福建省莆田四中2025届高三二诊模拟考试英语试卷含解析

福建省莆田四中2025届高三二诊模拟考试英语试卷考生请注意：1．答题前请将考场、试室号、座位号、考生号、姓名写在试卷密封线内，不得在试卷上作任何标记。2．第一部分选择题每小题选出答案后，需将答案写在试卷指定的括号内，第二部分非选择题答案写在试卷题目指定的位置上。3．考生必须保证答题卡的整洁。考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Thereisnoreasontobedisappointed.________,thiscouldberatheramusing.A．Aboveall B．AsaresultC．Apartfromthat D．Asamatteroffact2．It’salwaysdifficult______inaforeigncountry,especiallywhenyoudon’tspeakthelanguage.A．beingB．tobeC．havingbeenD．tohavebeen3．_____________equalopportunities,bothFrankandBillymayaccomplishthetask.A．Given B．GivingC．Togive D．tobegiven4．Idecidedtodoarandomactofkindnesslastyear.And______thatthepersonIwouldenduphelpingmostwouldbemyself.A．Ilittleknew B．littledidIknew C．littledidIknow D．littleIknew5．Howdiditcomeabout________aquietpersonshouldappearsowildtoday?A．whether B．that C．if D．what6．—Bettywasfeelingprettyblueforawhile,butshe’sbetternow.—_______.A．Oh,that’skindofyou B．CongratulationsC．Oh,I’mgladtohearthat D．It’smypleasure7．—That'sthethirdtimeyou'vedonethat!—Yeah,_____?A．whatofitB．what’sonC．whataboutD．whatfor8．Thegovernmentplaced_____onthenumbersofforeigncarsthatcouldbeimported.A．limitations B．administrationC．requirements D．restrictions9．—YoushouldhavecometothepartylastSaturdayevening.Itwasreallyfantastic.—Butafriendanunexpectedvisittome.A．paid B．hadpaid C．wouldpay D．haspaid10．—Whatdoyoudo,Rita？—I’maclerkinaforeigncompanynow．ButI_____Englishinahighschoolfor10years．A．teach B．havetaughtC．taught D．amteaching11．Teachingasacareeristomanypeopleowingtothelongholidays.A．popular B．familiarC．attractive D．fantastic12．Idon’tlikefish,soIeatitunlessIwasextremelyhungry.A．needn’t B．shouldn’t C．can’t D．wounldn’t13．—Ibelieveitistheonlysolutiontothisproblem.—That’sdebatable,Ithink.Icanfiveothersolutionsasgoodasthat.A．comeupwith B．makeupwith C．liveupwith D．keepupwith14．We’llbuildapowerstation______waterresourcesareplentiful.A．where B．inwhichC．which D．that15．Ifpeoplekeeppollutingtheocean,nocreaturetherewillsurvive______.A．atallcost B．foralongwhileC．inthelongrun D．bynomeans16．––Isthisteagoodcoldaswell?––______withice,thisteaisespeciallydelicious.A．ServedB．ServingC．HavingservedD．Tobeserved17．Mollyfinallyagreed,_____reluctantly,togoandseeadoctor.A．afterwards B．almostC．otherwise D．somewhat18．—Gotyourdrivinglicense?—No.Itoobusytohaveenoughpractice,soIdidn’ttakethedrivingtestlastweek.A．wasB．amC．havebeenD．hadbeen19．—When______leaveforJapan?—When______leaveforJapaniskeptsecret.”A．theywill,willthey B．willthey,theywillC．theywill,theywill D．willthey,willthey20．Theseremarkablefindingssuggesttheelephantshave________amemorycapacitytomakedistinctionsbetweenhumanvoices.A．builtup B．packedup C．broughtup D．tookup第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）Whenitcomestogifts,it’snoteasytoshopforsomeonewhenyou’renotsurewhatthey’reinto.Thankfully,CrateandBarrel’ssisterstore—themodern,fancyversion—CB2hasagiftcollectionthatisjustasbeautifulasitispractical.They’reknownfortheirmoderndesigns.We’veeditedalistofsomeofourfavoritegiftideasfromCB2soyou'llknowjustwhattoget.GalacticJewelryBox($21)Thisjewelryboxisnotonlyaplacetostoreyourjewels,butitlookslikeoneitself.