A
Orville Wright was born on August 19，1871 in Dayton，Ohio，USA and died on January 30，1948.Together with his brother，Wilbur (April 16，1867—May 30，1912)，he was the first airplane builder.The brothers created the first controlled，powered and heavierthanair human flight.
Their parents were Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner and besides the two famous brothers they had five children.One day after a trip their father brought a small helicopter as a gift.The kids loved it and as they played daily with it，it broke after a while.The brothers managed to create a new one.Wilbur even let go his plans of attending Yale.He spent his time helping his sick mother and reading in his father's library.
In 1884 the family decided to move to Dayton and they remained there until the 1870's.A printing press was built by the two and Wilbur was an editor.In 1892 they started being fascinated by the aeronautical(航空的) events of that time.Then they started to create an airplane and Wilbur was considered the head of the team.They were the inventors of“threeaxis control”，which permitted the pilot to steer the aircraft's balance.
In 1900 they had their first attempt to make a functional glider(滑翔机)—of course it didn't have a pilot.After three years they thought of introducing an engine to the glider.At first，their patent application was refused in 1903，but after one year it was accepted.
Orville's first flight lasted 12 seconds and had 36.5 metres.He was responsible with the public shows near Washington in the United States.On September 9，1908 his flight was 62 minutes and 15 seconds long and the success was huge.
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了飞机发明家莱特兄弟——奥维尔·莱特和维尔伯·莱特，包括他们的爱好、发明以及对人类进步做出的巨大贡献。
1．What might make Wright brothers interested in the plane?
A．The pleasant trip.
B．Catherine's education.
C．The political events.
D．Their father's gift.
D [细节理解题。根据第二段中的“One day after a trip his father brought a small helicopter as a gift.The kids loved it and as they played daily with it，it broke after a while.The brothers managed to create a new one.”可知，是父亲带回来的飞机模型使莱特兄弟对飞机产生了兴趣。故选D。]
2．Wilbur didn't go to Yale probably because________．
A．he had to create a plane
B．he didn't have enough money
C．he would like to learn by himself
D．his mother asked him to stay at home
A [推理判断题。根据第二段中的“The brothers managed to create a new one.Wilbur even let go his plans of attending Yale.He spent his time helping his sick mother and reading in his father's library.”可知，维尔伯因为制造飞机而没有去耶鲁大学上学。故选A。]
3．The underlined word“steer”(in Paragraph 3)probably means“________”．
A．keep B．drive
C．learn D．enjoy
A [词义猜测题。由画线词所在句“They were the inventors of‘threeaxis control’，which permitted the pilot to steer the aircraft's balance.”可知，“threeaxis control”肯定是有助于保持飞机平衡的东西，故画线词的含义是“保持，维持”。故选A。]
4．This passage tells us about________．
A．the plane's history
B．Milton and his children
C．Wright brothers' lives
D．the development of science
C [主旨大意题。本文主要讲述了莱特兄弟的生平。故选C。]
