The Invention Blog: A Place for People to Share Opinions

Today’s question is:

　　　 What do you think is the most useful invention of all time?

Posted by Cindy Wu on Saturday, April 13

There are many ---the train , the car, the airplane are useful machines, but these are not my choices. For an everyday, useful invention, I vote for the air conditioner. I live in Taibei, and during the summer the temperature can be 35degrees Celsius（攝氏度)or more. It’s so hot! I’m not joking when I say that, without an air conditioner, people here cannot work or study. A lot of people might also get sick without cool air.

Posted by Jorge on Sunday, April 14

The most useful invention of all time is surely the Internet. We can now reach people and do business faster. I own a clothing store in Mexico City, and there is a lot of competition(競爭). I also have a website. Now, people from all over the world can buy my clothing using my website. I can keep in touch with friends and family in Mexico and around the world using e-mail. It’s faster than usual mail, and it’s cheaper than using the phone.

Posted by Kazuo on Monday, April 15

Jorge, I also think that the Internet is useful. But, in my opinion, there is an ‘invention’ that is even more important, and that’s electricity. Of course, this isn’t a man-made invention, .But without electricity, many of the world’s most important invention would not work.

　　

52. vote, it means_________

A.投票　　　　 B. 制作　　 C. 表達(dá)　　 D. 感受　　　

53. For Cindy, the air conditioner is the most useful because____________

　　 A. her apartment doesn’t smell very good　

B. she lives in a very hot place.

　　 C. she often gets sick　　　 　　　　　　

D. she likes summer

54. Jorge says that the Internet helps him to ______________

　　 A. buy clothing from all around the world.

B. keep in touch with family and friends

　　 C. use the telephone more cheaply.　　　

D. see the talk show

55. Kazuo thinks electricity is the most useful because________________

　　 A. many machines cannot work without it.　 B. it is really an invention.

　　 C. it is very cheap　　　　　　　　　　　 D. it is easy

  I live on the twelfth floor of a building. One afternoon I was coming home from a friend’s house. It was just after four o’clock. I got quickly into the lift and pressed Button12.

  The lift started to go up, but very slowly . And then, half way up, it suddenly stopped between two floors. I couldn’t understand it. I pressed all the buttons from 1to 14. I called for help very loudly. But nobody answered.

  Then suddenly the light went out, and I was alone in the dark. I started to cry and beat the walls of the lift. I cried and cried until I had no voice left. Then, I felt hopeless, and pressed all the buttons with my open hands. And all at the same time, there was a bell far away . It rang and rang. It was the fire alarm(火災(zāi)警報). I thought the whole building was on fire. I said to god quietly, “Just get me out of here. I’ll never be bad again.”

   Just then, I realized the lift was moving very slowly . On the ground floor it stopped, and the doors opened. A man was standing there. “How long have you been there? It is good that you pressed the alarm bell. But haven’t you learned to read at your school?” He pointed at a small piece of paper on the wall beside the lift. It said: “Attention: This lift will be stopped for repairs between 4pm and 5pm on Thursday March 13.”

51.What happened to the lift?

A. It had a fire accident.                 B. It stopped half way.

C. It was turned off by the writer.         D. It moved fast up to the top floor.

52.As the situation went on , the writer became________________.

