Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor, ...

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

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

请从下列人物中选择你最喜欢的一位，用英语写一篇80词的短文

要求根据所给信息做适当发挥，且需包括以下三部分内容：

1. 对该人物的简单介绍；

2. 喜欢该人物的理由；

3. 从该人物身上得到的启示。

Among the three great persons, I like __________ most. ________________________

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高二英语书面表达中等难度题查看答案及解析

Rachel Carson was an American author and environmental protection scientist. “Silent Spring” was her most famous book. The idea for the book developed from a suggestion from a friend. Rachel’s friend owned a protected area for birds. An airplane had flown over the area where the birds were kept and spread a powerful chemical called DDT. Many songbirds and harmless insects were killed by the DDT.

Miss Carson and other scientists were very concerned about the harmful effects of DDT and other insect-killing chemicals called pesticides. Rachel Carson tried to get many magazines interested in publishing a report about the subject. However, none would agree to publish anything about such a debate subject. They said no one wanted to hear that industrial companies could cause great ecological damage.

Miss Carson believed the public needed to know about this important issue. She decided to write a book about it. In her book “Silent Spring”, Miss Carson questioned the right of industrial companies to pollute without considering the effects on the environment. Miss Carson argued that this kind of pollution would result in ever-decreasing populations of birds and other wildlife. She said this would lead to the loss of the wonderful sounds of nature. The chemical poisoning of the environment, she said, would cause a silent spring.

The chemical industry felt threatened. Industry spokesmen and other critics said the book was non-scientific and emotional. They misunderstood the message of the book. Miss Carson did not suggest that all pesticides be banned. She urged that control of these substances be given to biologists who could make informed decisions about the risks involved.

Support for the book increased. By the end of 1962, there were more than forty bills in state laws proposing to control pesticides. Finally, in November, 1969, the United States government ruled that the use of DDT must stop in two years.

Rachel Carson did not live to see how her book influenced the government’s decision to ban DDT. She died of breast cancer in 1964.

1.What gets Rachel Carson to write the book?

A.The area of protection.

B.A powerful chemical called DDT.

C.Killed songbirds and insects.

D.The advice given by Rachel’s friend.

2.No magazines agreed to publish the harmful effect of DDT because ______.

A.it was an unimportant subject for them

B.they were afraid of being involved in the quarrel

C.they had no environmental consciousness at all

D.DDT was necessary for industry development

3.Industry spokesman’s attitude towards the book is that of ______.

A.tolerance B.criticism

C.unconcern D.praise

4.What does the passage mainly tell about?

A.The influence of the book “Silent Spring”.

B.Rachel Carson’s book“Silent Spring”.

C.Environmental protection.

D.Why DDT is forbidden.

5.What does the topic of the book “Silent Spring” imply?

A.DDT was forbidden to be used in spring.

B.Wildlife would disappear by and by.

C.Miss Carson enjoyed silence in spring.

D.If only it could be silent in spring.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thomas Edison received a patent(专利) for his kinetoscope(电影放映机) on August31, 1887. It was a machine for viewing moving pictures. Edison had hoped to combine his no invention with the phonograph(留声机), which he had invented 10 years earlier. He thought that people would like to watch moving pictures that went along with the sound. He was not able to make them work together. The kinetoscope, however, was a popular attraction by itself. A person looked through small holes in a box-like machine and saw pictures in action. One of the first films made showed a man sneezing.

A problem with this invention was that only one person could view the moving pictures at a time. By 1891, Edison had invented a projector that showed the film on a screen. Many people could watch together.

In 1893, Edison built a motion-picture studio. He made over 300 silent films. Most of them were short. That was because the pictures flashed, or shook a lot. It was hard for people to watch more than 10 minutes at a time.

The first films were mostly of real events. They would show famous people walking somewhere, cars on a street, burning houses, and other news stories. Then comedies and short dramas were made.

Edison’s movie studio closed in 1918. By then other companies were also making films. Better cameras were made. Sound was added. Then color came along. Today, movies are among the most popular forms of entertainment.

1.What do we know about the first kinetoscope?

A. It was a machine to play pictures with sound.

B. It was invented 10 years earlier than phonograph.

C. Many people were able to see films together with it.

D. Only one person could see moving pictures with it at a time.

2.What does the underlined word “projector” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. A film player.

B. An electric lamp.

C. A programme.

D. A talking machine.

3.Why were most of the films very short at first?

A. People didn't like long films.

B. The film stories were really short.

C. The film pictures were not very steady.

D. People could only watch a short time at a time.

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

A. The trouble in making films.

B. The efforts of Edison in the development of films.

C. Why Edison invented the phonograph.

D. How Edison improved the kinetoscope.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

David Unaipon was an inventor and writer. He was the first Aboriginal (土著的) Australian to write published books. He also worked hard to make life better for Aboriginal people.

