.阅读理解(建议用时16)A2017山西重点中学测试Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run around the needle without any problems.Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practised sewing machine.Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious (无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to us”篇章导读：文章介绍了缝纫机是如何诞生的。一直困扰着发明家伊莱亚斯豪的一个关于缝纫机的问题在梦中找到了答案。许多科学家像爱迪生、爱因斯坦等都有过在梦中发现问题的经历，这主要是因为大脑的一部分在无意识下仍然在工作。1The problem Howe was trying to solve was _.Awhat kind of thread to useBhow to design a needle which would not breakCwhere to put the needleDhow to stop the thread from getting caught around the needle答案：C细节理解题。根据第一段第二句的“but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run around the needle”及第二段中的“Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle.”可知，豪面临的问题是如何避免让线缠绕到针上，所以答案是C。2Thomas Edison is spoken of because _.Ahe also tried to invent a sewing machineBhe got some of his ideas from dreamsChe was one of Howes best friendsDhe also had difficulty in falling asleep答案：B细节理解题。根据第三段前两句“Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams.”可知，豪并不是唯一一个通过此方法找到答案的人，爱迪生也是在梦中得到答案的，所以答案是B。3Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because _.Astrange images are used to communicate ideasBimages which have no meaning are usedCwe can never understand the real meaningDonly specially trained people can understand them答案：B细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first.”可知，大脑的一部分在无意识下工作，发信息到其他部分，这部分大脑使用的是一种奇怪的图像，所以答案是B。1thread n. 线2savage n. 野蛮人；未开化的人adj. 凶猛的；残暴的3practised adj. 熟练的；老到的4store vt. 贮存；贮藏5image n. 图像；形象；印象1run into 偶然遇到；碰到 2.get caught 被卷入；陷入BShyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and selfconscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A persons selfconcept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other peoples reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing “the right thing”. Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior (自卑). They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a stat