We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’t we know who they are?

Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and ”how” questions. According to Mclean,” When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”

So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.    

Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations，It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible, Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

1.

By mentioning “traffic light” and “windshield wiper”, the author indicates that countless inventions are      .

A. beneficial, because their inventors are famous

B. beneficial, though their inventors are less  famous

C. not useful, because their inventors are less famous

D. not useful, though their inventors are  famous

2.

Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to_____.

A. add colour and variety to students’ campus life

B. inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention

C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University

D. prepare students to try their own invention

3.

Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _________.

A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer 

B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper  C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm

D. not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures

4.

Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this passage?

A  How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?

B  How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?

C  Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?

D  Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?  

 

Like all other mothers who have small children, I, too, have to steal time-from my own children at home and from the children who know me as their teacher-just to put a few words down on paper. Many times I've wanted to write for myself, for other women, for my parents, for my husband, and especially for my children. I would have liked to leave a legacy (遗产) of words explaining what it has meant to have twins. One reason that there is not a great deal written about being a mother of a new baby is that there is seldom a moment to think of anything else but the baby's needs.

    With twins, I did not have a spare hand to write with.

    Before my twins were born, my days were long and I had nothing to write about. After the twins' birth I did have something to write about, but I found myself facing not a pen and paper but milk bottles.

    Some nights, friends would visit. They would leave at 11 p.m., heading for bed, and for us the night was only just beginning. With twins, there is really no night. Each feeding lasts a long time. At 1:00 a.m., each of them would begin crying from hunger. At 4:00am, when I finally put them down, I felt exhausted.

    Two years have passed since then and we've managed to live through it all. My days are still very full and even now there isn't one evening when I put the twins down for the night that I don't have a break. At last a little time for myself.

1.When did the writer have time but she didn't feel like writing anything?

A. Before the birth of her twins.          

B. When she faced bottles of milk.

C. After her friends visited her home. 

D. When she had to think about the babies' needs.

2.What does the writer mainly write about?

A. Her role as a wife.                          B. Her work as a writer.

C. Her experience as a mother.                  D. Her feeling as a woman.

3.Why did the writer say the night was just beginning (in the 4th paragraph)?

A. Because her friends left her house too late.

B. Because she started to take care of the twins even at night.

C. Because her babies often cried and she woke up.

D. Because she could not sleep till four in the morning.

4. This passage is probably from a(n) _________.

A. blog         B. newspaper        C. guidebook        D. advertisement

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The writer was unhappy because of no time for writing.      

B. The writer cared about her babies more than her own interests.

C. The writer hated to be a mother of twins.

D. The writer could steal a little time at night.

 

There was a story many years ago of a school teacher--- Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn’t play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.

     Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother’s perfume(香水).

     Teddy said, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to.” After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.

     Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy’s mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.

     Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M. D. (医学博士).

     The story doesn’t end there. On his wedding day, Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference.”

  Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”

1.What did Mrs. Thompson do on the first day of school?

A. She made Teddy feel ashamed.

B. She asked the children to play with Teddy.

C. She changed Teddy’s seat to the front row.

D. She told the class something untrue about herself.

2. What did Mrs. Thompson find out about Teddy?

A. He often told lies.  

B. He was good at math. 

C. He needed motherly care.  

D. He enjoyed playing with others.

3.In what way did Mrs. Thompson change?

A. She taught fewer school subjects.

B. She became stricter with her students.[来源:Z§xx§k.Com]

C. She no longer liked her job as a teacher.

D. She cared more about educating students.

4. Why did Teddy thank Mrs. Thompson at his wedding?

A. She had kept in touch with him.

B. She had given him encouragement.

C. She had sent him Christmas presents.

D. She had taught him how to judge people.

 

 A friend of mine was sitting in the living room one day when his cat dragged in a little “gift” in its mouth—a dead animal of some sort. Taking a closer look, he was surprised to  36  it as the bunny(小兔子) that  37  Mary, the young daughter of the family next door. My friend felt  38  , believing his cat had killed Mary’s bunny.

My quick-thinking friend came up with a plan.  39   from the cat’s mouth the dead animal, which by now was a     40  mess, he put it in the kitchen sink. With a little warm water and some shampoo, he tried to  41  the dead bunny as best he could. Then he took a hair dryer and blowdried the bunny  42  it looked pretty good.

