Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly(紧紧地）in a bamboo tube(管子and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.
3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.The underlined phrase “ blew up” might mean _______ in Chinese.
| A．爆炸 | B．膨胀 | C．升华 | D．蒸发 |
Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was ________.
| A．looking for a way to melt his chocolate |
| B．trying to know tow a magnetron could cook |
| C．working to know how the magnetron works |
| D．asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven |
The right time order of the three inventions should be ________.
| A．fireworks, the microwave and Coca-cola |
| B．fireworks, Coca-cola and the microwave |
| C．Coca-cola, fireworks and the microwave |
| D．the microwave, Coca-cola and the fireworks |
What can we learn from the above invention stories?
| A．Experiments makes great inventors of our time. |
| B．Nothing is impossible if one tries each day. |
| C．Inventors come out of hard work at any time. |
| D．A small incident may lead to a great invention. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．What great inventions they are! |
| B．Inventions from Three Countries. |
| C．Stories of Accidental Inventions. |
| D．The Human Inventions of time. |
On Sunday , April 22, people all over the world take time out to appreciate ( 珍惜 ) the earth that we all share. It’s Earth Day, a special day to learn about our planet ( 星球) and how to take care of it.
On Earth Day, some people listen to speeches about the environment. Others help clean up their offices or save water and electricity at home. Your parents may even decide to take a day off from driving their cars.
The idea for Earth Day came from a U.S. Senator (参议员) ，who was worried about pollution and the health of plants and animals. And the idea quickly caught on ( 流行起来). In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. More than 20 million people in cities all over the U.S. took part . Since then, Earth Day has been used to educate people about their role in taking care of our planet.
Now , Earth Day has become a global celebration. In 1990, 200 million people from 140 countries took part in clean-ups, tree planting and other environmental events on Earth DayWhen is Earth Day?
Who came up with the idea for Earth Day?
How many people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970 ?
Is Earth Day popular around the world now ?
What is Earth Day?
Alice is my pen friend, She is a 16-year-old girl from the UK, but now she lives in China. She is a middle school student in Nanjing. She likes going to school, but there are some things she doesn't tike, such as PE. She enjoys playing sports. She thinks sports are interesting and exciting. But she doesn't like doing physical exercises in PE classes. She feels that they are boring! Her favorite subject is Science. It seems that the amazing and useful Science attracts her. She thinks she is on the way to be a scientist. She wishes to invent things to make the world more beautiful.
In her free time, she often goes to the beach. She loves just sitting around and talking to friends there. She's getting better at understanding boys, but she hates listening to hours of talk about football. " It's not interesting at all!" she once said to me.
That is my pen friend Alice.
Information about Alice
| BasicInformation |
Name : Alice Age: sixteen |
Birth place : in the UK Living now : in China |
| Like |
What |
Why/ For what |
| Playing sports |
Interesting and __ |
|
| Going to the _ |
Sitting around and __ |
|
| Favorite subject: Science. |
__ |
|
| Dislikes |
Having _ |
Physical exercises are _ |
| _ |
Not interesting at all. |
|
| Wishes |
To be a _ |
Be attracted by Science. |
| To invent things |
Make the world _ |
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a goodartist .So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took apicture of his garden .That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography (摄影术) was in 1837. That year, Daguere, another Frenchman ,took a picture of his reading room .He used a new kind of camera in a differentway. In his picture you could see everything very clearly ,even the smallest thing. This kind of photowas called a Daguerreo type. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s way. Travelers broughtback wonderful photos from all around the world .people took picture of famous buildings, cities andmountains. In about 1840, photography was developed .Then photographers could take picture ofpeople and moving things .That was not simple .The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not stop them ,for example, some in the United States worked so hard. Mathew Brady was a famous American photographers. He took many picture of great people .The picture were unusual because they were very lifelike(栩栩如生的)
Photographers also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century .Some photos were notjust copies of the real world .They showed feelings, like other kinds of art.The first photo taken by Niepce was a picture of ____________
| A．his business | B．his house |
| C．his garden | D．his window |
The Daguerreotype was____________.
| A．a Frenchman | B．a kind of picture |
| C．a kind of camera | D．a photographer |
If a photographer wanted to take pictures of moving things in the year of 1840, hehad to__________.
| A．watch lots of films |
| B．buy an expensive camera |
| C．stop in most cities |
| D．take many films and something else with him |
Mathew Brady______________.
| A．was very lifelike |
| B．was famous for his unusual pictures |
| C．was quite strong |
| D．took many pictures of moving people |
This passage tells us_____________.
| A．how photography was developed |
| B．how to show your ideas and feelings in pictures |
| C．how to take pictures in the world |
| D．how to use different cameras |
Mr Baker worked in a big factory. He was busy all the time and had little time to rest. One summer, he decided to go to the sea to spend his holidays.
