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.

Though he was tired,Howe slept badly.He turned and turned.Then he had a dream.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 it run through a small hole in the center of the needle.This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practical sewing machine.

Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way.Thomas Edison,the inventor of the electric light,said his best ideas came into him in dreams.So did the great physicist Albert Einstein.Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing ?Jane Eyre.?

To know 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(无意识的),but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day.It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed.It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake.However,the unconscious part acts in a special way.It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first.This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves ”.

According to the passage,Elias Howe was_________.

A.the first person we know of who solved problems in his sleep

B.much more hard-working than other inventors

C.the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked

D.the only person at the time who knew the value of dreams

The problem Howe was trying to solve was_________.

A.what kind of thread to use

B.how to design a needle which would not break

C.where to put the needle

D.how to prevent the thread from getting caught around the needle

Thomas Edison is spoken of because_________.

A.he also tried to invent a sewing machine

B.he got some of his ideas from dreams

C.he was one of Howe's best friends

D.he also had difficulty in falling asleep

Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because _________.

A.strange images are used to communicate ideas

B.images which have no meaning are used

C.we can never understand the real meaning

D.only specially trained people can understand them

You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it —those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more about the story.
The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants (仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign (运动) to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn’t alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother’s Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.
Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A.The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day.
B.How people honor mothers.
C.The history of Mother’s Day.
D.Mother’s Day in different countries.
【小题2】Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?
A.In Ancient Greece.B.In the U.S.
C.In England.D.In Italy.
【小题3】According to the third paragraph, we know that _____.
A.Julia Ward Howe composed a song about Mother’s Day
B.American people started to celebrate Mother’s Day in 1907
C.Anna Jarvis attached great importance to mothers
D.Mother’s Day celebrations are held in different times in the U.S. every year
【小题4】The last paragraph tells us that ______.
A.all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day
B.only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day
C.understanding mothers’work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day
D.people should make every day a Mother’s Day

Who give us liferaise us and are our constant support and well?wishersOur mothers.That’s why millions of people across the world take Mother’s Day as an opportunity to express thanks and send best wishes to their moms.

Howeverthe celebration of Mother’s Day is not the recent thing that many believe it to be.It was the ancient Greeks who started the tradition by celebrating their annual spring festival in honor of Rheathe mother of many gods and goddesses.

Laterin the 1600sMothering Sunday came to be celebrated in England.On the fourth Sunday of Lent (大斋期)children brought flowers and special fruitcakes to show their respect for their mothers.It may be the root of the modern Mother’s Day.

Thanks to the great efforts of Julia Ward Howe and Anna JarvisMother’s Day became an official festival in the US.It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.Latermany countries began to celebrate this day as Mother’s Day.

TodayMother’s Day is an international festival honoring mothers.It is celebrated all over the world in different ways.In Western countriesthe most common way is to treat mothers with breakfast in bed.Kids often allow their mothers to sleep till late in the morning while they prepare her favorite breakfast with their fathers.Some also make hand?made gifts or buy beautiful carnations (康乃馨)It is the day when you acknowledge your mothers contribution in your life and pay a tribute (礼品) to heroften with flowers and gifts.It complements Father’s Daythe celebration honoring fathers.

TodayMother’s Day is a day celebrated on various days in many places around the world.

1.Why do people across the world celebrate Mother’s Day?

ABecause they want to express thanks and send best wishes to their mothers.

BBecause they want to express thanks and send best wishes to Rhea.

CBecause Mother’s Day is an official festival in the US.

DBecause Mother’s Day is an international festival.

2.The modern Mother’s Day came from________.

AGreece? BEngland

CAmerica? DChina

3.From the passage we can learn that________.

ARhea is the mother of many gods and goddesses of England

Bmany people wrongly believe Mother’s Day has a short history

Cin America Mother’s day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent

Don Mother’s day fathers have to get up early to prepare breakfast

4.The passage mainly wants to tell us________.

Ahow to celebrate Mother’s day

Bwhat to do on Mother’s day

Cthe historical change of Mother’s day

Dthe meaning of Mother’s day

 

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.      

Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. 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 it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practiced sewing machine.

Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way.

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.

To know 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(无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves”.

1.According to the passage, Elias Howe was________.

A. the first person we know of who solved problems in his sleep

B. much more hard-working than other inventors

C. the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked

D. the only person at the time who knew the value of dreams

2.The problem Howe was trying to solve was________.

A. what kind of thread to use

B. how to design a needle which would not break

C. where to put the needle

D. how to prevent the thread from getting caught around the needle

3.Thomas Edison is spoken of because________.

A. he also tried to invent a sewing machine

B. he got some of his ideas from dreams

C. he was one of Howe’s best friends

D. he also had difficulty in falling asleep

4.Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because ________.

A. strange images are used to communicate ideas

B. images which have no meaning are used

C. we can never understand the real meaning

D. only specially trained people can understand them

 

You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it —those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more about the story.

The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants (仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.

In the U.S., Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign (运动) to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn’t alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother’s Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.

Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day.

B.How people honor mothers.

C.The history of Mother’s Day.

D.Mother’s Day in different countries.

2.Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?

A.In Ancient Greece.                      B.In the U.S.

C.In England.                            D.In Italy.

3.According to the third paragraph, we know that _____.

A.Julia Ward Howe composed a song about Mother’s Day

B.American people started to celebrate Mother’s Day in 1907

C.Anna Jarvis attached great importance to mothers

D.Mother’s Day celebrations are held in different times in the U.S. every year

4.The last paragraph tells us that ______.

A.all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day

B.only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day

C.understanding mothers’work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day

D.people should make every day a Mother’s Day

 

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