Discoveries in science and technology are thought by “untaught minds” to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not ,as legend would have it ,look at the mold on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations（创新）almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.

The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take the most shots at the goal-and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities.

“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done.” wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority. This accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: “How come nobody thought of that before?”

The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best – known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends.

Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer.

1．What does the author probably mean by “untaught mind” in the first paragraph?

       A．A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.

       B．A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.

       C．A person who has had no education.

       D．An individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident.

2．According to the author, what distinguishes innovators from noninnovators?

       A．The variety of ideas they have               B．The intelligence they possess.

       C．The way they deal with problems.         D．The way they present their findings.

3．In the first sentence of paragraph 2, “…the players who score most are the ones who take the most shots at the goal …” is most similar to the meaning of ______.

       A．He laughs best who laughs last.             B．Never too old to learn.

       C．Time and tide wait for no man.             D．No pain, no gain.

4．The phrase “march to a different drummer” （the last line of the passage） suggests that highly creative individuals are ______.

       A．working hard at following their goals

       B．unwilling to follow common ways of doing things

       C．devoted to the progress of science

       D．concerned about the advance of society

      Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed(挖掘) tiny bones that they believe belong to an entire new human species. If that's true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

      Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨骼) belonged to a full-grown adult Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

      Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans,” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

      Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that “until recently, a relative shared the planet with us.”

      Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

      Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said. “As far as I'm concerned, the story's only just begun.”

51. Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because ________.

A. it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

    B. it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

    C. it proves to be a full-grown adult

    D. it belongs to an ancient human species        

52. Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because ________.

    A. they are revealed in the scientific journal Nature

    B. they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

    C, they are about ancestors of modem humans

    D. they might provide new evidence for human study

53. According to Daniel E. Lieberman ________.

    A. Homo floresiensis doesn't exist

    B. Disagreement leads to further research

    C. The investigation hasn't begun yet

    D. Our family tree is bigger than we knew

54. What's the author's purpose of writing this passage?

    A. To inform the reader of a discovery of some human skeletons and its scientific possibility.

    B. To encourage the related scientists to make further research into human species.

    C. To conform the existence of some new human species.

    D. To sing the praises of the scientists for their devotion to scientific discoveries.

55. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

    A. Comparison between Different Peoples.

    B. Arguments over Human Origin.

    C. Discovery of a Possible New Human Species.

    D. History of Indonesian People.

Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed(挖掘) tiny bones that they believe belong to an entire new human species. If that's true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

    Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨骼) belonged to a full-grown adult Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

    Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans,” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said．They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

    Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that “until recently, a relative shared the planet with us.”

    Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

    Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said. “As far as I'm concerned, the story's only just begun.”

1．Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because ________.

A．it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

    B．it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

    C．it proves to be a full-grown adult

    D．it belongs to an ancient human species        

2．Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because ________.

    A．they are revealed in the scientific journal Nature

    B．they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

    C．they are about ancestors of modem humans

    D．they might provide new evidence for human study

3．According to Daniel E. Lieberman ________.

    A．Homo floresiensis doesn't exist

    B．Disagreement leads to further research

    C．The investigation hasn't begun yet

    D．Our family tree is bigger than we knew

4．What's the author's purpose of writing this passage?

    A．To inform the reader of a discovery of some human skeletons and its scientific possibility.

    B．To encourage the related scientists to make further research into human species.

    C．To conform the existence of some new human species.

    D．To sing the praises of the scientists for their devotion to scientific discoveries.

5．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

    A．Comparison between Different Peoples.

    B．Arguments over Human Origin.

    C．Discovery of a Possible New Human Species.

D．History of Indonesian People.

Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed(挖掘) tiny bones that they believe belong to an entirely new human species. If that’s true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨骼) belonged to a full-grown adult. Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands form several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans,” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that “until recently, a relative shared the planet with us.”

Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said. “As far as I’m concerned, the story’s only just begun.”

1．Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because ________.

       A．it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

       B．it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

       C．it proves to be a full – grown adult

       D．it belongs to ancient human species

2．Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because         .

       A．they are revealed in the scientific journal Nature

       B．they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

       C．they are about ancestors of modern humans

       D．they might provide new evidence for human study

3．According to Daniel E. Lieberman,          .

       A．Homo floresiensis doesn’t exist             B．disagreement leads to further research

       C．the investigation hasn’t begun yet          D．our family tree is bigger than we knew

4．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

       A．Comparison between Different Peoples

       B．Arguments over Human Origin

       C．Discovery of a Possible New Human Species

       D．History of Indonesian People

Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have excavated tiny bones that they believe belong to an entirely new human species. If that’s true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first issued last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨架) belonged to a full-grown adult. Researchers named her Hobbit after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

Now the team is saying it has excavated even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans.” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew, It means, says Brown, that “until recently a relative shared the planet with us.”

Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said, “As far as I’m concerned, the story’s only just begun.”

68. Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because________.

A.it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

B.it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

C.it proves to be a full-grown adult

D.it belongs to an ancient human species

69. Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because_______.

A. they are issued in the scientific journal Nature

B. they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

C. they are about ancestors of modern humans

D. they might provide new evidence for human study

70. According to Daniel E. Lieberman_________.

A. Homo floresiensis doesn’t exist        B. disagreement leads to further research

C. the research hasn’t begun yet          D. our family tree is bigger than we know

71. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. Comparison Between Different Peoples       B. Arguments Over Human Origin

C. Discovery of a Possible New Human Species   D. History of Indonesian People