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        Nikola Tesla

        Long overshadowed in public memory by his one-time employer, Thomas Edison, Tesla (1856—1943) was a brilliant scientist and engineer who earned more than 700 patents. He is most famous for developing alternating current (交流电), but his work also led to advances in wireless communications, lasers, X-rays, radar, lighting, robotics, and much more.

        Tesla was born to Serbian parents in what is now Croatia, but he emigrated(移民) to the U.S. as a young man, where he eventually became a naturalized citizen. Besides Edison, who later became his bitter rival, Tesla often worked with inventor George Westinghouse. In 1893, the pair demonstrated their advances in lighting and motors in the "White City" at the Chicago World's Fair. In 1895, Tesla and Westinghouse developed the world's first hydroelectric power plant, at Niagara Falls.

        At the turn of the century, Tesla set up a laboratory called Wardenclyffe in the small community of Shoreham, Long Island, where he conducted some of his most ambitious experiments. The building was financed by J. P. Morgan and designed by acclaimed architect Stanford White.

        The most prominent feature was Wardenclyffe Tower, also called Tesla Tower, a 187-foot-tall metal lattice tower topped with a big antenna that was intended to beam communications and even energy across the Atlantic.Tesla ran out of money while building the tower and was foreclosed(取消赎回权) on twice. As with his previous Colorado Springs lab, assets were sold to pay up his debts. In 1917, the U.S. government blew up the tower, fearing that German spies were using it in World War I. The metal was sold for scrap. For decades, the building was used for photo processing.

        "The tower is long gone, but the three-quarter-length statue of Tesla unveiled last week is a fitting memorial," said Alcorn, a retired teacher. "This is the last remaining Tesla laboratory anywhere in the world," she said. "He inspires those who work hard but don't get recognition, and people are starting to recognize how important his contributions are."

        As a sign of that growing appreciation, Elon Musk's start-up electric car company Tesla Motors was named after the visionary inventor in 2003.

    1. (1) We can infer from Para.1 that Tesla belong to those           .
      A . who aren't brilliant enough as an inventor B . who work hard but don't get recognition C . who have worked only for one employer D . who helped Edison to earn many patents
    2. (2) The events that are related to Tesla are           .

      a. he moved to the U.S. to become an American

      b. he entered the Chicago World's Fair

      c. he joined in American army in WWI

      d. he developed the world's first hydroelectric power plant

      e. he built a lab called Wardenclyffe

      A . b, c, d, e B . c, d, e, a C . a, b, d, e D . a, b, c, d
    3. (3) Why did the U.S. government destroy the tower?
      A . To treat it as a sign of German's failure in WWI. B . To stop it from being used for photo processing. C . To get its metal for the material of war. D . To prevent it being used by German spies in WWI.
    4. (4) Which of the following can be seen as a sign of growing appreciation towards Tesla?
      A . An electric car company was named after him. B . A new statue of him was built in Croatia. C . People collect money to rebuild Tesla Tower. D . A lab was opened as a museum to Tesla.
    5. (5) The purpose of writing this passage is to           .
      A . explain why a car company was named Tesla B . introduce the achievements of Tesla C . inspire us to learn from a famous scientist D . record the contribution made by Tesla in WWI

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