Invention is a creative process. An open and curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Seeing a new possibility, a new connection or relationship can spark(引发) an invention. Inventive thinking frequently involves combining concepts or elements from different fields that would not normally be put together. Sometimes inventors skip over the boundaries between separate fields. Ways of thinking, materials, processes or tools from one field are used as no one else has imagined in a different field.

  Play can lead to invention. Childhood curiosity like playing in a sand box, imagination can develop one’s play nature—an inner need according to Carl Jung. Inventors feel the need to play with things that interest them, and to explore, and this internal drive brings about interesting creations.

  Inventing can also be an obsession(痴迷). Inventors often imagine a new idea, seeing it in their mind’s eye. New ideas can arise when the conscious mind turns away from the subject or problem; or when the focus is on something else; or even while relaxing or sleeping. An unusual idea may come all of a sudden! For example, after years of working to figure out the general theory of relativity, the solution came to Einstein suddenly in a dream “like a giant die making an unforgettable impress, a huge map of the universe summarized itself in one clear vision”.

  Invention can also be accidental. Insight(洞察力) is also an important element of invention. It may begin with questions or doubt. It may begin by recognizing something unusual. It may be useful and it could open a new way for exploration. For example, the odd metallic color of plastic made by accidentally adding too much catalyst(催化剂) led scientists to explore its metal-like properties(性能). They then invented electrically conductive plastic and light emitting(散发) plastic—an invention that won the Nobel Prize in 2000 and has led to new kind of lighting, display screens, wallpaper and much more.

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Today I felt very uncomfortable studying English as usual．My eyes were   36  and my mind was confused．I buried my head deep in the great pile of books．Many vocabulary words   37  my mind．As more and more entered，I   38  focus，and my   39  became crazy．The clock hands were pointing at twelve. I always   40  the time when I study．Without any fruitful results，I felt more   41  and tired．I   42  up and walked to the living room just to take a little break．  43  that would make me feel better．The street lamps looked like stars outside the window．A few scattered(分散的)branches   44  shadows on the French window．Something seemed more   45  and quiet than before．I walked to the   46  slowly，and let my face press against it，  47  very carefully…oh my God!!…It’s snow! It was very bright and covered up the whole   48  while I was studying English painfully, so white and so quiet．At this moment, I was so   49  that I felt like I might burst into tears．The snow was like a spring   50  into my heart，and my eyes were shining with it．All my pain and tiredness   51  at this moment，as the snow dropped into my heart．
I quickly became calm again as the excitement went away．I sat on the bed silently，and drew the   52  to one side to let the white house and white tree stay just beside my bed．I thought this must be a(n)   53  from God，because I liked snow so much．  54  I was weakest and most helpless in this world，nothing could inspire me but   55 ．I should inspire myself from such a beautiful scene．

