Invention is a creative process. An open and curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Seeing a new possibility, a new connection or relationship can spark(引发) an invention. Inventive thinking frequently involves combining concepts or elements from different fields that would not normally be put together. Sometimes inventors skip over the boundaries between separate fields. Ways of thinking, materials, processes or tools from one field are used as no one else has imagined in a different field.
Play can lead to invention. Childhood curiosity like playing in a sand box, imagination can develop one’s play nature—an inner need according to Carl Jung. Inventors feel the need to play with things that interest them, and to explore, and this internal drive brings about interesting creations.
Inventing can also be an obsession(痴迷). Inventors often imagine a new idea, seeing it in their mind’s eye. New ideas can arise when the conscious mind turns away from the subject or problem; or when the focus is on something else; or even while relaxing or sleeping. An unusual idea may come all of a sudden! For example, after years of working to figure out the general theory of relativity, the solution came to Einstein suddenly in a dream “like a giant die making an unforgettable impress, a huge map of the universe summarized itself in one clear vision”.
Invention can also be accidental. Insight(洞察力) is also an important element of invention. It may begin with questions or doubt. It may begin by recognizing something unusual. It may be useful and it could open a new way for exploration. For example, the odd metallic color of plastic made by accidentally adding too much catalyst(催化剂) led scientists to explore its metal-like properties(性能). They then invented electrically conductive plastic and light emitting(散发) plastic—an invention that won the Nobel Prize in 2000 and has led to new kind of lighting, display screens, wallpaper and much more.
Title: 1
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A(n) 3 process |
◆Look 2 than we know now. ◆Give combining concepts or 4 elements from different fields. ◆No one can 5 this before. |
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An obsession |
◆ 6 often imagine a new idea. ◆An unusual idea may come 7 . |
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A(n) 8 |
◆A vital element of invention is 9 . ◆It may open a new way for exploration. ◆Accidental actions can 10 to innovation. |
科目：高中英语 来源：2014届重庆西南大学附属中学高二下学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：完型填空
When I was 17, I read a quote: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made a(n) 36 on me，and since then，for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the 37 day of my life，would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to 38 something．
Remembering that I’ll be 39 soon is the most important tool to help me make the big choices in life, 40 almost everything—all expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—just falls away in the face of death, 41 only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to 42 . You are already naked．There is no reason not to follow your heart.
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to 43 don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever 44 it, because Death is very likely to be the single best invention of Life. It clears out the old to 45 for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will 46 become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is 47 , so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice．Everything else is secondary.
1. A．surprise B．impression C．choice D．call
2. A．last B．first C．worst D．best
3. A．change B．supply C．provide D．achieve
4. A．dead B．fired C．murdered D．failed
5. A．despite B．because C．though D．if
6. A．including B．possessing C．leaving D．facing
7. A．value B．reach C．gain D．lose
8. A．sky B．space C．universe D．heaven
9. A．experienced B．encountered C．escaped D．observed
10. A．make good B．make up C．make way D．make clear
11. A．dramatically B．gradually C．regularly D．likely
12. A．important B．narrow C．perfect D．limited
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013届安徽省亳州市高三摸底联考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Botany （植物学） , the study of plants, occupies a particular position in the history of human knowledge．For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest （模糊的）） of insights．It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient．This is logical．Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things even for other plants．They have always been enormously important to the welfare of people not only for food but also for clothing, tools, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes．Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each．To them, botany has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of "knowledge" at all．
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become, the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge grows．Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose or an apple．When nor Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer fields the next season—the first, great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken．Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture: cultivated crops．From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild, and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience with plants in the wild would begin to fade away．
1.What does the writer mean when he says "This is logical" in the first paragraph?
A．Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed．
B．It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants．
C．There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor's knowledge of plant．
D．It is reasonable to assume our ancestors behave much like people in pre-industrial societies．
2.According to the passage, general knowledge of botany begun to fade away because ____．
A．people no longer value plants as a useful resource
B．direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased
C．botany is not recognized as a special branch of science
D．research is unable to keep up with the increasing number of plants
3.We learn that the first great step toward the practice of agriculture is____．
A．the changing diets of early humans
B．the development of a system of names for plants
C．the invention of agricultural implements （工具） and machinery
D．the discovery of certain grasses that could be harvested and replanted
4.Human would depend on the controlled production of a few plants for living with
A．the knowledge of plants
B．the discovery of certain grasses
C．the development of machinery
D．the appearance of agriculture
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013届山西省大同市高二下学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business, but he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things.
