3．
阅读理解
No one knows when the
first kite was made. The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago
in China. Han Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He
decided to dig a tunnel(隧道) into the king's
palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length(长度) of its string(线). In this way, he could determine
how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them.
When they reached the end of the string, they started to dig up.
Kites have been flown in
Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give
thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples
who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a
celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held
each year in many parts of the country.
Kites have been used for
scientific purposes in the Western world. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin tied a key
to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightening was a form of
electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented box kites to test ideas
about flight. From 1898 until 1933, the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The
Wright brothers also experimented (试验) with kites. What
they learnt helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.
