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 (霉) 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 almost always come out of tough 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 most shots at the goal—and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovation 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 goodness 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 proposal that nothing be 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 sure 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. An individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident.
B. A person who has had no education.
C. A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.
D. A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.
2.According to the author, what differs innovators from non-innovators?
A. The way they present their findings. B. The way they deal with problems.
C. The intelligence they possess. D. The variety of ideas they have.
3.The phrase “march to a different drummer” (the last line of the passage) suggests that highly creative individuals are ________.
A. unwilling to follow common ways of doing things
B. diligent in pursuing their goals
C. concerned about the advance of society
D. devoted to the progress of science
4.The most suitable title for this passage might be ________.
A. The Relation Between Creation and Diligence
B. To Be a Creative Expert in the Study of Human Creativity
C. What Are So Special about Creative Individuals
D. Discoveries and Innovation
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
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 (霉) 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 almost always come out of tough 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 most shots at the goal—and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovation 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 goodness 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 proposal that nothing be 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 sure 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. An individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident.
B. A person who has had no education.
C. A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.
D. A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.
2.According to the author, what differs innovators from non-innovators?
A. The way they present their findings. B. The way they deal with problems.
C. The intelligence they possess. D. The variety of ideas they have.
3.The phrase “march to a different drummer” (the last line of the passage) suggests that highly creative individuals are ________.
A. unwilling to follow common ways of doing things
B. diligent in pursuing their goals
C. concerned about the advance of society
D. devoted to the progress of science
4.The most suitable title for this passage might be ________.
A. The Relation Between Creation and Diligence
B. To Be a Creative Expert in the Study of Human Creativity
C. What Are So Special about Creative Individuals
D. Discoveries and Innovation
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If Newton lived today, he would be surprised by what ______ in science and technology.
A. had discovered B. had been discovered
C. has discovered D. has been discovered
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
If Newton lived today,he would be surprised by what_____in science and technology.
A.had discovered B.had been discovered
C.has discovered D.has been discovered
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Breakthroughs in science and technology are paving the way for modern cities to support bigger populations. Now, we see the most exciting urban innovations to show you exactly how they’ll improve your city’s infrastructure(基础设施).
Lighting Up The Night
Anthony Di Mari dreamed up an electric tree to help irrigate public parks and light them at night. These electric trees contain a special infill (填充物) that collects water from rainfall. The water is then distributed through a shallow underground irrigation system with the help from the trees’ swaying movement. An electric motor turns energy from the waving of the artificial trees into electricity, which is used to light up the trees’ outer LEDs.
Thinking Outside The Box
As more people flock to urban areas, city planners will need to get increasingly creative about how to satisfy residents’ health and transportation needs within decreasing available space. One way to achieve this is by updating infrastructure to support biking and walking by building suspended(悬浮的) roundabouts like hovering in the Netherlands. By lifting bicycle and pedestrian traffic above busy roadways, cities can significantly decrease over-crowded traffic condition.
Waving Hello To Clean Energy
Cities that don’t receive enough sunlight may find an attractive alternative in wave power. Since ocean waves rarely experience disruption(中断), electric engines driven by their clockwork push-and-pull can reliably provide power throughout the year. Further, thanks to advances in wave power technology, engineers have been able to move wave power engines farther offshore, where the waves pack the most punch, making the engines extremely efficient. So in the future, heavily populated coastal cities may use wave to meet their energy needs.
1.What is the special infill used to do?
A. To make the trees beautiful.
B. To produce electricity.
C. To help the trees’ swaying.
D. To collect water from rainfall.
2.How do the Netherlands improve the city traffic according to the text?
A. By updating the city roadway condition.
B. By building walking passages underground.
C. By creating suspended roundabouts above roadways.
D. By supporting more biking and walking.
3.What does the author mainly tell us in the last paragraph?
A. The advantages of wave power.
B. The ways to use wave power.
C. The future of wave power.
D. The advances in wave power technology.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(2014·北京海淀模拟)Only by improving education and high science technology can a country become a(n)________one.
A．advanced B．bored
C．astonished D．convinced
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
So quickly are science and technology advancing ____ is a possibility today may be a reality tomorrow.
| A．what | B．that | C．what that | D．that what |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Science and technology are advancing so quickly that _____ is a possibility today may be a reality tomorrow．
A．that B．which C．不填 D．what
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
193. What they need at present _______ science and technology.
| A．is | B．has | C．are | D．Were |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Science and technology are advancing so quickly that________ is a possibility today may be a reality tomorrow．
A．that B．which C．不填 D．what
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
So quickly are science and technology advancing ________ is a possibility today may be a reality tomorrow.
A．which B．what
C．that which D．that what
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析