12．At 10：35a．m．on December 17，1903，two brothers from Ohio flew the first successful airplane for 12seconds and 120feet along a beach in Kitty Hawk，North Carolina．With Orville flying first，the brothers took turns as pilot，and they flew three more times that day．On their fourth try，they managed to go 852feet in 59 seconds--an amazing feat at the time．The two brothers had invented powered flight．
Orville and Wilbur Wright owned a bicycle shop in Dayton，Ohio．Although they had not gone to school to learn about airplanes or engineering，they were good mechanics．By repairing bicycles，they had learned how gears and pulleys worked．They also learned to take careful notes about what they saw．Each time they made a new design and tested a machine，they took notes and made drawings．They would study these to figure out what they could do better the next time．
Before the Wright brothers flew，they did many things to prepare for this extraordinary achievement．They read everything they could find about air，balloons，and kites．Then they made careful sketches of what they wanted to build．They began by making model kites to learn how air flowed over wings．They made them bigger and bigger until they had a glider-a kite that is big enough to hold a person，but with no engine．The Wright brothers made three gliders before building their first airplane．Each time they made a glider，they would test it，make careful observations，and then improve their design．
When they made a glider that flew well，they added an engine．This step was harder than it sounds，because they had to find an engine that was both light-weight and powerful．The engines that they could buy were either too heavy or too weak，so they asked their friend Charlie Taylor to help them build one．The first engine that Charlie built broke almost immediately，but the second one worked well．
After Orville and Wilbur installed the engine in their plane，they were almost ready．They simply had to wait for the perfect day with just the fight amount of wind．On the morning of December 17，1903，they had their chance．And the airplane flew into history．
36．What was the speed of the first flight？A
A.10feet per second． B.120feet per minute．
C.12feet per second． D.1200feet per hour．
37．What can we learn about the Wright brothers from Paragraph 2？C
A．They had little formal education．
B．They owned a successful business．
C．They were very thorough in their work．
D．They had experienced many failures．
38．The brothers constructed a number of kites in order toD．
A．test the materials they would use for their plane
B．prove that building a flying machine was possible
C．see which shape could support the most weight
D．improve the design of their plane's wings
39．Which of the following is true according to the passage？B
A．The Wright brothers built all the parts of their first plane．
B．Wilbur Wright flew 852feet on December 17，1903．
C．There was no wind on the day the Wright brothers flew．
D．Orville Wright went on to become a professional pilot．
40．In what order did the following events occur？C
a．The Wright brothers started reading about balloons．
b．The Wright brothers ran a bicycle repair shop．
c．A suitable engine was built．
d．Orville successfully flew for the first time．
e．Charlie Taylor was asked to help．
f．Three gliders were built．
A．c，f，e，b，a，d B．b，c，a，f，d，e
C．b，a，f，e，c，d D．d，e，a，f，c，b．
分析 本文主要讲述了莱特兄弟制造飞机的故事，他们虽然没有去学校学习过，但是他们学会了齿轮和滑轮的工作，对每一次的设计他们都会认真记录，吸取经验，最终他们成功飞起来第一架飞机．
解答 36．A 细节理解题．由第一段two brothers from Ohio flew the first successful airplane for 12 seconds and 120 feet along a beach in Kitty Hawk经计算可知第一次飞行的速度为10feet per second，故选A．
37．C 细节理解题．由第二段Each time they made a new design and tested a machine，they took notes and made drawings．They would study these to figure out what they could do better the next time．可知他们对工作做的很仔细，故选C．
38．D 细节理解题．根据第三段They began by making model kites to learn how air flowed over wings．他们做许多风筝的目的是改善他们的飞机的机翼，故选D．
39．B 细节理解题．根据第一段On their fourth try，they managed to go 852 feet in 59 seconds--an amazing feat at the time．所以B正确；误解分析：由第四段The engines that they could buy were either too heavy or too weak，so they asked their friend Charlie Taylor to help them build one．可知发动机不是他们做的，故A错；由最后一段They simply had to wait for the perfect day with just the fight amount of wind．可知他们飞行的时候是有风的，故C错；选项D在文中并没有提到；故选B．
40．C 排序题，在文中查找可知事情按如下顺序发生Orville and Wilbur Wright owned a bicycle shop；They read everything they could find about air，balloons，and kites；The Wright brothers made three gliders before building their first airplane； they asked their friend Charlie Taylor to help them build one；The first engine that Charlie built broke almost immediately，but the second one worked well；With Orville flying first，the brothers took turns as pilot，故选C．
点评 本文考查学生的记叙类阅读的水平，需要学生认真阅读原文，可以先大致浏览一遍问题，带着问题到原文中查找答案更能事半功倍．
