1. In the 1930s, Carlson was working in the patents department of a large
2. electronics firm in New York City. One of the major problems in his work
3. was the length of time and expense involved in getting patents copied;
4. patents were lengthy legal documents, and the only way to get them copied
5. was to take them to a typist or to a photographer. Either way of copying
6. patents took a lot of time and cost a lot of money.
7. Carlson came up with the idea for a machine that would copy documents
8. quickly and efficiently. He researched the idea in the library and then
9. worked over a three-year period on developing a machine that used a light, an
10. electro statically charged plate, and powder to duplicate images on paper. The
11. result of this work was a machine that produced the first xerographic copy on
12. October 22,1938. He named the process «Xerox», which means «dry writing».
13. Carlson felt that he had a good idea, one that would be extremely helpful
14. in the business world. He tried to sell his idea to a number of large
15. corporations, but they were not terribly interested in his machine. He was able
16. to get some help in developing the machine from a non-profit institute, and a
17. few years later he sold the process to a small family-owned company. This
18. small company grew into the giant Xerox Corporation, and both Carlson and
19. Xerox became rather wealthy in the process.

1. This text is mainly about

a) Carlson’s job in a patent office
b) how the Xerox machine works
c) Carlson’s success in business
d) the development of the Xerox machine

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a problem that Carlson encountered in getting patents copied?

a) The time needed for copying.
b) The expense of the copying.
c) The length of the patents.
d) The availability of money.

3. The word expense in line 3 is closest in meaning to

a) cost
b) difficulty
c) legality
d) payment

4. The word researched in line 8 is closest in meaning to

a) searched for
b) came up with
c) looked for information about
d) returned to his idea

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a component of the machine that Carlson developed?

a) A light
b) A charged plate
c) Powder
d) A typewriter

1. I left the city for a peaceful rural farm.

2. Professor Dixon liked the atmosphere of the university campus.

3. He tried to evade questions he didn’t know how to answer.

4. The majority of people wanted him to be president.

5. The guests began to assemble for Thanksgiving dinner.

6. Christmas trees are a popular tradition for many people.

7. Making a living for his family was too much of a burden.

8. I want to explore all the cities I haven’t visited.

9. If Gene doesn’t reform, he will get into serious trouble.

10. He had to do research on the topic of biology for a school report.

11. Historians will probe the causes of the war in Iraq.

12. Whether or not eighteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote was in debate for a long time.