David Unaipon was born in South Australia, in 1872. As a young man, he loved to read and was interested in science and music. He thought a lot about new ways to fix engineering problems. Between the years 1909 and 1944, Unaipon made nine important inventions. He also made drawings for a helicopter design. He got the idea from the Australian boomerang (回飞镖) and the way it moved through the air. This happened in 1914, before we had helicopters.

Unaipon lived most of his life in Adelaide and worked for the Aborigines’ Friends’ Association. He worked and travelled around southeastern Australia for fifty years. Sometimes, while travelling from town to town, he was told he couldn’t stay in a hotel because he was black, so he understood the problems of racism (种族主义).

In 1925, Unaipon became the first Aboriginal writer to be published. His first published writing was an article in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. The article had the title:“Aboriginals: Their Traditions and Customs”. He wrote many other articles for newspapers and magazines, getting publicity about the rights of Aboriginal people. He also wrote about the need for white and black people to work together and the need for equal rights for both black and white Australians. He was well educated in both cultures, and in 1929 he helped with a government survey of Aboriginal health and interests.

David Unaipon died in 1967 at the age of 95, in the same year that Aboriginal people were first counted as part of Australia’s population. In 1995, David Unaipon’s picture was put on the Australian fifty-dollar note, with a drawing of one of his inventions.

1.Which of the following can describe David Unaipon when he was young?

A.He was calm. B.He was brave.

C.He was patient. D.He was creative.

2.What can we learn about David Unaipon’s helicopter design?

A.It was the model for modern helicopters.

B.It was a copy of another helicopter.

C.It was based on a local tool.

D.It was done in his 30s.

3.What do we know about David Unaipon as a writer?

A.He was the first Aboriginal writer.

B.He was concerned about racial inequality.

C.He finished most of his writings while travelling.

D.He had his writings published mainly in newspapers.

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.David Unaipon died an unexpected death.

B.David Unaipon was proud of his inventions.

C.David Unaipon’s contributions were recognised.

D.David Unaipon’s drawing abilities were appreciated.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

People often said Thomas Edison was the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be pleased only because someone said he was a genius. "There is no such thing as genius," Edison said. He thought what people called genius was mostly hard work.

But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. He tried to understand them, and then he tried to learn what he could usefully do with them.

Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people would do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking could give men enjoyment and pleasure.

Edison could not understand how anyone could not be interested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what idea he had about life. “Work,” he answered, “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

1.According to Thomas Edison, what's genius?

2.After exploring the secrets of nature, Edison always tried to______．

3.Edison could not understand______.

4.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that______．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius（天才） of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.

But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.

Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.

Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

2.Edison thought ____________.

3.In Edison’s opinion, ____________.

4.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(暗示） ____________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius（天才） of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.

But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.

Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.

Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

1.Edison thought ________.

A. he could be happy if he was a genius

B. genius plays the most important part in one’s success

C. hard work could do better than genius

D. genius could do better than hard work

2.In Edison’s opinion, ________.

A. thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as help

B. people’s success lies mostly in genius

C. hard work is the second important thing in making people successful

D. there are few secrets for him to discover later

3.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(暗示） ________.

A. life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings

B. Edison made 100 inventions in his life

C. Edison was able to live and work for 100 years

D. people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.

But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker.. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature , he often said ,is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then , he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.

Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.

Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “ Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Edison invented the electric light.

B. Many other people have changed Edison’s life.

C. Edison has changed the life of many other people.

D. Few men in history can change other people’s life.

2.Edison thought 　　　　　　 　　 .

A. he could be happy if he was a genius

B. genius plays the most important part in one’s success

C. hard work could do better than genius

D. genius could do better than hard work

3.Edison was 　　　　　　　　 .

A. very much interested in nature

B. interested in discovering the secrets of nature

C. interested in changing people’s ideas

D. uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature

4.In Edison’s opinion, 　　　　　　 .

A. thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as help

B. people’s success lies mostly in genius

C. hard work is the second important thing in making people successful

D. there are few secrets for him to discover later

5.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies　　　　　　 .

A. life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings

B. Edison made 100 inventions in his life

C. Edison was able to live and work for 100 years

D. People of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.

But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.

Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.

Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “ Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Edison invented the electric light.

B．Many other people have changed Edison’s life.

C．Edison has changed the life of many other people.

D．Few men in history can change other people’s life.

2.Edison thought ________ .

A．he could be happy if he was a genius

B．genius plays the most important part in one’s success

C．hard work could do better than genius

D．genius could do better than hard work

3.Edison was ________ .

A．very much interested in nature

B．interested in discovering the secrets of nature

C．interested in changing people’s ideas

D．uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature

4.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies ________ .

A．life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings

B．Edison made 100 inventions in his life

C．Edison was able to live and work for 100 years

D．People of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析