If you’re forever losing your umbrella, only to be caught in a downpour, this invention could be for you. A brolly with a built-in chip “sings” if it is misplaced and even sends its last known location to an unlucky owner. The umbrella, made by Blunt, is also claimed to be one of the strongest, with a fully stretched canopy so it doesn’t blow inside-out in the wind.

       The design has a “Tile” Bluetooth chip hidden in a specially designed pocket in the canopy. The small plastic chip works alongside an app for iPhone and Android handsets, which can be asked to find the umbrella. If the brolly is misplaced within 49 to 99 feet (15 to 30 metres) — inside a house or a restaurant for example — the Tile makes a “chip-tune melody” until its owner is guided towards it and confirms the umbrella has been found.

       But it is further out of range, the chip and app allow identify the lost brolly’s “last seen” location. The app shows where the umbrella was last within 49 to 99 feet of its owner’s phone, or near another Tile user. It’s hoped the Tile will reduce the time people spend searching for mislaid objects — thought to be 153 days over the course of a lifetime. The average person mislays more than 3,000 items every year, with umbrellas within the top five, and it’s reported that men lose more items than women.

       A compact version is available from Blunt’s website for £59 ($93), with a larger classic version, with either a charcoal, blue or red decoration, for £63 ($99).  

      Tile is a wearable Bluetooth tracker launched in 2018. It is designed to be attached or stuck to anything a person doesn’t want to lose, such as keys and wallets, to luggage. Items with the Tile attached show their last known location on a map or play a distinctive melody to attract their owner’s attention if they are within a 100-ft radius.

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1.What is a brolly according to Paragraph One?

A A downpour.

B An umbrella.

C A canopy.

D A chip.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据第一段第一句的 “your umbrella”“this invention” 以及第三句的 “The umbrella”可推断，brolly 是一把伞。故选 B。

2.What will happen if you put your brolly in a wrong place?

A It will blow inside-out in the wind.

B It will make a “chip-tune melody”.

C It will tell its owner where it lies.

D It will show its location on a map.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据文章第二段最后一句...the Tile makes a “chip-tune melody” until its owner...可 知，当伞被遗失时，内嵌的智能芯片就能发出音乐，主人就可以循声找它。故选 B。

3.What does the app do when the brolly is over 99 feet away from its owner’s phone?

A It fully stretches in the wind.

B It guides the owner towards the brolly.

C It shows where the brolly was last seen.

D It “sings” a melody through a chip.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第三段的一二句可知，当这把伞离主人手机的位置超出了 99 英尺时，手机上的 app 会显示这把伞最后出现的位置，主人也可以据此更容易地找到它。故选 C。

4.What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A People spend a lot of time looking for mislaid objects every year.

B A new device has been developed to help people find their lost things.

C Umbrellas will never be lost with a new Bluetooth chip built in.

D The strongest umbrella that is also easy to find has been made.

解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章前半部分虽然介绍的是一款防丢失的雨伞，它只是用来引出文章后半部分要重点要介绍的一款产品——Tile可穿戴蓝牙追踪器。故选 B。