Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “l(fā)ike a magic carpet…You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused: “But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.”
It was a rare — indeed unique — occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout’s Wonderful Bag, a leather case.
Grout’s aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn’t do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated （充氣的） tyre.
So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse （橢圓）. Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.
Will the young Fitzsimons’s folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there’s plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked down so small that it can be carried on a plane — minus wheels, of course — as hand baggage.
Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie’s imagination? No. But it’s progress.
小題1:We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike        .
A．was portable
B．had a folding wheel
C．could be put in a pocket
D．looked like a magic carpet
小題2:We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Grout Portable        .
A．were difficult to separate
B．could be split into 6 pieces
C．were fitted with solid tyres
D．were hard to carry on a train
小題3:We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons’s invention        .
A．kept the tyre as a whole piece
B．was made into production soon
C．left little room for improvement
D．changed our views on bag design
小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Three folding bike inventors
B．The making of a folding bike
C．Progress in folding bike design
D．Ways of separating a bike wheel

小題1:A
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:C

小題1:邏輯推理題。從文章第一段Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “l(fā)ike a magic carpet…ou could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”.
小題2:細節(jié)判斷題。從文in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, 可知。
小題3:細節(jié)判斷題。從第四段最后一句話Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse （橢圓）. Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.可知。
小題4:邏輯判斷題。從整篇文章中可以看出是對便攜式是自行車的設計的改進。
練習冊系列答案
相關習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空(共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項,并在答題卡上將該將涂黑。
It was the night of the full moon,a time which always drives Java’s young people mad with excitement.
Fireworks were lit long before the moon_  36 .The big noise brought people out   37   
the warm night to enjoy the interesting scene.Everywhere,there were the paper remains of   38   
fireworks lying on the ground.Little boys 39__more and covered their ears as they waited    40     
for the explosions.
The moon appeared above the horizon(地平線):huge,   41   ball high above the city,and the 42__filled with people,as Java began to enjoy one of the year’s greatest     43    :‘the Night of the Full Moon’,a festival(節(jié)日)that is especially popular   44  young people.
More and more young Javanese  45 together and walked slowly through the  46  . Joking and chatting,they moved towards the mountain   47  the city.They continued to climb   48  they reached the old temple(寺廟)at the   49  of the mountain.
After they were   50  the temple,they drank their water and ate their moon-cakes—delicious home-made ones,   51  of dried fruit and nuts.Outside,on the mountain,young people
    52  cross-legged in circles,chatting and telling each other jokes.And   53  ,in their hundreds,more young people continued to make their way up the mountain to   54  the brightly shining moon.
By midnight,the fireworks had stopped shooting up from the   55  city in the valley below them.But during the night,the sound continued to be heard from the distance.
36.A.let out                  B.gave out                    C.came out                   D.set out
37.A.into                      B.at                             C.of                             D.from
38.A.burning                B.used                          C.exploding                  D.broken
39.A.lit                        B.bought                      C.piled                         D.removed
40.A.patiently               B.calmly                     C.worriedly                  D.excitedly
41.A.silver                   B.new                          C.colorful                     D.gold
42.A.mountains             B.valleys                      C.streets                       D.shops
43.A.games                  B.meetings                   C.sports                        D.events
44.A.for                       B.to                             C.with                          D.in
45.A.danced                 B.gathered                    C.drank                        D.shouted
46.A.village                  B.scene                        C.night                         D.ground
47.A.on the edge of                                                 B.on the way to
C.in the center of                                             D.in the direction of
48.A.while                   B.until                         C.unless                       D.though
49.A.tip                       B.back                         C.top                           D.bottom
50.A.inside                   B.near                          C.off                            D.across
51.A.fond                     B.little                         C.full                           D.free
52.A.jumped                 B.sat                            C.stood                        D.bent
53.A.so                        B.even                         C.yet                            D.still
54.A.follow                  B.show                         C.notice                       D.admire
55.A.clean                    B.gray                          C.peaceful                    D.empty

