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（防彈衣）—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 (輪胎). 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（織布機(jī)）. 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（專利）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.

1.The underlined word “irritated” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to_________.

  A.annoyed             B. excited              C. delighted            D. nervous

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.

3.which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? (①=paragraph 1, ②=Paragraph 2,… ⑤=paragraph 5)

 

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

 

Our life is changing.During the past hundred years,the car,the radio,the cinema,and now television have produced great　1　in the amusements with which people pass their　2　time.

A　3　years ago,people were in the habit of making their own amusements.When a group of people　4　,they talked,played cards or other games,or went out riding, shooting,or walking together.Most people could sing a little,or play some musical? instrument reasonably well；so at a party the guests amused each other.??5　　 , conversation(聊天) was an 　6　；amusing conversation could　7　people happy for hours.?

　　As for games such as football and cricket(板球),people were also in the habit of playing them themselves.Most of them did not play very well,but they　8　themselves and their friends.?

Nowadays we are amused by professional singers or players.Why listen to your friends singing when you can　9　the great singers of the world over the radio or on TV? Why play football with players who　10　very good when you can go to　11　some of the best players playing football in your country??

　　　12　an important match? Few people do this.You may just sit comfortably?13　and watch the game without the　14　of going outside.?

　　The art of conversation and the　15　of playing and singing by ourselves are?16　；people are becoming more and more lookers and listeners,and　17　doers and talkers. This change does people 　18　.It is　19　to do something personally than　20　to sit and watch others doing it.

1.A.harm　　　　　　 B.pleasure　　　　　　 C.changes　　　　　　 D.danger?

2.A.busy　　　　　　 B.free　　　　　　　　　　C.good　　　　　　　　 D.lazy?

3.A.hundred　　　　 B.thousand　　　　　　C.century　　　　　　　　　　 D.few?

4.A.walked　　　　　　B.played　　　　　　　　C.joined　　　　　　　　 D.gathered?

5.A.First of all　　　　B.Above all　　　　　　C.After all　　　　　　 D.At first?

6.A.art　　　　　　　　 B.interest　　　　　　 C.fun　　　　　　　　　　D.importance?

7.A.let　　　　　　　　 B.make　　　　　　　　 C.keep　　　　　　　　 D.cause?

8.A.enjoyed　　　　 B.played　　　　　　　　C.taught　　　　　　　　D.amused?

9.A.watch　　　　　　 B.become　　　　　　 C.hear　　　　　　　　 D.admire?

10.A.is　　　　　　　　 B.are　　　　　　　　　　 C.is not　　　　　　　　 D.are not?

11.A.join in　　　　　　B.play with　　　　　　C.watch　　　　　　　　D.find?

12.A.Acting　　　　 B.Enjoying　　　　　　 C.Seeing　　　　　　　　D.Playing?

13.A.at home　　　　 B.at a cinema　　　　 C.at a stadium　　　　D.at the playground?

14.A.problem　　　　 B.trouble　　　　　　 C.question　　　　　　 D.difficulty?

15.A.custom　　　　 B.habit　　　　　　　　 C.practice　　　　　　 D.interest?

16.A.growing　　　　 B.developing　　　　 C.dying　　　　　　　　 D.disappearing?

17.A.better and bette　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.worse and worse?

C.more and more　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.fewer and fewer?

18.A.more good than harm　　　　　　　　 B.either good or harm?

C.more harm than good　　　　　　　　　　 D.neither good nor harm?

19.A.good　　　　　　 B.better　　　　　　　　 C.bad　　　　　　　　　　D.worse?

20.A.always　　　　 B.seldom　　　　　　 C.sometimes　　　　 D.never??

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（防彈衣）—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 (輪胎). 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（織布機(jī)）. 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（專利）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.
【小題1】The underlined word “irritated” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to_________.

A．a(chǎn)nnoyed

B．excited

C．delighted

D．nervous

【小題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.

【小題3】which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? (①="paragraph" 1, ②="Paragraph" 2,… ⑤="paragraph" 5)
 
【小題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

　　 Last week I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth Hospital for incurables. In one of the wards (病房) a patient, an old man, got up shakily from his bed and moved towards me. I could see that he hadn’t long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor.

　　 “ Frank!”  I cried in astonishment. He couldn’t answer, as I knew, but all the time   1   his foot against mine.

    My   2   raced hack more than thirty years- to the   3   days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The   4   was an air- raid shelter (防空洞), in which I and about a hundred other people   5   every night. Two of the regulars were Mrs. West and her son Frank.

　　    6   wartime problems, we shelter-dwellers (居住者) got to   7   each other very well. Frank West   8   me because he wasn’t normal, not even at birth. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had   9   of a mind than a baby has, his “speech” consisted of rough sounds-sounds of pleasure or anger- and   10   more. Mrs. West, then about 75, was a strong, capable (有能力的) woman,   11   she had to be of course, because Frank   12   on her entirely. He needed all the attention of a baby.

    One night a policeman came and told Mrs. West that her house had been   13   by a 500pounder. She lost nearly everything she owned.

　　   14   that sort of thing happened; the rest of us helped the   15   ones. So before we   16   that morning, I stood   17   Frank and   18   my right foot against his. They were about the same  19  . That night, then, I took a pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. But as soon as he saw me he came running - and placed his right foot against mine. After that, his   20   to me was always the same.

1. A．covering

B．moving

C．fighting

D．pressing

2. A．minds

B．memories

C．thoughts

D．brains

3. A．bette?
?


r

B．dark

C．younger

D．high

4.  A．cave

B．place

C．sight

D．scene

5.  A．slept

B．worked

C．studied

D．lived

6. A．Discussing

B．Solving

C．Sharing

D．Suffering

7. A．learn from

B．talk to

C．help

D．know

8. A．needed

B．recognized

C．interested

D．encouraged

9. A．more

B．worse

C．fewer

D．less

10. A．not

B．no

C．something

D．nothing

11. A．though

B．yet

C．as

D．so

12. A．fed

B．kept

C．lived

D．depended

13. A．flattened

B．weakened

C．stolen

D．cleaned

14. A．While

B．Until

C．Unless

D．When

15. A．lost

B．unlucky

C．angry

D．unpopular

16. A．separated

B．went

C．reunited

D．returned

17. A．beside

B．against

C．at

D．on

18. A．push

B．tried

C．showed

D．measured

19. A．length

B．weight

C．style

D．size

20. A．speaking

B．greeting

C．meeting

D．acting