一．（23-24九年级上·吉林·期末）

Umbrellas could be one of the world’s most important inventions. The first umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago.

Umbrellas were used on sunny days at first. Chinese people were the first to use their umbrellas on rainy days. They waxed (给……打蜡) their paper umbrellas so that they could be used when it was raining.

The word “umbrella” comes from the Latin word, umbra. It means shade (背阴). Starting in the 16th century, the umbrella became popular in the Western world, especially in northern Europe, where it often rains. At first, people thought that the umbrella was only suitable for women.

Then a famous English traveler, Jonas Hanway (1712-1786), carried and used an umbrella in England for thirty years. Because of him, men began to use umbrellas.

In Europe, early umbrellas were made of wood and covered with canvas (帆布).

People used very hard wood to make umbrella handles. In 1852, Samuel Fox invented a new kind of umbrella with ribs (伞骨) made of steel.

Samuel also started a company called English Steels Company. After that, compact collapsible (可叠) umbrellas were the next important step in umbrella production.