“DesignedbyUK-basedSeascapeCuriosities,thejewelryboxbringsdeepspacetoyourroom.Openstoragespacelinedwithlightgreycottonvelvetholdsmost-preciouspossessions,”CB2states.Thebestpart?It’sunder$25.FlamingoCatchall($29.95)DesignedbytheBritishfashiondesignerMatthewWilliamson,thisflamingocatchallisapopofcolorineveryroomandoffersasecureplacetostoresomeofyourfavoriterings,earrings,orlittleitems.Notonlyisitanawesomeadditiontojustaboutanyhome,it’salsoagreatconversationstarteratdinnerparties.HeritageNavyLeatherActivityBall($49)It’sagreatgiftforthemaninyourlifewholovessports.Craftedwithdesignandfunctioninmind,handmadeactivityball(thinkofitasasmallerbasketball)standsuptoyearsofplayandevengetsbetterlookingwithage.It’sasuperadditiontoanybookshelf.BlackNickelCocktailShaker($24.95)Thiscocktailshakerstartsoffwithasmokyblackfinishandfadesintogrey.It’sfashionable,functional,and—aboveall—easytoclean.1、Whichofthefollowinggiftswouldyouliketochooseifyourbrotherlovesfootball?A．GalacticJewelryBox.B．FlamingoCatchall.C．HeritageNavyLeatherActivityBall.D．BlackNickelCocktailShaker.2、Whatcanwelearnaboutthefourgifts?A．GalacticJewelryBoxiseasytoclean.B．FlamingoCatchallcaninspirepeopletostartatopic.C．Madebyhand,LeatherActivityBallisfragile.D．BlackNickelCocktailShakeristhecheapest.3、Whatisthepurposeofthepassage?A．ToadvertisegiftsfromCB2.B．Toexplainthefunctionsofgifts.C．TosellproductscreatedbyCB2.D．Tostrikeadealonfashiondesign.22．（8分）Inthewintersof2012and2013,NationalGeographicgrantee(被批准人)AndersAngerbjornandhisPh.D．student,RasmusErlandsson,studiedanextremelythreatenedspecies,theScandinavianarcticfox.Thecurrentpopulationnumbersarefewerthan150individualsinmainlandEuropesomanyoftheyoungfoxesarehavingdifficultyfindinganon-relatedpartner.Otherthreatstothespeciesincludecompetitionfromtheredfoxfortheraresmallrodents(啮齿目动物)theybothdependuponforfood.AngerbjornandErlandssonmonitoredthearcticfoxpopulationinVasterbottenandNorrbotten,Sweden,toidentifythebestareasforfurtherconservationactions.Thisincludedtagging(贴标签于)thebabyfoxes,whichprovedtobeachallenge.“Whencatchingarcticfoxesitiseasytobelievethatthesmalleronesaretheeasiesttohandle.Insomeaspectsitistrue.Theirteetharesmallerandthejawslesspowerful.However,justashumanchildrenhaveahardtimekeepingstill,thereallysmallcubs(幼兽)dotoo.”“Wehandlethefoxesinabagwhiletagging,andthetrickistokeeptheanimalstillbetweenyourlegswhilekneeling.Andherecomesthetrickypart.Howdoyoukeepasmall,wildfoxstill?Youcannotapplytoomuchforce.Youreallydonotwanttohurtit.Justaswithsmallchildrenthebesttoolispatience,butatthesametimeyouwantthehandlingtobeasshortaspossible.”“OneparticularcubhadatechniqueIhadneverexperiencedbeforeasitcontinuouslytriedtoturnontoitsback,fornoobviousreason.Ihadtoreachtheears,soIquicklyturnedthecubupright.Thecubstayedstillforafewseconds,andthenbegantorollontoitsbackagain.Thesamethinghappenedoverandoveragain!Finally,Igotthetagsinplace,andaftermakingmeasurementsandtakingsomesamples,Ifinallyletitgo.”1、Accordingtothetext,theredfox________.A．lookslikethearcticfoxB．isanendangeredspeciesC．needsmoreconservationactionsD．competeswiththearcticfoxforfood2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“This”inParagraph1referto?A．Providingfoodforthearcticfox.B．Checkingthenumberofthearcticfox.C．Buildingconservationareasforthearcticfox.D．Helpingthearcticfoxfindanon-relatedpartner.3、HumanchildrenarementionedinParagraph2toexplainthat________.A．kidslovethearcticfoxB．babyfoxescanbedangerousC．itisdifficulttotagbabyfoxesD．