Did you ever wonder who invented products like Liquid Paper, Kevlar or paper bag
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Did you ever wonder who invented products like Liquid Paper, Kevlar or paper bags? Most would think a man invented these items. Guess what? Women invented each of these. What? You don’t believe me? Well, read this: Liquid Paper was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham in 1951 and originally called Mistake Out. Being a typist, Bette was increasingly irritated with being unable to erase her typing mistakes. The messy business left her hands black and the paper dirty. Bette was good at painting and remembered that an artist paints over mistakes. She applied that same principle to typing mistakes and Liquid Paper was born, making Bette into a self-made millionaire. Kevlar, yes, the Kevlar of the bullet proof vest(防弹衣)—what police officers and soldiers wear, was invented by Stephanie Kwolek. Stephanie worked for the DuPont Company as a research chemist. She was asked to find a high-performance fiber. Originally, this fiber was intended to be used for car tires (轮胎). However, the fiber she developed in 1964 was amazing and is still used in products such as sailboats, skis, shoes, and yes, bullet proof vests. In 1995 Stephanie was named to the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. Margaret Knight invented a machine that revolutionized the making of paper bags. Paper bags had been made like envelopes but Margaret developed a machine that would fold and paste(粘)a flat-bottom paper bag, the very same type we still use today. Margaret’s family was poor and she started working at the age of nine. Her first invention at the age of twelve was a safety tool for a loom(织布机). Later she worked for the Columbia Paper Bag Company. It was there that she worked on improving the making of paper bags. She was issued her patent(专利)in 1870. So next time you use a new product or an old one, will you wonder who made it? Do some research on the web and answer a few questions like: Who invented it? How was it invented? You may be surprised at some of the stories you uncover. 小题1:The underlined word “irritated” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to_________.A.annoyed | B.excited | C.delighted | D.nervous | 小题2:What do we know about Margaret? A.She was a member of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. | B.Her first invention was made when she was twenty. | C.Her invention was designed to produce envelopes. | D.She began working when she was very young. | 小题3:which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? (①="paragraph" 1, ②="Paragraph" 2,… ⑤="paragraph" 5) 小题4:What would be the best title for the passage?A.How inventions were made | B.Amazing inventions by women | C.Women and modern technology | D.You can also be an inventor |
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答案
小题1:A 小题2:D 小题3:C 小题4:B |
解析
文章讲述了几个由女性发明的物品。 小题1:猜测词义题。根据第2段第3行The messy business left her hands black and the paper dirty.让他的手变黑,纸变脏。可知这样的事情让她很生气恼怒。 小题2:细节题。根据第4段第三行Margaret’s family was poor and she started working at the age of nine。 小题3:文章结构题。很清楚文章第一段是引起下文,2,3,4三段是并列的结构讲述了三个故事,第5段又是一个总结。 小题4:主旨大意题。文章正是讲述了几个由女性发明的物品。 |
举一反三
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no,” criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum. Humor is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a squabble with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. “Person-to-person for Mrs. I. A. Pologize,” intoned the operator. “That’s spelled ‘P’ as in…” In a twinkling, the whole day changed from grim to lovely at both ends of the wire. An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist in a major charity drive. Austerity(节俭)was a fashion in England at the time, and she had asked her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen—and it did, just as her son, with the studied concentration of a tightrope walker, brought in a large roast turkey. He successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door, but the backswing threw the bird onto the dining-room floor. The boy stood rooted: guests stared at their plates. Moving only her head the hostess smiled at her son,” No harm, Daniel,” she said. “Just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen”… she enunciated clearly so he would think about what she was saying… “and bring in the other one.” A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a conspiracy of fun. 小题1:What is the main idea of the passage?A.Humor is the key to success in our work and our lives. | B.Humor enables us to cope with difficult situation effectively. | C.Humor is the only best way to criticize someone without losing his face. | D.Humor makes fun of any difficult situations. | 小题2:Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?A.Comedians on TV are believed to have done a lot in making people more tolerant of racial and religious differences. | B.To make up differences, humor is a most acceptable as well as a most effective means. | C.People often turn to humorous ways when meeting with difficult situations because of its effectiveness. | D.Only by adopting the means of humor can one succeed in some jobs. | 小题3:By saying “and bring in the other one,” the hostess meant that_________.A.the son had to cook another turkey for the guests | B.she already had made more than one turkey ready for the dinner | C.some other dish would be served instead of a turkey | D.the son could serve the same turkey after it was cleaned |
