Many great inventions are greeted with ridicule and disbelief. The invention of the airplane was no
exception. Although many people who heard about the first powered flight on December 17,1903, were
excited and impressed, others reacted with peals of laughter. The idea of flying an aircraft was repulsive
to some people. Such people called Wilbur and Orville Wright, the inventors of the first flying machine,
impulsive fools.
Negative reactions, however, did not stop the Wrights. Impelled by their desire to succeed, they continued
their experiments in aviation. Orville and Wilbur Wright had always had a compelling interest in
aeronautics and mechanics. As young boys they earned money by making and selling kites and
mechanical toys. Later, they designed a newspaper-folding machine, built a printing press, and operated
a bicycle-repair shop. In 1896, when they read about the death of Otto Lilienthal, the brother's interest in
flight grew into a compulsion. Lilienthal, a pioneer in hang-gliding, had controlled his gliders by shifting his
body in the desired direction. This idea was repellent to the Wright brothers, however, and they searched
for more efficient methods to control the balance of airborne vehicles. In 1900 and 1901, the Wrights
tested numerous gliders and developed control techniques. The brothers' inability to obtain enough lift
power for the gliders almost led them to abandon their efforts. After further study, the Wright brothers
concluded that the published tables of air pressure on curved surfaces must be wrong.
They set up a wind tunnel and began a series of experiments with model wings. Because of their efforts,
the old tables were repealed in time and replaced by the first reliable figures for air pressure on curved
surfaces. This work, in turn, made it possible for them to design a machine that would fly. In 1903 the
Wrights built their first airplane, which cost less than one thousand dollars. They even designed and built
their own source of propulsion- a lightweight gasoline engine. When they started the engine on December
1 7, the airplane pulsated wildly before taking off. The plane managed to stay aloft for twelve seconds,
however, and it flew one hundred twenty feet. By 1905 the Wrights had perfected the first airplane that
could turn, circle, and remain airborne for half an hour at a time. Others had flown in balloons or in hang
gliders, but the Wright brothers were the first to build a full-size machine that could fly under its own power.
As the contributors of one of the most outstanding engineering achievements in history, the Wright
brothers are accurately called the fathers of aviation.
Lilenthal's idea about controlling airborne vehicles was ___the Wrights.

• A. opposed by
• B. opposite to the ideas of
• C. proven wrong by
• D. accepted by
• E. disliked by

SWEAR : OATH ::

• A. sign : contract
• B. solve : problem
• C. follow : leader
• D. obey : rule
• E. issue : warning

Always read the meter dials from the right to the left. This procedure is much easier, especially if any of
the dial hands are near the zero mark. If the meter has two dials, and one is smaller than the other, it is
not imperative to read the smaller dial since it only registers a small amount. Read the dial at the right first.
As the dial turns clockwise, always record the figure the pointer has just passed. Read the next dial to the
left and record the figure it has just passed. Continue recording the figures on the dials from right to left.
When finished, mark off the number of units recorded. Dials on water and gas meters usually indicate the
amount each dial records.
These instructions show you how to -

• A. be prepared for outside employment
• B. repair a water meter
• C. turn the dials of a meter
• D. read a meter
• E. install a gas meter

SCIENTIAL:

• A. gullible
• B. intuitive
• C. ignorant
• D. stupid
• E. regressive