How did ancient people tell time?

◆Natural ways of keeping time

In ancient time，people had to use the sun and the moon to tell time．They got up when the sun came up and worked in the fields until the sun went down．

◆Man-made things

The sand clock is made of two glass balls joined by a narrow neck．The top ball was filled with sand．The sand slowly moved through the neck into the bottom（底部）ball．People knew the time by watching how much sand fell to the bottom hall．People also made the water clock．They made a small hole near the bottom of a pot．when the water in the pot dripped（滴）out，marking（刻度）inside the pot showed how much time passed．

◆Body clocks in living things

Animals' body clock

Animals don't need clocks to know time．They have their body clocks．Birds know when to fly to warmer places before winter．Some animals know when to keep more food for the winter．Some fish know when it's time to move up the river and lay eggs．

Plants' own clock

Plants have their own clocks to keep time．Plants know when to open flowers or when to drop their leaves．

Body clock in human beings

People also have their own body clocks．When we get used to our lives，our body clocks can be very exact．It can tell us when it's time to wake up．It can also tell us when to eat or to go to sleep．

1．How could an ancient farmer know when to go back home from the field in the daytime?

A．By looking at the moon．                         B．By the sand clock or the water clock．

C．By looking at the sun．                               D．By feeling whether tired or not．

2．According to the passage，how can animals know time?

A．They use body clocks．                           B．They ask other animals．

C．They use the sun and the moon．                D．They make something to tell time．

3．How many kinds of living things with body clocks are mentioned here?

A．Two．                B．Three．               C．Four．                   D．Six．

4．In what way is the sand clock the same as the water clock in telling time?

A．Both of them have a neck．

B．Both of them have two glass balls．

C．Both of them can be used only once．

D．Both of them give the time by quantity（数量）．

5．The passage is mainly about _________．

A．man-made clocks                                    B．nature's clocks

C．time and clock                                           D．how people keep time

Once upon a time a woman found she was not easy to wake up in the morning as early as she wished. So she bought a beautiful alarm clock. These clocks are so made as to strike with loud whirring noise at any hour the owner pleases to set them.

The lady placed her clock at the head of the bed, and at the right time she found herself roused by the long, rattling sound.

She got up at once, and felt better all day for her early rising. This lasted for some weeks. The alarm clock faithfully did its duty, and was plainly heard so long as it was obeyed.

But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising. When she was waked by the noise, she merely turned over in bed, and slept again.

In a few days, the clock ceased to wake her from her sleep. It spoke just as loudly as ever; but she did not hear it, because she had been in the habit of not obeying it.

Finding that she might as well be without it, she made up her mind that when she heard the sound she would jump up.

Just so it is with conscience(自觉意识，诚意). If we will obey its voice, even in the least important things, we can always hear it, clear and strong.

But if we allow ourselves to do what we have some fears may not be quite right, we shall grow more and more sleepy, until the voice of conscience has no longer power to wake us.

53. Why did the clock failed to stop to get the woman up later?

A. Because she was tired of getting up early in the morning.

B. Because she could not hear the clock any more.

C. Because she was too tired to wake up at it.

D. Because the clock stopped to do its duty.

54. Both the underlined words “whirring” and “rattling” are kinds of ______.

A. colours                   B. sounds          C. actions                     D. feelings

55. The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______.

A. we should always obey our clocks

B. the clock sometimes can’t wake us up as we wish  

C. It is conscience that ensures early rising not the clock

D. The voice of conscience has no longer power to wake us.