1 . Remote controls are one of the most common symbols of our modern technologies. In fact, remote controls are an invention born in the 1800s. Famous inventor Nikola Tesla created one of the world’s first wireless remote controls, which he exhibited in public at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1898.

Tesla called his system a “teleautomaton”, which could be used to control a mechanical device. For his demonstration, Tesla employed a minitype boat, which had a metal air wire that could receive exactly one radio frequency. He showed how his remote-controlled boat worked and whole process attracted many people. However, financially, Tesla’s remote-controlled boat was a failure. His intended client, the U.S. Navy, thought the technology was too easily damaged during use. But the concept of remote control caught on and quickly spread to many other types of equipment.

In the 1930s and 1940s, a new consumer electronics, such as garage door openers and model airplanes, arrived with remote controls. In the mid-1950s, Zenith engineer Eugene Polley designed his Flashmatic TV remote control, which used directional flashes of light to control the television. In 1956, Polley’s colleague, Robert Adler, created the Space Command control, which employed high-frequency, ultrasonic (超声的) sounds instead of light. This style of remote control increased the price of a new TV by a third, but that didn’t stop people from buying in mass quantities. Remote controls kept evolving, too. Ultrasonic sound remote controls were the standard for TVs until the 1980s, when remote controls began using the infrared (红外线) light signals that are very common today.

These days, you can find remote control capability built into a huge array of products such as toy cars and helicopters, video game consoles (控制台), ceiling fans, etc. There’s a good chance you can find a version that’s controlled by remote control. You can even buy a remote-controlled toilet.

Remote controls have allowed humans to perform many tasks that would be difficult, if not impossible. And although remote controls have a long history, they are anything but over. As we continue to introduce technology to every aspect of our lives, it’s very likely that we’ll need remote controls to keep things under control.

1. What made the U.S. Navy think poorly of Tesla’s remote-controlled boat?

A．Its high cost.

B．Its unsatisfactory quality.

C．Its damage to people’s health.

D．Its inaccuracy in sending signals.

2. What did Robert Alder use in his remote control?

A．Directional flashes of light.	B．Infrared light signals.
C．Various metal air wires.	D．High-frequency, ultrasonic sounds.

3. Why did the author mention those products in Paragraph 4?

A．To advertise some modern inventions.

B．To prove the rapid evolution of kids’ toy.

C．To show the wide application of remote controls.

D．To show the principle of some high-tech products.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Human are too dependent on technology.

B．Remote controls are necessary in our life

C．Humans are trying to keep everything under control.

D．Remote controls will probably fade away in the future.

5. What does the author mainly tell us in this text?

A．The history of remote controls.

B．The developments of our modern technologies.

C．The achievements of some great inventors.

D．The popularity of remote controls in our daily life.

3 . Look at the keyboard of any standard typewriter or computer. “Q” “W” “E” “R” “T” and “Y” are the first six letters. Who decided on this arrangement of the letters? And why?

People tried for centuries to invent the typewriter. In 1714 in England, Henry Mill filed a patent for a machine called An Artificial Machine Or Method for the Impressing or Transcribing of Letters, Singly or Progressively one after another, as in Writing, drawing upon this way all Writing may be absorbed in Paper so Neat and Exact as not to be distinguished from Print. That machine probably didn’t sell because no one could remember its name!

The first practical typewriter was patented in the United States in 1868 by Christopher Latham Sholes. His machine was known as the type-writer. It had a movable carriage, a lever for turning paper from line to line, and a keyboard on which the letters were arranged in alphabetical order.

But Sholes had a problem. On his first model, his “ABC” key arrangement caused the keys to jam when the typist worked quickly. Sholes didn’t know how to keep the keys from sticking, so his solution was to keep the typist from typing too fast. Sholes asked his brother-in-law to rearrange the keyboard so that the commonest letters were not so close together and the type bars would come from opposite directions. Thus they would not clash together and jam the machine. The new arrangement was the QWERTY arrangement typists use today. Of course. Sholes claimed that the new arrangement was scientific and would add speed and efficiency. The only efficiency it added was to slow the typist down, since almost any word in the English language required the typist’s fingers to cover more distance on the keyboard.

