专题08 阅读回答问题（精选期中真题，15篇）-2023-2024学年八年级英语下册重难点讲练全攻略（牛津上海版）

姓名：___________班级：___________考号：___________ 专题08 阅读回答问题（精选期中真题，15篇）（原卷版） 一、任务型阅读 （23-24八年级·上海徐汇·期中）Answer the questions (根据短文内容回答下列问题). In the1800s, the steam locomotive (蒸汽火车头) was considered by many to be a symbol of the new Industrial Age. It was, in fact, one of the most important inventions of the time. Over the years, there have been many changes to the locomotive. One of the most important has been its source of power. The first railroads used horses for power, but the development of the steam locomotive made railroads a practical way of transportation. The first steam locomotive was built in 1804 in Britain by Richard Trevithick. It could pull 50,000 pounds, but it was not very successful because it was so heavy that it caused the rails to fall apart. However, it encouraged other engineers to try to build steam locomotives. Two of the most important men to accept the challenge were George Stephenson and his son, Robert. Robert once won a contest to build the best locomotive. The Rocket, as he called it, had an average speed of 20 miles per hour, and the top speed was 29 miles per hour. In America, developments in steam engines were close behind those of the British. In 1830, Peter Cooper’s tiny locomotive, called Tom Thumb, lost a famous race against a horse-drawn coach. Although Peter Copper failed, it still made railroad officials believe that steam power was more practical than horse power. Just before the turn of the century, the electric locomotive became widely in use. Its most successful period was the 1940s when U.S. railroads had 2,400 miles of electric routes. The diesel (柴油) locomotive was invented in the 1890s by Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer. The power of this locomotive came from a diesel fuel engine. The diesel locomotive is still in use today. It costs about twice as much as a steam locomotive to build but it is much cheaper to operate. 1．The steam locomotive was one of the most important inventions in the 1800s, wasn’t it?