Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem. It seemed impossible to get the thread to run smoothly around the needle. 
Despite his exhaustion, Howe slept badly. He tossed（輾轉(zhuǎn)） and turned. Then he had a nightmare
He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. 
Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make a small hole in the center of the needle and have the thread run through it.
This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practical sewing machine. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein.
To appreciate the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious(無意識(shí)的), but still active part
digests your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day.
However, the unconscious part expresses itself through its own logic and its own language.. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves”.
【小題1】Which of the following was the main problem for Elias Howe to design a sewing machine?

A．Deciding the kind of thread to use for the machine.
B．Making the thread run smoothly around the needle.
C．Designing a needle which would not easily break.
D．Finding the proper place to put the needle.
【小題2】Which of the following is Howe’s final solution to his problem?
A．Making a small hole in the needle.
B．Tossing and turning the needle.
C．Finding out a better kind of thread.
D．Having the thread running around the needle.
【小題3】According to the passage, Elias Howe was________. 
A．much more hard-working than other inventors
B．the first person who solved problems while sleeping
C．the first person at the time who knew the value of dreams
D．the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked
【小題4】Thomas Edison is mentioned because________.
A．he also tried to invent a sewing machine
B．he was one of Howe’s best friends
C．he also had difficulty in falling asleep
D．he got some of his ideas from dreams


【小題1】B
【小題2】A
【小題3】D
【小題4】D  

解析試題分析：文章介紹Elias Howe 在發(fā)明洗衣機(jī)的時(shí)候，遇到的一個(gè)問題是線不能順暢的繞著轉(zhuǎn)，在夢里他想到一個(gè)主意，解決了這個(gè)問題。
【小題1】細(xì)節(jié)題：從第一段的句子：but he had run into a very difficult problem. It seemed impossible to get the thread to run smoothly around the needle. 可知Elias Howe 在發(fā)明洗衣機(jī)的時(shí)候，遇到的一個(gè)問題是線不能順暢的繞著轉(zhuǎn)，選B
【小題2】細(xì)節(jié)題：從第四段的句子：Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make a small hole in the center of the needle and have the thread run through it.可知解決這個(gè)問題的辦法是在針上弄一個(gè)洞，選A
【小題3】細(xì)節(jié)題：從第五段的句子：This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practical sewing machine. 可知Elias Howe是第一個(gè)發(fā)明實(shí)用的洗衣機(jī)的人，選D
【小題4】細(xì)節(jié)題：從第五段的句子：Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams.可知文章提到愛迪生是因?yàn)樗暮芏嘞敕ㄒ彩窃趬衾锩娉霈F(xiàn)的，選D
考點(diǎn)：考查人物傳記類短文

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