In the early 19th century, New England farmers, tired of wrestling with their poor land, journeyed to the Midwest. In states like Illinois and Iowa, they found rich, black soil. Unfortunately, many soon felt like thirsty sailors in the middle of the ocean—water everywhere but not a drop to drink. They were surrounded by fertile soil, but had to stop every few seconds to remove the sticky dirt off their iron plows (犁) with large wooden paddles. This dilemma caught the attention of John Deere, a blacksmith who moved to Illinois in 1836.
Deere decided to look into the problem. From his previous work on plows, he knew that dirt was less likely to stick to highly polished metal. That thought was in the back of his mind when he visited a sawmill (锯木厂) in 1837 and noticed a broken saw made of steel. Deere brought it home and began making a better plow. The plow he wanted would have to cut deep into the soil at a sharp angle so that dirt would fall off, yet it could not put too much burden on the horses pulling it. After several experiments, Deere constructed a new plow that featured wood handles. It proved a success. Unlike the old iron plows, Deere’s not only had a blade from which dirt fell away cleanly, but it also turned the soil more efficiently and quickly.
Demand for Deere’s plows increased sharply, but production was limited by the shortage of polished steel. Initially, Deere could only produce a few plows each year. However, Deere’s persistence paid off as he sourced cheaper steel from Pittsburgh. Amazingly, in 1857, his company manufactured and sold 10, 000 plows!
Deere, a perfectionist, continually improved his plows, introducing multiple new versions in a single year. While this slowed down his production ability, it ensured Deere a solid reputation among his customers. Deere plows became world famous in the 1870s when they outshone the competition in a demonstration in France. That same decade, his company built its first riding plow and designed the leaping deer as its trademark.
1. What was the main problem the newly settled farmers met?| A．A shortage of fresh water. | B．A lack of rich farming land. |
| C．The trouble in handling the soil on plows. | D．The difficulty of growing plants in season. |
| A．Its unique features. | B．Its operating method. |
| C．Its invention process. | D．Its working efficiency. |
| A．wide recognition | B．marketing strategy |
| C．technical standards | D．production challenges |
| A．A Famed Farmer | B．A Successful Company |
| C．A Sticky Problem | D．A Historical Experiment |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Windows not only let light in to cut down an electricity use for lighting, but the light coming through the window also provides heat. However, windows are not something people typically associate with being a cutting edge technology. Researchers are now working on new technologies that enable a window to quickly change from clear to dark and anywhere in between with a turn of a switch.
“It took us a long time to figure out what a window really is,” says Claes Granqvist, a professor of solid-state physics at Uppsala University In Sweden. “It’s contact with the outside world. You have to have visual contact with the surrounding world to feel well,” So ,windows and natural light are important for improving the way people feel when they’re stuck indoors.
Yet, windows are the weak link in a building when it comes to energy and temperature control. In the winter, cold air leaks in. When it’s hot and sunny, sunlight streams in. All of this sunlight carries lots of heat and energy. And all of this extra heat forces people to turn on their air conditioners. Producing cold air, which can feel so refreshing, actually suck up enormous amounts of electricity in buildings around the world.
Windows have been a major focus of energy research for a long time. Over the years, scientists have come up with a variety of strategies for coating, glazing, and layering windows to make them more energy efficient. Smart windows go a step further. They use some technologies involving changes of color.
Electrochromic windows use electricity to change color. For example, a sheet of glass coated with thin layers of tungsten oxide works bit like a battery. Tungsten oxide is clear when an electric charge is applied and dark when the charge is removed. That is, when the amount of voltage is decreased, the window darkens until it’s completely dark after all electricity is taken away. So applying a voltage determines whether the window looks clear or dark.
One important feature that makes a smart window so smart is that it has a sort of “memory”. All it takes is a small shock of voltage to turn the window from one state to the other. Then, it stays that way. Transitions take from 10 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the size of the window. The development of smart windows could mean that massive air conditioning systems may no longer need. “In the future,” Granqvist says, “our buildings may look different.”
