Three men traveling on a train began a conversition about the world's greatest wonders.
“ In my opinion,” the first man said, “ the Egyptian pyramids are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They didn’t have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.
“ I agree that the Egyptian pyramids are wonderful,” the second man said, “ But I don’t think they’re the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. They carry out mathematical calculations in seconds that would take a person a hundred years to do.”
He turned to the third man and asked, “ What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world?”
The third man thought for a long time, then he said, “ Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is the thermos(保温瓶).”
And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.
The other two men were very surprised. “ A thermos?” they exclaimed(大声说), “ But that’s a simple thing.”
“ Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said, “ in the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot, in the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it is winter or summer?”
【小题1】The travelers passed the time on the train by talking about _______.

Three men traveling on a train began a conversition about the world's greatest wonders.

“ In my opinion,” the first man said, “ the Egyptian pyramids are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They didn’t have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.

“ I agree that the Egyptian pyramids are wonderful,” the second man said, “ But I don’t think they’re the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. They carry out mathematical calculations in seconds that would take a person a hundred years to do.”

He turned to the third man and asked, “ What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world?”

The third man thought for a long time, then he said, “ Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is the thermos(保温瓶).”

And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.

The other two men were very surprised. “ A thermos?” they exclaimed(大声说), “ But that’s a simple thing.”

“ Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said, “ in the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot, in the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it is winter or summer?”

1.The travelers passed the time on the train by talking about _______.

2.The three men could not agree on what the world’s greatest wonder was because _______.

3. The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because _______.

4.The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _______.

5.The third man was not very clever because _______.

Born in 1949, Diana Nyad took an early interest in swimming as a sport and was a Florida State High School swimming champion（冠军）. Like many young trainers, she had Olympic dreams, but a serious illness prevented her from competing in the Games. The disappointment didn’t stop her from going forward. Instead, she became interested in marathon swimming.
For ten years Nyad devoted herself to becoming one of the world’s best long-distance swimmers. In 1970, she swam a ten-mile marathon in Lake Ontario, setting the women’s record for the course. In 1972 she set another record by swimming 102.5 miles from an island in the Bahamas to the coast of Florida. Then she broke a third record when swimming around Manhattan Island in 1975.
Nyad attempted to swim the distance between Florida and Cuba in 1978. Though the span(跨度) of water is less than 100 miles wide, it is rough and dangerous. After battling(与---作战) the water for two days, she had to give up for the sake of her own health and safety. Even so, she impressed the world with her courage and strong desire to succeed. It did not matter that her swim came up short; she believed she had touched the other shore.
When Nyad ended her career as a swimmer, she continued to try new things---travelling the world as a reporter, writing books and giving public speeches about her life. Diana Nyad works to inspire others, just as she did when she swam the waters of the world.
【小题1】What was Nyad’s early interest?
【小题2】When did Nyad set the record for a ten-mile marathon swimming?
【小题3】According to the passage, how many times did Nyad join the long-distance swimming?
【小题4】What did Nyad do after she finished swimming?
【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?

Born in 1949, Diana Nyad took an early interest in swimming as a sport and was a Florida State High School swimming champion（冠军）. Like many young trainers, she had Olympic dreams, but a serious illness prevented her from competing in the Games. The disappointment didn’t stop her from going forward. Instead, she became interested in marathon swimming.

For ten years Nyad devoted herself to becoming one of the world’s best long-distance swimmers. In 1970, she swam a ten-mile marathon in Lake Ontario, setting the women’s record for the course. In 1972 she set another record by swimming 102.5 miles from an island in the Bahamas to the coast of Florida. Then she broke a third record when swimming around Manhattan Island in 1975.

Nyad attempted to swim the distance between Florida and Cuba in 1978. Though the span(跨度) of water is less than 100 miles wide, it is rough and dangerous. After battling(与---作战) the water for two days, she had to give up for the sake of her own health and safety. Even so, she impressed the world with her courage and strong desire to succeed. It did not matter that her swim came up short; she believed she had touched the other shore.

When Nyad ended her career as a swimmer, she continued to try new things---travelling the world as a reporter, writing books and giving public speeches about her life. Diana Nyad works to inspire others, just as she did when she swam the waters of the world.

1.What was Nyad’s early interest?

2.When did Nyad set the record for a ten-mile marathon swimming?

3.According to the passage, how many times did Nyad join the long-distance swimming?

4.What did Nyad do after she finished swimming?

5.What can we learn from the passage?