三、语法填空。
George Stephenson was one of the most famous English inventors. He was born in
1. poor family. He had to start work when he was only eight. When George
was fourteen, he 2. (become) his father's helper. He spent a lot of time
learning about engines(发动机). And on 3. (holiday) he often took one
to pieces and studied each piece 4. (careful). Soon he became a good
worker 5. he could not read or write. He began to learn the English
letters at the age of seventeen. Every day after he did twelve 6. (hour) of
hard work, he walked a long way 7. (have)lessons from a young school
teacher. On his 8. (eighteen) birthday, he wrote his own name for the
9. (first) time. George invented many things in his life. The train was the
10. (great) one among them. And he was called “the Father of the Train”.

1. a 2. became 3. holidays 4. carefully 5. though 6. hours 7. to have 8. eighteenth 9. first 10. greatest

【分析】
本题为英语语法填空题，需结合语境和语法规则逐一分析每个空格：1. 空格后是单数可数名词family，表泛指“一个贫穷的家庭”，需用不定冠词；2. 时间状语为过去时，谓语动词需用一般过去式；3. holiday是可数名词，此处指多个假期，需用复数形式；4. 修饰动词需用副词；5. 前后句为让步关系，需用对应连词；6. twelve后接可数名词复数；7. 此处表目的，需用不定式；8. 表示“第几个生日”需用序数词；9. 涉及固定搭配；10. 三者及以上范围需用形容词最高级。
【解析】
1. 考查不定冠词：泛指“一个贫穷的家庭”，poor以辅音音素开头，故填a；
2. 考查动词时态：由时间状语was可知，用一般过去时，become的过去式是became，故填became；
3. 考查名词单复数：holiday是可数名词，此处指多个假期，故填holidays；
4. 考查词性转换：修饰动词studied需用副词，careful的副词形式是carefully，故填carefully；
5. 考查让步状语从句：前后句为让步关系，用连词though引导，故填though；
6. 考查名词单复数：twelve后接可数名词复数，故填hours；
7. 考查非谓语动词：不定式作目的状语，故填to have；
8. 考查序数词：表示“第18个生日”，用eighteenth，故填eighteenth；
9. 考查固定搭配：for the first time是固定短语，故填first；
10. 考查形容词最高级：由范围among them可知用最高级，great的最高级是greatest，故填greatest。
【答案】
1. a 2. became 3. holidays 4. carefully 5. though 6. hours 7. to have 8. eighteenth 9. first 10. greatest
【知识点】
冠词用法；动词时态；词性转换
【点评】
本题考查初中英语核心基础语法，涵盖冠词、时态、词性转换等考点，注重基础运用，是常见的语法填空题型，适合巩固语法基础。
【难度系数】
0.5