Unit 6 When was it invented?
Section A 1b
Listen and match the inventions with the years.
Was your life very difficult when you were a kid?
Oh, not really. Why?
Well, you didn’t have modern inventions like a telephone, right?
Of course we did! How old do you think I am? The telephone was invented in 1876. You need to take a history class, Alice!
Haha! How about cars? They weren’t invented yet, were they?
Yes, they were. Cars were invented in 1885. My family had a car.
Well, did you have a TV?
No, we couldn’t afford one. They were expensive in those days. The TV was invented around 1927, I think.
Well, I know that you didn’t have a computer because we learned in school that personal computers were invented in 1971.
You’re right. But I have one now!
Section A 2a
Listen and number the inventions 1-3 in the order you hear them.
Hi, Carol. Wow, what are those?
Hello, Alex. Oh, these are some of the interesting inventions that I’m writing about for my English homework.
I see…What’s that, then?
They’re shoes with lights. You use them for seeing in the dark when you get up at night.
Oh, that’s a cool idea! I always hit my toe on something on the way to the bathroom at night.
Next is a special ice-cream scoop. This is my favorite invention. It runs on electricity and becomes hot.
I know what it’s for! It’s used for serving really cold ice-cream.
Yes, that’s right!
The last invention I’m going to write about is shoes with special heels. You can move the heels up and down.
What are they used for?
Well, you can change the style of your shoes. You can raise the heels if you are going to a party or lower them if you are just going out for shopping.
Section A 2b
Listen again and complete the chart below.
Hi, Carol. Wow, what are those?
Hello, Alex. Oh, these are some of the interesting inventions that I’m writing about for my English homework.
I see…What’s that, then?
They’re shoes with lights. People use them for seeing in the dark when you get up at night.
Oh, that’s a cool idea! I always hit my toe on something on the way to the bathroom at night.
Next is a special ice-cream scoop. This is my favorite invention. It runs on electricity and becomes hot.
I know what it’s for! It’s used for serving really cold ice-cream.
Yes, that’s right!
The last invention I’m going to write about is shoes with special heels. You can move the heels up and down.
What are they used for?
Well, you can change the style of your shoes. You can raise the heels if you are going to a party or lower them if you are just going out for shopping.
Section A 2d
Role-play the conversation.
Paul: Hey Roy, the subject for my school project is "Small inventions that changed the world." Can you help me think of an invention?
Roy: My pleasure! Let me think ... hmm ... I know! The zipper!
Paul: The zipper? Is it really such a great invention?
Roy: Think about how often it’s used in our daily lives. You can see zippers on dresses, trousers, shoes, bags ... almost everywhere!
Paul: Well, you do seem to have a point ...
Roy: Of course! I thought about it because I saw a website last week. The pioneers of different inventions were listed there. For example, it mentioned that the zipper was invented by Whitcomb Judson in 1893. But at that time, it wasn’t used widely.
Paul: Really? So when did it become popular?
Roy: Around 1917.
Section A 3a
Read the passage quickly and match each paragraph with its main idea.
An Accidental Invention
Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water),
was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong first to discover tea as a drink.
One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world’s favorite drinks was invented.
A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, “the saint of tea”, mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.
It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn’t appear until around 1660, but less than 100 years, it had become the national drink.
The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea
Section B 1d
Listen again. Complete the sentences.
Hey, did you know that potato chips were invented by mistake?
Really? What do you mean?
Well, here on the bag it says that they were invented by a cook called George Crum.
When was that?
Oh, it was back in 1853.
So, why was it an accident?
Well, one day, a customer came into the restaurant where George worked.
He ordered a plate of fried potatoes. When the potatoes came, he said they were cut too thick and sent them back to the kitchen.
So what happened?
Well, George was angry, so he cut the potatoes really, really thin, and he cooked them for a long time until they were crispy. And he put lots of salt on them so they were really salty. He thought the customer would hate them.
And?
And the customer loved them and asked for more. He told the other customers about them, and soon everyone was ordering thinly cut, crispy, salty potato chips.
And we’re still eating them today.
What a cool story!
Section B 2b
Read the passage quickly.