Finally, under the cover of darkness, he crept into the next-door garden and placed it  43  in the cage. He managed to make the bunny look very  44  there in his little box.

The next morning, my friend looked out of the window and noticed a crowd of people  45  around the rabbit hutch(笼). Everyone seemed to be talking and pointing. My friend  46  to go over and act like any normal  47  neighbor and find out what was going on.

When he got there, Mary’s mother said to my friend, “You won’t believe this! It’s a(n)   48  thing! Mary’s bunny  49  a few days ago, and we buried that little bunny right over there…”

Have you ever tried to cover up one wrongdoing with another? Covering up only makes matters  50  .

When we get caught doing something  51  , for example, we may  52  to cover it up with a lie. But just like Mary’s bunny, the result is  53  what we expected. We  54  looking foolish. We would have been better off admitting we were wrong and accepting the  55  . What do you think of it?

1.A. treat           B. catch             C. appreciate         D. recognize

2.A. looked for       B. got along           C. belonged to                D. resulted from

3.A. pleased           B. terrible         C. confused          D. excited

4.A. Looking        B. Removing       C. Preventing        D. Hearing

5.A. dirty                  B. lovely           C. gifted            D. strange

6.A. dress up            B. bring up              C. clean up           D. make up

7.A. whenever              B. though         C. before           D. until

8.A. carefully        B. strangely       C. espe cially         D. wonderfully

9.A. serious           B. accurate          C. balanced        D. natural

10.A. cheered           B. gathered           C. ran             D. looked

11.A. wished          B. decided        C. hesitated         D. meant

12.A. anxious        B. discouraged      C. wise              D. curious

13.A. strange         B. difficult        C. committed        D. annoying

14.A. passed away     B. ran away             C. set out                 D. went up

15.A. more            B. worse           C. better            D. faster

16.A. exciting        B. perfect          C. strange          D. wrong

17.A. refuse           B. attempt         C. promise         D. pretend

18.A. often            B. just               C. always                 D. never

19.A. get down             B. end up                C. go through          D. set out

20.A. consequences    B. opportunities          C. expectations         D. choices

 

It’s a goal for millions and millions of families every year——keep the Christmas spending within a certain amount, but can still afford the gifts that your loved ones will enjoy. Never has this concern been greater in recent years than right now. Even so, there are several things that you can do to help.

         Hit the sales.

No one wants to get up at four o’clock in the morning and fight to get the best deal on Black Friday, and it’s surely very tough to pick up the courage and get out there in the cold for a good deal, but sometimes——it can be well worth. Many retailers(零售商) offer specials all through the day——and some even offer online Black Friday specials, so you may still be able to get a great deal on Black Friday.

         Pay close attention to advertisements.

Once the Christmas shopping season is coming, retailers hungry for business will do just about whatever to get you in the store. Pay very close attention to weekly advertisements of sales among the major retailers and you may be lucky enough to find different prices for the same thing in different shops.

         Shop online.

Some of us don’t like running from store to store in order to get the best price on the perfect gift, and some of us don’t like to go out in the cold at all——thankfully for us, we can do online shopping.

         The world of online shopping lets people visit all the major retailers as well as some specialty stores that could only be found on the Internet. Customers can find exactly what they are looking for, at the best possible price without ever having to leave the house. With traditional Christmas shopping consumers are sometimes limited to what’s left in stock if they wait too long to get to a particular store.

1. The first paragraph implies that ______.

         A. nowadays not many people can afford expensive gifts

         B. recently many people don’t want to spend money on gifts

         C. Christmas is a time to make our loved ones enjoy their gifts

         D. Christmas is a time to make us feel free to buy our loved ones gifts

2. In the writer’s opinion, it is rewarding on Black Friday _____.

         A. if the weather is not very cold                       B. if we don’t have to fight for the best deals

         C. if we don’t have to get up early                     D. If we get what we want at a good price

 

3.The underlined word “specials” means_______.

         A. some experts in shopping                               B. certain things for especially low price

         C. some kind of help for a certain customer   D. things that can only be found on Friday

4. We can have more choices _____.

         A. on Black Friday                                                   B. in a particular store

         C. on the Internet                                                  D. from retailers

5.In this passage the writer means ______.

         A. to tell us the best way to do shopping

B. to attract more readers to do wise shopping

         C. to show us how hard it is to do Christmas shopping

         D. to give us advice on how to get a good deal at Christmas time