thesmallerfoxesareeasiertohandle4、Totagsmallcubs,AngerbjornandErlandssonhadtobe________.A．braveB．patientC．creativeD．strong23．（8分）ADreamRealizedZhaoYang,33,anemployeeofaFrenchcompanyinBeijing,whohastraveledextensivelyintheUnitedStatesbymotorbike.IhavebeenaddictedtoHarley-DavidsonmotorcyclessinceIwasyoung,andknowingthatmotorcycle-relatedcultureisverypopularintheUS,Idecidedtotakeatrip.Alongwithmywifeandagroupoffellowenthusiasts,Iparticipatedina15-daytourinOctoberlastyear.Wehadonefreeday,soIheadedtoLasVegas.BeforearrivingintheUS,Iresearchedarangeofmaterialsaboutridingamotorbikethere.IalsofoundsomeclassicrecommendedroutesonChinesewebsitesrelatedtoHarleyDavidsonclubs.Withthehelpoftheirsuggestions,Idesignedmyownroute.Inaccordancewiththerules,beforeIleftChinaIvisitedanotaryoffice(公证机关),wheremydrivinglicensewasconfirmedasacceptableintheUSandmydocumentsweretranslatedintoEnglish.OnlythendidIbuymybasicmotorcycleequipment.WhenwearrivedatLasVegas,werentedaHarleyDavidsonandrodearoundthecity.Itwasanexciting,unforgettableexperience,becauseitwasnotonlytheachievementofadream,butIalsoexperiencedtheregionalmotorcyclecultureintheUS.Asweparkedthebikeattheroadside,somedriversrolleddowntheircarwindowsandgaveusthethumbs-up,andwhenwedroveontheroad,cardriverspulledovertoletuspass.Wealsovisitedamotorcycle-themedrestaurantforlunchandenjoyedthefantasticdecorationanddeliciousfood.IbelievethattravelingbymotorcycleintheUSwillbecomepopularbecauseoftherecentjointeffortstopromoteSino-UStourism,especiallyafterthetwocountriesdecidedtoname2016asUS-ChinaTourismYear.ThisnewstyleoftravelingwillattractmoreyoungChinesetourists,andpeoplelikeme,whohaveapassionforfreedomandadventure,willvisittheUSmorefrequently.Forexample,IamplanningtotravelalongthefamoushighwaycalledRoute66withfriendsduringnextyear'sSpringFestival.IftravelagenciesandgovernmentscanpromotetheneedformotorcycliststoobtainaccurateinformationbeforetheyheadtotheUS-suchastherequireddocuments,howtorentamotorbikeandlocaltrafficlaws-"ridingtherange"willbecomeasafeandgreatwaytospendavacation.1、ZhaoYang’schildhooddreamwasto______.A．becomeaprofessionalmotorcyclistB．travelinHarley-DavidsonmotorcyclesC．takeatripintheUSAalongwithhiswifeD．traveltoworkonafashionablemotorcycle2、ToprepareforthemotorcycletripintheUSA,ZhaoYang______.A．madevariousresearchandcheckedhisdrivinglicenseB．tookthesuggestionsgivenandchosetheclassicrouteC．joinedoneoftheHarleyDavidsonclubsandgotsuggestionsD．tooklotsofhealthexaminationsandboughtsomeequipment3、HowdidZhaoYangfeelwhendrivinginLasVegas?A．disturbedB．disappointedC．depressedD．excited4、ZhaoYangthinksthattravelingbymotorcycleintheUSwill______.A．enjoymuchpopularitywithSino-UStourismB．obtainlessAmericanfansinmotorcycletravelC．getlesssupportfromthemodernmotorcyclistsD．meetmorechallengewiththeinformationgap24．