Question

[1] Joshua Lionel Cowen，a New York inventor，was born in l 877．In 1 900，he created maybe the most popular Christmas toy of the last century —little electric trains that circle Christmas trees．More than 50 million Lionel train sets have been sold worldwide，and today Lionel produces more than 300 miles of track each year．

[2] Like many American inventors，Josh Cowen，who died in l965，was self-taught．According to history books．when he was 7 he carved a wooden toy train and tried to put a little steam engine on it．The engine blew up，but there were no complaints from his parents and eight brothers and sisters．

[3] As a 23-year-old working at an electric fan company，Cowen dreamed up putting a little battery—powered fan motor onto a wooden toy train he called the Electric Express．He took it to a toy store，and they put it in the window to replace a train you had to push around by hand．Within days，Christmas shoppers snapped up six Lionel trains, and the company business took off．

[4]While there were many toy train companies—the first electric train was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago—Cowen’s invention beat them a11．probably because he tied it to Christmas and produced the toy villages and other things to put around the tree and the train．Still，competition has not stopped．Today there are many companies making toy trains of all sizes，some on tracks using electricity，some on the floor using wind-up springs(發(fā)條)．

[5] One of the best places in Washington to see a big toy train display is the U．S．Botanic Garden．The big glass building at the foot of the U．S．Capitol has a single train running in one room and a bunch of trains in another big room．____________________________ is one of the most popular holiday attractions in the city．

1.What does the author want to tell us about Joshua Lionel Cowen in Paragraph l?(no more than 8 words)

2.What was Cowen’s family’s attitude toward his devotion to invention?(no more than 6 words)

3.What made Cowen succeed at the 1893 World’s Fair?(no more than 8 words)

4.Explain the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 in English．

5.Fill in the blanks in Paragraph 5 with proper words．(no more than 8 words)

 

Answer 1

1.He was a very successful inventor.

2.They understood him./ They supported him.

3.He connected / tied his invention to Christmas.

4.Very soon, Christmas shoppers bought six Lionel trains, and the company business became successful.

5.The big toy train display/show/exhibition

【解析】

1. He was a very successful inventor.

【試題解析】推理題。根據(jù)第一段最后2行More than 50 million Lionel train sets have been sold worldwide，and today Lionel produces more than 300 miles of track each year．可知他發(fā)明的玩具銷售量很大，說明他是一個很成功的發(fā)明家。

2.2】They understood him./ They supported him.

【試題解析】推理題。根據(jù)第二段最后一句The engine blew up，but there were no complaints from his parents and eight brothers and sisters可知盡管在開始的時候，他失敗了，但是家人沒有抱怨，而是一直在支持著他。

3.3】He connected / tied his invention to Christmas.

【試題解析】推理題。根據(jù)文章第4段2,3行probably because he tied it to Christmas and produced the toy villages and other things to put around the tree and the train．可知他把自己的發(fā)明和圣誕節(jié)結(jié)合在一起，增加了產(chǎn)品的銷量。

4.4】Very soon, Christmas shoppers bought six Lionel trains, and the company business became successful.

【試題解析】根據(jù)最后一句中的take off事業(yè)成功，騰飛可知很快很多出售圣誕節(jié)商品的商店都來購買他的發(fā)明物，他的公司的生意一下子就好了起來。

5.5】 The big toy train display/show/exhibition

【試題解析】本段仍然在說明Joshua Lionel Cowen所發(fā)明的玩具很受歡迎，玩具火車展覽也成為游客們的旅游勝地。