Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who invented many things that greatly influenced life around the world, such as the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Edison has been recognized as the creator of the first industrial research laboratory. It is he who came up with the concept of providing electricity for home. His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.

Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of his family. When he was young, Edison stayed at home and was taught by his mother. Edison recalled later, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” During his childhood, he suffered from scarlet fever which affected his hearing.

Young Edison sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit, and he sold vegetables to supplement his income. These jobs, though insignificant, inspired him greatly. He realized that he had a talent for business. These talents eventually made him founder of 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still in existence and is the largest publicly traded company in the world.

Edison started as a telegraph operator and this was the field in which he came up with the first invention. The invention which first gained him fame was the phonograph in 1877. The invention seemed magical, as nothing similar had ever been thought of before. Funded by the successful sale of the telegraph at a price of $10,000, Edison built his own research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

The laboratory expanded rapidly over the decade. In 1892, it was confirmed that Edison was the official inventor of the carbon microphones, which was used in all telephones. Although he attempted to make use of X-rays to take radiographs, he quit the project and admitted his fear of X-rays in public.

Thomas Edison died of diabetes at his home in New Jersey, on October 18, 1931 and in honor of his contributions, Life magazine (USA), in a special double issue in 1997, placed Edison first in the list of the “100 Most Important People in the Last 1000 Years”, noting that the light bulb he promoted “lit up the world”.

Title: Thomas Edison—an influential person in the American history

Oceanography has been defined as “The application of all sciences to the study of the sea”. Before the nineteenth century, scientists with an interest in the sea were few .

　　 For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it, let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that the question 'What is at the bottom of the oceans?' had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile (起伏形状 ) of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured. 

　　 It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings (测深 ) were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea. 

　　 The cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.

　　Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedition, which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.

　68. The passage implies that the telegraph cable was built mainly _________.

　A) for oceanographic studies

　B) for military purposes

 C) for business considerations

　D) for investigating the depths of the oceans

69. The aim of voyages Maury encouraged in the 1840s was __________.

　A) to make some sound experiments in the oceans

　B) to collect samples of sea plants and animals

　C) to estimate the length of cable that was to be made

　D) to measure the depths of two oceans

70. 'Defied' in the 4th paragraph probably means ________

　A)   doubted        B)  gave proof to

　C)   challenged     D)  agreed to

71. This passage is mainly about _________

　A) the beginnings of oceanography

　B) the laying of the first undersea cable

C) the investigation of ocean depths

　D) the early intercontinental communications

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Thomas Alva Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be a dark place. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.

　　Thomas A. Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11,1847, His family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when he was seven years old. Surprisingly, he attended school for only two months. His mother, a former teacher, taught him a few things, but Thomas was mostly self - educated. His natural curiosity led him to start experimenting at a young age with electrical and mechanical things at home.

　　When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He set up a laboratory in a baggage car of the train so that he could continue his experiments in his spare time. Unfortunately, his first work experience did not end well. Thomas was fired when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the baggage car. Thomas then worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time on the job conducting experiments. He got his first patent in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity. However, the vote recorder was not a success. In 1870, he sold another invention, a stock - ticker, for $ 40,000．A stock - ticker is a machine that automatically prints stock prices on a tape. He was then able to build his first shop in Newark, New Jersey.

　　Thomas Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He called himself a “two - shift man” because he worked 16 out of every 24 hours. Sometimes he worked so intensely that his wife had to remind him to sleep and eat.

　　Thomas Edison died at the age of 84 on October 18, 1931, at his estate in West Orange, New Jersey. He left numerous inventions that improved the quality of life all over the world.

1．Thomas Edison did things in this order: ________.

[　　]

A．he became a telegraph operator, a newsboy, and then got his fist patent

B．he became a newsboy, got his fist patent, and then became a telegraph operator

C．he got a patent, became a telegraph operator, and then became a newsboy

D．he became a newsboy, a telegraph operator, and then got a patent

2．Of all the inventions, ________ was probably the most important for civilization.