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。
Imagine that Mum and Dad have friends over, and you have to talk to adults all evening．Say the wrong thing and the parents might  36 ．But say nothing, and they'll think you weren't   37 ．So how can you  38 with adults?
It's easy．  39 ask them questions about  40 " Many of them like to talk about what they do for a  41 ," suggests psychologist．
Kids can also talk to grown-ups about  42 ．Ask what the last good movie they saw was, because people at dinner parties "light up" when the conversation  43 movies．If a grown-up is   44 Harry Potter, it's OK to talk about your  45 for Harry．It's a safe ,  46 , one that both grown-ups and kids can enjoy．So go  47 and talk about whether Dumbledore is really dead．
But  48 from topic of video games．"Adults don't want to hear about your  49 ,
  50 they play it," Ursiny explains．
Adults also don't want to hear slang （俚語）．Don't use   51  they don't understand．Ursiny says kids should learn to speak to other people in  52 own language．
While most adults aren't into slang, they do remember what it was like to be a kid．Ursiny recommends asking adults what 53 was like when they were your age．"It might be a fun  54 , if you compare your l0th-grade experience with theirs．"
Make sure you chat with your parents 55 to find out which topics are off-limits．
36．A．be satisfied                 B．get mad        C．disagree   D．a(chǎn)gree
37．A．friendly   B．right          C．good boys      D．helpful
38．A．deal with B．do with        C．talk           D．go on
39．A．So         B．Only           C．Just           D．But
40．A．you        B．yourselves     C．life           D．themselves
41．A．talk       B．job            C．fun            D．living
42．A．books      B．movies         C．TV plays       D．sports
43．A．turns to   B．goes on        C．moves on       D．keeps to
44．A．into       B．like           C．for            D．a(chǎn)gainst
45．A．idea       B．love           C．suggestion     D．hate
46．A．topic      B．dinner         C．love           D．talk
47．A．back       B．here           C．there          D．a(chǎn)head網(wǎng)48．A．stay away  B．go ahead     C．change         D．turn
49．A．video      B．video game     C．play           D．talk
50．A．if         B．when           C．though         D．unless
51．A．video      B．game           C．language       D．movie
52．A．his        B．their          C．your           D．our
53．A．school     B．family         C．discussion     D．children
54．A．story      B．experience     C．discussion     D．grown-up

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


You Did More Than Carry My Books
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had dropped all of the books he was carrying,along with a baseball bat and several other things. Mark "_36" down and helped the boy pick up these articles. "_ 37  "they were going the same way,he helped to carry some of them for him. As they walked Mark "_38  " the boy's name was Bill,that he "_ 39  " computer games, baseball and history,that he was having a lot of "_40" with his other subjects and that he had just broken "_41" with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was "_42" in for a Coke and to watch some television.The afternoon passed "_ 43  " with a few laughs and some shared small talk, and then Mark went home.They "_ 44  "to see each other around school,had lunch together once or twice,and then both ended up from the same high school.Just three weeks before "_ 45 ",Bill asked Mark if they "_ 46  " talk.
Bill "_ 47  " him of the day years ago when they had first met.“Do you "_48" wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?”asked Bill. “You see, I "_49 " out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess (臟亂) "_50  "anyone else. I had planned to run away and I was going home to "_51 " my things. But after we
spent some time together "_52" and laughing,I realized that "_ 53  " I had done that, I would have "_ 54" a new friend and missed all the fun we would have together.So you see, Mark ,when you picked up my books that day ,you did a lot more .You "_ 55  "my life.”
36.  A. fell            B. sat          C. lay         D. knelt 
37.  A. Although        B. Since        C. After       D. Until 
38.  A. discovered      B. realized     C. said        D. decided 
39.  A. played          B. loved        C. tried       D. made 
40.  A. questions       B. ideas        C. trouble     D. doubt 
41.  A. up              B. out         C. off         D. away 
42.  A. called          B. helped       C. invited     D. allowed 
43.  A. peacefully      B. willingly    C. freely      D. pleasantly 
44.  A. continued       B. agreed       C. forced      D. offered 
45.  A. graduation      B. movement     C. separation  D. vacation 
46.  A. would           B. should       C. could       D. must 
47.  A. demanded        B. reminded     C. removed     D. asked 
48.  A. ever            B. usually      C. even        D. never 
49.  A. checked         B. took         C. cleaned     D. put 
50.  A. over            B. into         C. with        D. for 
51.  A. find            B. pick         C. pack        D. hold 
52.  A. talking         B. playing      C. reading     D. watching 
53.  A. before          B. if           C. while       D. as 
54.  A. forgotten       B. passed       C. left        D. lost 
55.  A. helped          B. recovered    C. improved    D. changed 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy （經(jīng)濟）, oxen are the major animals pulling plows （犁）.
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing.  In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ire in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar （農(nóng)歷）, and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
小題1:The words "boats an land" underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to __
A．a(chǎn)nimals for taking goodsB．creatures for pulling plows
C．treasures of the folk cultureD．tools in the farming economy
小題2:From the third paragraph, we know that __
A．oxen are no more important today than in the past
B．ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup
C．oxen are treated as human in some areas of China
D．people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month
小題3:Which of the following helps to develop traditional customs?
A．The special role of oxen in frowning.
B．People's respect and love for oxen.
C．The practical value of an ox's body.
D．The contribution of oxen to the economy.
小題4:Why does the author write the text?
A．To stress the importance of oxen in farming.
B．To introduce the Chinese folk culture.
C．To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.
D．To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Directions: Complete the following passage by using ONE word that best fits the context.
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class   48  fun assignment --- to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.
Most of the class would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the themes of most of her students’ art. And they were. Douglas made a different kind of picture,   49 . When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an  50  hand .
His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys.   51  suggested a police officer’s, because the police protect and care   52  people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went --- until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.
When the children had gone on to other assignments, she stopped at Douglas’ desk, bent down, and asked him 53  hand it was. The little boy looked away and said, “It’s yours, teacher.”
She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How  54  had she said, “Take my hand, Douglas, we’ll go outside.” Or, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil.” Or, “Let's do this together.” Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's hand. Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.
The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks,  55  they'll remember the hand that reaches out.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Some time people call each other “scared-cat”,but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened,its heart starts beating faster,its muscles get tense,and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this,its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues,the animal will do one of two things:It will defend itself,or it will run away as fast as it can.
Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited,angry,scared,or aroused by other emotions (feelings),our bodied go through many physical changes.Out hearts beat faster,and our muscled get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We,too get ready to defend ourselves or run.
Human beings,however,have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over,we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger—or hit somebody—and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher,told somebody you were lonely,or said you were in love,and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always wise to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger,sadness,and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside,your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop,and you can feel churned up inside.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either;all feelings need to be expressed.)
Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them,but before long you'd smell them.And if you opened the cupboard,chances are you'd see little fruit flies hovering all over them.They'd be rotten.
You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist,but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them,just like those bananas.
小題1:The best title for this article is _________.
A．Emotions Affect Our BodiesB．What Happens to a Frightened Cat
C．What Happens to An Excited PersonD．Feelings that People Have
小題2:The underlined words “churned up” in the fourth paragraph mean _________.
A．gradually they'll disappearB．they won't exist any more
C．they will hover all overD．your body stays tense
小題3:The author wrote this article in order to _________.
A．tell us that it isn't good to keep feelings inside
B．give us some advice on how to express our feelings
C．make us face the problem that we have to deal with feelings
D．make us know that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


