Light for the City

Edison and his assistants came to New York to set up an electric power system. They hoped it would provide enough electricity to light up a part of the great city.

They bought several machines with them. These were called generators, which produced electricity power for lamps in Edison’s building.

Soon there were lights for the building. Edison lived in a room facing the street and he often worked over night. The light burned brightly and steadily and he often worked over night. People often came and stopped their horse-drawn carriage to look. Everyone knew that Thomas Edison was in town.

First, the inventor and his assistants produced several large generators. A great deal of power would be needed to light up even a small part of the city.

Then the workers were busy digging deep trenches(沟) in the hard earth below the city streets, and Edison had fourteen miles of wire laid into the trenches. The wire connected each building to a generator.

Setting up an electric power system was not an easy job. It took a year and a half. In September, 1882, the job was finished.

A small group of men stood around Edison inside the power house. The big moment came at last. The inventor, taking a deep breath, pulled a switch. The electric lights flashed up.

“Very good! Very good!” a man nearby shouted to praise Edison for what he had done.

“Sir,” said Edison, “this is only the beginning!” And Edison was right. Soon Edison’s lamp were lighting up cities all over the world.                

1.The generators they brought with them could produce as much as electricity as ______ needed.

2.At that time carriages ______ by horse could be seen in the street.

3.Trenches were dug to ______.

4.It took a year and a half to ______.

Light for the City

Edison and his assistants came to New York to set up an electric power system. They hoped it would provide enough electricity to light up a part of the great city.

They bought several machines with them. These were called generators(发电机), which produced electricity power for lamps in Edison’s building.

Soon there were lights for the building. Edison lived in a room facing the street and he often worked over night. The light burned brightly and steadily and he often worked over night. People often came and stopped their horse-drawn carriage to look. Everyone knew that Thomas Edison was in town.

First, the inventor and his assistants produced several large generators. A great deal of power would be needed to light up even a small part of the city. Then the workers were busy digging deep trenches in the hard earth below the city streets, and Edison had fourteen miles of wire laid into the trenches. The wire connected each building to a generator.

Setting up an electric power system was not an easy job. It took a year and a half. In September, 1882, the job was finished.

A small group of men stood around Edison inside the power house. The big moment came at last. The inventor, taking a deep breath, pulled a switch. The electric lights flashed up.

“Very good! Very good!” a man nearby shouted to praise Edison for what he had done.

“Sir,” said Edison, “this is only the beginning!” And Edison was right. Soon Edison’s lamp were lighting up cities all over the world.                

1.The generators they brought with them could produce as much as electricity as ______ needed.

2.Trenches were dug to ______.

3.It took a year and a half to ______.

4.Edison took a deep breath before pulling a switch, which showed that he was ______.

Roman buildings were popular only as long as builders were limited in how tall they could make a building. They had not learned how to support the walls of a tall building.

About 1140, a new kind of building appeared in Europe. These new buildings were churches, or cathedrals, and they were seen first in France. Today, these cathedrals are called Gothic(哥特式的) buildings. Their pointed arches(拱门) rise toward the sky. They look very different from the Roman buildings that have low arches and thick walls. Unlike the dark Pantheon(万神殿) all these buildings are full of light.

Builders of the Gothic cathedrals found a new way to build strong walls and tall arches. They built supports outside the building. These supports, called “flying buttress(扶壁) ”, helped hold the walls. Buttress made it possible to build high buildings.

One end of a narrow beam(栋梁), or the flying buttress, was planted away from the wall. The other end was placed high up on the wall. The flying buttress acted like a crutch(支柱).

Since these buildings had many windows, artists made pictures in them by using small pieces of colored glass held together with lead(铅). Sunlight shines through the glass and made soft splashes of color inside the churches. Stained(染色的) glass windows and flying buttresses were part of every Gothic cathedral.

1. The Roman did not build tall buildings because__________.

A. they didn’t want to use flying buttress

B. they didn’t know how to support tall walls

C. they didn’t need tall buildings

D. people liked low, round buildings better

2. The windows of Gothic cathedrals__________.

A. were made of colored glass

B. were very thick

C. were narrow and long

D. were like those in Roman buildings

3. We can infer from the passage that__________.

A. glass windows could support Gothic buildings

B. flying buttresses were only used to make the building more beautiful

C. tall buildings needed extra support for their walls

D. building Gothic cathedrals was an easy job

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Roman buildings had no outside supports.

B. Roman buildings had large colored glass windows.

C. The walls of Roman buildings were not very thick.

D. Roman buildings looked much like Gothic buildings.

Buildings Full of Light

Roman buildings were popular only as long as builders were limited in how tall they could make a building. They had not learned how to support the walls of a tall building.

About 1140, a new kind of building appeared in Europe. These new buildings were churches, or cathedrals, and they were seen first in France. Today, these cathedrals are called Gothic(哥特式的) buildings. Their pointed arches(拱门) rise toward the sky. They look very different from the Roman buildings that have low arches and thick walls. Unlike the dark Pantheon(万神殿) all these buildings are full of light.

Builders of the Gothic cathedrals found a new way to build strong walls and tall arches. They built supports outside the building. These supports, called “flying buttress(扶壁) ”, helped hold the walls. Buttress made it possible to build high buildings.

One end of a narrow beam(栋梁), or the flying buttress, was planted away from the wall. The other end was placed high up on the wall. The flying buttress acted like a crutch(支柱).

Since these buildings had many windows, artists made pictures in them by using small pieces of colored glass held together with lead(铅). Sunlight shines through the glass and made soft splashes of color inside the churches. Stained(染色的) glass windows and flying buttresses were part of every Gothic cathedral.

1. The Roman did not build tall buildings because__________.

A. they didn’t want to use flying buttress

B. they didn’t know how to support tall walls

C. they didn’t need tall buildings

D. people liked low, round buildings better

2. The windows of Gothic cathedrals__________.

A. were made of colored glass

B. were very thick

C. were narrow and long

D. were like those in Roman buildings

3. We can infer from the passage that__________.

A. glass windows could support Gothic buildings

B. flying buttresses were only used to make the building more beautiful

C. tall buildings needed extra support for their walls

D. building Gothic cathedrals was an easy job

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Roman buildings had no outside supports.

B. Roman buildings had large colored glass windows.

C. The walls of Roman buildings were not very thick.

D. Roman buildings looked much like Gothic buildings.