The modern world is full of useful objects that were invented by someone, from spoons and chopsticks in our kitchens to the Ipads in our handbags. Each invention is an example of the creative power of the human mind. Where do inventors get their inspirations(灵感)? The inspiration behind each of these inventions varies.
Take the shopping cart as an example. Sylvan Goldman was a grocery store owner. Like most businessmen, he wished that his customers would buy more so that he could make more money. He knew what if they could carry more goods easily as they were shopping, when his sales would go up. While thinking about the problem one night, he had an idea. Working with a local handyman named Fred Young, he designed the first shopping cart. Today, retailers who use shopping carts sell more goods and make more profits.
Nature has also inspired inventors throughout history. This is what happened to George de Mestral one day. While hunting with his dog in the Swiss Alps, he noticed how the burs(剌球) of certain plants stuck to his clothing and to his dog' s fur. After examining them under a microscope,
he found they had tiny hooks that could easily stick to the fibers of clothing or animal hide. For the next ten years, George de Mestral searched for the hest way to produce his idea. The result of his original inspiration was Velcro, which is used in many modem objects, including sportswear, shoes, automobiles, and even space suits.
These examples show us that there are at least two possible inspirations for human creativity in the world of inventions — profit and nature. No doubt, the future will continue to breathe new life into the economies of the world with fresh ideas and inventions. How many of their creations will be inspired by natural phenomena? The world's problems require creativity and we can expect best solutions from future generations.Why did sales go up in Sylvan Goldman's grocery store after he began providing shopping carts?
| A．Because grocery stores without shopping carts made less money. |
| B．Because he lowered the prices of his goods. |
| C．Because customers liked the shopping cart’s creative design. |
| D．Because customers were able to carry more items when shopping. |
According to the article, which invention shows how nature inspires us?
| A．The bur. | B．The shopping cart. | C．Velcro. | D．Spoon. |
Which of the following statements would the author most likely disagree with?
| A．The future does not promise many useful inventions. |
| B．There are many interesting inventions in the world today. |
| C．Companies often invent things out of profit. |
| D．Nature inspires creativity. |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨) might have pierced(穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because ______.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he
forgot everything about that day is that___.
| A．he had a poor memory | B．he didn’t want to forgive his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son | D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
While I was in 9th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize. I got this valuable advice from my father; “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”
I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how ”questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.
It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I st
ill remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He has headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.
My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project.According to the passage, the writer was interested in .
| A．developing traffic systems | B．doing challenging projects |
| C．winning great prizes | D．writing different codes |
The writer a
sked the question “how do I do it” at first because .
| A．he had no clear idea about his program | B．he was too shy to express himself |
| C．he wanted to be understood easily | D．he preferred this kind of question |
We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program .
| A．would benefit people a lot | B．was done together with others |
| C．was difficult and needed patience | D．cost much money and energy |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Do It Yourself | B．No Pains, No Gains |
| C．Learning with interest | D．Practice Makes Perfect |
Depend on yourself. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been many great men in history. But many of them were very poor when they were young, and had no uncles, aunts or friends to help them. Schools were few and not very good.
They could not depend upon them for education. They saw how it was, and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way till they became well-known. One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, “I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help make men of yourselves.”
Some young men do not try their best to make themselves valuable to society. They can never gain achievements unless they see their weak points and keep improving themselves. They are nothing now and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers, and depend on their own efforts.Which of the following titles fits this passage best?
| A．How to Become Famous | B．What Helps to Make a Good Teacher |
| C．Men Must Help Each Other | D．Depend on Your O wn Efforts |
Many great men succeeded because_________.
| A．they were anxious to become rich |
| B．they had received good education |
| C．they had made great efforts to learn and work |
| D．they wanted very much to become well-known |
If young people depend on their own efforts, _________.
| A．they are more likely to succeed in their lives |
| B．they are sure to be famous in the world |
| C．they will need no advice from their parents and teachers |
| D．they will be nothing as long as they live |
From this passage we can see that the writer_________.
| A．is a man with a strong will |
| B．shows great respect for teachers |
| C．is in favour of those who struggle for success |
| D．feels it important to accept the advice of others |
A Train Floating On Air
A train that floats on air? It's not magic―it's magnets (磁).And it's close to reality.
