While you're in a lift, waiting to reach your floor, do you ever wonder who came up with the idea? Probably not. We just expect to have safe lifts in buildings.
Lifts existed as far back as ancient Rome. But the ancient "lifts" weren't closed cars. They were simple platforms. They were typically used to raise up water for farming or lift heavy building materials such as stones. These lifts were powered by animals, people or even water wheels.
The first modem passenger lift was built for King Louis XV in 1743. The Kings lift was installed（安装）on the outside of his palace. It went from the first to the second floor. The King entered it from his balcony, and then men raised and lowered the lift through the use of ropes and wheels.
Lifts became more common in the mid-1800s during the Industrial Revolution when they transported goods in factories and mines. These lifts were often based on a hydraulic（液压的）system. However, this type of lifts was impractical for tall buildings, although it became popular because it could operate with the public water system.
Another lift design (and the one found most often today in passenger lifts) uses a cable system, in which ropes raise and lower the car by means of a wheel and gear（齿轮）system.
These types of lifts are easier to control and buildings that have them do not need the extra room required by hydraulic systems. By the 1850s, these types of lifts had been powered by water pressure or steam.
Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A、Early History of Lifts
B、Popularity of Lifts
C、Structure of Lifts
D、Uses of Lifts
【正确答案】：A
【题目解析】：标题需要总结全文。文中提及不同时期的lift特征，从源头追溯到第1个与现代电梯相同的lift，选项A中early history即为本文最合适的概括。
