Scribd
Upload
1K views4 pages

TOEFL Reading 2

The passage describes the invention and development of the zipper. It states that while other fastening devices like buttons and pins had existed for thousands of years, the zipper was invented by American inventor Whitcomb Judson in the late 19th century. Though Judson's initial "clasp-locker" prototype worked, it was clumsy and frequently jammed. Later engineers improved upon Judson's design, and the modern zipper became widely used after World War I, being applied to military and civilian clothing. The term "zipper" was coined based on the sound it makes during use. While Judson invented the early version, he did not see the commercial success it achieved after his death.

Uploaded by

RavinMangtani
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
1K views4 pages

TOEFL Reading 2

The passage describes the invention and development of the zipper. It states that while other fastening devices like buttons and pins had existed for thousands of years, the zipper was invented by American inventor Whitcomb Judson in the late 19th century. Though Judson's initial "clasp-locker" prototype worked, it was clumsy and frequently jammed. Later engineers improved upon Judson's design, and the modern zipper became widely used after World War I, being applied to military and civilian clothing. The term "zipper" was coined based on the sound it makes during use. While Judson invented the early version, he did not see the commercial success it achieved after his death.

Uploaded by

RavinMangtani
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
You are on page 1/ 4

Most of the fastening devices used in clothing today, like the shoelace, the

button, and the safely pin, have existed in some form in various cultures for
thousands of years. But the zipper was the brainchild of one American inventor,
namely Whitcomb Judson of Chicago. At the end of the 19th century, Judson
was already a successful inventor, with a dozen patents to his credit for
mechanical items such as improvements to motors and railroad braking
systems.
He then turned his mind to creation a replacement for the lengthy shoelaces
which were then used in both men's and women's boots. On August 29th 1893,
he won another patent, for what he called the "clasp-locker". Though the
prototype was somewhat clumsy, and frequently jammed, it did work: in fact,
Judson and his business associate Lewis Walker had sewn the device into their
own boots. Although Judson displayed his clasp-locker at the World's Fair held
in Chicago in 1893, the public largely ignored it. The company founded by
Judson and Walker, Universal Fastener, despite further refinements, never
really succeeded in marketing the device.
The earliest zip fasteners were being used in the apparel industry by 1905, but
it was only in 1913, after a Swedish-American engineer, Gideon Sundbach, had
remodeled Judson's fastener into a more streamlined and reliable form, that the
zipper was a success. The US Army applied zippers to the clothing and gear of
the troops of World War T. By the late 1920s, zippers could be found in all
kinds of clothing, footwear, and carrying cases; by the mid-1930s, zippers had
even been embraced by the fashion industry.
The term "zipper" was coined as onomatopoeia ( resembling the sound it
makes ) by B. F. Goodrich, whose company started marketing galoshes
featuring the fastener in 1923. Regrettably, Whitcomb Judson died in 1909, and
never heard the term, or saw the success by which his invention would become
ubiquitous.
1. The zipper differs from the other three fastening devices mentioned in
paragraph 1 in which way?
(a) it has been used in many more ways
(b) it is more recent
(c) it can be used in place of the other three
(d) it is usually made from different materials
2. The word prototype in line 8 is closest in meaning to
(a) device
(b) design
(c) model
(d) original

3. What is the authors main point in the second paragraph?


(a) despite being a successful inventor, Judson failed with the clasp-locker
(b) Judson lacked marketing skills
(c) Judson was a poor businessman
(d) Although Judson invented a workable product, it did not appeal to the public
4. The word it in line 11 refers to
(a) Judson
(b) Clasp-locker
(c) Worldfs Fair
(d) The public
5. The word refinements in line 12 is closest in meaning to
(a) improvements
(b) changes
(c) promotion
(d) additions
6. According to the passage, zippers did not really become a success until
(a) they were used in the apparel industry after 1905
(b) in 1913 after being remodeled
(c) the Army used them in World War I
(d) be the late 1920s
7. The word gear in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(a) boots
(b) luggage
(c) equipment
(d) tents
8. According to the passage, by the late 1920s zippers could be found in all of
the following industries EXCEPT
(a) footwear
(b) luggage
(c) tents
(d) fashion
9. The word embraced in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(a) welcomed
(b) considered
(c) discarded
(d) promoted

10. According to the passage, the zipper got its name


(a) when used in clothing
(b) in 1909
(c) from Judson
(d) because of its sound
11. Which of the following descriptions best describes the authors last
comments about Judson?
(a) admire
(b) sad
(c) envy
(d) celebrate
12. Which of the following statements can best be inferred from the passage
about zippers?
(a) the imaginative name was a major factor in its success
(b) a successful model had been developed commercially before Sundbachs
version because it was used in the apparel industry by 1905
(c) Judson was an inventor, not a business man
(d) If Judson had still been alive by World War I his company would have been
more successful

Answers
1.B 2.C 3.D 4.B 5.A 6.B 7.C 8.C 9.A 10.D 11.B 12.B

1.B
2.C
3.D
4.B
5.A
6.B
7.C
8.C
9.A
10.D
11.B
12.B

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy