For over one hundred and fifty years, Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans.1. Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today.Strauss' invention continues to be popular not only among Americans but also among people around the world.
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829.2. He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New York in 1847.Before becoming an American citizen and moving to the West in 1853, Strauss worked in his brother's dry goods business.This gave him a chance to produce his famous invention.After the gold rush of 1949, Strauss decided to move to the West to seek his fortunes.
Strauss did not want to be a person who searched an area for minerals.Instead, he knew he could make a good living by selling supplies to the miners.At first, he planned to sell sewing supplies and cloth.3.When he heard miners complaining that their clothes were easily broken or they usually tore their pockets during mining, he decided to use a special fabric to make pants for the miners.These pants proved so popular that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
In 1873, Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of connecting pockets with copper rivets (铆钉).This made the pants last a long time.Because Davis did not have the money to patent his idea, he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent.4..
By the time Strauss died in 1902, he had made a great contribution to American fashion.
5.The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss' company is now one of the largest clothing companies in the world.
A.Nobody knew what kind of material was suitable.
B.As a young boy, he moved with his family to the United States.
C.However, he did not get much business for those products.
D.He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since.
E.He also made a great contribution to America's clothing industry.
F.As the business grew, Strauss got much money from it.
G.Since they were invented by Levi Strauss, they have become a symbol of American consumer culture.
Every year in May, art galleries and museums prepare shows to honor Leonardo Da Vinci, who died in France on May 2, 1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Recently, researchers have been studying a painting-Landscape 8P which, they think, is Da Vinci's earliest-known artwork. They used special lighting to study the artwork and discovered there were two images, not one. One drawing is on the back of the piece, which dates back to August 5,1473.
The drawing on the front was painted when Leonardo was 21 years old. It shows a river valley and a castle outside the city of Florence. There is little left of the drawing on the back, perhaps because it was wiped off. Only a bridge over a river can be seen. But there is writing on both sides.
The writing on the front gives the date and goes from right to left. Some people would call this “mirror-writing”. It's a way Leonardo often wrote in his notebooks. The writing on the back goes from left to right and tells about an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.
Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, “Leonardo was born left-handed, but was taught to write with his right hand from a very young age. By looking at his writings, including from this drawing, we can see his right-handed handwriting is educated and well done.”
Experts compared the two handwriting samples(样本)and said they were both made by Leonardo. They show he could write well using his left hand or his right hand.
The drawing is known as Landscape 8P from its number in an art list. It will be part of an exhibit at Italy's Uffizi Gallery. The gallery director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo's drawing technique and his abilities in writing.
1.What does the writing on the back probably tell about?
A.A statement about the painting. B.An agreement to produce a painting.
C.An introduction about Leonardo. D.Something about the city of Florence.
2.What can we learn about Leonardo from Cecilia's words?
A.He did bad in right-handed handwriting.
B.He wasn’t good at writing with his left hand.
C.He could write with either of his hands.
D.He taught himself to write with right hand.
3.What's Eike Schmidt’s attitude towards the research?
A.Unclear. B.Indifferent.
C.Positive. D.Doubtful.
Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to______________, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.
1.According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______.
A.focused
B.relaxed
C.awake
D.busy
2.What does the author imply about newspapers?
A.They are solution providers.
B.They are a source of inspiration.
C.They are normally full of bad news.
D.They are more educational than websites.
3.By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”.
A.wander into the wild
B.listen to a beautiful tune
C.switch to the traffic channel
D.stop concentrating on anything
4.The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.
A.offer practical suggestions
B.summarize past experiences
C.advocate diverse ways of life
D.establish a routine for the future
5 books I loved in 2018
By Bill Gates
A great read is the perfect gift and I think everyone could use a few more books in their lives. My book list covers various topics, including an autobiography on learning throughout a life, a deep search on autonomous weapons (武器), a thriller about the fall of a once-promising company and a guide about meditation (冥想)—there’s something for everyone.
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe. The book starts with Puddicombe’s personal journey from a university student to a Buddhist monk and then becomes an entertaining explainer on how to meditate. If you’re thinking about trying mindfulness, this is the perfect introduction.
Army of None, by Paul Scharre. It’s an extremely complicated topic, but Scharre offers clear explanations and presents both the advantages and disadvantages of machine-driven warfare. His fluency with the subject should come as no surprise: he’s an ex-soldier who helped draw up the U.S. government’s policy on autonomous weapons.
Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou.Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider’s look at the rise and fall of a company. I found myself unable to put it down once I started. This book has everything: magazine cover stories, ruined family relationships, and the failure of a company once valued at nearly $10 billion.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari. I’m a big fan of everything Harari has written, and his latest is no exception. If 2018 has left you stressed out by the state of the world, 21 Lessons offers a helpful framework for processing the news and thinking about the challenges we face.
Educated, by Tara Westover. Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I loved this life story of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.
1.According to Bill Gates, the book list is _____.
A.time-consuming B.life-changing
C.wide-ranging D.easy-reading
2.Paul Scharre is able to clearly explain machine-driven warfare issues because _____.
A.he used to serve in the army
B.he has outstanding writing skills
C.he is good at making autonomous weapons
D.he was a policy-maker in the U.S. government
3.Which book would most interest home-schooled children?
A.Educated
B.Bad Blood
C.21 Lessons for the 21st Century
D.The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
Before leaving the country, you must be in of a valid passport.
A.provide B.pollute C.predict D.possession
The cigarette end thrown away by a careless woodcutter _______ the big forest fire.
A.resulted from B.resulted in C.brought off D.brought up
