Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services.People use money to buy food, furniture,books,bicycles and hundreds of other things they need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money.
Most of the money today is made of metal(金属) or paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells.
Shells were not the only things used as money. In China , cloth and knives were used. In the Phillipine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks,monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.
The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.People strung(串联)them together and carried them from place to place.
Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. The first coins in England were made of tin(锡).Sweden and Russia used copper(铜)to make their money. Later some countries began to make coins of gold and silver.
But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like note from one person to another than the paper money used today.
Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.The main use of money is that _________.
| A．people use it to buy things to eat |
| B．people accept money only in exchange for clothes |
| C．people accept money in exchange for goods and service |
| D．people will accept money for giving our goods to others |
What did the first Chinese metal coins look like?
| A．They had square hole in the centre. |
| B．They were just like shells. |
| C．They were round like the moon. |
| D．They were round with a square hole in the centre. |
Who thought of a way to use paper money first?
| A．The Chinese | B．The Russian |
| C．The Sweden | D．The English men |
The best title of this passage should be ________.
| A．The Chinese money | B．The history of money |
| C．Some things about money | D．What is money |
Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy．They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school．Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life．Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students，it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning．
Unfortunately，a number of students killed themselves．Others are after co
mfort in using drugs．Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime．Many of them have tried very hard 
at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents．Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study．
It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way．Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children．To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special school called juku-cram schools．These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams, they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools．
Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bag．Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society．They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student．They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are gi
ven neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens．A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because
| A．they work very hard | B．they find they can't do well at school |
| C．they feel unimportant | D．they are under too much pressure |
Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to
| A．kill themselves | B．seek comfort |
| C．disappoint their parents | D．make trouble |
What should be the best title of the passage?
| A．Students' Pressure |
| B．Students' Problems |
| C．The Negative Impact(影响) of Japanese Education |
| D．The Trouble in Japanese Schools |
In juku-cram schools students ．
| A．are taken good care of by the teachers | B．feel no pressure |
| C．are trained to pass exams | D．can learn a lot of useful things |
In ordinary Japanese schools， ．
| A．there are strict rules | B．students feel safe |
| C．students can do anything | D．learning is not important |
When I was small and my grandmother died I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that crying does so, too.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to be helpful. Study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and more friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don’t even know we’re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don’t fight it. It’s a natural — and healthy — emotional response (反应). Why didn’t the author cry when her grandmother died?
| A．Because her father did not want her to feel too sad. |
| B．Because she did not love her grandmother. |
| C．Because she was too shy to cry at that time. |
| D．The author doesn’t give the explanation. |
It can be inferred from the text that ______.
| A．there are two ways to keep healthy |
| B．crying does more good to health than laughing |
| C．crying and laughing play the same roles |
| D．emotional health has a close relationship to physical health |
According to the author, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Crying is the best way to get help from others. |
| B．Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
| C．We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry. |
| D．We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Power of Tears | B．How to Keep Healthy |
| C．Why Do We Cry | D．A New Scientific Discovery |
Ticket price increases at HK Disney
Source：Xinhua | 02—05—2009 11：39
Hong Kong Disneyland announced on Tuesday it will raise weekday admission prices for mainland and overseas tourists by about 19 percent．But Hong Kong residents and tourists who purchase tickets through travel agents can still enjoy the old prices until June 30．
A one-day admission will cost HK $350($45)for adults and HK $250 for children aged up to 11 from Monday, the previous charges for weekends．Adults were previously admitted for HK $295 and children HK $210．
A Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman said the park does not expect the new pricing structure to have an immediate impact on attendances, as research shows guests choose when to visit the attraction based on time available rather than ticket prices．But the hikes(the rise of prices)drew immediate criticism from the industry．The greater tourism industry fears it may harm mainlanders willingness to visit Hong Kong．
Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the decision was unwise in the current financial climate．He also urged the company to rethink its decision, during an interview with Southern Metropolis Daily． On September 10 of 2009(weekday), Hong Kong residents and tourists will have to spend buying three children tickets．
| A．HK $360 | B．$ 360 | C．HK $750 | D．HK $885 |
There is a family with five people, John，his father，mother，grandfather and grandmother．They are from America, John is eleven years old．If they visit the place on June 30 2009(weekday)，they will spend about in total．
| A．$212 | B．$ 1650 | C．HK $1400 | D．$1390 |
What can we infer from the passage?
