The Dyson vacuum (真空) cleaner”介绍中的“The idea came to Sir James Dyson after he kept having problems with his vacuum cleaner.”可推知，发明者Dyson之所以有这样的创意是由于以前他自己在使用真空吸尘器时感到很不方便，故答案为A项。