There have been many great inventions that change the way we live. The first great ___1___ was one that is still very important today—the wheel. This made it easy for man ___2___ heavy things and to travel long distances. For hundreds of years after that，there were ___3___ inventions that had as much effect as the wheel. Then in the early 1800‘s the world started to change ___4___. There was little unknown land left in the world. People did not have to explore much any more. In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. ___5___ them were the camera，the electric light and the radio. These have all become a big part of our life today.
     The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter in 1909. Movies ___6___ sound in 1926. The computer in 1928. And jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new ___7___ was first made. Nylon came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wear. Of course new inventions continued to be made. Man began looking ___8___ ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took another. Since then other countries，including China and Japan， ___9___ their steps into space. In 1969 man took his biggest step away from earth. ___10___ first walked on the moon. This was certainly just a beginning. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.
    1. A. scientist   B. artist      C. musician   D. invention
    2. A. carry       B. carrying    C. to carry   D. carried
    3. A. few         B. a few       C. little     D. a little
    4. A. largely     B. differently C. greatly    D. freely
    5. A. Between     B. Among       C. Before     D. After
    6. A. in          B. of          C. on         D. with
    7. A. mistake     B. product     C. world      D. material
    8. A. for         B. out         C. after      D. around
    9. A. made        B. were made   C. have made  D. hade made
    10. A. Chinese    B. Japanese    C. Americans  D. Russians

[答案与解析]

1. D.该题用语境推测法。根据首句所提供的语境——伟大的发明，可推测出本句所列举的应是“第一项大发明”。
2. C.该题用语法分析法。本句中的it是形式宾语，真正的宾语是后面的动词不定式短语to carry heavy things and to travel long distances.
3. A.该题测试不定代词的用法。invention是可数名词，不能用little和a little来修饰，这样就可以否定后面两个选项。根据上下文所提供的语境，可推知：在车轮被发明之后到18世纪，车轮是最重要的发明，自然就是“几乎没有像车轮一样有影响的发明”，应选表示否定意义的few.
4.C.该题测试副词的辨析，应用语境推测法。根据上下文可知此句意为“19世纪早期世界开始发生巨大的变化”。largely 是“主要地，在很大程度上”的意思，differently 是“不同地”的意思，greatly 是“很，非常”的意思，freely 是“自由地，不受控制”的意思。
5. B.根据上下文语境，如选 Before 和 After，显然语句不通；between指“两者之间”，也不能被选。
6. D.该题测试介词的用法。“有声电影”指画面伴随有声音的电影，这四个介词中，只有with有“随着”的意思。
7. D.根据下文提供的语境可知“1935年生产出了尼龙”，而尼龙是一种生产布匹的原料。
8. A.根据下文的“俄罗斯迈出了第一步，美国紧随其后”，可推知上文是“人类开始寻找进入太空的方法”。这四个词组中，look for意为“寻找”，look out意为“小心，留心”，look after意为“照料”，look around意为“环顾四周”，只有look for才合乎句子要求。
9. C.since then是现在完成时的标志，意思是“此后，从此一直”。在这四个被选项中，made和were made是一般过去时，had made是过去完成时，只有have made是现在完成时。
10. C.这是一道常识题。美国人首次登月是家喻户晓的常识