The history of writing instruments, with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts and feelings, is the history of civilization itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their life.
The handy sharpened-stone was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24, 000 BC, cavemen started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of their caves.
Before paper came along, people used clay or wax tablets on which they wrote with sharp objects such as metal sticks or bones. Around 6000 years ago, the Egyptians invented the first paper-like material called papyrus (纸莎草纸). The word “paper” actually comes from the word “papyrus.”
Another writing instrument that remained active in history for long period was the quill (鹅毛) pen. Introduced around 700 AD, the quill was a pen made from a bird feather. Goose feathers were most common.
When writers had better inks and paper and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man’s inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument.
| A．Then something was needed to write upon the papyrus. |
| B．The papyrus became the most popular material at that time. |
| C．Swan feathers were of high quality, being rare and most expensive. |
| D．Bamboo stems were better and much more expensive than goose feathers. |
| E．These were mostly the stems of grass, especially from the bamboo plant. |
| F．This led to the development of the modern fountain pen in the 19th century. |
| G．These drawings showed events in daily life like the planting of crops or hunting victories. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】More and more students are going abroad for their furtherstudy Do you want to know some famous colleges and universities?
Started in 1636, Harvar University is the oldest of all the colleges and universities in the United States.Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University and DartmouthCollege were opened soon after Harvard University. In the early years, these schools weare much alike. Only young men went tocollege. All the students studied the same subjects,and everyonelearned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers. In 1782, Harvard University started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard University’s law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard University began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history. As knowledge increased, Harvard University and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.
Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of thethem are made up of smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There’s so much to learn that one kind of school can’t offer it all.
1. From the second paragraph, we can see that in the early years, ____.| A．those colleges and universities had close similarity |
| B．people, young or old, might study in the colleges |
| C．students studied only some languages and science |
| D．when the students finished their school, they became lawyers or teachers |
| A．Latin and Greek |
| B．Latin, Greek, French and German |
| C．Greek and German |
| D．French and German |
| A．everything that was known |
| B．law and something about medicine |
| C．many new subjects |
| D．the subjects that interested students |
| A．how to start a university |
| B．the world-famous colleges and universities in America |
| C．how American colleges and universities have changed |
| D．the lessons each college teaches |
【推荐2】In 2017, Yazd, a city in the desert of central Iran, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yazd has long been a focal point for creative inventiveness. It is home to an underground refrigeration structure called yakchat and an underground irrigation system called qanats. In addition, the city has the wind catcher, a cooling architectural element that has been used for thousands of years. And it has the most wind catchers in the world.
These remarkable towers are a common sight standing above the buildings of Yazd. There are two main forces that drive the air through and down into the structures: the incoming wind and the change in buoyancy (浮力) of air. First，as air is caught by the opening of a wind catcher, it is led down to the house below. Then the air flows throughout the inside of the building, sometimes over underground pools of water for further cooling. Eventually, warmed air will rise and leave the building through another tower or opening.
Some of the earliest wind-catching technology came from Egypt 3,300 years ago. Here, buildings had thick walls, few windows facing the sun, an opening to take in air and an exit opening on the other side known as malqaf architecture. Iran’s wind-catching technology is widely considered to have added structural improvements to allow for better cooling-such as typically combining it with its existing irrigation system to help to cool the air down before releasing it throughout the home.
The structures, which require no electricity to power them, are now drawing scientists back to the desert city to see what role they could play in keeping us cool in a rapidly heating world. Parham Kheirkhah Sangdeh has extensively studied the scientific application and surrounding culture of wind catchers in contemporary architecture at Ilam University in Iran. He hopes to see Iran’s wind catchers updated to add energy-efficient cooling to existing buildings. “People need to keep an eye on the past and understand why energy conservation is important,” he says.
1. Which of the following makes the city of Yazd unusual?| A．Its long history. |
| B．Its extreme climates. |
| C．Its ancient innovative wonders. |
| D．Its central geographical position. |
| A．Near a house’s door. |
| B．Above the rooftop. |
| C．Beside the underground pools. |
| D．Beneath a house’s windows. |
| A．It is surrounded by thicker walls. |
| B．It has no windows facing the sun. |
| C．It requires no electricity to power it. |
| D．It takes advantage of water’s properties. |
| A．Introducing wind catchers into today’s buildings. |
| B．Studying the earliest wind catchers in Egypt. |
| C．Repairing traditional wind catchers in Yazd. |
| D．Creating energy conservation labs at Ilam University. |
【推荐3】Construction on Knolly's Tunnel began in 1896， and it was opened on August 13th， 1898 by the man it was named after--Sir Clement C． Knolly， Acting Governor of Trinidad． It linked Rio Claro with Port of Spain． Its architecture is still admired and studied today， and many are amazed that Knolly's Tunnel has stood up to the earth's movement over so many years．
Much research is being done on the tunnel． At the top of Knolly's Tunnel are cottages covered with leaves， where visitors can sit and enjoy the beauty of nature． Standing at the beginning of Knolly's Tunnel， you can see nothing but the tiny light at the end． The train tracks have been removed and replaced with small stones． Visitors can drive through the tunnel or walk through， but should do so in groups for safety． In the old days， there were no lights， but now there are street lights on the way to the tunnel， though not inside．
On your way in， you may notice some manholes on the walls of the tunnel． These were there for individuals to step into for safety as the train passed． Knolly's Tunnel can be accessed through Tabaquite and through Mitchell Gap． The road was recently improved， but is better when you enter from Tabaquite， and there are signs on the road directing you to Knolly's Tunnel．
On the drive to Knolly's Tunnel there are two other cottages where visitors can sit and just enjoy nature． At the site itself， there is nothing to purchase to eat or drink， but in Tabaquite there are several bars， a restaurant， and food outlets． A gas station and a health centre are also close by．
For those who admire architecture， Knolly's Tunnel is a must-see when visiting Trinidad． For the nature lovers， there is no better place for them to be and for the historians， they can walk or drive through Knolly's Tunnel knowing that many of our ancestors toiled （worked hard） on its structure． So when you visit Trinidad， don't forget to take a look at Knolly's Tunnel!
1. Knolly's Tunnel is special in ______ ．| A．its environment | B．its function |
| C．its location | D．its architecture |
| A．Trinidad | B．Tabaquite |
| C．Mitchell Gap | D．Knolly's Tunnel |
| A．To suggest a visit to Knolly's Tunnel． |
| B．To introduce the history of Knolly's Tunnel． |
| C．To evaluate the value of Knolly's Tunnel． |
| D．To witness the change of Knolly's Tunnel |
| A．a geography textbook | B．a travel journal |
| C．a sports report | D．a health and fitness magazine |
