A sailing ship model in a small-necked bottle is fascinating and puzzling to most landlubbers． They wonder how anyone could ever get the ship into the bottle． Making ships in bottles is a traditional art． In time past it filled the lonely hours of many a sailor on a long voyage． The first step was to construct the ship's hull, making sure it was narrow enough to go through the neck of the bottle． Then the sailor added the masts, spars, and other parts of the superstructure --- all hinged so that they could be collapsed and later drawn upright by threads extending forward through the ship's bow．

　　The sailor formed a putty "sea" inside the bottle and painted it with long, thin brushes． Before this sea was dry, he inserted the ship into the bottle． He pressed it into place． Then he carefully pulled the various threads, raising the superstructure into position． Finally, he sealed the tiny holes through which the threads ran, and snipped the telltale ends of thread．

1．The most puzzling thing about a ship in a bottle is that the______．

A．ship seems too large to pass through the neck of the bottle

B． ship seems too delicate to last for so many years

C．sea in the bottle appears to move

D．bottle seems too small to hold the ship

2．It is likely that the art of making ships in bottles______．

A．was developed by sailors　　 B． has been practiced for many years

C．has often been practiced on board ships D． All of the above

3．Before the sailor constructed the ship's masts, he made the______．

A． bottle B． hull C． thread D． putty sea

4．The sailor used hinges to______．

A．make the superstructure collapsible B． attach the doors of the cabins

C．make the hull narrow enough to fit D． hold the ship in the putty

5．The sailor used long, thin paintbrushes probably because they______．

A．were the right shape to reach inside the bottle

B．held more paint than thick brushes

C．wet the putty sea more thoroughly

D．wouldn't be likely to upset the ship in the bottle

6．Which did the sailor do last?

A．He made the sea inside the bottle． B． He tied threads to the superstructure．

C．He put the ship into the bottle．　　 D． He painted the sea．

7．The sailor snipped the ends of the threads so that they wouldn't______．

A．interfere with the ship's movement B．become tangled with the mast

C．loosen and allow the superstructure to collapse

D．give away the secret of how the ship was made

8．This article about ships in bottles deals mainly with their______．

A．appearance B． history C． construction D． value

I must ________my watch，it's slow．

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