（8分）Bullying(欺凌)amongschoolchildrenisnothingnew.Callingsomeonenames,stealingtheirpossessions,threateningandevenbeatingthemupareallwell-establishedbullyingtechniques.Yetforyoungpeopletodaythereisarelativelynewformofbullyingwhichcanoccurevenwhenthebulliesarenowhereneartheirvictims—anditcanhaveequal,ifnotmoredamagingeffects.Online-bullyingisoneofthedownsidesofnewtechnologyandinvolvesusingdeviceslikemobilephonesandcomputers.Online-bulliescanstrikeatanytime,nomatterwherethey,ortheirvictimsare.About22percentofyoungpeopleintheUKclaimtohavesufferedfromonline-bullying.Notonlyareonline-bullieshardertoavoid,theyarealsohardertocatch.Itisalltooeasytosendananonymous(匿名的)threatbytextonapay-as-you-gophonewithanunknownnumber.IttakesnotimeatalltosetupafalseFacebook,Twitter,blogorsocialnetworkaccountandtopostaninsultingmessage.And,ifyouknowhowtohideyourIPaddress,youcanuploadanoffensivevideotoawebsitelikeYouTubeandyourvictimwouldn’tknowwhotoblame.Oneofthemostupsettingthingsaboutonline-bullyingisthatitcaninvolvemorepeoplethantraditionalformsofbullying.Abullycaninsultyouortellliesaboutyouandsharethatinformationwiththeentireschoolatthetouchofabutton-andforsometeenagersthatisalltoohardtobear.TheUKCharityBeatbullyingsuggeststhatupto44%ofsuicidesamongten-to-fourteen-year-oldsmaybebullying-related.Thegoodnewsisthattheworldisstartingtowiseuptoonline-bullying.Schoolsandwebsiteslike/offerlotsofadviceandvictimsupportandsocialnetworksitesnowadviseuserstothinkcarefullyabouttheirprivacysettingssothatpersonalinformationisonlysharedwithfriends.1、WhichofthefollowingisNOTthewayofbullyingaccordingtoParagraph1?A．Shoutingabuseatsomebody.B．Stealingsomebody’sthings.C．Frighteningsomebody.D．Makingacalltosomebody.2、Theunderlinedword“downsides”inParagraph2probablymeans________.A．BenefitsB．effectsC．disadvantagesD．points3、Accordingtothewriter,itisdifficultto________.A．downloadafalsevideoB．postaunfriendlymessageC．knowwhosendsonline-bulliesD．setupatrueFacebookaccount4、Whydoonline-bullyinginvolvemorepeoplethantraditionalformsofbullying?A．Morepeopleliketotelllies.B．Online-bullyingiseasytospread.C．Morepeoplewanttobecomefamous.D．Morepeopleliketomakefunofothers.5、Whatcouldbethebesttitleofthepassage?A．Bullyingisharmful.B．Bullyinggoeshigh-tech.C．Online-bullyingishardtocatch.D．Peoplecangetridofonline-bullying.25．（10分）ThismessageistoinformallthechildrenthatSanta’spostofficeinHimmelpfort,Germany,isopentoreceiveyourholidaywishes.ThatmeansyoucanmailyourletterstoSantaabout6weekssoonerthanthatlastyear.Santaknowsyou’vebeengoodandwantstomakesureheandhishelpersreceiveyourwishlistearlier.EightpostofficesareorganizedacrossGermanytoansweralltheletterschildrensend.Thisyeartheyplantoreceiveover250,000letters.Thoughthelettersflyfromover80differentcountries,Santaandhishelperscanunderstandandmakesuretoansweralltheletters.In1984,twochildrenfromBerlinsenttheirwishliststoHimmelpfortafterspendingtheirvacationthere.TheirletterswereansweredbypostalemployeesandlaterHimmelpfortincreaseditshelperstomeettheneedsofincreasedmailtraffic.Yearafteryear,Santaandhiscrewuseaneco-friendlypoweredvehicletocollectthethousandsofletterstheyreceivefromyoungboysandgirls.ThegreatnewsforthisyearisthatifyoucometothebeautifultownofHimmelpfort,youcandropoffyourletterandvisitSantainperson,fromTuesdaystoThursdaysuntilChristmasEve.Santadoesnotcurrentlyhaveane-mail,TwitteroraFacebookaccount.Hebelievesinold-fashionedcommunication.Sogetoutyourpaperandwriteyourwishlist.Justmakesureyourletterisclearsoyoucanreceiveanofficialresponse.SendyourletterstoSantaChristmasPostOfficeHimmelpfortGermany2981、ThisyearSantaandhishelpers.A．areeagertoreceivemorewishesB．keeptravelingaround80countriesC．areabletoreceivekids’lettersearlierD．answermostofthelettersforkids2、Fromthe3rdparagraph,weknowthat.A．