The Segway Human Transporter was invented by Dean Kamen．It is a two-wheeled vehicle designed for a single rider standing upright over its single axle（軸） and navigate using a set of handlebars resembling those on a bicycle．Electrically powered, it could travel over 15 miles on a single charge and reach speeds up to twelve miles per hour．Its speed and direction can be controlled by riders' changing their weights．
A college dropout and self-taught engineer, Kamen already held over 100 patents for his inventions when he developed the one he hoped would revolutionize short-distance travel．While still in college, Kamen started developing the medical devices （設(shè)備） that made his name．Later, he changed focus to the challenges faced by wheelchair users．His robotic wheelchair known as IBOT could climb stairs．This robot ended up paving the way for the Segway．
Before showing his most recent invention, Kamen had kept it a top secret for months．When it turned out to be little more than a motor scooter, many publicly expressed their disappointment．On closer examination, however, even his critics（批評(píng)家） had to admit that the vehicle was an engineering achievement．It answered the prayers of anyone who is worn out when walking downtown．Not everyone welcomed the Segway's arrival, though．Some complained it was too expensive, while others said it would further weaken the average American ' s fitness．A Japanese inventor even accused Kamen of stealing the idea for the Segway from him．
Despite the controversy, the U．S．postal service began using Kamen's invention a month after its appearance, and a factory was built with plans to produce about 40,000 Segways every month．The argument is still on whether the Segway will be remembered as the greatest invention since the light bulb, or just another forgettable electronic device．Anyway, trips to the local supermarket will never be the same again．
【小題1】Which statement best describes the critics' reaction to the Segway?

A．Nothing but an electrical device．
B．A disappointing engineering mistake．
C．An expensive and disappointing invention．
D．Disappointing, but still a successful device．
【小題2】Which is not a feature of the Segway?
A．One person at a time can ride on it．
B．It has two wheels with a single axle．
C．It is powered by electricity and can go up to 12mph．
D．Riders increase the speed by moving the handlebars
【小題3】Some people expressed dissatisfaction with the Segway because of its______.
A．high cost B．danger to traffic
C．being difficult to use D．contribution to laziness
【小題4】Shortly after the Segway appeared, there were _________.
A．hopes for a larger model of it
B．no plans to do anything more with it
C．some discussions on the unforgettable device
D．plans to make tens of thousands of them a month


【小題1】D
【小題2】D
【小題3】A
【小題4】D

解析試題分析：本文講述了Dean Kamen發(fā)明的一種交通工具。這是一個(gè)有兩個(gè)輪子的、適合一個(gè)人騎行的獨(dú)輪車。它的速度和方向都要靠騎行者改變重量來(lái)控制。對(duì)于這種發(fā)明人們有著褒貶不一的看法。
【小題1】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。 從文章第三段many publicly expressed their disappointment．On closer examination, however, even his critics had to admit that the vehicle was an engineering achievement可以判斷這些批評(píng)家失望之余，不禁承認(rèn)這是一項(xiàng)成就，故D選項(xiàng)正確．
【小題2】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從文章第一段末句 Its speed and direction can be controlled by riders' changing their weights．可以判斷D選項(xiàng)內(nèi)容錯(cuò)誤。
【小題3】A細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從文章第三段Some complained it was too expensive可知人們對(duì)這種發(fā)明的不滿是因?yàn)樗膬r(jià)格過(guò)高，故A選項(xiàng)正確。
【小題4】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章末段 a factory was built with plans to produce about 40,000 Segways every month可知D選項(xiàng)正確。
考點(diǎn)：考查科學(xué)發(fā)明類短文閱讀。

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

(2013·高考新課標(biāo)全國(guó)卷Ⅰ，B)The baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital.She is quiet but alert (警覺(jué))．Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it.She stares at it carefully.A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another，this time with the spots differently spaced.As the cards change from one to the other，her gaze(凝視) starts to lose its focus—until a third，with three black spots，is presented.Her gaze returns：she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card.Can she tell that the number two is different from three，just 24 hours after coming into the world?
Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment，but with three spots shown before two，shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes.Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb，a key，an orange and so on)，changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves.Could it be the pattern that two things make，as opposed to three? No again.Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three，or three to two.The effect even crosses between senses.Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two；likewise (同樣地) when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots.
【小題1】The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s________.

A．sense of hearing B．sense of sight
C．sense of touch D．sense of smell
【小題2】Babies are sensitive to the change in________.
A．the size of cards B．the colour of pictures
C．the shape of patterns D．the number of objects
【小題3】Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats?
A．To reduce the difficulty of the experiment.
B．To see how babies recognize sounds.
C．To carry their experiment further.
D．To keep the babies’ interest.
【小題4】Where does this text probably come from?
A．Science fiction.
B．Children’s literature.
C．An advertisement.
D．A science report.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