1. Which statement dose not indicate the importance of windows as described in the first two paragraphs?| A．Windows can change from clear to dark to save energy. |
| B．Windows help to save energy by letting light in. |
| C．Windows help to save energy by providing heat. |
| D．Windows enable people to have contact with the outside world. |
| A．that are coated | B．that use electricity |
| C．the color of which can be changed | D．that have many layers |
| A．Electricity | B．Tungsten oxide | C．A battery | D．A voltage |
【推荐2】Student scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras recently demonstrated the power of combining hardware with artificial intelligence by developing a water assessment device. The team won the $ 200,000 top prize at IBM’s Global Call For Code Challenge for 2021 for their innovative technology.
Developed by the team that calls itself “Saaf Water,” the device has a lot of uses. The low-cost device could help save millions of lives in India if deployed on the large-scale. It not only senses decontaminated(净化)water but also provides a comprehensive summary of the water quality while suggesting purifying methods.
Using IBM Cloud and IBM Watson, the students developed the tech to especially cater to rural areas in India. Saaf Water was in theory when one of the developer, Hrishikesh Bhandari’s mother fell ill due to unknown consumption of contaminated water, which came from a public ground water source.
“When we came back to Goa, her treatment was going on and the doctor said it’s due to a very rare disease caused due to polluted water,” Bhandari told Indiatimes. Three months into her treatment, Bhandari and her teammates decided to develop Saaf Water in hopes of preventing such kind of disasters.
Saaf Water timely monitors the water and informs the community in real time. In addition, Saaf Water also suggests purification(净化)methods that may be best for different locations and geographies.
Saaf Water’s goal is simple and straightforward. With their breathtaking machine, they give local communities the power to save lives. The data is studied in real time by Saaf Water, which does analysis of the contamination.
1. What does the underlined word “innovative” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Strange. | B．Contradictory. | C．Fashionable. | D．original. |
| A．It purifies drinking water directly. |
| B．It separates dirty from clean water. |
| C．It makes clean water from used water. |
| D．It monitors the water and offers purification ways. |
| A．To finish an academic task. |
| B．To help secure lives in local communities. |
| C．To collect money for the poor. |
| D．To raise people’s awareness of water safety. |
| A．A diary. | B．A novel. | C．A magazine. | D．A notebook. |
【推荐3】People such as singers, public speakers and teachers run the risk of injuring their vocal cords (声带) through overuse. An experimental wearable system is designed to help keep that from happening, by warning users as they approach their vocal threshold (阈值).
The setup is being developed by a team of materials scientists, biomedical engineers, opera singers and a speech-language pathologist, led by Northwestern University’s Prof. John A. Rogers. It incorporates two devices: a sensor that is stuck to the skin over the wearer’s breastbone, and a haptic (触觉的) feedback unit which is worn on their wrists. Both are wirelessly linked via bluetooth to an app on the user’s smartphone.
The sensor continuously detects the shaking movements of the wearer’s vocal cords — but not any outside noises — sending its readings to the app. If the app determines that the person is getting dangerously close to the specific threshold which they previously set for themselves, it warns them by causing the haptic feedback unit to shake. The user then knows to shut up for a while — or at least quiet down a bit — in order to give their vocal cords a rest. Even a break of just 15 to 20 minutes may be sufficient.
A display on the app provides more information on the user’s vocal activity, along with recommendations for resting appropriately. And importantly for the privacy-conscious, the system does not record what the user is saying.
“It’s easy for people to forget how much they use their voice,” said Theresa Brancaccio, a Northwestern lecturer and voice expert who co-led the study. “Experienced classical singers tend to be more aware of their vocal usage because they have lived and learned. But some people often don’t realize how much they are pushing it. We want to give them greater awareness to help prevent injury.”
1. What’s the purpose of the experimental wearable system?| A．To make users keep up with the times. |
| B．To help examine users’ skin and wrists. |
| C．To prevent users harming their vocal cords. |
| D．To facilitate the teachers’ teaching activities. |
| A．Defeats. | B．Advertises. | C．Balances. | D．Includes. |
| A．Its working process. | B．Its purpose of design. |
| C．Its economic advantages. | D．Its key components. |
| A．It records what the users are saying. | B．It takes the privacy of the users seriously. |
| C．It shows information on the users’ weight. | D．It reminds the users of dangers on the road. |
【推荐1】As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children.
Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification (沙漠化). “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.” A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 percent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.
Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.
In 2012, Toumi consolidated (巩固) her dream of fighting the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy (理念) into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”
By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 percent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?| A．They made her decide to leave the country. |
| B．They helped her better understand her father. |
| C．They aroused her enthusiasm for helping others. |
| D．They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. |
| A．Low rainfall. | B．Soil pollution. | C．Cold weather. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．To create job opportunities for young people. |
| B．To help the children obtain a basic education. |
| C．To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
| D．To promote the protection of their farmland. |
| A．Saving Water in Tunisia | B．Holding back the Sahara |
| C．Planting Trees of Native Species | D．Fighting Poverty in North Africa |
【推荐2】“Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed, and people stirred(骚动) to go. Papaderos held up his hand and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece, this one, and, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine—in deep holes and cracks and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible(难达到的) places I could find.
As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light—truth, understanding, knowledge—is there, and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment (碎片) of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world—into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.”
1. Why did Dr. Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?| A．Because he was too poor to afford other toys. |
| B．Because it could shine the places where the sun couldn’t reach. |
| C．Because he believed it would bring good luck to him. |
| D．Because it told him a lot about what life really meant to him. |
| A．symbol | B．source | C．light | D．purpose |
| A．A Special Game in the Childhood | B．A Broken Piece of Mirror |
| C．Dr. Papaderos’ Experience | D．The Meaning of Life |
【推荐3】As intros to backpacking go, this might be pushing it. At noon on a brilliant Tuesday in March, my 12-year-old son Kai and I are a mile and a half into a four-day, 27-mile walk through the Grand Canyon—his first backpacking trip—when he asks, “Are we almost to camp?, Um, no. Camp, at Hermit Creek, is seven miles and nearly 2,500 feet below, that will take us several more hours.
We are here largely because of a birthday note Kai wrote to me two years ago in which he declared, “You used to be a wild 10-year-old like me and now you’re a wild 53-year-old. We can do so many things together! I am excited for when I’m old enough for the Grand Canyon.”
There are, I suppose, dads who could resist that, just as there are fathers who would plan an experience-appropriate trip for their sons. I am neither, so here we are. Never mind that; aside from simply being 12, Kai has done almost nothing to physically prepare for this. Or that I haven’t backpacked for 13 years.
We go down a poorly maintained path off the canyon with twisty trees and twining bushes. Gradually the view broadens, the landscape in Vishnu fascinates Kai greatly. “This place is amazing,” he says. Nightfall in the canyon can be magical. Darkness surrounds us, pressed by cool air. Hearing the sound of a waterfall, we lie down to take in the stars. Twice I suggest we turn in. “Not yet,” Kai says. “This is too unbelievable.”
Wednesday, we travel three miles to Monument Creek, and hike a mile and 1,000 feet down to the Colorado River. The next morning a t 7:30 when we march out, I’m optimistic, and Kai sets a quick pace. Friday, we rise before dawn and are the first ones out of camp; for an hour we have the Bright Angel Trail and its soaring (高耸的) scenery to ourselves.
In that birthday card, Kai had also written, “Even when you’re 100, you will always be wild.” Nice. If I’m lucky enough to make it there, it looks like I’ll have company.
1. According to the author, he goes backpacking in the Grand Canyon with Kai ________.| A．to promote the father-and-son relationship |
| B．to satisfy Kai’s desire for the Grand Canyon |
| C．to fulfill Kai’s birthday wish |
| D．to develop Kai’s strong will |
| A．He has been engaged in backpacking for years. |
| B．He tends to make sufficient preparations for backpacking in advance. |
| C．He favors an experience-appropriate trip for his son. |
| D．He is enthusiastic about meeting challenges. |
| A．Exhausted. | B．Relieved. | C．Thrilled. | D．Desperate. |
| A．Kai hopes his dad will live a long life. |
| B．Kai believes his dad will be wilder in the future. |
| C．The author doubts whether he can live as old as 100. |
| D．The author enjoys Kai’s company during the trip. |
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry, “Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.
