UNIT 5: INVENTIONS
D. READING
Part 1: Read the text and choose the best option A, B, C, or D that best fits each gap.
MOBILE PHONES
When Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell (1) ____ the telephone in 1876, it was a revolution in communication. (2) ____ the first time, people could talk to each other over great distances almost as clearly as if they were in the same room. Nowadays, though, we (3) ____ use Bell’s invention for taking photographs, (4) ____ the Internet or watching video clips rather than talking. Over the last two decades a new (5) _____ of spoken communication has emerged: the mobile phone.
(Adapted from https://www.reading_comprehension/inventions/mobile phones)
1. A. has been invented B. is invented C. invented D. was invented
2. A. As B. By C. For D. Since
3. A. increase B. increased C. increasing D. increasingly
4. A. accessing B. contacting C. entering D. searching
5. A. aids B. means C. tools D. ways
Answers:
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. |
| C | C | D | A | B |
Part 2: Read the text and choose the best option A , B, C, or D for each question.
THE VANISHING INVENTION
In 1998, a Valencian professor made an amazing claim. Professor Antonio Cervilla discovered how to use water as a substitute for petrol. The scientist said that you could drive from Bilbao to Valencia on just half a litre of water. His invention uses a molybdenum compound to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike other methods, no electricity is required and the reaction happens at atmospheric temperature. This impressive technology is based on the way plant enzymes break down water. The use of molybdenum is the perfect choice because, although rare, it is cheap and found all around the planet.
Since the claims were made, nothing more has been heard about this fabulous technology. There is no explanation for the disappearance anywhere on the internet, apart from a list of similar inventions which have also vanished. An inventor from the Philipines called Daniel Dingel developed a water-fuelled car but was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. If this technology were to become widely available, it would prove disastrous for petrol station owners and would also save the planet from the impending environmental catastrophes being caused by pollution.
(Adapted from https://www.reading_comprehension/the vanishing inventions/)
1. The word “substitute” in the passage is closest in meaning to ____.
A. addition B. alternative C. imitation D. solution
2. Which of the following is NOT true about Cervilla’s invention?
A. It happens at atmospheric temperature.
B. It imitates something in nature.
C. It requires no electricity.
D. It uses enzymes to break down water.
3. The word “it” in the passage refers to ____.
A. enzyme B. molybdenum C. petrol D. water
4. The word “vanished” in the passage is opposite in meaning to ____.
A. appeared B. produced C. introduced D. invented
5. It is stated in the passage that water-fuelled cars may contribute to ____.
A. save energy B. save environment C. save money D. save time
Answers:
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. |
| B | D | B | A | B |
Part 3: Read the text and fill in each blank with a suitable word from the box. There are MORE words than needed.
symbols | invented | painstakingly | mechanized | improving |
efficiency | significant | civilization | mass-produced | printing |
Probably the most (1)_____ medieval achievement was the (2)_____ press, without which modern civilization wouldn't be possible. It was invented in Johannes Gutenberg in 1436. Though imprinting (3)_____ or images via stencils and ink had been known in Europe and China for hundreds of years, Gutenberg mechanized the process, improving its speed and efficiency. Up until then, books had to be (4)_____ copied by hand, but now they could be (5)_____ easily.
(Adapted from https://www.reading_comprehension/social_studies/167/printing press/)
Answers:
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. |
| significant | printing | symbols | painstakingly | mass-produced |
Part 4: Read the text and decide whether the following statements are True, False or Not Given.
Nowadays, amid the storming development of high-tech devices such as smartphones or e-book readers, people seem to neglect the existence of certain inventions that date back thousands of years. One of those is the mirror.
People grew a desire to see themselves as they saw their reflections in the surface of water. Around the 600s BC, the first mirrors were made from natural materials such as polished stones. After a while, people started to use bronze, gold and silver to make mirrors. These metals were heavy, so mirrors had very modest sizes. Ruling-class people, especially ladies, used them as a fashionable accessory. Hardly did they