Q: Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew . And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.

Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer's hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement . Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties . In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

Answer the following questions:
1. What was Isaac Singer's occupation?
2. What product did he improve upon?
3. And who was Elias Howe?
4. When was his birthdate?
5. What do these two men have in common regarding their nationality?
6. Was sewing a new or old practice?
7. For how long has it been happening?
8. And how did they do it?
9. What was different about what these inventors were creating?
10. Who ended up in a legal battle?
11. What was the reason?
A: 1. inventor
2. sewing machines
3. an inventor
4. July 9, 1819
5. Both are from America
6. old
7. thousands of years
8. used bones
9. tried to make a sewing machine
10. Singer and Howe
11. Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented
Q: Every year,there have been the Christmas specials for almost every sitcom and cartoon,which nod in sincerity towards the holiday season.Since Charles Schultz,the American cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy,first got his hit on the holiday with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.characters from television and comic books have tried on the Christmas clothes.

This year,Fox has brought out its new"lce Age":A Mammoth Christmas,which was first shown on Thanksgiving day.The "Ice Age"films,which began in 2002,with a fourth feature for 2012,have been successful.one thing many fans would love the film is that they can have a chance to spend more time with the memorable animal characters from the series:Manny,Diego,and Sid.The film.tells the story of the birth of the Christmas tree,Santa'S deer,his sleigh and other things.

It is also a"Christmas Must Be Saved" story and a"You Must Believe"story.Like the other"Ice Age" films,it involves a dangerous journey and time is found to cause sufferings to the poor little squirrel,Scrat.

Christmas has been tied on to"Ice Age"like antlers on to a dog.In fact,the film-makers behind A Mammoth Christmas have spent most of their time working on the film itself rath--er than its Christmas special.It feels as if someone had merely made a list of tllings associated with the holiday.

However,Sid,the series'most likable character,is a high point of the film.In the film,he's still got his silliness,enthusiasm and useful amusing shape.Whatever else is happening,the filmmakers make Sid reliably funny.

Answer the following questions:
1. what kind of story is it?
2. How is it similar to the other ice age films?
3. what's the name of the squirrel?
4. what sort of journey does the film include?
5. what year did Charlie Brown have a Christmas?
6. who created him?
7. was it a hit ?
8. what sort of clothes have characters put on?
9. Who produced the new film?
10. what is it called?
A: 1. Christmas specials on tv
2. memorable animal characters
3. Scrat
4. dangerous
5. 1965
6. Charles Schultz
7. yes
8. Christmas clothes
9. Fox
10. A Mammoth Christmas
Q: The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelizations: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd and Anthony Horowitz. The latest novel is "Trigger Mortis" by Anthony Horowitz, published in September 2015. Additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.

The character has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip, video games and film. The films are the longest continually running film series of all time and have grossed over $7.040 billion in total, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film series to date, which started in 1962 with "Dr. No", starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2017, there have been twenty-four films in the Eon Productions series. The most recent Bond film, "Spectre" (2015), stars Daniel Craig in his fourth portrayal of Bond; he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also been two independent productions of Bond films: "Casino Royale" (a 1967 spoof) and "Never Say Never Again" (a 1983 remake of an earlier Eon-produced film, "Thunderball"). In 2015, the franchise was estimated to be worth $19.9 billion, making "James Bond" one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who wrote The James Bond series?
2. When was the character created?
3. What are the stories about?
4. How many novels are there?
5. Is Fleming still alive?
6. What year did he pass?
7. Has anyone else written Bond stories?
8. Who has most recently?
9. What is the name of his book?
10. What date did it come out?
11. Who wrote about a character called Moneypenny?
12. What kind of stories did Charlie Higson write about?
13. Is the character only seen in books?
14. What other media can you find him?
15. How much money has the movies made?
16. When was the first movie released?
17. What was it called?
18. Who played bond?
19. How many films have been made?
20. What is the most recent?
A:
1. Ian Fleming
2. 1953
3. a fictional British Secret Service agent
4. twelve
5. no
6. 1964
7. yes
8. Anthony Horowitz
9. Trigger Mortis
10. September 2015
11. Kate Westbrook
12. a young James Bond
13. no
14. television, radio, comic strip, video games and film
15. over $7.040 billion
16. 1962
17. Dr. No
18. Sean Connery
19. twenty-four
20. Spectre