初中英语教育类阅读专练

初中英语教育类阅读 Passage 1 Not all inventions are made by scientists. Kids can also make history with their inventions. The state flag of Alaska was designed by 13-year-old Bennie Benson in 1926. His design was chosen from a flag-designing competition. It became the official flag in 1959. Bennie won a ＄1,000 scholarship（奖学金）and a watch. Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle in 1905 when he was only 11 years old. It was called the Epsicle at that time. Frank left his drink outside the door overnight with a stick（木棒）in it. That night the temperature dropped and everything was frozen including Frank’s drink. That didn’t stop him from tasting it, so today we have Popsicles to eat. In 1642 Blaise Pascal designed the first counting machine when he was 18.The machine was for his father, a tax collector, to make his job easier. Blaise named it “the Pasealine”. He made about 50 of them, but nobody was interested in it. People thought it would take jobs away from them. 300 years went by, and the calcula