【小题1】 A．closed B．tired C．shining D．weeping

【小题2】 A．left B．confused C．filled D．impressed

【小题3】 A．lost B．got C．realized D．changed

【小题4】 A．thoughts B．feeling C．words D．concept

【小题5】 A．waste B．limit C．remember D．forget

【小题6】 A．flexible B．guilty C．unhappy D．curious

【小题7】 A．stood B．turned C．checked D．hurried

【小题8】 A．Sure B．Maybe C．Immediately D．Always

【小题9】 A．shook B．cast C．like D．printed

【小题10】 A．disappointing B．frightening C．bright D．light

【小题11】 A．shadow B．lamp C．branch D．window

【小题12】 A．looking B．thinking C．moving D．cleaning

【小题13】 A．night B．house C．world D．mind

【小题14】 A．disturbed B．excited C．surprised D．bored

【小题15】 A．pouring B．delivering C．drilling D．rising

【小题16】 A．occurred B．arose C．escaped D．disappeared

【小题17】 A．bed B．curtain C．desk D．book

【小题18】 A．anger B．smile C．gift D．punishment

【小题19】 A．As usual B．As a result C．At last D．At a time

【小题20】 A．snow B．God C．white D．beauty

I moved to a new neighborhood two months ago. In the house with a large  21  across the road lived a taxi driver, a single parent with two school-age children. At the end of the day, he would  22  his taxi on the road. I  23  why he did not park it in the garage.
Then one day I learnt that he had another car in his garage. In the afternoon he would come home  24  work, leave his taxi and go out for his  25  affairs in his other car, not in his taxi. I felt it was  26 . 
I was curious to see his personal car but did not make it until I  27  to be outside one evening two weeks  28  ,when the garage door was  29   and he drove out in his “own” car: a Rolls-Royce（劳斯莱斯）! It shook me completely  30  I realized what that meant. You see, he was a taxi driver. But 31   inside, he saw himself as something else: a Rolls-Royce owner and a（n）32  . He drove others in his taxi but himself and his children in his Rolls-Royce. The world looked at his taxi and  33   him a taxi driver. But for him, a taxi was just something he drove for a living. Rolls-Royce was something he drove for a（n）34  . 
We go to bed every night and  35   every morning as parents or children, not as bankers, CEOs or professors. We go for a  36   as close friends or go for a vacation as a  37 . We love life as it is. Yet often, we base our entire happiness and success on how high we  38   the social ladder—how much bigger and better a  39 we have. And we ignore our Rolls-Royce, by keeping it dusty in our garage. We should focus more on  40  we are than what we do! 

Today I felt very uncomfortable studying English as usual．My eyes were   36   and my mind was confused．I buried my head deep in the great pile of books．Many vocabulary words   37   my mind．As more and more entered，I   38   focus，and my   39   became crazy．The clock hands were pointing at twelve. I always   40   the time when I study．Without any fruitful results，I felt more   41   and tired．I   42   up and walked to the living room just to take a little break．  43   that would make me feel better．The street lamps looked like stars outside the window．A few scattered(分散的)branches   44   shadows on the French window．Something seemed more   45   and quiet than before．I walked to the   46   slowly，and let my face press against it，  47   very carefully…oh my God!!…It’s snow! It was very bright and covered up the whole   48   while I was studying English painfully, so white and so quiet．At this moment, I was so   49   that I felt like I might burst into tears．The snow was like a spring   50   into my heart，and my eyes were shining with it．All my pain and tiredness   51   at this moment，as the snow dropped into my heart．

I quickly became calm again as the excitement went away．I sat on the bed silently，and drew the   52   to one side to let the white house and white tree stay just beside my bed．I thought this must be a(n)   53   from God，because I liked snow so much．  54   I was weakest and most helpless in this world，nothing could inspire me but   55  ．I should inspire myself from such a beautiful scene．

One day, Miss Ellis gave her pupils a new kind of homework: homework on happiness. Her pupils would be “happiness   1  ”, and were to see what would happen when they tried to bring happiness to those around them. As part of their homework, all the students did really    2  , wonderful things, but what Carla Chalmers did left everyone    3  . Several days after the homework had been handed out, Carla turned up carrying a big bag.
“Here in this bag I have all the happiness I’ve collected so far,” she said    4  . On seeing this, everyone was filled with    5  , but Carla didn’t want to show anyone what was in the bag. Instead, she pulled out a small box and gave it to her teacher. When Miss Ellis had taken the box, Carla took a(n)    6   camera out of her own pocket and stood with it at the ready.
“Open it, Miss Ellis.”
The teacher slowly opened the box and looked inside. A big smile    7   on her face, and at that moment Carla took a photo, Carla’s photo came out of the camera immediately, and she    8    
it to Miss Ellis along with a sheet of paper. The teacher read the paper in silence, and when she, had finished, she gestured at the    9  .
“Oh, so it’s…”
“Yes!”   10   Carla, opening the bag. “It’s a great big pile of smiles!”
She opened the bag and photos of different    11   fell out.
The rest of the class tried to    12   how Carla had managed to create such a great big chain of happiness. All there in the box was a photo of a big smile. But everyone who had seen it felt happiness being transmitted（传送）to them, and in return, without    13  , every person    14   with a  smile of their own.
She managed to    15   understanding of the smile truth that every time you smile you are sending a gift to the world.