B

　　Leo Baekeland never gave up his dream of creating a special kind of plastic that would keep its form after it cooled. His invention was Bakelite，an inexpensive，widely used plastic.

　　Leo was born in Belgium into a lower, middle­class family. He studied at the University of Ghent in 1882 and eventually graduated with a doctorate in natural science at the age of 21. He taught there for several years before he traveled on a scholarship to the United States. Once in New York, Leo met Richard Anthony. Anthony saw potential in young Leo and offered him a job of working in America as a chemist for his company. Leo worked for Anthony for the next two years before unsuccessfully attempting to start his own consulting business.

　　After failing to see success in his own business operations, Leo decided to return to what he knew and he started producing a kind of photographic paper that would allow good pictures to be taken in artificial light. He did so well in the beginning that he started a company called Nepera Chemical Company while creating a special kind of paper called Velox. Within two years, Kodak Company bought the right to Leo's discovery for $ 1,000,000. Leo accepted and used the money to set up his own laboratory in his backyard in New York and lived a comfortable life.

　　Leo's next project was to come up with a hard yet moldable(可模壓的)plastic. After much experimentation, Leo finally came up with a plastic and called it Bakelite. Its special feature was that at a high temperature and pressure, Bakelite can hold its form，even under great heat. Leo made his achievement public in February, 1909. The invention of Bakelite, marked the beginning of the Age of Plastics.

　　Whether we are listening to the radio，driving down the road, or drinking from our plastic bottles，we can thank a man who had the foresight and courage to pursue what he thought was possible.

　　【語篇解讀】 本文主要講述了Leo Baekeland在生意失敗之后，利用Kodak

　　Company所給的錢做資金，從而發(fā)明了plastic的事情。

　　5.What is the passage mainly about?

　　A.The life of Leo Baekeland.

　　B.The coming of the Age of Plastics.

　　C.The inventions of Leo Baekeland.

　　D.The process of inventing Bakelite.

　　解析　 主旨大意題。由文章第一段可知。

　　答案　A

　　6.Why did Leo Baekeland decide to produce a kind of photographic paper?

　　A.Because he wanted to become an employee of the Kodak Company.

　　B.Because he became aware that his own business wouldn't be successful.

　　C.Because he didn' t like working as a chemist.

　　D.Because he had a great interest in taking photos.

　　解析　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第三段第一句可知。

　　答案　B

　　7.What's the right time order of the following events?

　　a.Leo invented Bakelite.

　　b.Leo went to the United States.

　　c.Leo invented the paper Velox.

　　d.Leo studied at the University of Ghent.

　　e.set up his own laboratory in New York.

　　A.d，b，c，e，a B.a，c，d，b，e

　　C.d，b，c，a，e D.b，a，e，c，d

　　解析　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。Leo先在the University of Ghent求學(xué)，然后去了美國，生意失敗之后，他發(fā)明了the paper Velox，用所得的錢在紐約建立了自己的實(shí)驗(yàn)室，最后發(fā)明了Bakelite。故選A。

　　答案　A

　　8.We can learn from the passage that Bakelite is a plastic that________.

　　A.has been widely used since the early 19th century

　　B.is too expensive for most people to buy

　　C.keeps its shape under high heat

　　D.has a longer life than other kinds of plastic

　　解析　推理判斷題。由第四段第三句可知。

　　答案　C