How can a small stamp be worth ＄16,800?
Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on a two-penny stamp has made it worth a million and a half times its face value.
Do you think it impossible? Well, it is true. And this is how it happened.
The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the former British colony (前英国殖民地) of M auritius (毛里求斯岛), a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to London. Mauritius was about to become the fourth country in the world to put out stamps.
Before the order was filled and the stamps arrived from England, a big dance was planned by the commander-in-chief (总司令) of all the armed forces on the island. The dance would be held in his house and letters of invitation would be sent to all the important people in Mauritius. Stamps were badly needed to post the letters. Therefore, an islander, who was a good printer, was told to copy the pattern of the stamps. He carelessly put the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid”, two words seen on stamps at that time, on the several hundred that he printed.
Today, there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left--- fourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because there are so few Two-Penny Blues and because of their age, collectors have paid as much as ＄16,800 for one of them.When a mistake is made in the printing of the stamp, the stamp___________.
| A．will be thrown away |
| B．increases in value |
| C．is not worth buying |
| D．is worth no more than its face value |
Why did Mauritius print some stamps too? Because__________.
| A．London stamps were not well printed |
| B．London would not print them |
| C．invitations to a big dance had to be posted quickly |
| D．Mauritius had a very good printer |
“Post Paid” means___________.
| A．the same as “Post Office” |
| B．the Post Office is the place to buy stamps |
| C．money has been paid for the stamp |
| D．the letter must be posted |
I’m Li Mei and I study in No. 3 Middle school. I live in the school on weekdays. I only go home on weekends(周末). I usually go home by bus. It takes about half an hour. Some students go home by bike. We often have some activities in our free time. Peter and Tom often play soccer. Kate and I often go to the school library. Helen often does her homework in the classroom. What does Sally like to do after school? She likes to play ping-pong. We have dinner at about six o’clock. Then we go back to our classroom to study. At half past nine, we usually go to bed. Our teachers are all very good. We are happy in our school.Where does Li Mei live from Monday to Friday?
| A．In the library. | B．In her school. | C．At home. | D．In the street. |
How does Li Mei go to school?
| A．By bus. | B．By car. | C．By bike. | D．I don’t know. |
How long does it take Li Mei to get home from her school by bus?
| A．About30 minutes. | B．About20 minutes. |
| C．About15 minutes. | D．About one hour. |
Who does Kate often go to the school library with after school?
| A．Helen. | B．Li Mei | C．Sally. | D．Peter. |
What time do they usually go to bed?
| A．At8:30 pm. | B．At9:30 am | C．At9:30 pm. | D．At9:30 am. |
One day a farmer walking along a road with his son Thomas , the father said, “look! There’s a horseshoe, pick it up and put it in your bag.” Thomas said, “It isn’t worth(值得) the trouble.” His father said nothing but he picked (捡起)it up himself. When they got to nearby town, they had a rest. There the farmer sold the horseshoe and with the few pennies he bought some cherries(樱桃).
The father and the son continued(继续) their way. The sun was well up in the sky, and there wasn’t a house or even a tree where they could have a rest. Thomas felt too thirsty to walk. At this time, his father dropped a cherry on the ground and Thomas picked it up quickly and ate it, after a while, his father dropped another cherry and once again, hid son lost no time in picking it up and putting it in his mouth.
And so they went on. The old farmer dropped the cherries and the son picked them up. When Thomas had eaten up all the cherries, his father said to him, “My dear son, if you bent down early to pick up that horseshoe, it would not have been necessary for you to bend so many times for the cherries. Always remember the lesson that he who does not worry about the things will find that he cannot do the great things.”Who picked up the horseshoe at last?
| A．the son | B．The father |
| C．both the father and the son | D．Neither the father or the son |
The farmer bought _____ with the money after he sold the horseshoe.
