It is not unusual for people to speak two or three languages; they’re known as bilinguals or trilinguals. Speakers of more than three languages are known as polyglots. And when we refer to people who speak many languages, perhaps a dozen or more, we use the term hyper-polyglot.

The most famous hyper-polyglot was Giuseppe Mezzofanti, a 19th century Italian cardinal, who was said to speak 72 languages. This claim sounds absurd. If you assume each language had 20,000 words, Mezzofanti would have to learn a word a minute, six hours a day, for eleven years—an impossible task. But Mezzofanti was tested by critics, and they were all impressed.

Did Mezzofanti have an extraordinary brain? Or are hyper-polyglots just ordinary people with ordinary brains who manage to do something extraordinary through hard work?

U.S. linguist Stephen Drashen believes that outstanding language learners just work harder at it and then they acquire unusually strong language ability. As an example, he mentions a Hungarian woman who worked as an interpreter during the 20th century. When she was 86, she could speak 16 languages and was still working on learning new languages. She said she learned them mostly on her own, reading fiction or working through dictionaries or textbooks.

Some researchers argue to the contrary. They believe that there is such a thing as a talent for learning languages. In the 1930s, a German scientist examined parts of the preserved brain of a hyper-polyglot named Emil Krebs, who could speak 60 languages fluently. The scientist found that the area of Krebs’s brain called Broca’s area, which is associated with language, looked different from the Broca’s area in the brains of men who speak only one language. However, we still don’t know if Krebs was born with a brain ready to learn dozens of languages or if his brain adapted to the demands he put on it.

Although it is still not clear whether the ability to learn many languages is in born, there’s no doubt that just about all of us can acquire skills in a second, third, or even fourth language by putting our mind to it.

1.What does the underlined sentence imply?

A. Mezzofanti could remember 360 words a day.

B. Mezzofanti had a special way to learn languages.

C. Mezzofanti’s achievement was ridiculous.

D. Mezzofanti language ability was astonishing.

2.The Hungarian woman became a hyper-polyglot mainly because of her __.

A. good memory       B. unique brain      C. hard work      D. learning methods

3.The German scientist’s findings showed that Krebs ___.

A. had an unusual brain

B. was born with great talent

C. had worked hard at languages

D. expected too much of himself

4.The author seems to agree that ___.

A. it is not hard to learn foreign languages

B. hard work plays a part in language learning

C. there is no such thing as a talent for languages

D. hyper-polyglots have an inborn talent for language

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (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 (缝合) 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. [来源:学,科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(脚踏板) 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（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

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 was couldn’t work finally

D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage???

A. Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.

B. The Singer sewing company became more practical.

C. The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.

D. Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.

3.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A. Because the judge was against Singer for his surly 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.

4.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

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When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books．Half the students sneered（冷笑）, the（36）nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, （37）geniuses（天才）can become writers,” the English teacher said ， “And you are getting a D this term,” I was so （38）that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short（39）poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my（40）, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and（41）writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They （42）. “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I tasted （43）. I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was （44） with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of （45）, letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I （46） from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work. I （47） mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and （48） people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their （49）.
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. I wrote what I felt. It （50） nine months, just like a pregnant woman. I mailed it without a sell addressed stamped （51） and without making a copy of the manuscript.
A month later I received a（n）（52）, and a request to start working on another book. The worst year I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. （53）years I earned between five thousand and ten thousand. No, it isn’t enough to live （54）, but it’s still more than I’d make working part time. People ask what college I（55）, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius.

I am Sergey Brin! I was born in Moscow. In 1979,when I was 5, my family immigrated to California, USA . I remember that on my 9^th birthday, I got my first computer “Commodore 64”.

Later I graduated with honors in the University of Maryland in Mathematics and IT. The main field of my science research was the technologies used to collect data from unsystematic sources as well as large quantities of texts and science data. I was the author of dozens of articles in leading American academic magazines.

The greatest event in my life happened when in 1998 I was preparing for the defense(论文答辩) of my Doctor’s degree in the Stanford University. There the fate made me meet Larry Page—a young computer genius. Larry belonged to the intellectual society. I and Larry quickly became friends when we were working together.

We were searching day and night on the Internet. We were finding a lot of information but with the feeling we still couldn’t find enough of what we were looking for . Naturally the idea for a search engine that would allow specific information to be found in the endless pool of data was born like it came to us. It wasn’t our plans but we gave up the education at the university. You know the next part ,maybe—we managed to turn an ordinary garage in Peplo Park, California , the USA into our first office, in which Google was born. With excitement we typed the name of the thing which we created with love on September 14^th,1998—www.Google.com. Now after those years we bought this garage. As a symbol it will always remind us that everything is possible.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

   A. The Birth of Google            B. The Founder of Google

   C. The Importance of Cooperation   D. The Great Contribution to the Internet

From the passage we know that Larry Page________.

A. was born from a rich merchant family        

B. was once a student in the Stanford University

C. published some academic articles when young

D. was Brin’s important partner in starting Google

Why did they found Google ?

A. Because they loved working with the Internet so much.

B. Because they wanted to make a lot of money through the Internet

C. Because they hoped to make it easy to find specific information online

D. Because they believed everything is possible.  

Which is the right order of what happened ?

   a. My family moved from Russia to the USA

   b. I met Larry Page

   c. I was given a computer as a present on my 9^th birthday.

   d. google was born in an ordinary garage in California.

   e. I graduated from the university in Mathematics and IT.

   A. a-c-e-b-d       B. c-a-b-e-d      C. a-c-b-d-e     D. c-b-a-e-d