A
Here’s a simple challenge: name a famous inventor. Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci springs to mind. Or the pioneer of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. But you might be hard-pressed to name many female inventors, even though women are behind some of the most widely used technologies in the modern world.
For example, where would we be without the windscreen wiper? Back on a freezing winter’s day in 1902, Mary Anderson was traveling by tram through New York city. Snow was falling, forcing the driver to stop repeatedly and get out to clear it. Each time the door opened, Mary suffered. She had a brainwave: why not make something that could be operated from inside the vehicle? And that’s exactly what she did.
Let’s step in from freezing New York for our next invention. The dishwasher dates back even earlier to the 19th Century, and to the dinner parties thrown by a lady called Josephine Cochrane. As a frequent host, she wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster than people. Her response was to develop what was to become the first commercially successful dishwasher.
Need something to do while the dishwasher is on? How about a round of Monopoly(強手棋游戲)? One of the most popular board games around, the rules were first drawn up by a lady called Elizabeth Magie, and patented in 1904.
To an altogether different kind of innovation: Kevlar is the lightweight fibre used in bulletproof(防彈)vests. The material is used by millions every day and has saved countless lives and its strength-to-weight ratio is five times higher than steel.
Finally, one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century must surely be the computer programme. The world of programming is unbalanced among men and women, with men taking home around 30% more pay than their female partners on average. But back in the 1940s and 50s, women were at the forefront of this new field and Grace Hopper was one of them.
1. What do we know about the inventions mentioned in the text?
A. They were mostly made in the 20th century.
B. They all used high technology.
C. Their inventors came from families of good education.
D. They were all made by accident.
2. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the text?
A. Josephine Cochrane wanted a machine that operated automatically.
B. The game invented by Magie was popular merely among teenagers.
C. Kevlar is the super tough fibre and stronger than steel.
D. Grace Hopper was good at computer programming.
3. What is the best title of this passage?
A. Women Made Greater Contributions than Men
B. The Most Useful Inventions by Women
C. The Most Widely Used Technologies
D. Women can be Great Inventors
【答案】1. A 2. B 3. D
【解析】
【分析】本文是一篇說明文。文章為讀者介紹了一些現(xiàn)代世界一些最廣泛使用的技術(shù)背后都是由女性發(fā)明的。
【1題詳解】
細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第二段的“Back on a freezing winter’s day in 1902(那是在1902年一個寒冷的冬天)”和第四段的“The dishwasher dates back even earlier to the 19th Century(洗碗機(jī)甚至可以追溯到更早的19世紀(jì))”；第五段的“One of the most popular board games around, the rules were first drawn up by a lady called Elizabeth Magie, and patented in 1904. (作為最受歡迎的棋盤游戲之一，規(guī)則最初是由一位名叫Elizabeth Magie的女士制定的，并在1904年獲得了專利。)”以及最后一段的“Finally, one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century must surely be the computer programme. (最后，20世紀(jì)最重要的發(fā)明之一肯定是計算機(jī)程序。)”可知，文章中提到的發(fā)明大部分是20世紀(jì)發(fā)明的。故選A。
【2題詳解】
細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第四段的“One of the most popular board games around, the rules were first drawn up by a lady called Elizabeth Magie, and patented in 1904. (最受歡迎的棋盤游戲之一 ，最初是由一位名叫Elizabeth Magie的女士起草的，并于1904年獲得專利。)”可知，最受歡迎并沒有說僅受青少年的歡迎。因此推斷B項Magie發(fā)明的游戲僅受青少年歡迎是錯誤的。故選B。
【3題詳解】
主旨大意題？v觀全文可知，第一段是主題段，由“But you might be hard-pressed to name many female inventors, even though women are behind some of the most widely used technologies in the modern world. (但你可能很難說出許多女性發(fā)明家的名字，盡管現(xiàn)代世界一些最廣泛使用的技術(shù)背后都是女性。)”并結(jié)合下文的舉例可知，文章為讀者介紹了一些現(xiàn)代世界一些最廣泛使用的技術(shù)背后好多都是由女性發(fā)明的。所以選擇項D“Women can be Great Inventors(女性可以成為偉大的發(fā)明家)”作為文章標(biāo)題最為合適。故選D。
