Many people know the names Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. However, most people don’t know the name of the man who invented the television, Philo Farnsworth.
Philo Farnsworth was born in 1906 and grew up on a potato farm. As a boy, he loved to learn about science, and he read a lot of science books. When he was only thirteen years old, he drew a picture of a machine that could send pictures as radio sends sounds. He got the idea from the way the potatoes were planted in the field. The potatoes grew in long lines, side by side. This made a shape in Philo’s mind. This shape helped Philo think of a way to send the TV picture onto a piece of glass. But he was poor, so Philo could not try to make his idea into a machine at that time.
Later, Philo worked at many different jobs. He worked with trees. He worked on broken radios. He worked on trains. He also worked as a street cleaner. At last, two rich men heard about his idea for television, and they gave him the money to make it. On September 7th, 1927, they watched Philo test the machine he built. When Philo turned on the machine, a small line could be seen on the glass. Philo said, “There you have it, electric television.”
Later, a big company, RCA, said they had made the first television. Philo had to spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight them. Finally, he won. Then, World War Two started in 1939. During the war, Philo spent a lot of money helping the US army instead of building up his television company. After the war, other bigger, richer companies started making televisions. In the end, Philo had to sell his company.
1.Why does the author mention Bell and Edison at the beginning of the text?
A. To remember both of them. B. To prove their wisdom.
C. To introduce the topic of the text. D. To explain their relationships.
2.According to the text, how old was Philo when he finished his invention of TV?
A. 27 years old. B. 21 years old. C. 33 years old D. 39 years old
3.Philo Farnsworth got the idea for TV from ______.
A. the radio B. science books C. potato fields D. a machine
4. The underlined part “building up” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.
A. starting B. selling C. putting up D. making bigger
5.Which is the correct order of the following events?
a. Two rich men gave Philo money to do experiments.
b. Philo sold his own company.
c. Philo beat RCA in law.
d. Philo fixed broken radios.
e. Philo showed his invention to others.
A. d, a, e, c, b B. e, d, c, b, a C. d, c, e, b, a D. a, c, b, d, e
Everyone has got two personalities (性格) —the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control yourself, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, you often change your sleeping positions. The important position that best shows your secret personality is the one that you go to sleep.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by new ideas. You don’t like to make people unhappy, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a person who likes to keep secrets. You worry a lot and you’re always easily becoming sad. You never want to change your ideas, but you are satisfied with your life the way it is. You usually live for today not for tomorrow.
If you sleep on curled up (蜷缩), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and often protect yourself from being hurt, so you are very defensive. You’re shy and you don’t usually like meeting people. You like to be on your own.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced (平衡的) personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel worried, but you don’t often get unhappy. You always say what you think, even if it makes people angry.
1.You may find the passage in_____.
A. a science magazine B. a guide book
C. a sports newspaper D. a story book
2. When does the sleeping position best show your secret personality?
A. In the daytime. B. At the beginning of sleep.
C. At night. D. During the deep sleep.
3. Tina hardly tells her secrets to her friends. She probably goes to sleep _______.
A. on curled up B. on her stomach
C. on her back D. on her side
4.What does the word "defensive" mean in the passage?
A. 易怒的 B. 攻击性的 C. 外向的 D. 有戒心的
5. What does the passage tell us?
A. Sleeping on your side is the best way of sleeping.
B. Changing positions will cause sleeping problems.
C. Sleeping positions show people’s secret personalities.
D. Enough sleep makes people look better and healthier.
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
Food
British people like good food, and more than half of them go to a restaurant every month. Fast food is also very popular---30% of all adults have a hamburger every three months, but 46% have fish and chips!
Sports
British people don’t do a lot of sports. Only 17% of people go swimming every week, about 9% go cycling and 8% play golf--- and only 6% of people play football (but 32% go to watch it).
Cinema and TV
Films are very popular in Britain, and about 60% of the young people go to the cinema every month. At home, men watch TV for about three hours every day ---30 minutes more than women.
Holidays
British people love going on holiday, and have 56 holidays every year. Most of these holidays aren’t spent in the UK---27% are in Spain. 10% are in the USA, and 9% are in France. Maybe this is because the weather in Britain isn’t very good!
Presents
British people don’t send others expensive presents like other Europeans. They often send chocolates, wine and flowers of good quality.
1. Which food could be more popular among British adults, a hamburger or fish and chips?
A. A hamburger. B. Fish and chips. C. Both. D. Neither.
2.Those who are interested in movies are _____.
A. men B. women C. young people D. old people
3.How long do British women spend watching TV every day?
A. Three hours. B. Three hours and a half. C. Two hours. D. Two hours and a half.
4. British people’s favorite country for a holiday is _____.
A. Spain B. France C. America D. Australia
5. What present don’t British people often send?
A. Chocolates. B. Wine. C. Flowers. D. Money.
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
Our school is quite famous for its long history. It was founded in the early 1907s. It is a good place 1 we can prepare ourselves well for the future. We have many wonderful teachers 2 are always ready to offer help. 3 we pay a lot of attention to how well we do in lessons, achieving high scores is not the only reason to study. The teachers encourage us to try 4 new ideas and ask questions. With their help we have developed all kinds of interests 5 both Arts and Science. We can choose to join any school clubs they are interested in. We can 6 choose the subjects that we want to study. Last term I selected American literature 7 I wanted to learn about famous American writers. This term I chose to attend music classes because my father bought me a piano as 8 birthday present.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
In the past，most American mothers were at home to take care of their children during the day. Now, 36 , many mothers are working. More than half of the American women with young children have 37 outside the house.
American families solve the child care 38 in different ways. Some parents allow older children to stay at home alone after school. The parents 39 make sure that their children, usually not younger than 10 years old, understand 40 rules and can deal with emergencies (紧急情况). Other parents say they would 41 allow their children to be at home alone. They usually 42 someone to take care of the children.
Some parents in the U. S. find their own ways to cut the cost of child care. They join child care 43 . Each person in the group 44 for the children of other group members at different times. Some parents ask local churches, schools and social organizations to help 45 activities for the children. These child care choices often cost 46 or no money. Many American parents, however, still struggle with the problem of 47 good child care at a reasonable price.
1.A. therefore B. otherwise C. thus D. however
2.A. children B. jobs C. houses D. money
3.A. problem B. question C. chance D. choice
4.A. can B. must C. may D. ought
5.A. dangerous B. safety C. funny D. true
6.A. rather B. certainly C. always D. never
7.A. tell B. stop C. pay D. invite
8.A. schools B. groups C. clubs D. hospitals
9.A. cares B. sends C. asks D. pays
10.A. have B. offer C. play D. join
11.A. much B . little C. enough D. a great deal
12.A. taking B. finding C. losing D. suffering
— Frank, I’ve learned your plan. Could I make some suggestions?
— ________.
A. Just for fun B. Go ahead C. With pleasure D. Take it easy
