An inventor seeks to create a new product that serves a specific need and fulfills a role that other products do not. Sometimes an inventor comes up with a wholly new idea, but more often inventions are simply improvements on an older design. With a little imagination and creativity (创造力), an old idea can suddenly become something new.
However, creating a new invention means much more than having a brilliant idea. A good designer follows the design process: identifying the challenge, researching and brainstorming ideas(集思广益), designing a solution, testing and evaluating the ideas, and finally building the product. Designers also use science, math, technology, and engineering to design a tool that satisfies the need they identified.
Anyone can be an inventor —even kids! For example, Chester Greenwood was just fifteen years old when he invented a product that changed his life. In fact, his idea was so good that his invention supported him for the rest of his life. You may not know his name, but you probably know his invention —earmuffs (保暖耳罩)!
The inspiration for his earmuff design came to Chester when he was ice-skating. His ears were cold, and he decided to find a way to keep them warm. With the help of his grandmother, he made a new product to protect his ears and at the age of eighteen, Chester patented his earmuff design.
Many other famous inventors started young as well. Margaret Knight —the inventor of the flat-bottomed brown paper bag —is said to have created a safety device for textile looms(织布机) when she was just twelve years old. Another example is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, who applied for his first patent when he was just twenty-one years old. Over the course of his life, Thomas Edison patented a total of 1,093 inventions!
In most cases, an invention ________ according to the first paragraph.
A.comes from a complete new idea | B.is usually based on an old product or idea |
C.will change its creator’s life completely | D.is created by scientists in different fields |
The second paragraph mainly wants to tell us _______.
A.the difficulty in making a new invention | B.the common steps of creating new things |
C.having a good idea is the key to creation | D.designing a tool is the first step in inventing |
The example of Chester Greenwood is used to show that ________.
A.children can also invent something |
B.it is easy even for children to make inventions |
C.kids have more advantages in inventing things |
D.to be an inventor is the best way to change one’s life |
At first Chester designed his earmuffs in order to ________.
A.protect his ears while ice-skating |
B.earn money to support his poor family |
C.realize his dream of becoming an inventor |
D.make himself look fashionable while ice-skating |