We don’t know who first discovered a way to measure time. It was probably the Hindus, the Greeks, or the Egyptians. We do know, however, that more than 7, 000 years ago the Hindus looked at the sky and measured time by looking at the position of the stars and the sun.

The Egyptians used the water clock. This measured the time it took for a certain amount of water to pass from one place to another. The Egyptians were also the first people to make a calendar of 365 days. The earliest known water clock was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh(法老)Amenhotep I, who was buried around 1, 500 BC.

The hourglass(时漏) was probably invented in the 3rd century BC. No one knows for sure. This was similar in a way to the water clock. Time was measured by the amount of sand that moved from one container to another. We still use this kind of clock today in the form of an egg timer(煮鸡蛋的定时器). This measures time in three minute periods.

The first clock of any kinds to be used in China were brought there by European explorers. And it was in Europe that the first mechanical clock was invented. The word “clock” comes from the Latin “clocca” which means bell, and it was first used in the 14thcentury.

根据短文内容,填写适当的单词或短语,完成下列句子。每空不超过两个单词。

1.More than 7, 000 years ago, the Hindus measured time with the help of looking at__________ of the stars and the sun.

2.People found the earliest water clock in________ where the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I was buried.

3.No one knows when the hourglass was invented_________.

4.__________ first brought clocks to China.

5.The first mechanical clock was invented in___________.

Planes have changed the world in the last hundred years. But this great change began with two ordinary people.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were two brothers who had a bicycle shop in Ohio, the USA. They were good at making bicycles, but planes were their real interest.

At that time, people knew how to build and fly gliders (planes without engines), but nobody could build a plane with an engine and fly it. The plane builders had two main problems: they could not make the wings strong enough, and the planes always crashed(坠毁) when they tried to take off.

The Wright brothers read about these problems in a newspaper, and they decided to look for answers. They made small model planes in the bicycle shop and they built a wind tunnel to test the models. They also built real gliders. Finally, they built a plane with an engine, which they called The Flyer.

On December 17th 1903, Orville and Wilbur pulled The Flyer onto a fat sandy beach. The plane weighed 275 kilograms and had a petrol engine. The day was very cold, and there was a wind of about 30 kilometres per hour. The brothers tossed(投掷) a coin to see who should fly first. Orville won. He climbed onto the plane and started the engine.

The Flyer began to move into the wind, Wilbur ran along beside the plane, And then the plane took off:It flew for only 12 seconds, but someone took a photograph, and the plane flew into the history books.

1.People have used planes with engines for more than _______ years.

A.50 B.100 C.150 D.200

2.What was one of the glider builders’ main problems before 1903?

A.None of them was good at making and selling bicycles.

B.Their planes could take off and fly for only 30 minutes.

C.They could not afford to buy an engine for their planes.

D.They could not make enough strong wings for their planes.

3.Why did the Wright brothers make models?

A.They made models to test their ideas.

B.They hoped to sell them for money.

C.They had nothing to do and did that for fun.

D.They weren't interested in making real planes.

4.How was the weather on the day of The Flyer’s flight?

A.Rainy. B.Warm. C.Windy. D.Hot.

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.The Wright brothers owned a model plane shop in the USA before 1903.

B.When The Flyer began its first flight in 1903, it weighed 275 kilograms.

C.Orville and Wilbur both wanted to fly the plane first and Wilbur won at last.

D.The plane The Flyer succeeded in taking off and flew for only 12 minutes.

An old man lived in a village. He was one of the rudest people in the world. The whole village was _______ of him, he was always unhappy, he was always complaining and was always in a bad mood. When people tried to cheer him up, he would _______ turn them away.

The longer he lived, the unhappier he became. People _______ from him because his bad mood was contagious(传染性的). It was even unusual and impolite to feel _______ around him. By behaving like this, he made the rest of the villagers feel unhappy as well.

_______ one day--the day he turned 80 years old, in fact--unbelievable thing happened. The villagers said _______ themselves,” The old man is happy today. He hasn’t complained about anything, he is _______, and his face looks kind.” The whole village went to see the old man. One of the _______ asked the old man,“What happened to you?”

“Nothing special has happened. In fact,” The old man said, “For 80 years I’ve been _______ happiness, and it was no use. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy ________. That’s why I’m happy now.”

1.A.full B.tired C.proud D.afraid

2.A.kindly B.loudly C.importantly D.impatiently

3.A.ran away B.went away C.stayed away D.looked away

4.A.happily B.happy C.sadly D.sad

5.A.But B.And C.Unless D.Though

6.A.by B.against C.among D.through

7.A.crying B.smiling C.shouting D.coughing

8.A.villagers B.pioneers C.customers D.passengers

9.A.looking up B.looking at C.looking out D.looking for

10.A.life B.time C.festivals D.birthday

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