3．
It has been more than two thousand years we began to use an umbrella on rainy days．However，people often felt it not convenient to hold an umbrella while working．Then the rubber raincoat was invented by an Englishman named Macintosh in 1823．
In 1492，Columbus，a well-known Italian woyager，discovered the New World-the American．He brought a lot of things to Europe from South America Rubber eas one of them，but people didn't know the use of rubber at that time．In1770，people found that the rubber could be used as erasers．
Macintosh was a worker in an eraser factory in Scotland．One day be spilled the rubber liquid over his clothers earelessly when making erasers．He eas too busy to clean it and wend back home wearing the dirty clothes．On the eay home，it rained beavily．Having go umbrella，Macintosh had to run home quickly．When be got home，be took off the wet clothes．To his surprise，the area of the clotghes with rubber wasn't wet．"Why not make a rubber raincoat？"Macintosh thought．The next day he brushed the rubber liquid all over a coua．He wore the"rubber coat"on rainy days and took a walk in the field to test if it could really keep off the rain．Surprisingly，the clothes inside the"rubber coat"weren't wet at all．The rubber raincoat was created in this way by chance．
The rubber raincoats soon appeared on the market．However，they were sticky in summer and hardened in winter．Year after year，people kept on improving the raincoats．Today raincoats are widely used in our daily life．
29．The rubber taincoat was invented byC
A，a Chinese
B．a(chǎn)n Italian
C，an Englishman
D．a(chǎn)n American
30．What did Columbus bring to Europe in 1492A？
A．Rubber
B．Umbrellas
C．Erasers
D．Raincoats
31．Why did Macintosh wear the"rubber coat"on rainy daysC？
A．To show his nice"rrubber coat"
B．To sell it to a rarmer
C．To test if it could keep off the rain
D．To go to work in the field
32．Which of the following is TRUEB？
A．Macintosh worked in a market in Scotland
B．The rubber mincoat was created by chance
C．The first rubber raincoat was sicky in winter
D．The umbrella was invented after the rubber raincoat．