1. We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a worker | C．a thief | D．an umbrella maker |
| A．his ticket | B．his bag | C．his drawing | D．his umbrella |
| A．Because he was lost in thought. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
| A．surprised | B．angry | C．fortunate | D．sad |
| A．He picked them on the train. | B．He brought them from his small town. |
| C．He bought them in London. | D．He stole them from four women. |
【推荐2】Getting mixed families together isn’t always an easy task and some children can be left feeling hurt or angry when their parents remarry. But one woman has made sure her new step-son knows exactly how much she appreciates him, by dedicating part of her wedding vows (誓言) to him.
Vanessa Lynch, 30, became stepmom to nine-year-old Henry when she tied the knot with Craig Lynch and after making her vows to her new husband, she turned her attention to the young boy. Her vows said, “Henry, I know I wasn’t there for your first steps or your first words, but I promise I will be there for many more of your firsts. I promise to love you as if you were my own and lastly I promise I will be the best wife for your dad and I promise to be the best stepmom I can be for you.”
And Vanessa insisted she wanted to dedicate some of her vows to Henry because she didn’t want him to see her as just a “woman his dad was married to”. She explained, “I’m glad I decided to do it because Henry told me that they meant a lot to him and that he feels even closer to me than before.”
Vanessa also had a stepdad and chose to walk down the aisle with both her biological dad and her stepdad to show that family doesn’t just mean blood relatives. She said, “I come from a mixed family, so I wanted to show how stepparents should treat stepchildren as though they were their own children. You don’t share blood with someone, but it does not mean you can-not be a family. It all comes from the love you hold for a person and what you commit to one another.”
1. How did Vanessa show her care for her stepson?| A．By vowing to him at her wedding. | B．By allowing him to live with her. |
| C．By purchasing his favourite toys. | D．By promising to give him freedom. |
| A．Got familiar with. | B．Got married to. | C．Got used to. | D．Got involved with. |
| A．Worse than ever. | B．As close as before. | C．Greatly improved. | D．No closer than before. |
| A．Sensitive and skeptical. | B．Ambitious and gentle. |
| C．Talented and intelligent. | D．Kind and considerate. |
【推荐3】It all started in 2018. While taking a midnight walk, Mahendra came across a very weak dog on the street, whose bones were visible under its skin. Mahendra decided to feed it and for the next couple of days it became the centre of his life, until the night when he found it dead.
After that, Mahendra started providing treatment for all wounded and sick dogs he came across. Some time later, someone told Mahendra about PFA, India’s largest animal welfare organization, chaired by Mrs Maneka Gandhi. Mahendra contacted her and she was impressed by the work he was doing. Mrs Gandhi asked him to start a PFA shelter in Ahmedbad.
Thus, in 2020, he started the shelter. It took a long time for Mahendra to find the land where the shelter could be set up. Finally, Ramesh Bhai Patel, a native farmer from a village named Jundal, agreed to give his land for nothing. Along with a team of four doctors and many volunteers, the shelter now has 25 dogs that were unable to walk at all when they were brought in. Today, they’re slowly healing. Dogs that have healed with proper treatment are sent back to where they came from if the environment there is safe. However, the shelter will be home to the blind dogs for all their lives, says Mahendra.
The shelter runs on money coming from Mahendra’s own pension of $ 45,000. There have been some financial crunches now and then, but Mahendra is determined that no matter what challenge comes his way, he’ll fight through.
1. What made Mahendra decide to do something for disabled and sick dogs?| A．His contact with PFA. |
| B．The encouragement of Gandhi. |
| C．The death of a homeless sick dog. |
| D．A walk with a sick dog of Gandhi. |
| A．He secured government funds. |
| B．He got a land from a local farmer for free. |
| C．He learned medical knowledge from doctors. |
| D．He met with much difficulty in finding volunteers. |
| A．Services. | B．Advantages. | C．Crisis. | D．Details. |
| A．Kind-hearted. | B．Humorous. | C．Open-minded. | D．Modest. |
