Everyone knows the story of Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite flight. He was a man of many talents and interests. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better. Although he made important discoveries and advancements, Ben didn’t “invent” electricity. He did, however, invent the lightning rod which protected buildings and ships from lightning damage.
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Ben figured that there had to be a better way. His invention of an iron furnace stove allowed people to warm their home less dangerously and with less wood. The furnace stove that he invented is called a Franklin stove. Interestingly, Ben also established the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely.
As the postmaster, Ben had to figure out routes for delivering the mail. He went out riding in his carriage to measure the routes and needed a way to keep track of the distance. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage.
In his old age, Ben retired from business and public service and wanted to spend his time reading and studying. He found, however, that his old age had made it difficult for him to reach books from the high shelves. Even though he had many grandchildren to help him, he invented a tool called a long arm to reach the high books. The long arm was a long wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end.
Later, other famous inventors, like Thomas A. Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, would follow in Ben’s footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better. Today’s curious thinkers are keeping Ben’s traditions alive by inventing new and improved ways to make things work.
68. We can learn from the passage that Benjamin Franklin ___________________.
A. made his first invention using a kite
B. made his living by delivering the mail
C. set up some companies to help people to live better
D. made a stove which used other fuels instead of wood
69. The underlined word “odometer” in Paragraph 3 refers to something that ________.
A. contains the mail                                                 B. shows the direction
C. makes the carriage go fast                    D. records total miles covered
70. Benjamin Franklin invented a long arm in order to _________.
A. replace his disabled arm
B. play games with his grandchildren
C. get books from the bookshelf more easily
D. clean and tidy his house and the bookshelf
71. The last paragraph mainly wants to tell us that _____________.
A. Ben was the most famous inventor.
B. other inventors learned a lot from Ben.
C. Ben’s spirit of inventing remain with us.
D. thinkers are more likely to become inventors