Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (肌腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (縫合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle (腳踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement (侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties (版稅). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
【小題1】Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because __________.

A.people did not know how to put out the fire
B.Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention
C.the sewing machines couldn’t work finally
D.workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire
【小題2】Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elias Howe a lifetime of royalties?
A.Because the judge was against Singer for his unfriendly attitude.
B.Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.
C.Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.
D.Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.
【小題3】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
B.The Case between Howe and Singer
C.Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine
D.The Early History of the Sewing Machine


【小題1】D
【小題2】B
【小題3】D

解析

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【小題1】What is the best title for this passage?

A.Is GPS system reliable to use?B.What is the use of GPS?
C.How to make the most of GPS? D.Blame! GPS or Passengers?
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D.GPS is just as smart as human beings.
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A.you have to know where to go when using GPS
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Environmental problems are becoming more and more serious all over the world. For example, cars have made the air unhealthy for people to breathe and poisonous gas is given off by factories. Trees on the hills have been cut down and waste water is being poured continuously into rivers. Furthermore, wherever we go today, we can find rubbish carelessly disposed.
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These pollutions have greatly damaged our planet and continue to do so. In fact, pollution is threatening our existence. The whole ecological balance of the earth is changing. Massive destruction of environment has brought about negative effects and even posed a great threat to man’s existence.
We must face the situation that exists and take action to solve our environmental problems. For instance, new laws must be passed to place strict control over industrial pollution, the public must receive the education about the danger of pollution and so on.
The earth is our home and we have the duty to take care of it for ourselves and our later generation. Fortunately, more and more people have realized these problems. Measures have been taken to deal with these situations by the government. Laws have been passed to stop pollution, I hope the problems will be solved in the near future and our home will become better and better.
【小題1】 How many examples of environmental problems are given in the first paragraph?

A.2 B.3 C.4 D.5
【小題2】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.In all there are three kinds of pollution
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C.Industrial pollution has been completely controlled.
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A.2 B.3 C.5 D.6
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