[　　]

A．the vote recorder

B．the stock ticker

C．the light bulb

D．the motion picture camera

3．The main idea of this passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Edison was always interested in science and inventions, and he invented many important things

B．Thomas Edison could not keep a job

C．Thomas Edison worked day and night on his experiments

D．Deaf people make good inventors without the distraction of spoken conversation

Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be a dark place. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the phonograph（留声机）, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847. His family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when he was seven years old. Surprisingly, he attended school for only two months. His mother, a former teacher, taught him a few things, but he was mostly self-educated. His natural curiosity led him to start experimenting at a young age with electrical and mechanical things at home.

When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He set up a laboratory in a baggage car of the train so that he could continue his experiments in his spare time. Unfortunately, his first work experience did not end well. He was fired when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the baggage car.

Thomas Edison then worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time on the job conducting experiments. He got his first patent（专利）in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity. However, the vote recorder was not a success. In 1870, he sold another invention, a stock-ticker, for $40,000. The stock-ticker is a machine that automatically prints stock prices on a tape.

Thomas Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work.

56. Of all Edison’s inventions, ______ was probably the most important for mankind.

A. the electric light           B. the stock-ticker

C. the vote recorder         D. the motion picture camera

57. Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.

a. Edison worked as a newsboy.

b. Edison moved to Port Huron.

c. Edison got his first patent.

d. Edison became a telegraph operator.

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

58. The underlined word “blessing” can be replaced by ______.

A. necessity    B. disadvantage    C. disability     D. benefit

59. What made Edison a great inventor?

A. The education from his mother    B. His interest and hard work

C. His early work experience           D. His deafness and talent.

One of the greatest stories of rags (贫穷) to riches success is that of Andrew Carnegie, who started life in poverty but became the richest man in the world.

Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1837, the son of a weaver. In 1848, the family moved to the United States and at 13 Carnegie began work in a cotton mill, earning $1.5 per week. About three years later, he found a better job as a telegraph messenger boy. At work, his superiors (上级) were impressed by his abilities and willingness to work hard. In 1853, he gained an office job at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. This was his first big break. He continued to impress and rose rapidly through the company, gaining more and more responsibility. At the same time, Carnegie loved reading very much and made use of every opportunity to visit the library. He read widely on all subjects, particularly literature.

Carnegie now began to save a little money and, with the help of his employer, began to make some successful investments. He invested in the iron industry and eventually set up in business himself, owning several iron and steel plants. This was where he made his fortune. By the 1890s, the Carnegie Steel Company was the biggest and most profitable business in the world.

Carnegie had always believed that the pursuit(追求)of wealth was never an end in itself. In his view, successful, wealthy people should re-distribute their wealth for the benefit of everyone in society. True to his word, in 1901, at the age of 66, he retired from business and devoted the rest of his life to charity work. (奉献于慈善工作).

Carnegie’s lack of formal education and his poor family background clearly didn’t put barriers in the way of success. His rapid rise from poverty to wealth was due to his willingness to work hard, his intelligence and good business sense, and his talent for making things happen. He died in 1919 at the age of 83.

64. What can be learnt from the text?

A. Carnegie’s employers at the railroad company had a high opinion of him.
B. Carnegie made the investments independently after saving enough money.
C. Carnegie believed that we should not devoted our life to charity work..

D. Carnegie could have been more successful if he had been formally educated.

65. When did Carnegie get his first big success in his life?
   A. When he took a job as a telegraph messenger boy.
   B. When he worked at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
   C. When he made investments in the iron industry.
   D. When he founded the Carnegie Steel Company.

66. Which of the followings will be the suitable title for the text?
A. Andrew Carnegie: A Wealthy Man
B. Steel & Iron: The Most Profitable Business
C. Intelligence and Good Business Sense: Tow Factors in Becoming Wealthy

D. From Rags to Riches: The Story of Andrew Carnegie