八、综合填空(本大题共10小题,每小题1分,共10分)
根据短文内容及首字母提示,填写所缺单词,使短文意思完整。每空限填一词。
How do we know the time? A clock, a watch or a cell phone can help us. However, many years ago there were no clocks and knowing the time was not so easy. Over the centuries, people have developed different w 76 of telling the time.
About 5,500 years ago, the Egyptians i 77 the sun clock. This was a tall stone structure. Its shadow(影子)showed the movement of the s 78 . They were able to determine(测定)midday.
About 3,500 years ago, the Egyptians made a sundial. It was smaller than the sun clock and could measure(测量) the time for half a day. On c 79 days or at night it was impossible to tell the time with a sun clock or a sundial.
Water clocks were the f 80 clocks not to use the sun. The idea is simple. Water flows(流动)from one container(容器)to another. When the water reaches a certain l 81 , it moves a lever(控制杆)and this shows the hours. The Egyptians used water clocks about 3,400 years ago. These clocks were popular in the Middle East and China but they f 82 to keep accurate(精确的)time.
In the 13th century, the mechanical clock was invented. This was more accurate, b 83 was expensive to make. Over the next few centuries it was developed. For example, springs(发条) were added around 1500. This i 84 accuracy and allowed clocks to be smaller.
In 1927, the first quartz clock was developed. Clocks became cheaper to build and own. People began depending on them more and more to run businesses, markets and so on.
More recently, in 1956, came the digital clock. And nowadays satellites(人造卫星)send our cell phones the time to the exact second. There has been a lot of progress in timekeeping but some things never c 85 . Many of us still have trouble getting out of bed on time and not missing appointments.
答案解析：
76. 根据语境，几个世纪以来，人们发展出了不同的“方式”来报时。“way”表示“方式，方法”，different后接可数名词复数，所以填“ways”。
77. 大约5500年前，埃及人“发明”了日晷钟。“invent”意为“发明”，这里描述过去发生的事情，用一般过去时，故填“invented”。
78. 它的影子显示了“太阳”的运动。“sun”指“太阳”，符合语境，所以填“sun”。
79. 根据“or at night it was impossible to tell the time with a sun clock or a sundial”可知，在晚上或者“多云的”日子里，用日晷钟或日晷无法报时。“cloudy”表示“多云的”，修饰名词“days”，故填“cloudy”。
80. 水钟是“第一个”不利用太阳的钟。“first”表示“第一”，符合文意，所以填“first”。
81. 当水达到一定的“水位”时，它会移动控制杆来显示时间。“level”有“水平，水位”的意思，这里指水位，故填“level”。
82. 这些钟在中东和中国很受欢迎，但它们“未能”精确报时。“fail to do sth.”表示“未能做某事”，这里描述过去的情况，用一般过去时，所以填“failed”。
83. 这种钟更精确，“但是”制作成本昂贵。“but”表示转折关系，连接前后两个句子，故填“but”。
84. 大约1500年左右添加了发条，这“提高”了准确性，并且使钟变得更小。“improve”意为“提高，改善”，这里描述过去发生的事情，用一般过去时，所以填“improved”。
85. 在计时方面有了很大的进步，但有些事情永远不会“改变”。“change”表示“改变”，情态动词“never”后接动词原形，故填“change”。
