Many people know the names Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. However, most people don’t know the name of the man who invented the television, Philo Farnsworth.

Philo Farnsworth was born in 1906 and grew up on a potato farm. As a boy, he loved to learn about science, and he read a lot of science books. When he was only thirteen years old, he drew a picture of a machine that could send pictures as radio sends sounds. He got the idea from the way the potatoes were planted in the field. The potatoes grew in long lines, side by side. This made a shape in Philo’s mind. This shape helped Philo think of a way to send the TV picture onto a piece of glass. But he was poor, so Philo could not try to make his idea into a machine at that time.

Later, Philo worked at many different jobs. He worked with trees. He worked on broken radios. He worked on trains. He also worked as a street cleaner. At last, two rich men heard about his idea for television, and they gave him the money to make it. On September 7th, 1927, they watched Philo test the machine he built. When Philo turned on the machine, a small line could be seen on the glass. Philo said, “There you have it, electric television.”

Later, a big company, RCA, said they had made the first television. Philo had to spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight them. Finally, he won. Then, World War Two started in 1939. During the war, Philo spent a lot of money helping the US army instead of building up his television company. After the war, other bigger, richer companies started making televisions. In the end, Philo had to sell his company.

1.Why does the author mention Bell and Edison at the beginning of the text?

   A. To remember both of them.               B. To prove their wisdom.

   C. To introduce the topic of the text.           D. To explain their relationships.

2.According to the text, how old was Philo when he finished his invention of TV?

   A. 27 years old.     B. 21 years old.      C. 33 years old      D. 39 years old

3.Philo Farnsworth got the idea for TV from ______.

   A. the radio        B. science books     C. potato fields      D. a machine

4. The underlined part “building up” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.

   A. starting         B. selling           C. putting up        D. making bigger

5.Which is the correct order of the following events?

   a. Two rich men gave Philo money to do experiments.

   b. Philo sold his own company.

   c. Philo beat RCA in law.

   d. Philo fixed broken radios.

   e. Philo showed his invention to others.

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

.

Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.

On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.

55．This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.

A．was the only important American inventor  B．received the first American patent

C．received more patents than any other American  D．was the first American inventor

56．People decided to honor Edison when ________.

A．he made the first electric light   B．electric power was 100 years

C．the country realized electricity's importance  D．he died in 1931

57．The suggested plan was to ________.

A．turn off the lights in factories and schools  B．observe a few minutes of total silence

C．dim all electric lights   D．shut off all electricity for a short time

Many people know the names Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. However, most people don’t know the name of the man who invented the television, Philo Farnsworth.
Philo Farnsworth was born in 1906 and grew up on a potato farm. As a boy, he loved to learn about science, and he read a lot of science books. When he was only thirteen years old, he drew a picture of a machine that could send pictures as radio sends sounds. He got the idea from the way the potatoes were planted in the field. The potatoes grew in long lines, side by side. This made a shape in Philo’s mind. This shape helped Philo think of a way to send the TV picture onto a piece of glass. But he was poor, so Philo could not try to make his idea into a machine at that time.
Later, Philo worked at many different jobs. He worked with trees. He worked on broken radios. He worked on trains. He also worked as a street cleaner. At last, two rich men heard about his idea for television, and they gave him the money to make it. On September 7th, 1927, they watched Philo test the machine he built. When Philo turned on the machine, a small line could be seen on the glass. Philo said, “There you have it, electric television.”
Later, a big company, RCA, said they had made the first television. Philo had to spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight them. Finally, he won. Then, World War Two started in 1939. During the war, Philo spent a lot of money helping the US army instead of building up his television company. After the war, other bigger, richer companies started making televisions. In the end, Philo had to sell his company.
【小题1】Why does the author mention Bell and Edison at the beginning of the text?

I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.

In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.

In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.

Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved anywhere else.

1.Why did the writer’s parents move to Edison?

A．Because they were born there.             B．Because it was a better educational town.

C．Because the writer began his fifth grade.      D．Because the writer didn’t need to take a test.

2.How many students are from Asia in the writer’s school?

A．About 80.         B．About 160.        C．About 220.        D．About 300.

3.What does the underlined expression “a concentration of” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．None of.          B．The whole of       C．A large number of   D．A small number of

4.Why can’t the writer forget Edison?

A．Because he regards it as his hometown.      B．Because his parents got new jobs there.

C．Because there are many Asians there.        D．Because it is in the state of New Jersey.

Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.

     On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.

1.This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.

     A．was the only important American inventor     

B．received the first American patent

C．received more patents than any other American 

D．was the first American inventor

2.People decided to honor Edison when ________.

     A．he made the first electric light               

B．electric power was 100 years

C．the country realized electricity's importance    

D．he died in 1931

3.The suggested plan was to ________.

     A．turn off the lights in factories and schools  

B．observe a few minutes of total silence

C．dim all electric lights                  

D．shut off all electricity for a short time