12．The aim of the experiment in 1950 was ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A．to speed up the boats　　　　　　　　 B．to change the world

　 C．to make the boats more comfortable　　 D．to improve vacuum cleaner

11．The passage is mainly about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A．Christopher，an ordinary but imaginative engineer

　 B．Christopher and his wife's vacuum cleaner

　 C．Christopher and his invention　　　　　　　　 D．Christopher and his discovery

10．In the story the relation(关系) of the big strong tree to the thin one is like that of ＿＿.

　 A． the young father to the old neighbor　　　　　　　　 B． parents to their children

　 C． the old neighbor to the children of the young father　　 D． grown ups to their parents

C

　 In 1950 an ordinary but imaginative(富于想象力) electrical engineer named Christopher Cockerell began an experiment that was soon to change the world． He came up with an idea to make boats go faster， by using a vacuum cleaner(真空吸尘器)．

　 Using his wife's vacuum cleaner he was able to reverse(使倒转) the motor so that it blew instead of sucking． The air that blew out beneath(下面) acted as a cushion against surfaces． Years later， his principle of cushioned air made it possible for the first hovercraft(气垫船) to be successfully built and tried out． A journey along the Amazon River proved to the world that the hovercraft was both wonderful and useful．

　 The invention that began in the kitchen and the boatyard of an ordinary home led to a thousand other inventions． Today hovercrafts carry passengers in comfort over rough channels and seas．

9．At last the old man told the young man ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A． that he should be strict with his children if they could not yet stand alone

　 B． that he should always be strict with his children　　 C． that he should be hard on them

　 D． that he should tie his children until they are ready to stand alone

8．When can the string be taken away？＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A． When the old man has left　　　　　　　　 B． After you have untied it

　 C． When the young man has untied it next time

　 D． When the young tree grows strong enough

7．The young man untied the string ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A． in order to throw it away　　　　　 B． so that both of the trees would grow straight

　 C． only to find that the thinner one bent over to one side

　 D． in order to let the old man teach him

6．The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A． how to take care of young trees　　 B． how strict parents should be with their children

　 C． how the young father should get on with his old neighbor

　 D． how to tie and untie the string

5．Englishmen ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A．do not often shake hands with friends when they meet

　 B．often shake hands when they meet with friends

　 C．raise their hats to all friends when they meet

　 D．do not raise their hats to any of their friends when they meet

B

　 A young father was visiting an old neighbor． They were standing in the old man's garden， and talking about children． The young man said， “How strict should parents be with their children？”

　 The old man pointed to a string(绳子)between a big strong tree and a thin young one． “Please untie(解开)that string，” he said． The young man untied it， and the young tree bent(弯)over to one side． “Now tie it again， please，” said the old man， “but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again．”

　 The young man did so． Then the old man said， “There，it is the same with children． You must be strict with them， but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on． If they are not yet able to stand alone， you must tie the string tight again． But when you find that they are ready to stand alone， you can take the string away．”

4．The writer came to London ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

　 A．to make a living　　　　　　　　 B．to study

　 C．to learn British ways of living　　　 D．for sightseeing only

3．How does the writer feel about British ways of living？

　 A．Happy．　　 B．Angry．　　 C．Sad．　　 D．Interesting．