Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (肌腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.

Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle (脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement (侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties (版税). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because __________.

A. people did not know how to put out the fire

B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention

C. the sewing machines couldn’t work finally

D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

2.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elias Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A. Because the judge was against Singer for his unfriendly attitude.

B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.

C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.

D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.

3.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

B. The Case between Howe and Singer

C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine

D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine

阅读下列文字资料，按照要求匹配信息，并将答题卡上的相应选项涂黑。
请阅读下列科技新闻的信息：
A. One of the biggest science stories last year was the research on stem cells announced by South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk. But now it appears that the research was false. In June, Mr. Hwang reported that he and his team at Seoul National University had created eleven new stem cell lines.
B. Another major science story last year came from the United States. On December twentieth, a federal judge ruled that teaching “intelligent design” in public schools is a violation of the United States Constitution.
C. There was also news last year about the American space program. The American space shuttle（航天飞机） returned to the skies in July. Discovery and its seven-member crew made the first shuttle flight in two and one-half years. NASA had suspended shuttle flights following the deadly explosion of the shuttle Columbia in 2003.
D. Avian influenza（禽流感） was also a major science story last year. The H5N1 virus appeared in birds in Europe for the first time. Yet the only known human cases of the disease have been in East Asia. There have been about one hundred forty confirmed cases of bird flu since 2003. About half the people have died.
E. The World Health Organization advises patients to take a combination of four drugs to treat tuberculosis（肺结核）. These four antibiotics must be taken for about six months to cure the disease. Some people, however, take the drugs only until they feel better. Discontinuing treatment is a mistake.
F. The researchers began the study in January, 2002. They called it SMART---Strategies for Management of Anti-retroviral Therapy. The scientists reached more than ninety percent of the target before they halted（停止） new enrollments last month. The researchers tested all the people for the level of CD-four cells in their blood. The researchers divided the patients into two groups.
阅读以下与科技有关的信息卡，然后匹配信息卡和与之相关的科技新闻：
【小题1】Card 1: One group stayed on continuous anti-retroviral therapy. They took their medicines every day. The other took them periodically. They took the drugs only when their CD-four count fell below two hundred fifty cells per cubic millimeter of blood.
【小题2】Card 2 : Judge John Jones said that intelligent design is not science. He said it is a version of Christianity. So to teach it in public schools violates the law that requires the separation of church and state. Supporters of intelligent design criticize the science of evolution.
【小题3】Card 3: Stem cells have the ability to grow into other cells. Science magazine published the report. The new lines were made from the eggs of eighteen women and skin cells from eleven other people.
【小题4】Card 4: Many of the victims had touched or been around infected farm birds. But health experts around the world began warning that the bird flu virus could change into a form that is passed from person to person.
【小题5】Card 5 : That explosion was the result of damage done to Columbia during its launch. A piece of lightweight protective material fell off the shuttle’s external fuel container. The object hit the shuttle at a high rate of speed and made a hole in one of the wings. This permitted extremely hot gases to enter the shuttle and destroy the spacecraft as it returned to the earth.

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. [来源:学,科Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement（侵犯）. Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.

A. people did not know how to put out the fire

B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention

C. the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally

D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage???

A. Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.

B. The Singer sewing company became more practical.

C. The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.

D. Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.

3.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A. Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude.

B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.

C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.

D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

B. The Case between Howe and Singer

C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine

D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine

阅读下列文字资料，按照要求匹配信息，并将答题卡上的相应选项涂黑。

请阅读下列科技新闻的信息：

A. One of the biggest science stories last year was the research on stem cells announced by South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk. But now it appears that the research was false. In June, Mr. Hwang reported that he and his team at Seoul National University had created eleven new stem cell lines.

B. Another major science story last year came from the United States. On December twentieth, a federal judge ruled that teaching “intelligent design” in public schools is a violation of the United States Constitution.

C. There was also news last year about the American space program. The American space shuttle（航天飞机） returned to the skies in July. Discovery and its seven-member crew made the first shuttle flight in two and one-half years. NASA had suspended shuttle flights following the deadly explosion of the shuttle Columbia in 2003.

D. Avian influenza（禽流感） was also a major science story last year. The H5N1 virus appeared in birds in Europe for the first time. Yet the only known human cases of the disease have been in East Asia. There have been about one hundred forty confirmed cases of bird flu since 2003. About half the people have died.

E. The World Health Organization advises patients to take a combination of four drugs to treat tuberculosis（肺结核）. These four antibiotics must be taken for about six months to cure the disease. Some people, however, take the drugs only until they feel better. Discontinuing treatment is a mistake.

F. The researchers began the study in January, 2002. They called it SMART---Strategies for Management of Anti-retroviral Therapy. The scientists reached more than ninety percent of the target before they halted（停止） new enrollments last month. The researchers tested all the people for the level of CD-four cells in their blood. The researchers divided the patients into two groups.

阅读以下与科技有关的信息卡，然后匹配信息卡和与之相关的科技新闻：

1.Card 1: One group stayed on continuous anti-retroviral therapy. They took their medicines every day. The other took them periodically. They took the drugs only when their CD-four count fell below two hundred fifty cells per cubic millimeter of blood.

2.Card 2 : Judge John Jones said that intelligent design is not science. He said it is a version of Christianity. So to teach it in public schools violates the law that requires the separation of church and state. Supporters of intelligent design criticize the science of evolution.

3.Card 3: Stem cells have the ability to grow into other cells. Science magazine published the report. The new lines were made from the eggs of eighteen women and skin cells from eleven other people.

4.Card 4: Many of the victims had touched or been around infected farm birds. But health experts around the world began warning that the bird flu virus could change into a form that is passed from person to person.

5.Card 5 : That explosion was the result of damage done to Columbia during its launch. A piece of lightweight protective material fell off the shuttle’s external fuel container. The object hit the shuttle at a high rate of speed and made a hole in one of the wings. This permitted extremely hot gases to enter the shuttle and destroy the spacecraft as it returned to the earth.

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew. And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch(缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement（侵犯）. Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention

1. 1.

   Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________

   1. A.
      people did not know how to put out the fire
   2. B.
      Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention
   3. C.
      the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally
   4. D.
      workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire
2. 2.

   Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer
   2. B.
      The Singer sewing company became more practical
   3. C.
      The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free
   4. D.
      Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines
3. 3.

   Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?

   1. A.
      Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude
   2. B.
      Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer
   3. C.
      Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it
   4. D.
      Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine
4. 4.

   Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

   1. A.
      Stitch in Time Saves Nine
   2. B.
      The Case between Howe and Singer
   3. C.
      Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine
   4. D.
      The Early History of the Sewing Machine