In films, dads change from cruel men to loving souls. Here is a list of good and bad movies dads .Atticus Finch in To kill a Mockingbird（殺死一只知更鳥）
GOOD DAD:A man whose wife has died with a young family and a busy job as a lawyer, Gregory Peck's character in the  1962 film is one of the great heroes of American cinema  Firm but fair he teaches his children respect and human decency（正派)．Harper Lee's novel gets a respectable transposition（轉(zhuǎn)變)to film, thanks to Gregory Peck's perfect performance.
Jack Torrance in The Shining
BAD DAD: When Jack Torrance ,his wife ,Wendy ,and son, Danny ,escaped from the cold winter to  the Overlook Hotel  we know that Jack has hardly been a model father But when Jack becomes extremely angry and tries to murder his family with an axe, Danny used his intelligence to defeat him and left him to  freeze to death．
George Bailey in It's a Wonderful life
GOOD DAD: James Stewart's character is a father-of-four who is saved from the edge of suicide (自殺)and realizes his positive effect on others lives．Much of the film is unpleasant, with George shouting at his children as he faces financial problems.  But finally the lovable father realizes the worth of his own life, the value of friendship and the importance of being a loving dad
Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back（帝國(guó)大廈）
BAD DAD: When the unfriendly cyborg（半機(jī)器人）told Luke Skywalker that he was his father ,the son's reaction says it all: "No! No!" It's hardly a joyful welcome to the family.  For most of his son's life, Darth Vader has been an absent dad—and he has just cut off Luke's hand You can understand why Father's Day cards might not be available.
【小題1】Who is Harper Lee?

A． An actor.B． A novelistC． A movie director.D． A translator.
【小題2】According  to the text, ______died of freezing cold
A． Jack TorranceB． WendyC． DannyD． Darth Vader
【小題3】Which movie should you watch if you want to see a helpless father change?
A．To kill a MockingbirdB．The Shining
C．It's a Wonderful LiftD．The Empire Strikes Book
【小題4】What happened to Luke?
A．He lost his hand in an accident
B．His father changed him into a cyborg.
C．He discovered that he had a cruel father:
D．His father lived with him for most of his life.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological（生態(tài)的） disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸鹽)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine（帶狀礦）. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer（層） of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
【小題1】What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems.B．To give a warning to other countries.
C．To show the importance of money.D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.
【小題2】What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
A．Rich and powerful. B．Modern and open.
C．Peaceful and attractive. D．Greedy and aggressive.
【小題3】The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from           .
A．soil pollutionB．phosphate over mining
C．farming activity D．whale hunting
【小題4】Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
A．Its leaders misused the money.B．It spent too much repairing the island.
C．Its phosphate mining cost much money.D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.
【小題5】What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
A．The phosphate mines were destroyed.B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously.
C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans.D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的) person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn(頑固的), but you aren’t very ambitious. You’re usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
【小題1】According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality      .

A．only in a normal night
B．only when you go to sleep
C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the word
D．only when you change sleeping position
【小題2】Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
A．He or she is always open with others.
B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others.
C．He or she is always easily upset.
D．He or she tends to believe in others.
【小題3】Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?
A．He or she is careful not to offend others.
B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion.
C．He or she can’t be successful in any business.
D．He or she likes to bring others happiness.
【小題4】Which of the following may be the reason for you not to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up?
A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you.
B．He or she is rarely ready to help you.
C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out.
D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you.
【小題5】It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because        .
A．he or she always shows sympathy for people
B．he or she is confident, but not stubborn
C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses
D．he or she often considers annoying people

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

A few degrees can make a big difference when it comes to food storage. Foods can go bad if they get too warm. But for many of the world’s poor, finding a good way to keep food cool is difficult. Refrigerators are costly and they need electricity.
Yet spoiled food not only creates health risks but also economic losses. Farmers lose money when they have to throw away products that they cannot sell quickly.
But in nineteen ninety-five a teacher in northern Nigeria named Mohammed Bah Abba found a solution. He developed the “Pot-in-Pot Preservation/Cooling System.” It uses two round containers made of clay. A smaller pot is placed inside a larger one. The space between the two pots is filled with wet sand. The inner pot can be filled with fruit, vegetables or drinks. A wet cloth covers the whole cooling system.
Food stored in the smaller pot is kept from spoiling through a simple evaporation(蒸發(fā)) process. Water in the sand between the two pots evaporates through the surface of the larger pot, where drier outside air is moving.
The evaporation process creates a drop in temperature of several degrees. This cools the inner pot and helps keep food safe from harmful bacteria. Some foods can be kept fresh this way for several weeks.
People throughout Nigeria began using the invention. And it became popular with farmers in other African countries. Mohammed Bah Abba personally financed the first five thousand pot-in-pot systems for his own community and five villages nearby.
In two thousand, the Rolex Watch Company of Switzerland honored him with the Rolex Award for Enterprise. This award recognizes people trying to develop projects aimed at improving human knowledge and well-being. A committee considers projects in science and medicine, technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural history. Winners receive financial assistance to help develop and extend their projects.
【小題1】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A Few Degrees can Make a Big Difference for Storage
B． A Cool Way to Keep Food from Spoiling
C． Spoiled Food Creates Health Risks and Economic Losses
D． The Evaporation Process Creates a Drop in Temperature
【小題2】What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
A．the structure of the invention
B．the usage of the invention
C．the cost of the invention
D．the inspiration of the invention
【小題3】What is it that essentially keeps the food in the container from spoiling?
A．the wet cloth covering the cooling system.
B．the moving drier air outside the container
C．the wet sand between the containers
D．a(chǎn) drop in temperature by evaporation
【小題4】According to the passage, where can we possibly see the invention?
A．rich and advanced families
B．scientific experiment laboratory
C．poor and underdeveloped area
D．supermarket needing to store goods
【小題5】We can know from the passage that Mohammed Bah Abba ____________.
A．invented the controversial cooling system
B．financed the systems in all communities
C．received financial assistance for his invention
D．invented more complicated cooling system later

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.
【小題1】What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?

