Question

【题目】Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.

The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn't become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.

But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces（光滑表面）, roads with smooth surfaces weren't going to be built until there was plenty of demand for them. Finally, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of moden road design.

In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road—a base layer (层) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre(充气轮胎) in 1846. Alloy(合金) wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.

【1】 What might explain why transport wheels didn't become popular for some time?

A. Few knew how to use transport wheels.

B. Humans carried farming tools just as well.

C. Animals were a good means of transport.

D. The existence（存在）of transport wheels was not known.

【2】How is the last paragraph mainly developed?

A. By giving examples.

B. By making comparisons.

C. By giving discussion

D. By making classifications.(分类)

【3】What is the passage mainly about?

A. The beginning of road design.

B. The development of transport wheels.

C. The history of public transport.

D. His invention of fast-moving vehicles.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】B

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇说明文，全文讲述了车轮的发展历程以及道路设计对车轮发展的影响。

【1】C推理判断题。难度：中等。根据第二段This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.（这或许是因为动物在拉运农具人们的方面做得不错。）可知由于当时动物使用的方便让轮子没能够普及。故C正确。

【2】A 写作手法题。根据最后一段a Frenchman came up with a new design、A Scotsman improved on this design 、Alloy(合金) wheels were invented in 1967都是在举例说明车轮的发展历程，并没有比较、分类和解析讨论。故A正确。

【3】B 主旨大意题。本文第一句Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for.介绍了车轮的重要作用，接下来各段中详细介绍了车轮的发展历史以及道路设计对车轮发展的影响。故B正确。