childrenfromBerlinlikespendingholidaysinHimmelpfortB．postofficessendkidsallthepresentstheyaskforC．SantausesapoweredvehiclebecauseoftheheavymailtrafficD．childrencanvisitSantainthefleshbeforeChristmasEvethisyear3、Santadoesn’thavesocialcommunicationsonlineprobablybecausehe.A．isnotsureabouttheonlinesecurityB．truststraditionalwaysofcommunicationC．prefersofficialandformallettersD．thinkswrittenlettersareclearerthane-mails4、Thistextisintendedfor.A．touristscomingtoHimmelpfortB．teenagerspreferringwritinglettersC．parentspreparingforChristmasD．childrenplanningtowritetoSanta第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）JoeSimpsonandSimonYateswerethefirstpeopletoclimbtheWestFaceoftheSiulaGrandeintheAndesmountains.Theyreachedthetop1，butontheirwaybackconditionswerevery2.Joefellandbrokehisleg.TheybothknewthatifSimon3alone，hewouldprobablygetback4.ButSimondecidedtoriskhis5andtrytolowerJoedownthemountainonarope.Asthey6down，theweathergotworse.Thenanother7occurred.Theycouldn'tseeorheareachotherand，8，Simonloweredhisfriendovertheedgeofaprecipice（峭壁）.Itwas9forJoetoclimbbackorforSimontopullhimup.Joe's10waspullingSimonslowlytowardstheprecipice.11，aftermorethananhourinthedarkandtheicycold，Simonhadto12.Intears，hecuttherope.Joe13intoahugecrevasse（裂缝）intheicebelow.Hehadnofoodorwaterandhewasinterriblepain.Hecouldn'twalk，buthe14togetoutofthecrevasseandstartedto15towardstheircamp，nearlytenkilometers16.Simonhad17thecampatthefootofthemountain.HethoughtthatJoemustbe18，buthedidn'twanttoleave19.Threedayslater，inthemiddleofthenight，heheardJoe'svoice.Hecouldn't20it.Joewasthere，afewmetersfromtheirtent，stillalive.1、A．hurriedly B．carefully C．successfully D．early2、A．difficult B．similar C．special D．normal3、A．climbed B．worked C．rested D．continued4、A．unwillingly B．safely C．slowly D．regretfully5、A．fortune B．time C．health D．life6、A．lay B．settled C．went D．looked7、A．damage B．storm C．change D．trouble8、A．bymistake B．bychance C．bychoice D．byluck9、A．unnecessary B．practical C．important D．impossible10、A．height B．weight C．strength D．equipment11、A．Finally B．Patiently C．Surely D．Quickly12、A．standback B．takearest C．makeadecision D．holdon13、A．jumped B．fell C．escaped D．backed14、A．managed B．planned C．waited D．hoped15、A．run B．skate C．move D．march16、A．around B．away C．above D．along17、A．headedfor B．traveledto C．leftfor D．returnedto18、A．dead B．hurt C．weak D．late19、A．secretly B．tiredly C．immediately D．anxiously20、A．find B．believe C．make D．accept第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）Directions:Afterreadingthepassagebelow,fillintheblankstomakethepassagecoherentandgrammaticallycorrect.Fortheblankswithagivenword,fillineachblankwiththeproperformofthegivenword;fortheotherblanks,useonewordthatbestfitseachblank.Howeverdepressedyoumaybefeelingnow,ifyoulookback,therecertainlywillhavebeeneventsthatmadeyouhappy—maybethetime1．youboughtyourfirstbicycleoryouwereawardedascholarship.Whengoodthingshappen,wefeelexcited,proudandhappy.Buttheproblemis,happinessdoesn’tusuallylast.Theexcitementofthatfirstbicyclepurchasewearsoff,andtheprideinthescholarshipgiveswaytothestressofperforming2．(well)onthenextexam.Psychologistscallthisphenomenonhedonicadaptation(享乐适应症)—thatis,3．goodsomethingmakesusfeel,mostofthetimewedriftbackto4．westarted.Anoften5．