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Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38-year-old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky,” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres,” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk. Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it’s not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city,” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.” Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn’t take any unnecessary risk she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it,” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1,000°C, so if you hesitated your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision --- there wasn"t time to do anything else.” And what about the future? “I haven’t been to the volcanoes in Indonesia yet. And I would love to spend some time working in the Antarctic,” she says. “I would also like to know why quiet lava flows erupt from some volcanoes and why other volcanoes go bang.” In other words, Hazel Rymer won’t be exchanging her volcanoes for the relative safety of driving to work just yet. 小题1:Hazel’s claim that “driving to work is more risky” than exploring volcanoes shows that ______. A.people have exaggerated the dangers of volcanoes in the past | B.Hazel does not really understand the dangerous situations she puts herself in. | C.there are many bad drivers in the place where Hazel lives | D.Hazel is being modest and understating the dangers she faces | 小题2:When did Hazel first become interested in volcanoes? A.When she was visiting Italy. | B.When she was at school. | C.When she was twenty. | D.When she saw Vesuvius. | 小题3:The underlined word “these” (in paragraph 3) refers to __________. A.melting ice-caps | B.volcanic eruptions | C.changes in sea level | D.higher temperatures | 小题4:When Hazel was on Mount Etna she had to ________. A.take a dangerous route | B.take an unnecessary risk | C.leave her boots behind | D.walk for ten hours around the mountain | 小题5:In the future, Hazel wants to ________. A.revisit volcanoes she knows | B.go on holiday to the Antarctic | C.find a less dangerous job | D.discover new things about volcanoes |
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When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d 36 known. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t 37 lives, he was planting trees. The good doctor had some 38 theories on planting trees. He believed in “No pains, no gains”. He never 39 his new trees, which was 40 many people. Once I asked why. He 41 that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each following tree generation will 42 weaker and weaker. So you have to make things 43 for them. He talked about how watering trees 44 shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in 45 of water. I came to understand that he meant deep roots were to be 46 . I planted a couple of trees a few years back and I took good care of them. Two years of 47 has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows, they 48 and tremble their branches. Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’. The lack of water seemed to 49 them in ways comfort and ease never could. I used to 50 for my sons that their lives will be easy. But 51 I’ve been thinking that it’s time to 52 my prayer. I know my children are going to meet 53 , and I’m praying they will be strong. The prayer for comfort is seldom met. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, 54 when the winds blow, we won’t be 55 away.
小题1: | A.even | B.ever | C.never | D.hardly |
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小题2: | A.valuing | B.making | C.enjoying | D.saving |
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小题3: | A.exciting | B.dull | C.interesting | D.terrible |
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小题4: | A.watered | B.raised | C.loved | D.sheltered |
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小题5: | A.against | B.beyond | C.within | D.from |
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小题6: | A.wondered | B.answered | C.doubted | D.guessed |
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小题7: | A.grow | B.change | C.appear | D.show |
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小题8: | A.harmful | B.favorable | C.tough | D.wonderful |
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小题9: | A.made for | B.headed for | C.allowed for | D.cared for |
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小题10: | A.charge | B.favor | C.honor | D.search |
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小题11: | A.treasured | B.challenged | C.respected | D.liked |
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小题12: | A.education | B.information | C.preparation | D.devotion |
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小题13: | A.dance | B.shake | C.spread | D.lift |
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小题14: | A.harm | B.raise | C.benefit | D.hurt |
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小题15: | A.pray | B.apply | C.stand | D.call |
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小题16: | A.perfectly | B.formally | C.obviously | D.lately |
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小题17: | A.attend | B.say | C.change | D.keep |
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小题18: | A.hardships | B.worries | C.bosses | D.jobs |
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小题20: | A.given | B.sent | C.broken | D.swept |
