Lego, the inventor of those colorful bricks that have inspired kids’ imaginations world-wide, has celebrated its 50th anniversary.
On January 28, 1958, a man named Godtfred Kirk Christiansen created the plastic building bricks that can now be found in almost every child’s toy box. The simple building block has become one of the most well-known and popular toys around the world.
"The Lego brick continues to be very attractive, because it allows children, and others, to develop their creativity and imagination," said Charlotte Simonsen, a spokeswoman of the Danish Lego company.
The company’s building brick allows an infinite number of links. With just two bricks there are 24 different links, and with six, there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego.
A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults spend five billion hours a year putting the bricks together and pulling them apart. Also, the bricks made today can still interlock with those made in 1958.
Lego bricks are not just child’s play: they also attract the interest of adults. South Korean adventurer, Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow during his climb.
After its great success Lego experienced a severe crisis at the end of the 1990s, hit hard by fierce competition from electronic games. This so-called "Toy of the Century" then suffered a dark period that lasted several years.
With great efforts, the company began to prosper again, and in 2006 it earned about 1.5 billion dollars in 130 countries. Seven boxes of Lego are now sold every second around the world, and 19 billion bricks are produced each year: enough to encircle the Earth five times!
小題1:The Lego bricks have remained popular in the past 50 years as a result of _______.
A.attracting many children worldwide | B.brought imagination to the children worldwide |
C.making the children and even adults worldwide creative and imaginative |
D.having infinite links that bring many imagination |
小題2:The author gave the example of South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho in order to prove that ______.
A.Heo Youn-Ho also loved playing Lego bricks |
B.the Lego bricks made him a mountain climber |
C.the Lego bricks not only interest children but also adults |
D.the Lego bricks are a must when on goes on an adventure |
小題3:It can be inferred from the text that ______.
A.there are 915 different links with just 6 bricks |
B.the Lego Bricks Company has made a lot of money from the people worldwide |
C.the Lego Bricks can’t compare with computer games |
D.the bricks made today don’t change much compared with those made in 1958 |
小題4:The underlined word “hit” in the seventh paragraph means _____.
A.defeated in a fight or a competition |
B.have a crash in an accident or a fight |
C.get known through a song |
D.attack somebodyin a fight |
小題5:The main idea of the story is that _____.
A.Lego bricks: brilliant past and struggling future |
B.Lego bricks: an attraction of both children and adults |
C.Lego bricks: making creativity and imagination |
D.Lego bricks: making billions of money every year |