Perhaps the earliest and most important invention was the invention of fire.People probably first used fire started by lightning（閃電）.Lightning would hit a tree in a forest and cause a large fire.People would use a small piece of burning wood from the fire to start their own-small fires.With these fires，they could cook food and keep warm.They could also see more easily at night of course，the piece of wood would soon stop burning，and they would not be able to create fire from it again.They had to find other ways to create fire.One way to create fire is by rubbing two pieces of wood together.This can take a lot of time and can be difficult，however.Another way is by hitting two rocks together.This can also take a lot of time and can be difficult.An easier way is by using a piece of glass and the light from the sun to start a fire.
    However，you need a good piece of glass and a sunny day for this.Inventors in China created matches around AD 500.However，early matches were difficult to make and could be dangerous to use.People did not develop the first really useful matches until the 1830s.

（1）Where did people first get fire from？

B

B

A.From forests.
B.From fires started by lightning.
C.From a small piece of burning wood.
D.By rubbing two pieces of wood together.
（2）How many uses for fire did early people probably have？

D

D

A.Too many to count.
B.One.
C.Two.
D.Three.
（3）According to the passage，what was the problem with using a piece of burning wood for starting fires？

C

C

A.It is difficult to burn wood.
B.Burning wood is dangerous to use.
C.The fire from the wood would soon go out.
D.People could not always find a piece of burning wood.
（4）Why did it take so many years for matches to become popular？

D

D

A.Matches were not invented until the 1830s.
B.Matches were not invented until the 1830s.
C.People outside of China did not know about matches.
D.Early matches were difficult to make and dangerous to use.