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As a young girl, Margaret “Mattie” Knight never played with dolls, preferring to make toys for her brothers instead. In 1849, Knight went to work in a cotton factory where she witnessed a “shuttle,” a device that carries thread back and forth across a textile loom(纺布机), fly off the machine when the thread broke, striking and killing a young boy about her own age. The 12-year-old Knight developed a safety mechanism that made it impossible for a shuttle to leave the loom. The design was so effective, soon virtually every new power loom carried her invention, saving countless workers from injury or death. Being so young, she didn’t bother to patent the device, so she never received payment. Knight wouldn’t make the same mistake later in life when she invented a machine that could produce flat-bottomed paper bags. Knight had built a small wooden model in her home, but she needed a metal version to show it could hold up to the stress of mass production. So she hired Charles Annan to make the full-sized machine for her, only to have him try to claim the patent for himself. When Knight sued(起诉), Annan’s argument was that the design had to be his, because no woman could possibly understand the complex mechanics. Knight proved him wrong when she brought back her wooden prototype and explained how every part worked. She won the case in 1871, making her the second woman to hold an American patent. Over a hundred years later, her design is still used as the basis for many modern flat-bottom bag machines. But that wasn’t the last the world heard of Mattie Knight. During her lifetime, she made about 90 inventions and received 26 patents, becoming one of the most productive female inventors of the 19th century. 小题1:We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.A.Knight behaved like boys | B.Knight had an unhappy childhood | C.Knight did a poor job of making toys | D.Knight liked inventing things as a child | 小题2:What do we know about Knight’s first invention?A.It is still used today. | B.It brought her great profit. | C.It was made when he was 20. | D.It reduced injuries at textile plants. | 小题3:Knight sued Charles Annan because he _______.A.stole the wooden model for the machine she invented. | B.failed to make the full-sized machine for her | C.tried to patent her invention for himself | D.kept the metal version for himself | 小题4:What would be the best title for the text?A.Mattie Knight’s fight for her patent | B.A great woman in the 19th century | C.“The female Edison”, Mattie Knight | D.Great inventions, great woman |
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I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a car and landing on my head. Now I am thirty-two. I can vaguely remember the brightness of __36____ and what color red is. It would be ___37____ to see again, but a(n) __38____ can do strange things to people. I don’t mean I would __39___ to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate more what I had _40_____. My parents and my teachers saw something in me ----- a __41____ to live ---- which I didn’t see, and they made me want to fight in out with _42____. The __43___ lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. I am not talking about simply the kind of __44____ that helps me down so unfamiliar staircase alone. I __45___ something bigger than that: a confidence that I am, despite being __46____, a real, positive person; that there is a special place where I can make myself fit. It took me years to discover and strengthen this confidence. It had to start with the easy and simple things. __47____ a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was laughing at me and I was __48____. “I can’t use this,” I said. “Take with you,” he urged me, “and roll it around.” The words __49___ in my head. “Roll it around!” By rolling the ball I could _50_____ where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought _51____ before playing baseball. At Philadelphia’s Overbrook School for the Blind I _52___ a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball. I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to be clear about my _53____. It was no good crying for something that I knew at the start was __54___ out of reach because that only invited bitterness of failure. I would fail something anyway, __55___ on the average I made progress.
小题1: | A.sky | B.cloud | C.sunshine | D.mist |
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小题2: | A.helpful | B.wonderful | C.hopeful | D.successful |
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小题3: | A.disaster | B.environment | C.incident | D.wonder |
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小题4: | A.manage | B.try | C.want | D.prefer |
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小题5: | A.lost | B.left | C.used | D.cared |
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小题6: | A.purpose | B.potential | C.pressure | D.preparation |
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小题7: | A.energy | B.happiness | C.luck | D.blindness |
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小题8: | A.hardest | B.dullest | C.simplest | D.easiest |
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小题9: | A.self-respect | B.self-control | C.self-confidence | D.self-defence |
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小题10: | A.think | B.consider | C.guess | D.mean |
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小题11: | A.imperfect | B.perfect | C.unfair | D.fair |
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小题12: | A.Later | B.Soon | C.Once | D.Then |
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小题13: | A.worried | B.encouraged | C.shocked | D.hurt |
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小题14: | A.stuck | B.impressed | C.occupied | D.held |
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小题15: | A.see | B.hear | C.notice | D.observe |
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小题16: | A.important | B.unimportant | C.possible | D.impossible |
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小题17: | A.invented | B.discovered | C.instructed | D.directed |
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小题18: | A.experience | B.advantages | C.knowledge | D.limitation |
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小题19: | A.hardly | B.wildly | C.highly | D.deeply |
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