阅读试题

We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)? Shouldn't we know who they are?

Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she's developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning "who" invented "what", however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the "why" and "how" questions. According to Mclean," When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try."

Her students agree. One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean's statement. "If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper's invention," said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major. "I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive." Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.

So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn't be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.

Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It's hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan's traffic light. It's equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett's innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

56. By mentioning "traffic light" and "windshield wiper", the author indicates that countless inventions are_______________.
A. beneficial, because their inventors are famous
B. beneficial, though their inventors are less famous
C. not useful, because their inventors are less famous
D. not useful, though their inventors are famous

57. Professor Joan McLean's course aims to_____.
A. add colour and variety to students' campus life
B. inform students of the windshield wiper's invention
C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University
D. prepare students to try their own invention

58. Tommy Lee's invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _______.
A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer
B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper
C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm
D. not related to Professor Joan McLean's lectures

59. Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
A. How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?
B. How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?
C. Shouldn't We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?
D. Shouldn't We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?

参考译文

我们知道著名的发明家像爱迪生和贝尔，但是那些不出名的发明家们，我们又知道什么呢？关于发明交通灯和雨刮器的发明家，我们知道什么？难道我们不应该知道他们是谁吗？

琼·麦克林认为我们应该知道。事实上，作为山区大学物理学教授的麦克林对这一议题的感觉很强烈，以至于她把它开展成一门课。并且增加了学习“谁”发明了“什么”（的内容），然而，麦克林也喜欢她的学生学习回答“为什么”和“怎么样”的问题。据麦克林说：“当学生们学习回答这些问题的时候，他们能更充分地准备辨识发明的机会，更有动力去尝试发明。”

她的学生同意她的观点。一个拥有不易破损的雨伞专利的年轻人就是麦克林观点鲜活的证明。主修物理的三年级学生汤米·李说：“如果没有听过雨刷发明的故事，我绝不会梦想将我在暴风雨中的不好经历转变成如此有建设性的事情。”当下，李正在协商把他的专利卖给一个雨伞生产商。

所以，刮雨器背后的故事是什么呢？当然，玛丽·安德森在1902年的一次纽约之行后想出了这个点子。那天很冷，还刮着风，但是安德森还想看风景，于是她就跳到了有轨电车的车板上。她注意到司机挣扎着通过被大雪覆盖的挡风玻璃看路，于是她就想为什么不能安装一个植入设备来清理窗户呢。当她回到伯明翰阿拉巴马的家时，她仍在思考这个问题，随后，安德森开始起草解决方案。她的点子之一就是在车里安装一个操作杆，这样就可以控制外面的手臂，这就成了第一代雨刮器。

今天，我们从不计其数的发明和创造中获益。我们很难想象没有加德勒A.摩根的交通灯该怎样驾车。同样地，没有凯瑟琳·J布罗杰特发明的可视玻璃，我们的世界就不可想象。没有干净的窗户和眼镜，你能想象出这种生活吗？

答案解析

56. B 考查推理判断。根据文中所举的事例和最后一段可知，作者提到像通灯和雨刮器这样的发明是想告诉我们，这些发明的发明者虽然不是很有名但是这些发明对我们的生活是非常有益的，因此选择B项。
57. D 考查细节理解。根据文章第二段的最后一句"When students leam the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try."可知Professor Joan McLean的课程目的是帮助学生自己去发明创造，因此D项正确。
58. B 考查细节理解。根据第三段的第三句可知Tommy Lee发明unbreakable umbrella是受到了雨刮器发明背后的故事的激励，因此选择B项。
59. C 考查标题归纳。从文章内容可知本文不是关于如何帮助学生销售他们的发明的，也不是关于如何设计一个装置来清洁窗户的，在大学里开设有关发明的课程只是文章用来说明我们应如何对待生活中的小发明：我们应把握发明的契机、去创造。故C项最适合作为文章的标题。