Matthew Brady was one well-known American photographer. He took many portraits of famous people. The portraits were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film ready-made in rolls. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive. With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures “snapshots”.
Photography also turned into a form of art by the end the 19th century, some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
1.Matthew Brady was well-known for _______.
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A．inventing daguerreotype |
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B．taking pictures of French cities |
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C．taking portraits of famous people |
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D．inventing the first camera |
2.The new inventions in photography made it possible for ________.
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A．Brady to take pictures of famous people |
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B．anyone to be a photographer |
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C．only rich people to take pictures |
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D．people to use daguerreotype |
3.Photography can also be an art form because artists can _________.
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A．take pictures to show the real world |
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B．make documentaries |
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C．show ideas and feelings in pictures |
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D．copy old pictures |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2011-2012学年浙江省高三5月适应性考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：信息匹配
校创业俱乐部成员Bob、Olga、Scott、Ann和David正筹划在同学中开展“青少年创业”的宣传活动。请根据他们各自的兴趣（61~65），阅读下面某杂志上6位青少年企业家的简介（A、B、C、D、E和F），为他们选定最佳的宣传案例，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。
1.Bob: How to make use of part-time job experience to secure a position in a big company?
2.Olga: How to take advantage of family tradition and build a new brand?
3.Scott: How to discover market needs and build an online business?
4.Ann: How to run a business based on creativity and inventions?
5.David: How to start a small business based on special skills?
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B |
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James Murray Wells founded Glasses Direct, which is now the biggest online seller of eyeglasses in the world. It sells a pair of frames every few minutes and employs 70 people in its two offices. This English entrepreneur was still in college when he saw a great business opportunity. He saw that there was no UK online shop selling eyeglasses. He used his college loan money to start just such a business and it was successful enough to earn over $1 million during its first year in operation. |
Richie Stachowski, 11, of Moraga, Calif., went diving with his dad during a vacation in Hawaii. Richie was disappointed he could not talk underwater about the many colorful and amazing things he saw. When Richie got home, he started work on the equipment that would allow him to talk underwater. His invention — the Water Talkies — is basically a phone that allows sound wave to travel about 15 feet underwater. Water Talkies are now offered at toy stores around the country. |
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C |
D |
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Fraser Doherty is an example of a young man with a more old-fashioned approach to business. At the age of 14, Fraser Doherty began making jams from his grandmother’s recipes (制作法) and selling them door-to-door in Edinburgh, Scotland. Developing the recipes and coming up with a name for his product, Doherty quit school at age 16 to work on Superjam full time. Now Superjam has an estimated worth of over $2 million based on current sales of $1 million annually. |
Richard is an example of developing and using his skills to earn money. At the age of 15 he learned leather craft at a summer camp. He then made small items he could sell at the only shop in his village. Because he was determined to produce the highest-quality work, his fame and his profit grew. Soon Richard could buy larger quantities of leather, which he made into handbags and purses. These he sold in a larger shop in the neighboring village. |
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E |
F |
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Dorothy started her business at the age of 14, selling stick-insect eggs by mail order. Less than 20 years later, she is Great Britain’s biggest breeder (繁殖者) of stick insects. Because she had experience with insects and knew she wanted to make a career in the insect business, Dorothy studied applied biology at a university, designing the right kind of insect houses and researching proper feeding facilities for her insects. This greatly increased her ability to supply the whole package to her customers. |
Ben’s family helped him turn an after-school job — cleaning swimming pools and mowing lawns — into a successful and valuable service. Because of the skills he developed through hard work, he landed a position with a large company, which paid his college fees, provided him training in a career and guaranteed him a job after graduation. The company was not looking for a high-powered businessman; it wanted someone who had learned financial knowledge and the value of customer satisfaction — all very important entrepreneurial skills. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：河北省2010届高三下学期模拟考试Ⅰ试卷（英语） 题型：阅读理解
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That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.
Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.
Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost of something or how heavy something is. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server(服务器) address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring coping duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes (笔画) per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.
58．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．How “at” developed into @. B．How @ came into being.
C．How monks invented @. D．How people wrote the cost of something.
59．Which is NOT the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?
A．Though “at” is short, it was used very often.
B．The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.
C．The monks wanted to invent a new word.
D．Copying work was long and boring for them.
60．According to paragraph 5, which is TRUE about the symbol of @ today?
A．When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.
B．Kittly 163.com@is an email address.
C．In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.
D．It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.
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