Question

We know the famous ones — the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells — but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper（雨刮器）? Shouldn’t we know who they are?

Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and “how” questions. According to Mclean, “When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”

Her students agree. One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of Mclean’ statement. “If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention,” said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major, “I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive.” Lee is currently negociating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.

So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆) on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.

Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

1.By mentioning “traffic light” and “windshield wiper”, the author indicates that countless inventions are ________.

A. beneficial, because their inventors are famous

B. beneficial, though their inventors are less famous

C. not useful, because their inventors are less famous

D. not useful, though their inventors are famous

2.Professor Joan Mclean’s course aims to ________.

A. add colour and variety to students’ campus life

B. inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention

C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University

D. prepare students to try their own invention

3.Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was ________.

A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer

B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper

C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm

D. not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures

4.Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?

A. How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?

B. How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?

C. Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?

D. Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：一位物理学教授通过自己独特的课程不但让学生们了解了一些很有用发明的发明人，同时也激发了学生们搞发明的潜能。

1. 推理判断题。根据第一段中的“...but what about the less famous inventors？”和文章末段首句“Today we benefit from countless．．．”可推知，作者认为相对爱迪生和贝尔来说，虽然这些发明家知名度低，但这些发明是有益的。

2. 细节理解题。根据第二段末句“...they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”可知，让学生做好准备去尝试自己的发明是课程的宗旨。

3. 细节理解题。根据第三段中 “If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention,” said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major, “I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive.”可知，雨刷器发明的故事正是Tommy Lee发明unbreakable umbrella的灵感来源。

4. 主旨大意题。文章围绕“雨刷器发明的故事”展开，结合第一段末句 “Shouldn’t we know who they are？”可知，应选C。

【名师点拨】

推理判断题所涉及的内容可能是文中的某一句话，也可能是某几句话，所以，推理题的答案只能是根据原文表面文字信息一步推出的答案：即对原文某一句话或某几句话所作的同义改写或综合。推理判断题的题干中通常含infer,suggest,imply,conclude indicate等标志性词语。 这种题型主要包括细节判断题、态度观点推断题、写作意图推断题、文章出处判断题和猜测想象推断题。6小题B推理判断题。根据第三段中的虚拟语气句“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention ”“ I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive．”可知，雨刷器发明的故事正是他灵感的源泉。

考点：考查故事类阅读