What is the main idea of each paragraph?
Do You Know When Basketball was Invented? Basketball is a much-loved and active sport that is enjoyed by many for fun and exerces. It is over 100 years old and is played by more than 100 million people in over 200 countries.
It is believed that the first basketball game in history was played on December 21, 1891. Then in 1936 in Berlin, it became an event at the Olympics.
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith, who was born in 1861. When he was a college teacher, he was asked to think of a game that could be played in the winter. Dr. Naismith created a game to be played inside on a hard floor. Dr. Naismith divided the men in his class into two teams and taught them to play his new game.
Players on the same team must work together to get the ball in the other team’s basket. At the same time, they need to stop the competing team from getting the ball into their own basket.
Today, the popularity of basketball has risen around the world, with many young people dreaming of becoming famous players.
In China, you can sometimes see people playing basketball in parks, schools and even factories. Basketball has not only become a popular sport to play, but it has also become a popular sport to watch.
Although America’s NBA games are the most famous, the CBA games are becoming more Popular in China. The number of foreign players, including Chinese players, in the NBA has increased. There are also more and more foreign players in the CBA.
Many young people look up to these basketball heroes and want to become like them. These stars encourage young people to work hard to achieve their dreams.
参考译文
Section A 1b
听录音，将发明与对应的年份匹配。
你小时候生活很困难吗?
哦，不，并不困难。为什么这么问?
嗯，你们那时没有像电话这样的现代发明，对吧?
当然有!你以为我多大年纪了?电话是在1876年发明的。你需要去上历史课了，爱丽丝!
哈哈!那汽车呢?它们当时还没被发明出来吧?
不，它们已经被发明了。汽车在1885年被发明。我家就有一辆汽车。
那么，你们有电视吗?
没有，我们买不起。那时候它们很贵。我想电视大概是在1927年左右被发明的。
嗯，我知道你们没有电脑，因为我们在学校学过个人电脑是在1971年被发明的。
你说得对。但我现在有一台了!
Section A 2a
听录音，根据你听到的顺序给这三项发明编号1-3。
嗨，卡罗尔。哇，那是什么?
你好，亚历克斯。哦，这些是我为英语作业写的一些有趣的发明。
我明白了……那是什么?
它们是带灯的鞋子。你晚上起床时可以用它们来看清黑暗。
哦，真是个好主意!我晚上去卫生间时总是撞到什么东西。
接下来是一个特殊的冰淇淋勺。这是我最喜欢的发明。它是电动的，会变热。
我知道它的用途!它是用来舀非常冷的冰淇淋的。
是的，没错!
我要写的最后一个发明是带有特殊鞋跟的鞋子。你可以上下移动鞋跟。
它们是用来做什么的?
嗯，你可以改变鞋子的款式。如果你去参加聚会，可以抬高鞋跟;如果只是出去购物，可以降低鞋跟。
Section A 2b
再听一遍录音，完成下面的表格。
嗨，卡罗尔。哇，那是什么?
你好，亚历克斯。哦，这些是我为英语作业写的一些有趣的发明。
我明白了……那是什么?
它们是带灯的鞋子。晚上起床时，人们可以用它们来看清黑暗。
哦，这真是个好主意!我晚上去卫生间时总是撞到什么东西。
接下来是一个特殊的冰淇淋勺。这是我最喜欢的发明。它是电动的，会变热。
我知道它的用途!它是用来舀非常冷的冰淇淋的。
是的，没错!
我要写的最后一个发明是带有特殊鞋跟的鞋子。你可以上下移动鞋跟。
它们是用来做什么的?
嗯，你可以改变鞋子的款式。如果你去参加聚会，可以抬高鞋跟;如果只是出去购物，可以降低鞋跟。
Section A 2d
角色扮演对话。
保罗：嘿，罗伊，我学校项目的主题是“改变世界的小发明”。你能帮我想想一个发明吗?
罗伊：很乐意!让我想想……嗯……我知道了!拉链!
保罗：拉链?它真的是一个很棒的发明吗?
罗伊：想想它在我们日常生活中被使用的频率。你可以在裙子、裤子、鞋子、包包……几乎任何地方看到拉链!
