Reading Comprehension
Although it is not certain where kites originated, we know that they were used in China over 3,000 years ago as a military device.
Kites were used to send coded messages between camps. From China, kites spread throughout Asia to Europe. At first they were used by
the military as signaling devices, but by the twelfth century they were used as toys by children.
In some islands of Polynesia, kites were once used to communicate to the gods. It was believed that they could carry messages to the
gods in the sky. In some cultures, kite-flying was a sacred ritual and the kites were built to represent a god in the shape of a bird. Kiteflying
was also a custom in Korea; it was a tradition to write the name and birth date of a male child on the kite and then to fly it. The line
was then cut so the kite would fly away and take all the bad spirits with it.
In the nineteenth century, kites were used to help scientific experiments. Kites were used to help scientists measure wind speed and
direction, pressure, temperature, and humidity. In 1894, Lawrence Hargrave was lifted off the ground by his kites while trying to discover
a means of flight.
Today, kite-flying is enjoyed as a pastime in many countries around the world. There are hundreds of kite-flying clubs and even
contests where entrants compete for prizes.
【題組】41The word “coded” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
(A) important (B) secret
(C) written (D) cold
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