In Virginia USA the fall of 2002, a train with no wheels traveled on air and carried college students across their campus.In Japan, a whisper-quiet railway engine hovered and raced at 350 miles per hour using magnets and electricity as the power.And in China, a magnet train line linked Shanghai with nearby Pudong Airport.
These trains use magnetic levitation (悬浮) technology, “maglev” for short. They use the same rules as the magnets you pick up at home or school: opposite poles of magnets attract each other, and like poles repel each other.
How does it work?
Powerful magnets on the bottom of the train repel magnets on the track, which is actually just a magnet-filled guiding way. With a magnetic field of sufficient force, the train will go hovering on air, which seemed impossible to us in the past.
When an electrical current is sent through the track, the train moves. Turn the current backwards and the train slows down.
Maglev doesn't rely on the friction (摩擦力) of wheels on track, so it can climb a much steeper hill than a traditional train. And it can travel easily in snow and ice, something that could bring normal trains to a screaming stop. This passage is about __________.
| A．maglev | B．magnets | C．levitation | D．electricity |
Which of the following is a repelling action?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．A magnet-filled guiding way is formed inside a maglev train. |
| B．Instead of electricity, magnets are used as the power of a maglev. |
| C．Maglev trains can climb hills with the help of magnetwheels. |
| D．Electric currents decide the movements of a maglev train. |
What is the difference between a maglev train and an ordinary train?
A．A maglev train can climb mountains without power while an ordinary o ne can’t. |
| B．A maglev train can travel in college campus while an ordinary train is not allowed. |
| C．Travelling without a track, a maglev train is safer and smoother than an ordinary one. |
| D．Floating on a track, a maglev train is faster, quieter than an ordinary railway train. |
Not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep is not a disorder in itself but a sign of some other problems, often a physical one.
If you have trouble sleeping, the American Sleep Disorders Association suggests that, for a week or two, you put down the time you go to bed, get up, exercise, and drink coffee, tea or wine. The purpose is to find the habits that may affect your sleep.
Then:
a. Don’t drink coffee in the six hours before going to bed.
b. Stop smoking and drinking at bedtime.
c. Don’t sleep during the day.
d. Go to bed at the same time every night. Set your alarm clock for the same time every morning and get up at that time, whether or not you sleep well.
e. Use the bedroom only for sleep. Read, watch TV, eat and talk elsewhere.
f. Take sleeping pills according to your doctor’s directions and don’t take them for longer than three weeks at a time.
g. If you haven’t fallen asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed, don’t turn over worrying about it. Get up and read or watch TV until you are sleepy, then return to bed.
If you continue to have trouble sleeping, ask your doctor for help or go to a sleep-disorders center. According to the passage, there is probably if you are not able to fall
asleep or stay asleep.
| A．a bad way of sleeping | B．a disorder in sleep |
| C．a physical reason | D．a problem caused by the brain |
If you have trouble sleeping, you should try to ______.
| A．ask a doctor for help or go to a sleep-disorders center |
B．p ut down the time you do things every day |
| C．do more physical exercise |
| D．find out the cause first |
According to the passage, which of the following would be the best way to help you sleep well?
| A．Taking some sleeping pills every day. |
| B．Reading books before you go to bed. |
| C．Setting your alarm clock at night. |
| D．Forming good living habits. |
The author writes this article in order to ______.
| A．tell us not being able to fall asleep is a serious disease |
| B．provide us with some suggestions on sleep problem |
| C．persuade us not to go to see the doctors when we are ill |
| D．help the American Sleep Disorders Association to find the causes of not being able to fall sleep |
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