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Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile（汽车）. But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world’s first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car’s parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people’s ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.
In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford’s most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.
The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton’s and Ford’s. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.
The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford’s dream. Ford said: “I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modern engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one.”
The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals, they considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T’s were built in the first few years.
1. What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?
A. He made good use of ideas from others.
B. He produced the first car in the world.
C. He knew how to improve auto parts.
D. He invented the production line.
2. Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?
A. To show off his driving skills.
B. To draw public attention.
C. To learn about new technology.
D. To raise money for his new company.
3. “That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to ______.
A. the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices
B. the sale of Model T to the mass of people
C. the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor
D. the sales target for the Ford Company
4. What was Henry Ford’s dream according to the text?
A. Producing cars for average customers.
B. Building racing cars of simple design.
C. Designing more car models.
D. Starting more companies.
invent v . 发明，创造
automobile n . 汽车
race v . 比赛；比速度
gain v . 获得
public notice 公众注意
lead n . 领先地位，上风
defeat v . 战胜，打败
appear v . 出现
form v . 组建，创立
the mass of 大多数，大部分
operate v . 操作
employ v . 雇佣
engineering n . 工业
be unable to 不可能
criminal n . 罪犯
consider v . 认为
transportation n . 交通
1. But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896.
not...until：直到……才……
（参考译文） 直到1896年，亨利·福特才开始制造他的第一辆小汽车。
2. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car’s parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts.
that moved a cars parts to the worker做production line的定语。instead of是介词短语，表示“（是……）而不是……”。
（参考译文） 很多人认为亨利·福特发明了一种生产线，这种生产线将汽车零件运到工人面前进行安装，而不再需要工人走到零件旁边进行安装。