Question

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (肌腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (縫合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle (腳踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement (侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties (版稅). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
小題1:Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because __________.

A．people did not know how to put out the fire

B．Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention

C．the sewing machines couldn’t work finally

D．workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

小題2:Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elias Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A．Because the judge was against Singer for his unfriendly attitude.

B．Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.

C．Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.

D．Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.

小題3:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

B．The Case between Howe and Singer

C．Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine

D．The Early History of the Sewing Machine

Answer 1

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:D

人類最早是用動物的骨頭和肌腱做針線來縫制的，很多人夢想發(fā)明機器來解放繁重的勞動。法國的Barthelemy Thimonnier發(fā)明了能用的縫紉機結(jié)果卻差一點被裁縫活活燒死。美國的Elias Howe發(fā)明并申請了專利雙線連鎖縫紉法，結(jié)果回到英國發(fā)現(xiàn)另一個美國人Isaac Singer改用腳工作，使縫紉機走進了百姓家，縫紉法還是他的。最終Howe成了百萬富翁，不是因為批量生產(chǎn)縫紉機，而是因為得到了他發(fā)明的版稅。
小題1:細節(jié)理解題。第三段大意是：Barthelemy Thimonnier 的制衣廠被一群憤怒的裁縫燒了，因為他們擔心會因為這個機器而丟了工作。 故選D。
小題2:細節(jié)理解題。 最后一段的大意：法庭強迫Isaac Singer付給Elias Howe專利稅。因為Isaac Singer沒有經(jīng)過Elias Howe同意，就使用了他已經(jīng)申請了專利的雙線連鎖縫紉法。Howe控告Singer侵權(quán)并獲勝，而Singer被要求付給Howe版稅。故選B。
小題3:主題歸納題。通讀全文判斷，全文介紹了縫紉機從無到有，從手動到腳動的過程，以及幾個發(fā)明人之間的故事。所以最佳題目應(yīng)該是縫紉機的早期歷史。故選D。