Puppies for Sale 待售的小狗
A store owner was putting a sign above his door that read “Puppies For Sale”. Signs like that have a way of   1  small children, and   2  enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “  3  are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.
The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30    4  $ 50.”
The little boy   5  in his pocket and pulled out some   6 . “I have $ 2.37,” he said. “  7  I please look at them?”
The store owner   8  and whistled and out of the kennel (狗窩) came a lady, who ran down the aisle (過道) of his store   9  by five puppies. One puppy was   10 . Immediately the little boy singled out the puppy and said, “What’s   11  with that little dog?”
The store owner explained that the veterinarian (獸醫(yī)) had   12  the little puppy and had discovered that it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always walk slowly and with difficulty. It would always be lame. The little boy became   13  “That’s the little puppy that I want to buy.”
The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The little boy got quite upset. He looked   14  into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay   15  price. In fact I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month    16  I have him paid for.”
The store owner answered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is   17  going to be able to jump and play with you like the other puppies.”
To his surprise, the little boy reached   18  and rolled up his pant leg to show a badly twisted, crippled (殘疾的) left leg   19  by a big metal brace (支架). He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who   20 !”
小題1:
A．a(chǎn)bsorbingB．a(chǎn)ttractingC．bargainingD．greeting
小題2:
A．sureB．luckilyC．surprisinglyD．interestingly
小題3:
A．WhatB．How comeC．WhenD．How much
小題4:
A．onB．a(chǎn)tC．toD．between
小題5:
A．putB．a(chǎn)rrivedC．reachedD．filled
小題6:
A．coinB．noteC．valueD．change
小題7:
A．CanB．ShallC．WillD．Must
小題8:
A．performedB．smiledC．disagreedD．a(chǎn)nnounced
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)ppliedB．guidedC．followedD．linked
小題10:
A．falling behindB．setting footC．lending a handD．putting forward
小題11:
A．the priceB．the matterC．the weightD．the name
小題12:
A．testedB．studiedC．examinedD．experimented
小題13:
A．excitedB．shockedC．worriedD．disappointed
小題14:
A．straightB．deeplyC．closelyD．totally
小題15:
A．halfB．lowerC．higherD．full
小題16:
A．unlessB．a(chǎn)fterC．untilD．once
小題17:
A．a(chǎn)lwaysB．oftenC．noD．never
小題18:
A．upB．downC．outD．over
小題19:
A．supportedB．a(chǎn)ssistedC．a(chǎn)djustedD．surrounded
小題20:
A．encouragesB．cooperatesC．understandsD．recognizes

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


 
Why People Get Tattoos

Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger
repeatedly stabbed (刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour
steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo. His friend Tony had
recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he
decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media
influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for
wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand – name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person in more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images(人物，圖像) show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colourful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality(個性). A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion. or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.
63．Jack has got tattoos in order to           .
A．show his great bravery                         B．gain a special experience
C．make himself more healthy                   D．be different from others
64．According to the passage, media images are linked to         .
A．traditional lifestyle                              B．social position
C．cultural background                             D．public interest 
65．We can infer from the passage that          .
A．some people get tattoos out of pressure 
B．tattoo is related to religious belief
C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money       
D．most people with tattoos are artists
66．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
 
CP: Central Point     P: Point     Sp: Sub – point (次要點)   C: Conclusion

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案