Paul: Hey Roy, the subject for my school project is "Small inventions that changed the world." Can you help me think of an invention?
Roy: With pleasure! Let me think... hmm... I know! The zipper!
Paul: The zipper? Is it really such a great invention?
Roy: Think about how often it's used in our daily lives. You can see zippers on dresses, trousers, shoes, bags... almost everywhere!
Paul: Well, you do seem to have a point...
Roy: Of course! I thought about it because I saw a website last week. The pioneers of different inventions were listed there. For example, it mentioned that the zipper was invented by Whitcomb Judson in 1893. But at that time, it wasn't used widely.
Paul: Really? So when did it become popular?
Roy: Around 1917.
Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water), was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world's favorite drinks was invented.
A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.
It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but in less than 100 years, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.
Basketball is a much-loved and active sport that is enjoyed by many for fun and exercise. It is over 100 years old and is played by more than 100 million people in over 200 countries. It is believed that the first basketball game in history was played on December 21, 1891. Then in 1936 in Berlin, it became an event at the Olympics.
Basketball is enjoyed by many.（篮球被很多人喜爱。）It is played by more than 100 million people.（被1亿多人打。）被动语态全篇贯穿。
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith, who was born in 1861. When he was a college teacher, he was asked to think of a game that could be played in the winter. Dr. Naismith divided the men in his class into two teams and taught them to play his new game. Players on the same team must work together to get the ball in the other team's basket. At the same time, they need to stop the competing team from getting the ball into their own basket.
Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor.（篮球由一位加拿大医生发明。）He was asked to think of a game.（他被要求设计一个游戏。）was/were + 过去分词 + by + 施动者。
文化拓展
James Naismith（詹姆斯·奈史密斯），加拿大人，1891年在美国马萨诸塞州斯普林菲尔德学院任教时发明篮球。最初的篮筐是用装桃子的篮子做的，每次进球后需爬梯子把球取出。
Today, the popularity of basketball has risen around the world, with many young people dreaming of becoming famous players. In China, you can sometimes see people playing basketball in parks, schools and even factories. Basketball has not only become a popular sport to play, but it has also become a popular sport to watch. Although America's NBA games are the most famous, the CBA games are becoming more popular in China. The number of foreign players, including Chinese players, in the NBA has increased. There are also more and more foreign players in the CBA. Many young people look up to these basketball heroes and want to become like them. These stars encourage young people to work hard to achieve their dreams.
Basketball has not only become a popular sport to play, but it has also become a popular sport to watch.（篮球不仅成为受欢迎的运动，也成为受欢迎的观赏运动。）not only...but also... = 不仅……而且……