A. more and more sacred.                B. calmer and calmer.

C. more and more bored.                D. clearer and clearer.

53. Why did a bell ring from far away.

A. The lift was to start again.        B. The repair worker rang the lift alarm.

C. The building was on fire.         D. the writer pressed the lift alarm bell.

54. Who most probably made the lift move again and go down to the ground to the ground floor?

A. The writer.  B. The writer’s friend.  C. The man.  D. The writer’s father.

55. After reading the paper, the writer realized that he/she had _______.

A. escaped from a fire accident       B. made a silly mistake.

C. visited a dishonest friend         D. pressed a wrong button. 　

Though we were poor, my sister managed to buy me a pair of “magic shoes” that changed my life.
      Anne is six years older than me. Growing up, we were very poor, and my mother worked evenings at a factory in a small town. Not seeing my mother much, Anne took over much of the support. During those teenage years, Anne was always there for me, not only as a big sister, but as a mother and my best friend.
      When I was seventeen，I had no money. I thought my only chance of going to college was trying to win a scholarship. I had an important interview for such an award. I told her about my interview, that General Motors was sending me a bus ticket, and I would get to visit the city for my scholarship interview. I was excited about the adventure* and asked her advice on what to wear. I showed her my best coat and how I planned to be careful, how I sat so that the hole in the bottom of my shoe would not be seen, but I wasn’t sure what I would do if it rained.
      Anne suggested that we should go shopping, and we took the bus to a store. There we found a beautiful pair of leather shoes on sale. She told me to try them on, but I thought it was just for fun .As neither of us had ever owned anything that expensive before. But this time was different. Anne handed me the boxed shoes and said, “Here, I’ll buy these for you.”
      “But…” was all I could say.
      “You deserve* them,” she replied. “I want to see you get that scholarship.”
      I went to the interview and crossed my legs so that my beautiful new shoes shone with pride. I won the scholarship and became an engineer. Now, after twenty years have passed, I still have that pair of shoes with me, and I just wear them on those occasions* when I need to feel special. It’s kind of like having magic slippers when you’re homesick.

52. The writer said that Anne was like the author’s mother because____________?
A. she took care of the author.
B. Anne was much older than the author.
C. Anne looked like the author’s mother.
D. Anne admired the author’s mother.

53. Anne suggested that they go shopping in order to ____________.
A. buy a pair of new shoes for the author
B. buy a pair of new shoes for herself
C. repair the author’s poor shoe
D. try on different kinds of clothes

54. The interview was successful probably because _____________.
A. the interviewers noticed her new shoes and liked them
B. the author looked especially beautiful wearing the shoe
C. the author was confident with the new shoes on
D. the shoes are a pair of “magic shoes”

55. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Growing Up   B. An Interview    C. Going to College   D. Magic Shoes.

Did you see snow in your hometown last winter? Did you feel it was warmer than before? “There have been 21 warm winters in China since 1986,” said scientists. They also said that in the past 100 years, as the global(全球的) temperatures went up by 0.74℃, the temperature in North China has climbed 1.4℃ in only 50 years.

China needs to take quick action to cut carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)emission(排放), because it’s the main reason for global warming. The good news is that China has seen the importance of going green. China set the goal of cutting energy use by 20% and pollution emission by 10% in the 11^th Five-Year plan.

Can you slow global warming? Sure! You and your family can take steps to cut the amount of carbon dioxide that is sent out into the air.

Here are some pieces of advice to help you save the earth.

Wear used clothes. Wearing your brother’s, or sister’s or dad’s old T-shirt means you save the energy.

Change your light bulbs(燈泡). Use energy-saving light bulbs. And don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave a room and turn off your television and computer when they are not in use!

Ride the bus. Taking a bus saves a lot of oil every year. Say no to plastic bags. The next time your parents go to the market, ask them to use baskets.

Don’t use the air conditioner. When you have to use the conditioner, set the temperature higher in the summer and lower in the winter to save energy.

Make small changes in your daily life. Don’t use paper cups, bags and boxes.

It’s time for all of us to do something to save the earth.

51. The main reason for global warming is _________.

　 A. The oil B. carbon dioxide　

C. paper cups, bags and boxes.　 D. television and computers

52. The word “energy” in the second paragraph means “___________”.

　 A. 活力　　　　　 B. 干勁　　　　　 C. 精力　　　　　 D. 能源

53. How many pieces of advice are there in this passage?

　 A. Three　　　　　 B. Four　　　　　　 C. Five　　　 　　D. Six

54. Which of the following is true?

　 A. It’s a pity to wear your dad’s old T-shirt.

　 B. Using air conditioners may be a waste of energy.

　 C. Taking a bus wastes a lot of oil every year.

　 D. Using paper bags saves energy a lot.

55. The passage is mainly about the ways to _________.

　 A. slow down global warming

B. make energy

　 C. change our daily life

D. change the world weather