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Reading Exercise (Inventions)

A2 reading exercise

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9 views

Reading Exercise (Inventions)

A2 reading exercise

Uploaded by

maiteurzaa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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READING EXERCISE (INVENTIONS)

Read the text about three famous inventions, and for questions 1 to 10, choose true or
false.

Three popular inventions from the 1920s


The 1920s was an exciting time for inventions. Some of the things invented around that time
changed the lives of millions of people, and some of those inventions are still widely used
today.

The television

The invention with the biggest impact was probably the television. It was invented by a
Scottish man, John Logie Baird. The first televised pictures were sent over a short distance in
1924, and his invention was formally demonstrated at the Royal Institute two years later. The
pictures on the screen were not clear, but the viewers could see that they were human faces,
and they could see their eyes opening and closing. In 1928, images were sent from Britain to
America, and later, to a ship 1,500 miles out to sea. In the same year, the first colour images
were sent. The first ‘seeing-in sets’ were sold that same year. For £25 (£1000 in today’s
money), people in their homes could watch moving images that were sent from a
broadcasting station.

The fridge

Another invention that became popular in the 1920s was the home refrigerator. People used
different ways to keep food cool and fresh long before the 1900s, but home fridges weren’t
invented until 1913 in the USA. Home fridges became very popular in the USA in the 1920s.
Sales of the popular ‘Frigidaire’ model increased from 5,000 in 1921 to 750,000 in 1926.
British people were less interested in fridges than Americans. They thought that they were
unnecessary because the weather in Britain was cooler. But fridges were heavily advertised,
and their advantages were described in detail. Soon, more fridges were sold, and the price
decreased.

The polygraph

Another interesting invention of the 1920s was the polygraph, or lie detector. It was invented
in 1921 by a Californian policeman, John Larson. He used the ideas of other psychologists to
make a machine that measured people’s heart rate, breathing and blood pressure while they
were asked questions. The experts believed that sudden changes in these measurements
showed that someone was lying. Although this invention is well-known, it can’t really detect
lies. Marston tried to use measurements from his polygraph in a court case in 1923, but they
weren’t accepted as evidence and never have been since then. However, polygraphs are still
used by some police forces and the FBI because many people believe they work, so they tell
the truth to avoid the machine.
1. When television images were first transmitted, viewers didn’t know exactly what
the image was.
a. True
b. False

2. The television was demonstrated at the Royal Institute in 1926.


a. True
b. False

3. Colour images were not possible until after the 1920s.


a. True
b. False

4. Television images were first sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928.
a. True
b. False

5. People could buy television sets in the 1920s.


a. True
b. False

6. Home refrigerators were invented in the 1920s.


a. True
b. False

7. Fridges became popular in the USA before they were popular in the UK.
a. True
b. False

8. Some psychologists helped John Larson to build his invention.


a. True
b. False

9. On some occasions, lie detectors have been used as evidence in court.


a. True
b. False

10. Today, lie detectors are never used by the police.


a. True
b. False

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