If the Pieces Fit...|你今天『拼』了没？

If the Pieces Fit...

by William Ryan

What is the biggest jigsaw puzzle you have ever put together?

　　A puzzle is a term used to describe games, problems, or even riddles, which are designed to test people's ingenuity or skills. A jigsaw puzzle is a picture that is broken up into many small pieces. Easy ones can be only a few pieces while difficult ones can number into the thousands. _(1)_ jigsaw puzzles means fitting the pieces together and revealing the graphic.

　　Jigsaw puzzles' _(2)_ can be traced back to the 1760s. European mapmakers pasted maps onto wood, cut them into small, irregular pieces, thus giving rise _(3)_ an educational toy. The first jigsaw puzzle, invented by a London engraver, was a map of the world. It was used as a study aid for learning geography in the classroom. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were jigsaw puzzles for adults and a puzzle craze in the US, which peaked at an _(4)_ 10 million sales per week in 1933.

　　Some adult puzzles were difficult and, unlike children's puzzles, had no pictures on the box. Puzzles' names could be _(5)_ or misleading, and puzzle-makers often cut pieces along color lines, which offered very little help. The pieces did not interlock, so a careless _(6)_ could undo hours of difficult work. The later introduction of recognizable pictures, such as dogs and birds, as well as interlocking pieces made puzzles easier and more popular. Inexpensive cardboard and mass-produced die-cut puzzles reduced their cost and increased their profitability. Nowadays, jigsaw puzzles are _(7)_ inexpensive entertainment for the whole family.

1. (A) Magnifying (B) Previewing (C) Solving (D) Tempting

2. (A) stereotypes (B) origins (C) cavities (D) episodes

3. (A) to (B) in (C) on (D) at

4. (A) eligible (B) inherent (C) astounding (D) addictive

5. (A) vague (B) exceptional (C) horizontal (D) verbal

6. (A) sympathy (B) enthusiasm (C) confession (D) placement

7. (A) temporarily (B) accidentally (C) numerously (D) relatively

 

你今天『拼』了没？

你拼过最大的拼图是什么图案呢？

　　猜谜（puzzle）是一种用来形容游戏、问题，或者甚至是谜语的术语，它是被设计来测试人们脑袋的灵活度或是技巧。拼图（jigsaw puzzle）是把一张图片分割成许多小片。简单的拼图可能只有几片，而困难的拼图则可能达到数千片之多。完成拼图意味着把每一小片拼在一起，让图形展现出来。

　　拼图的起源可以追溯至 1760 年代。欧洲的地图绘制家把地图贴在木头上，然后把地图切割成形状不规则的小片，因此产生了一种教学玩具。最早的拼图是由一位伦敦的雕刻家所发明，图案是一幅世界地图。它被用来当作教室里学习地理的教具。二十世纪初，美国有了成人的拼图，并掀起了一股拼图热潮，这股热潮在 1933 年达到颠峰，每个星期可以卖出惊人的一千万幅拼图。

　　有些成人拼图拼起来很困难，而且和儿童拼图不同的是，盒子上并没有图片。拼图的名称可能很模糊，或是会使人产生误解，而且制作拼图的人经常都会沿着有颜色的线来裁切图案，这么一来可提供的帮助可说是少之又少。这些一片一片的拼图并不能扣在一起，因此拼的时候一不小心就会让数小时的辛苦工作功亏一篑。后来引进了象是狗狗和小鸟等容易辨认的图案以及可连接在一起的拼图，让拼图变得更简单也更受欢迎。便宜的硬纸板和大量生产的模版切割拼图降低了成本，也增加了利润。时至今日，拼图成了全家人相当便宜的娱乐。

答案： 1. C 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. A

6. D 7. D