Tiêu đề ĐỌC HIỂU ÔN THI HSG CHUYÊN ANH.docx ✅

ĐỌC HIỂU DẠNG 10 CÂU ÔN THI HSG/CHUYÊN ANH 1 1. Paper is everywhere. We use it for homework, money, checks, books, letters, wallpaper, and greeting cards. We have paper towels, napkins, plates, cups, and tissues. We print the news every day on newspapers. Our history and knowledge is written on paper. Without paper, our lives would be completely different. From the very beginning of time, people have tried to record their thoughts and lives. The earliest humans drew pictures on cave walls. Later, people used large pieces of clay to write on. Almost 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians wrote on pieces of plants called papyrus. Papyrus was used throughout the ancient world of the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Eventually it was replaced by parchment. Parchment was made from animal skins. It was stronger and lasted longer than any other material. The Chinese made the first real paper in the year A.D. 105. They mixed tree bark and small pieces of old cloth with water. They used a screen to remove the thin, wet piece of paper. Then they let the paper dry in the sun. The Chinese kept papermaking a secret until after 751. In that year, there was a war between the Chinese and the Muslims. Many Chinese papermakers were taken away from China to live in Muslim countries. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world. Finally, by the end of the twelfth century, papermaking reached Europe. The first paper made in Europe was in Spain in 1151. The first important improvement on the Chinese method of papermaking was in France in 1798. A man named Nicholas Louis Robert invented a machine for making paper. His machine could make paper much faster than one person could by hand. However, his machine was not very successful. About ten years later, an Englishman improved on Robert’s machine and began producing paper. The most important improvement in papermaking also happened in France. A scientist observed a wasp making its nest. The wasp chewed up pieces of wood, mixed it with the chemicals in its mouth, and made a paper nest. The scientist realized that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, a machine was invented for grinding wood into pulp to use for making paper. Today, the principal ingredient in paper is wood pulp. It is made by machine. There are also other kinds of paper made from rice, wheat, cotton, corn, and other plants. Paper from wood pulp is the most common. Canada and the United States are the world leaders in paper production, due in part to the quantity of wood that is available in the forests of these two countries. Because paper is made of wood, many people are becoming concerned that too many trees are being chopped down every year in order to produce paper. Trees are an important part of the environment. As a result, many companies that produce paper are using old paper instead of new wood pulp to make paper. This method of using old products again instead of simply throwing them away is called recycling. Recycling paper helps reduce the number of trees that are used every year. Many people also try to use less