The pencil is a very simple object. However, it took hundreds of people over centuries to make it what it’s like today.
The story of the pencil starts with graphite(石墨). People cut it into small sticks and use them to write or draw. Around 1560, an Italian couple named Simonio and Lyndiana Bemacotti added wood holders to the graphite sticks. However, since the graphite is too soft, the pencils were easy to break. In 1795, in France, Nicolas-Jacques Conte worked out a method of mixing graphite powders with clay(黏土). In this way, people made strong pencil cores(铅笔芯). To this day, the method is still used in making pencils.
It was Henry David Thoreau who came up with the grading scale(分级量表)for different hardnesses of pencils. It was graded one through four, and grade two is the proper hardness for general use. The softer the pencil is, the more graphite it has in it, and the darker the line is. The harder the pencil is, the more clay it has, and the lighter the line is. Nowadays, pencils marked 2B are usually used in exams to mark answers. Pencils marked HB are usually used in daily writing. People usually use pencils of different hardness and blackness to draw different parts of a picture.
When pencils were handmade, they were made round. Then an American Joseph Dixon developed machines to make pencils. Later people found out it was easier and less wasteful to make a pencil which has six sides.
There is a pencil for everyone and every pencil has a story. The Blackwing 602 is famous for being used by a lot of writers. And then, you have the Dixon pencil company. It’s what people think of when they think of a pencil and what they most probably will buy when their children are about to learn to write.
In my opinion, there’s nothing that can be done to make the pencil better than it is.
根据短文内容选择最佳选项。
41. Who improved the hardness of pencils?
A. Joseph Dixon          B. Nicolas-Jacquces Conte
C. Henry David Thoreau    D. Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti
42. What can we learn about pencils?
A. Pencils of great hardness are less useful.
B. Their hardness and blackness decide their uses.
C. Round pencils were first made by machines.
D. Pencils with six sides are comfortable to use.
43. What does Paragraph 5 tell us?
A. Pencils are the best writing tool.
B. There are many kinds of pencils.
C. The Blackwing 602 is very expensive.
D. Dixon pencils are popular with people.
44. What does the underlined word “it” mean in Paragraph4?
A. The grading scale.          B. The story of the pencil.
C. To make the pencil round    D. To make a pencil which has six sides
45. What’s the next mainly about?
A. The development of pencils     B. The main inventors of pencils
C. What pencils are made out of    D. Why pencils are widely used
 

题材：说明文

话题22：发明与技术

词数：339

【文章大意】本文是则说明文，主要介绍了铅笔的分类及发展史。
【答案】41~45 BBDDA
【解析】
41.B细节理解题 由In 1795, in France, Nicolas-Jacques Conte worked out a method of mixing graphite powders with clay(黏土). In this way, people made strong pencil cores(铅笔芯). 可推知：是Nicolas-Jacques Conte提高了铅笔的硬度，故选B。
42.B细节理解题 由铅笔的分类可推知：铅笔的硬度和黑度决定了他们的用途，故选B。
43.D段落大意题 分析段意可推知：六边的Dixon铅笔深受欢迎，故选D。
44.D词义猜测题 由文中的Later people found out it was easier and less wasteful to make a pencil which has six sides.可推知：是制作六边的铅笔很容易，故选D。
45.A主旨大意题 纵观全文是围绕“铅笔发展史”展开的话题，故选A。