One afternoon, it was very hot. Mr Baker came into a restaurant, sat at a table and wanted to drink. Just then, an old man came up to him and said, “How do you do, sir?” “How do you do?” Mr Baker asked the old man to sit next to him. “Have you been here before?” “No, I haven’t.” “You look lonely, don’t you?” said the old man. “Let’s have a bet, shall we?”
It interested Mr Baker, “But what shall we bet on?” “I can bite my left eyeball,” said the old man, “I can bet you five dollars.”
Mr Baker didn’t believe and passed $5 on the table.
The old man took out his glass eyeball, put it into his mouth and bite it. Mr Baker had to give his money.
“It doesn’t matter young man,” the old man said. “I’ll give you a chance to win the money back. I can also bite my right eye. I’ll bet you $10.”
“I’m sure he’s able to see. And I must win his money,” he thought. So he took out ten dollars from his wallet.
But he was very surprised, the old man took out his false(假的) teeth and bit his right eye with it. Then he put the money into his pocket and went away quickly.Mr Baker went to the sea ________.
| A．to swim | B．to have a rest |
| C．to drink something | D．to make a bet |
The old man said hello to Mr Baker because ________.
| A．they were good friends |
| B．he wanted to ask for some food |
| C．he wanted to drink with him |
| D．he wanted to win money |
After the old man knew _______, he began to make a bet with the young man.
| A．Mr Baker was there for the first time |
| B．Mr Baker wanted to win the five dollars back |
| C．Mr Baker knew he had false teeth |
| D．Mr Baker wasn’t clever enough |
As ________, he bet the old man ten dollars.
| A．Mr Baker didn’t think him blind(瞎的) in both eyes |
| B．Mr Baker wanted to win the five dollars back |
| C．Mr Baker knew he had false teeth |
| D．Mr Baker wanted to help him in another way |
The old man was blind in ________.
| A．both eyes | B．neither eye |
| C．the right eye | D．the left eye |
One day a farmer went out for a walk with his daughter. The farmer put on a pair of wrong shoes－one with a thick sole(鞋底) and the other with a thin one. So as he began to walk, he felt very uncomfortable. When he was just out of the house, he turned to his daughter and said, “Why should one of my legs be longer than the other today?”
The daughter looked at his father’s legs carefully as he was walking, and then laughed, “Oh, no, Daddy, your legs are all right. You have put on the wrong shoes.”
The farmer was very happy to hear that and said to himself, “What a clever daughter I have got!” Then he asked his daughter to go back and get the other pair of shoes for him.
The farmer had only two pairs of shoes.
When the daughter ran back to the house, she found that the other pair was also a pair of wrong shoes.
She had to return to his father with nothing in her hands and said out of breath, “It’s no use changing them, Daddy! The shoes at home were not a pair, either!”When the farmer went out for a walk with his daughter, he put on a pair of ____ shoes.
| A．wrong | B．comfortable |
| C．old | D．new |
A pair of wrong shoes means ________.
| A．the shoes are not the farmer’s |
| B．the shoes are too small |
| C．one of the shoes has a thick sole, the other has a thin one, they are not a pair |
| D．the shoes are too big |
When the farmer began to walk, he felt very uncomfortable because ________.
| A．one of his legs was longer than the other one |
| B．he was ill that day |
| C．he wore a pair of wrong shoes |
| D．the shoes were too small |
The farmer thought his daughter was a clever girl because ________.
| A．she could make shoes |
| B．she could find out that her father wore a pair of wrong shoes |
| C．she could find out a pair of right shoes |
| D．she found that her father’s legs were sick |
The father asked his daughter to go and get the other pair of shoes for him and the daughter ________.
| A．brought back a pair of wrong shoes |
| B．brought back of a pair of right shoes |
| C．didn’t bring any shoes; she knew the other pair at home was not a pair, either |
| D．couldn’t find anything at home |
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