The advantages of the typewriter outweighed the disadvantages of the keyboard. Typists memorized the crazy letter arrangement, and the typewriter became a huge success. By the time typists had memorized the new arrangement of letters and built their speed, typewriter technology had improved, and the keys didn’t stick as badly as they had at first.

1. We know from the passage that the inventor of the first practical typewriter is_________.

A．Henry Mill	B．Christopher Latham Sholes
C．Sholes’ brother-in-law	D．Albert Einstein

2. The author thinks the machine invented by Henry Mill could not be sold because_________.

A．it was difficult for people to accept new things

B．there were great disadvantages of the key board

C．the name of the machine was too long

D．the machine could not be distinguished from print

3. Sholes decided the QWERTY arrangement of the keyboard in order to_________.

A．solve the problem of the keys jamming

B．arrange the letters in alphabetical order

C．cause the keys to jam when the typist worked quickly

D．compete with “ABC” key arrangement

4. It is inferred that the QWERTY arrangement of the keyboard_________.

A．is the most scientific arrangement

B．adds speed and efficiency of typists

C．is easy for typists to memorize

D．keeps the typist from typing too fast

5. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．The Story of Christopher Latham Sholes

B．How to Invent the Typewriter

C．The First Practical Typewriter

D．The Arrangement of the Letters on Keyboard

4 . Mona Lisa, the famous picture _________ by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting _________ by the year. Visitors have noticed _________ but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Nearly 6 million people go to _________ the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. ”It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be _________, and then you look at her and she _________," said Professor Livingstone.

_________, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile.

Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always _________ it with him, until it was_________ sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519. In 1911, the painting was __________ from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the __________ hidden under his coat. He said he planned to __________ it to Italy. The painting was sent back to__________ two years later. During World WarII, the French __________ the painting in small towns to keep it out of the__________ of German forces.

1.

A．written

B．praised

C．bought

D．painted

2.

A．less

B．more

C．worse

D．better

3.

A．changes

B．expressions

C．kisses

D．gloves

4.

A．see

B．visit

C．greet

D．examine

5.

A．laughing

B．smiling

C．crying

D．shouting

6.

A．says

B．sits

C．stands

D．stops

7.

A．Therefore

B．Otherwise

C．However

D．Instead

8.

A．carried

B．hid

C．kept

D．buried

9.

A．actually

B．finally

C．really

D．hopefully

10.

A．taken

B．destroyed

C．broken

D．stolen

11.

A．school

B．museum

C．house

D．factory

12.

A．give

B．send

C．take

D．return

13.

A．France

B．Germany

C．Italy

D．England

14.

A．kept

B．hid

C．put

D．grew

15.

A．feet

B．clothes

C．hands

D．hats

5 . Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea yearly. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea is not native to Britain. Most tea is grown in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?

Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the richer sections of society.

At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic.

In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.

In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became necessary in every kitchen.

1. How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following the order of time.	D．By following the order of importance.

2. What can we learn about British tea culture from Paragraph 1 and 2?

A．Tea reached Britain from China centuries ago.	B．Britons are famous for planting tea.
C．Green tea was popular in China.	D．Most tea is grown in Britain.

3. Paragraph 3 is mainly about ________.

A．how British people drank black tea	B．why the amount of tea increased
C．when green tea arrived in China	D．who discovered black tea

4. When was tea no longer a drink just for rich people in the UK?

A．In the early 1700s.	B．In the early 1800s.
C．In the late 1800s.	D．In the late 20th century.

5. What is the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A．To describe how to drink tea.	B．To explain why people love tea.
C．To compare black tea with green tea.	D．To introduce the history of British tea culture.