The Zipper

1/23/2022 10:43:37 PM
Image: tenrandomfacts.com

Do you know?

  • Zippers are an invention used to secure and close the edges of two pieces of material, commonly textiles.
  • A ‘zipper’ is also known as a ‘zip fastener’, ‘zip’ and ‘fly’, and it was once called a ‘clasp locker’.

Let's explore more in the following passage!

Let's learn some new words before you read the passage:

Listen and complete the passage.

dozens flexible hooks embarrassing
bend zipper strips  


The is a wonderful invention. How did people ever live without zippers? They are very common, so we forgot that they are wonderful. They are very strong, but they open and close very easily. They come in many colors and sizes.

In the 1890s, people in the United States wore high shoes with long rows of buttons. Women’s clothes often had rows of buttons too. People wanted an easier way to put on and take off clothes. 

Whitcomb L. Judson invented the zipper in 1893. He was an engineer in Chicago. He called the zipper a slide fastener. However, it didn’t stay closed very well. This was , and people didn’t buy many of them. Then Dr. Gideon Sundback from Sweden solved this problem.

A zipper has three parts: 1. there are of metal or plastic (called teeth) on two rows. 2. These are fastened to two strips of cloth. The cloth strips are . They easily. 3. A fastener slides the other way, it takes the hooks apart. 

Dr. Sundback put the hooks on the of cloth. The cloth holds all the hooks in place. They don’t come apart very easily. This solved the problem of the zippers. 

Read and answer the following questions.

The Zipper

An illustration of the zipper by Whitcomb L. Judson. Image: commons.wikimedia.org

The zipper is a wonderful invention. How did people ever live without zippers? They are very common, so we forgot that they are wonderful. They are very strong, but they open and close very easily. They come in many colors and sizes.

In the 1890s, people in the United States wore high shoes with long rows of buttons. Women’s clothes often had rows of buttons too. People wanted an easier way to put on and take off clothes. 

Whitcomb L. Judson invented the zipper in 1893. He was an engineer in Chicago. He called the zipper a slide fastener. However, it didn’t stay closed very well. This was embarrassing, and people didn’t buy many of them. Then Dr. Gideon Sundback from Sweden solved this problem.

A zipper has three parts: 1. there are dozens of metal or plastic hooks (called teeth) on two rows. 2. These are fastened to two strips of cloth. The cloth strips are flexible. They bend easily. 3. A fastener slides the other way, it takes the hooks apart. 

Dr. Sundback put the hooks on the strips of cloth. The cloth holds all the hooks in place. They don’t come apart very easily. This solved the problem of the zippers. 

Source: Thoughts and Notions

How many parts does a zipper have?

  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

According to the passage, what is NOT true about the zippers?

  • They were invented by an American engineer.
  • They are made based on a fixed pattern.
  • They were not used by many people at first.

What can you infer from the passage?

  • The invention of the zipper made Dr. Gideon Sundback famous.
  • Dr. Gideon Sundback helped to popularize the use of the zipper.
  • Whitcomb L. Judson built his fortune from selling many zippers.

The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

  • help readers distinguish between types of zippers
  • provide information about a common device nowadays
  • describe the process of making the zipper in the past

Build your vocabulary by learning these intensive phrases/idioms

The cookie was so soft that it just _____ in my hands.

  • came apart
  • came around
  • came along
  • came about

Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).

They put on their coats and tramped through the falling snow.

  • took off their coats
  • picked out their coats
  • did their coats up
  • hanged out their coats

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in a bracket. You must use between THREE and FIVE words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.

Losing matches continuously, the team was eliminated from the tournament. (ROW)

=> After several defeats , the team was eliminated from the tournament.

The seat is bolted in _____ for extra safety.

  • position
  • place
  • spot
  • location