A．Joseph Tung Yao-chung disagreed abo ut the ticket price increase at HK Disney． |
| B．Hong Kong Disneyland will make a lot of money by raising weekday admission prices for mainland tourists． |
| C．The Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman didn't like the new pricing structure． |
| D．Only tourists from mainland visit Hong Kong Disneyland． |
O．Henry，born in Greensboro，North Carolina，was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.His father，Algernon Sidney Porter，was a physician.When William was three years old，his mother died，and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt.William was a good reader，but at the age of fifteen he left school，and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm.After that，he moved to Houston，where he had a number of jobs，including that of bank clerk.After moving to Austin，Texas，in 1882，he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone.When the weekly failed，he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist(专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial(财务的)dealings.While in prison，William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret.His first work，Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899)，appeared in McClure’s Magazine.After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O．Henry，hoping to forget his bitter past.
O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World，and also published the stories in other magazines.His first collection，Cabbages and Kings，appeared in 1904.Many other works quickly followed，such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room.O.Henry’s best known wor
k is The Ransom of Red Chief.His stories always have surprising endings.He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O．Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking，ill health，and financial problems.In 1907，he experienced a failed marriage.In 1910，O.Henry died 
after an illness.What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A brief introduction to O．Henry. |
| B．O.Henry’s career and marriage. |
| C．How O．Henry became a wellknown writer. |
| D．O.Henry’s best known works. |
It can be inferred from the passage that O．Henry ________.
| A．didn’t like to study during his childhood |
| B．had little parental love as a child |
| C．was very interested in medicine and farming |
| D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston |
Which is the right time order for the following events in O．Henry’s life?
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．②①③⑤④ | C．③②①④⑤ | D．②③①⑤④ |
Which of the following works of O. Henry’s is the most popular according to the passage?
| A．Cabbages and Kings. |
| B．The Gift of the Magi. |
| C．The Furnished Room. |
| D．The Ransom of Red Chief. |
Mistreat(虐待) your animals and someone might take them from you.
Allen (not his real name) is driving north out of Virginia in the middle of the night，with stolen property in the back of his van.But Allen isn’t a criminal—in fact he normally would never dream of breaking the law.
The “property” he stole is a dog he calls Flash.Allen doesn’t particularly want Flash in fact，in a few hours he’ll drop him off at a stranger’s house and never see him again.“I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing，”he explains.“The owner was plainly neglecting (忽视) the dog，but the police wouldn’t do anything about it.”
For over a year，Flash had been tied to a tree in front of someone’s house.“He was sick and weak，”says Allen.“More than once I saw the owner kick him for no reason at all.”Allen had repeatedly tried to get the own
er to take better care of the animal，or to give it away to someone who would.Finally，he took matters into his own hands—in the dead of night，he took Flash off his chain and drove away with him.
An hour later，Flash had a new license and he_was_treated_by_a_veterinarian_who_knew_better_than_to_ask_questions.
Pictures of the dog were put up on animal rescue websites，asking for someone to adopt the dog.A couple in New York offered to take the dog，and animal lovers in states along the way agreed to provide transportation.
Nobody can say for sure how many animals like Flash are “rescued” every year；receiving stolen property is a crime，so rescuers tend to stay in the shadows.But a growing number of empty collars are because of their work as more and more animals find their way to loving homes.Why did Allen steal the dog?
| A．He liked the dog very much. |
| B．He wanted to stop the dog being treated badly. |
| C．He is a criminal who likes stealing dogs. |
| D．Someone ordered him to do that. |
What had Allen ever done for the dog before stealing him?
| A．Finding a new owner for him. |
| B．In the dead of night，taking him off his chain and drove away with him. |
| C．Kicking him for no reason at all. |
| D．Asking the owner to treat the dog better or give it to someone else. |
How did Allen help the dog find a new owner?
| A．By putting advertisements on TV. |
| B．By asking the Animals Protection Association for help. |
| C．By asking for help on the Internet. |
| D．By putting up signs on the street. |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?
A．The veterinarian had treated many animals that were mistreat ed by their owners. |
| B．The veterinarian had once stolen some animals like Flash before. |
| C．The veterinarian was Allen’s friend. |
| D．The veterinarian was a learned man. |
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