Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
An American, Charles D. Seeberger, produced the first commercial moving staircase to transport people in the 1890s. He called this (25)__________ an “escalator”, taking the name from the Latin word “scala”, which means “ladder”. Escalators move people up and down short distances Lifts do the same, but only move a small number of people. Escalators have the capacity to move a lot of people (26) __________ the same time, and they can be placed in the same space as one might install a staircase.
A non-functioning escalator can be used as a normal staircase, whereas many other conveyances become useful when they (27) __________ down.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, cities were becoming more crowded (28) __________ the first escalators were built at railway stations and in big department stores so that people could move about more quickly. Today we see escalators everywhere.
25. A. inventor B. invention C. inventing D. inventions
26. A. at B. in C. on D. of
27. A. break B. broke C. breaking D. have broken
28. A. and B. but C. therefore D. so
25. A. inventor B. invention C. inventing D. inventions
26. A. at B. in C. on D. of
27. A. break B. broke C. breaking D. have broken
28. A. and B. but C. therefore D. so