Davey wanted to play baseball. But fifty years ago, in his small town, he couldn’t find enough players for two full teams or an empty lot big enough for a field. And when he played ball in his back yard, he just broke windows and got into trouble. So Davey began playing with a plastic golf ball and a broom handle for a bat.
When his dad, David Mullaney, a former semi-pro baseball pitcher(投手), realized his son was hurting his arm trying to throw curves with the little plastic ball, he decided to find a better solution. Mullaney got a bunch of hollow plastic spheres from a local factory, sat down at his kitchen table and began cutting different size holes in the balls with a razor knife. He thought maybe the holes would alter the ball’s flight and help his son throw curves and sliders without hurting his arm.
All the balls failed—except the one with the eight oblong(长椭圆形的) holes cut into one of the hemispheres. This ball curved naturally and sharply without a violent snap of the wrist. In fact, Davey was now striking out so many batters; he called his new ball a “wiffle ball”. A year later, Mullaney borrowed $20,000 from family and friends and started producing Wiffle Balls in his little suburban town of Shelton, Connecticut.
“I didn’t want investors.” He said, “I wanted to control my own company.” This was the beginning of one of the hottest fads(时尚) of the fifties and a perennial(长久的) best seller well known all around the world. Since then millions of boys and girls have enjoyed countless hours of safe, wholesome fun playing with a Wiffle ball and bat. Esquire Magazine has even called the Wiffle Ball “a national treasure”. By producing a high quality product at an affordable price, three generations of Mullany’s have enjoyed the satisfaction and benefits of running a successful and profitable family business.
Over the years, they’ve had plenty of offers to buy them out, but they’re still working out of a small factory in Shelton, making a new Wiffle Ball every couple of seconds. Creativity and persistence are two of the important sources for wealth. If he gave up his attempts at trying new things, Mullany would not have invented the wiffle ball, nor would he have made such a big fortune.
1.From the passage we can know that           .          

A．Mullaney made the invention of Wiffle ball with the help of his son

B．fifty years ago people didn’t like playing baseball very much

C．Mullaney’s attempts to help Davey better enjoy ball-playing led to the invention of Wiffle ball

D．playing balls would hurt one’s arm before the Wiffle ball’s appearance

2.All the following are true EXCEPT         .

A．Davey was a good ballplayer after the Wiffle ball came into existence

B．David Mullaney wanted to run the family business on his own

C．Mullaney’s family made a big fortune through the production of Wiffle balls

D．Mullaney’s business was nearly bought out but they worked hard to keep it

3.The underlined word “spheres” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to         .

A．balls? B．bottles? C．bags? D．boxes

4.The two important factors for Mullaney’s successful family business are         .

A．time and fortune　? B．persistence and creativity

C．quality and fame 　 D．cooperation and efforts

5.The passage mainly tells us something about         .

A．Davey, a famous baseball player????????????? B．a popular ball game in the 1950’s

C．the birth of Wiffle ball 　　　　　????????????? D．the success of a family business

Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.                      
In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.
The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.
The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In the 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."     
The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals.They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.
【小题1】
What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?

Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.                      

  In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.

  The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.

  The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In the 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."     

 The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals.They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.

1.

What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?

A. He made good use of ideas from others.                                                                                                                                                                                     

B. He produced the first car in the world.                                                                                                                                                                                      

C. He knew how to improve auto parts.

D. He invented the production line.

2.

 Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?            

A. To show off his driving skills.                          

B. To draw public attention.

C. To learn about new technology.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

D. To raise money for his new company.

3.

 “That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to        .

A. the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices  

B. the sale of Model T to the mass of people   

C. the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor

D. the sales target for the Ford Company

4.

What was Henry Ford's dream according to the text?   

A. Producing cars for average customers.

B. Building racing cars of simple design.   

C. Designing more car models.

D. Starting more companies.

Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.　　　　　　　　　　　

In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.

The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.　　　　　　　

The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."　　　

The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals. They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.

1. What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?

　　 A. He made good use of ideas from others.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　 B. He produced the first car in the world.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　 C. He knew how to improve auto parts.

　　 D. He invented the production line.

2. Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?

　　 A. To show off his driving skills.　

　　 B. To draw public attention.

　　 C. To learn about new technology.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　 D. To raise money for his new company.

3. “That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to　　　 .

A. the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices　

B. the sale of Model T to the mass of people　

C. the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor

D. the sales target for the Ford Company

4. What was Henry Ford's dream according to the text?　

A. Producing cars for average customers.

B. Building racing cars of simple design.

C. Designing more car models.

D. Starting more companies.