THOMAS EDISON On the night of 21 October 1931, millions of Americans took part in a coast-to-coast ceremony to commemorate the passing of a great man. Lights (21) _____ in homes and offices from New York to California. The ceremony (22) _____ the death of arguably the most important inventor of (23) _____ time: Thomas Alva Edison. Few inventors have (24) _____ such an impact on everyday life, and many of his inventions played a crucial (25) ____in the development of modem technology. One should never underestimate how revolutionary some of Edison's inventions were. In many ways, Edison is the perfect example of an inventor - that is, not just someone who dreams up clever gadgets, but someone whose products transform the lives of millions. He possessed the key characteristics that an inventor needs to (26) _____ a success of inventions, notably sheer determination. Edison famously tried thousands of materials while working on a new type of battery, reacting to failure by cheerfully (27) _____ to his colleagues: 'Well, (28) _____ we know 8,000 things that don't work.' Knowing when to take no (29) _____ of experts is also important. Edison's proposal for electric lighting circuitry was (30) _____ with total disbelief by eminent scientists, until he lit up whole streets with his lights. 21. A. turned out B. came off C. went out D. put off 22. A. marked B. distinguished C. noted D. indicated 23. A. whole B. full C. entire D. all 24. A. put B. had C. served D. set 25. A. effect B. place C. role D. share 26. A. gain B. make C. achieve D. get 27. A. announcing B. informing C. instructing D. notifying 28. A. by far B. at least C. even though D. for all 29. A. notice B. regard C. attention D. view 30. A. gathered B. caught C. drawn D. received