Question

阅读理解 　　The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful．So wide and varied are the uses of wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them．It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century(the 20th century)by an invention so new as to be still unnamed． 　　The invention is a machine that floats above any surface on a cushion of air(气垫)．The cushion is formed when air is blown into the bottom of the machine．This part is shaped like a saucer(碟子)turned upside down．If air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet． Industry is already using one form of the invention to deal with heavy loads．It can lift them with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction(摩擦),they can be put into moving with the touch of a finger． 　　The new invention, however, is having a great effect on transport．Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel equally well over land or water．This unique(独一无二的)ability to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction(预言)that wheeled vehicles may be as uncommon at the end of the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning． (1) The first paragraph tells us that ________． [　　] A． a new invention may make wheels less important B． wide wheels have a variety of important uses C． the wheel’s usefulness is yet to be proved D． the wheel was man’s earliest invention (2) The passage tells us that the new invention ________． [　　] A． is more important for industry than for transport B． makes it possible to travel without using roads C． will one day be used instead of aeroplane D． will replace wheeled vehicles in a hundred years (3) At the end of the century, vehicles using the new invention will probably be ________． [　　] A． plentiful B． unimportant C． rare D． expensive (4) According to the passage, the new invention ________． [　　] A． will soon get a name B． is lighter than air C． can go almost anywhere D． was uncommon a century ago

Answer 1

答案：1．A;2．B;3．A;4．C;
解析：

(1)	文章开头说的是轮胎的重要作用，接着引出本文的主要内容：一项可能削弱轮胎作用的新发明(…the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced…by an invention…)。
(2)	从最后一段的“it enables vehicles to travel equally well over land or water”一句可知，这种发明可以使车辆不在路面上行驶。
(3)	文章最后说“在本世纪末，带轮胎的车辆可能会像世纪初的飞机一样不太常见(…wheeled vehicles may be as uncommon at the end of the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning)”，由此可以判断，使用新发明技术的车辆将会很多。
(4)	文章最后一句提到了“This unique ability to reach most destinations”。