The umbrella is an old idea. It has not changed much over time. Old sculpture (art made with clay) from the Middle East, shows the king with an umbrella. The sculpture is over 1,000 years old. At that time, common people did not have umbrellas. Only royalty had them.

More than 2000 years ago, fashionable women carried umbrellas in ancient Greece. In China, only royalty used umbrellas. In old Chinese books, there are illustrations of umbrellas. These pictures were made with paint, blood, and special drawing tools. The umbrellas in old Chinese books look a lot like today’s umbrellas.

There is not much information about umbrellas in Europe in the Middle Ages. People probably used their coats to protect themselves from the rain. People in the South Pacific used umbrellas made of palm leaves to protect themselves from the sun and rain.

There have been many improvements to umbrellas. Now, modern umbrellas are better than the old umbrellas. The old umbrellas were often made of oiled silk. Modern umbrellas are made of cotton or plastic. Old umbrellas had ribbing made of wood. Modern umbrellas have steel ribs. Also, the trunk of the modern umbrella extends like a telescope. It can collapse and become shorter or extend and become longer.

1. Fashionable women had umbrellas in…

A. Europe in the Middle Ages.                          B. the South Pacific.

C. the Middle East.                                              D. ancient Greece.

2. In ancient China …

A. only royalty had umbrellas.                         

B. umbrellas were made of palm leaves.

C. umbrellas looked different from modern ones.                             

D. common people used umbrellas.

3. In Europe in the Middle Ages, people used

A. their coats to keep dry.                                   B. modern umbrellas.

C. silk umbrellas.                                                 D. umbrellas made of palm leaves.

4. People in the South Pacific used…

A. umbrellas made of palm leaves.                   B. umbrellas made of plastic.

C. collapsing umbrellas.                                     D. telescopes.

5. Old umbrellas were often made with…

A. steel.                             B. cotton.                   C. plastic.                  D. oiled silk.

6. According to the passage, what is NOT TRUE about old umbrellas?

A. They were made of oiled silk.

B. They had wooden ribs.

C. They weren’t as good as modern umbrellas.

D. Only royalty used them.

7. According to the passage, what is NOT TRUE about modern umbrellas?

A. They are worse than old umbrellas.             B. They are made of cotton or plastic.

C. They have ribbing made of steel.                 D. Their trunks can become shorter or longer.