保罗：嗯，你似乎说得有道理……
罗伊：当然!我之所以想到它，是因为我上周看到了一个网站。上面列出了不同发明的先驱者。例如，它提到拉链是由惠特科姆·贾德森在1893年发明的。但那时，它并没有被广泛使用。
保罗：真的吗?那它是什么时候变得流行的?
罗伊：大约在1917年。
Section A 3a
快速阅读文章，将每段与它的主旨大意匹配。
意外的发明
你知道吗?茶，世界上最受欢迎的饮料(仅次于水)，
是意外发明的?许多人认为茶最初是在大约5000年前被饮用的。据说是一位名叫神农的中国统治者首先发现了茶作为饮料。
一天，神农正在用明火煮饮用水。一些茶叶的叶子掉进了水里，并在那里待了一段时间。它散发出一种好闻的气味，所以他尝了尝那褐色的水。它非常美味，于是，世界上最受欢迎的饮料之一就被发明了。
几千年后，茶圣陆羽在他的著作《茶经》中提到了神农。这本书描述了如何种植茶树和如何制作茶叶。它还讨论了哪里产的茶叶最好以及使用什么样的水。
据信，在6世纪和7世纪期间，茶被带到了韩国和日本。在英国，茶直到大约1660年才出现，但在不到100年的时间里，它就成为了国民饮料。
从中国到西方国家的茶叶贸易发生在19世纪。这有助于将茶叶和茶树推广到世界更多地方。尽管现在许多人了解茶文化，但中国人无疑是最了解茶的本质的。
Section B 1d
再听一遍。完成句子。
嘿，你知道薯片是意外发明的吗?
真的吗?你什么意思?
嗯，包装袋上写着它们是由一个叫乔治·克鲁姆的厨师发明的。
那是在什么时候?
哦，那是在1853年。
那么，为什么说是意外呢?
嗯，有一天，一位顾客走进了乔治工作的餐厅。
他点了一盘炸土豆。当土豆上来时，他说切得太厚了，然后把它们送回了厨房。
后来呢?
嗯，乔治很生气，所以他把土豆切得非常非常薄，并把它们煮了很长时间，直到它们变得酥脆。他还在上面放了很多盐，所以它们非常咸。他以为顾客会讨厌它们。
然后呢?
然后顾客很喜欢它们，并要求再来一些。他告诉其他顾客，很快每个人都开始点这种切得很薄、酥脆、咸的薯片了。
而我们现在还在吃它们。
真是个酷故事!
Section B 2b
快速阅读文章。
每段的中心思想是什么?
你知道篮球是什么时候被发明的吗?
篮球是一项深受喜爱且充满活力的运动，许多人为了娱乐和锻炼而喜欢它。它已有100多年的历史，在200多个国家有超过1亿人打篮球。
据信，历史上第一场篮球比赛是在1891年12月21日举行的。然后在1936年的柏林奥运会上，它成为了一项赛事。
篮球是由一位名叫詹姆斯·奈史密斯的加拿大医生发明的，他出生于1861年。当他还是一名大学教师时，他被要求想出一个可以在冬天玩的游戏。奈史密斯博士创造了一个在硬地板上室内玩的游戏。奈史密斯博士把他的学生分成两队，教他们玩他的新游戏。
同一队的球员必须合作，将球投进对方的篮筐。同时，他们需要阻止对方球队将球投进自己的篮筐。
如今，篮球在全球范围内的普及度日益提高，许多年轻人梦想成为著名的篮球运动员。
在中国，你时常能在公园、学校甚至工厂里看到人们打篮球的身影。篮球不仅成为了一项广受欢迎的体育运动，也成为了人们热衷观看的赛事。
尽管美国的NBA比赛最为著名，但中国的CBA比赛也愈发受到人们的喜爱。加入NBA的外国球员数量不断增加，其中也包括中国球员，而CBA中的外国球员也越来越多。
许多年轻人将这些篮球英雄视为榜样，渴望成为像他们一样的人。这些明星激励着年轻人努力奋斗，勇敢追梦。