(quote)exampleisthatlotterywinnersarenohappierthannon-winnerseighteenmonthsaftertheirwin.Butdon’tdespair.Itispossibletomakehappinesslast.Psychologistshavefoundtwoanti-adaptationtoolsthatareeffectiveinsustaininghappiness:varietyandappreciation.Varietyis,asweallknow,thespiceoflife.Butit’salsoausefulweapon6．adaptation.Positivechangesthat7．(experience)inavarietyofwaysaremorelikelytoleadtolastinghappiness.Forexample,youwillfeelhappieraboutyourvolunteerwork8．youareabletocopewithnewtaskseveryweek.Thesecondtool,appreciation,isinmanywaystheoppositeofadaptation.It’saboutfocusingonsomething,insteadoflettingitfadeintothebackground.Itisonlywhenyouappreciatesomething9．anenduringfeelingofhappinesswillfollow.Humanbeingsspendalotoftimefiguringoutwhatmakesthemhappy,butnotenoughtime10．(try)tohangontothehappinesstheyalreadyhave.Thisislikefocusingallyourenergyonmakingmoremoney,withoutgivinganythoughttowhatyouwilldowiththemoney.Thekeytohappinessistonotonlylookfornewopportunitiesbutalsotomakethemostoftheonesyou’vebeengiven.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同学写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。LastweekmyparentsandItookatwo-daytriptoEmeiMountaininSichuan.Likeeveryoneknows,it'sfamousmountainwithallkindofplantsandanimals.Theweatherwasfine.Itwasaboutnoonwhenwearrivedatthefootofthemountain.Thethreeofthemwereveryexcited.Asweclimbedthemountain,wefedmonkeys,visitingtemplesandtoldstories.OnthewaydownIwasbusytakingpicturessincethescenerywassobeautiful.Thetimepassesquickly．Eveningcame.Wespentthenightinahotelinthetopofthemountain.Thefoodwasexpensiveandtheservicewasgood.IwassotiredthatIfellasleepatthemomentmyheadtouchedthepillow．第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李华，你校英语俱乐部将进行换届选举，现向大家证求主席人选．请给负责英语俱乐部的外教史密斯先生写封英文信推荐你的同学王林，并从以下几个方面说明他的优势：1领导能力；2个性特点；3英语水平．注意：1．可以适当发挥，以使行文连贯．2．词数：100～1203．参考词汇英语俱乐部主席ChairmanoftheEnglishClub职位position领导能力leadershipDearMr．Smith，IamwritingtorecommendmyclassmateWangLinfor______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yourssincerely，Lihua

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、D2、B3、A4、C5、B6、C7、A8、D9、A10、C11、C12、D13、A14、A15、C16、A17、D18、D19、B20、A第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、1、C2、B3、A22、1、D2、B3、C4、B23、Earlyonemorning,morethanahundredyearsago,anAmericaninventorcalledEliasHowefinallyfellasleep.Hehadbeenworkingallnightonthedesignofasewingmachinebuthehadrunintoaverydifficultproblem:Itseemedimpossibletogetthethreadtorunaroundtheneedlewithoutanyproblems.Thoughhewastired,Howesleptbadly.Heturnedandturned.Thenhehadadream.Hedreamtthathehadbeencaughtbyterriblesavageswhosekingwantedtokillhimandeathimunlesshecouldbuildaperfectsewingmachine.Whenhetriedtodoso,Howeranintothesameproblemasbefore.Thethreadkeptgettingcaughtaroundtheneedle.ThekingflewintothecageandorderedhissoldierstokillHowe.Theycameuptowardshimwiththeirspearsraised.Butsuddenlytheinventornoticedsomething.Therewasaholeinthetipofeachspear.Theinventorawokefromthedream,realizingthathehadjustfoundtheanswertotheproblem.Insteadoftryingtogetthethreadtorunaroundtheneedle,heshouldmakeitrunthroughasmallholeinthecenteroftheneedle.ThiswasthesimpleideathatfinallymadeHowedesignandbuildthefirstreallypractisedsewingmachine.EliasHowewasnottheonlyoneinfindingtheanswertohisprobleminthisway.ThomasEdison,theinventoroftheelectriclight,saidhisbestideascameintohimindreams.