A．Using too much packaging. 
B．Recycling too many wastes. 
C．Making more products than necessary. 
D．Having more material than is needed. 
【小題2】The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
A．the tendency of cutting household waste 
B．the increase of packaging recycling 
C．the rapid growth of super markets 
D．the fact of packaging overuse 
【小題3】According to the text, recycling ______.
A．helps control the greenhouse effect 
B．means burning packaging for energy 
C．is the solution to gas shortage 
D．leads to a waste of land 
【小題4】 What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. 
B．Supermarkets care more about packaging. 
C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. 
D．Other products are better packaged than food. 
【小題5】 What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. 
B．Needless material is mostly recycled. 
C．People like collecting recyclable waste. 
D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Food prices have risen sharply over the past few years. The good news is that the rate of increase has slowed. The bad news is that prices will not go down anytime soon.
Also，the rate of global agricultural production is slowing. Yet it needs to increase 60% over the next 40 years to feed a growing world population.
These are among the findings from the OECDFAO(the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development & the Food and Agriculture Organization)Agricultural Outlook(展望)2012－2021.
FAO Director­General Jose Graziano da Silva spoke at a news conference in Rome when the report was released. Mr.Da Silva said that，not surprisingly，the world's poorest people will feel the greatest effects of higher prices.
“For the millions and millions of extremely poor people， the effects of high food prices are clear—they might have to change their diets，usually to ones with poorer nutrition quality， ”he said.
In middle­income countries， people are gaining weight as they eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more of the cheaper but less nutritious foods.
The report also shows that farmers in poorer countries will be leading efforts to feed an expected 9,000,000,000 people by 2050.The outlook predicts that farmers in Latin America，the Caribbean and sub­Saharan Africa will drive agricultural production in the future.
Angel Gurria，Secretary­General of the OECD，said：“We can feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050 on this planet. But we have to organize ourselves better.” But there are plenty of challenges.One­fourth of all agricultural land is damaged. Many countries face water shortages(短缺)．And experts believe climate change is driving increasingly unusual weather patterns.
The report says farmers need to use more growing methods that can't cause damage to the environment.At the same time，it says governments should end economically harmful supports and spend more money to increase agricultural production.Mr.Gurria says rich and poor nations need to treat agriculture more like a business.
“In many cases，agriculture is related in people's minds to the poorest. It's related to aid. It's related to very poor living conditions，etc. We have got to shake that image away，”he said.
【小題1】Why are people gaining weight in countries with average incomes?

A．They eat more food. B．They eat less nutritious foods. 
C．They eat cheaper fruits. D．They eat cheaper vegetables. 
【小題2】It can be inferred from the text that poorer countries ______.
A．a(chǎn)re damaging a great part of their agricultural land 
B．will play a great role in feeding the growing world population 
C．a(chǎn)re spending lots of money increasing agricultural production 
D．will not be so seriously affected by food prices as rich nations 
【小題3】What can be done to deal with the slow agricultural production?
A．Improving the growing methods. 
B．Finding more agricultural land. 
C．Preventing governments' involvement. 
D．Improving farmers' living conditions. 
【小題4】Which of the following might Angel Gurria agree with?
A．Agriculture means difficulty and sadness. 
B．Food prices will go down in the near future. 
C．It's almost impossible to feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050. 
D．Both rich and poor countries should take agriculture seriously. 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

In Greek mythology(神話), fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯) by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?
Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace—long considered a trophy(獎(jiǎng)杯), particularly in a city like New York—is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses.
Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn’t, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said. “It’s a guilty pleasure”.
“The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles(顆粒) can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions.”
Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格的)wood stoves with “greener” ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one；and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction.
Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some.
Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries.
【小題1】We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that ________.

A．big houses are not considered environmentally friendly 
B．bottle water is a good companion for a fire place 
C．a(chǎn) fireplace is viewed as a sign of success 
D．people in New York are laughed at for their tradition 
【小題2】Sally’s “inner conflict” in the 3rd paragraph resulted from ________.
A．her love for the fireplace 
B．the damage to the environment 
C．the concern about her health 
D．her mixed emotion fro the fireplace 
【小題3】 In terms of the regulations about wood fires we can learn from the passage that_______.
A．uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho 
B．some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations 
C．only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US 
D．a(chǎn)ll the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces 
【小題4】What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A．To urge people to burn less wood 
B．To discuss wood-burning’s impact 
C．To throw light on the causes of the fireplace’s decline  
D．To indicate the cooling love for the fireplace 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案