| A．some bread | B．some water |
| C．some cherries | D．some pennies |
When the son refused(拒绝)to pick up the horseshoe, the father___
| A．beat(打) the son | B．said nothing |
| C．felt very happy | D．became very angry |
The father dropped the cherries one by one, because_____
| A．he wanted to teach his son a lesson. |
| B．he wanted his son to do more exercise. |
| C．he wanted his son to eat them all. |
| D．he wanted to laugh at his son. |
From the story, we can learn that____
| A．cherries are so delicious that most of us like to eat them. |
| B．a horseshoe is so expensive that it can bring us a lot of money. |
| C．if we want to eat cherries, we must pick up a horseshoe. |
| D．if we don’t worry about the little things, we cannot do the great things. |
The French have special meal etiquette(礼仪). If you plan to go on holiday in France, why not read the following tips? They can make you feel good when you visit a French restaurant or are invited to a French house.
Breakfast in France
French meals are quite similar to those in the rest of the western world. The breakfast is lighter than elsewhere. Milky coffee or hot chocolate are also classics. Contrarily (相反地) to what happens in British families.
Lunch in France
Lunch was traditionally the main meal of the day in France, this is why the French still usually take more than one hour to have lunch. In big cities, lunch looks more like those in the UK or in the USA, being a sandwich or fast-food meal.
Dinner in France
In France, the dinner has become the main meal of the day over the last couple of years(过去几年), as the lunch is now often made of a simple sandwich or salad.
The French dinner is made up with the starter（开胃小吃）, main dish, cheese often with salad or fruit, dessert and coffee.Breakfast is not very important in ____________.
| A．France | B．the UK | C．the USA | D．the western world |
Traditionally, __________ was the main meal of the day in France.
| A．breakfast | B．lunch | C．dinner | D．afternoon tea |
Why has the dinner become the main meal of the day now?
| A．Because the French want to have more food. |
| B．Because the French have enough time at noon. |
| C．Because the lunch is often simple. |
| D．Because the dinner is the most delicious in a day. |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．French meals are similar to the rest of the western world. |
| B．Breakfast is more important in the UK than in France. |
| C．People eat fast-food meals in big cities in France. |
| D．The French people have little time cook dinner. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to make three meals |
| B．Three meals in France |
| C．Different kinds of food in France |
| D．The most important meal in France |
Mr Smith gave his wife money every Friday evening. His wife always spent it all the next Wednesday, so that for the next three days she had no money to spend at all. One day Mr Smith asked her," But how did you spend all that money?" She answered, "I don't know . "So one Friday evening, Mr Smith gave her money together with an exercise book and a pencil. He said to his wife ,"Please write down how you spend the money . "Next Tuesday, his wife had no money again. Mr Smith took the exercise book to see how she had spent it. "I have done what you told me ,"she said gladly. She had written "Friday, I got 18 pounds from Mr Smith. "on the first page, and on the second page, she wrote ,"Tuesday, I have spent it all. "Mrs Smith always spent all the money ____.
| A．the next day | B．in four days |
| C．in a week | D．on next Wednesday |
Mr Smith gave his wife an exercise book and a pencil and asked her____
| A．to do homework | B．to have a look |
| C．to write down how she spent the money | D．to draw a picture on it |
Mrs Smith was ____ to do what Mr Smith asked her to .
| A．happy | B．sad | C．sorry | D．excited |
Mr Smith gave his wife money ____ a week.
| A．once | B．twice | C．three times | D．four times |
The story tells us that Mrs Smith was not very ____.
| A．glad | B．tall | C．careful | D．Good |
Nancy and Sheila are in the same class . They are friends . Nancy wants to invite Sheila to dinner on Sunday . But Sheila doesn’t know the way . Now Nancy is telling her .
‘It’s easy . You can take No.4 bus . After you get off at Red Road, Cross it and take the first turning on the left. Walk along the road for about five minutes, and then you will see a big tree. Go straight on and walk about 100 metres , you’ll see a big red house . This is not my home. Go past the big house about four hundred metres , and you will see a small yellow house beside a small tree. Then you can open the door with your foot.’
‘With my foot ?’asks Sheila. ‘Why ?’
‘Well , you won’t come to my house empty—handed (空手地), will you ?’ answers Nancy .Nancy asks Sheila to ______.
| A．have dinner with her |
| B．go to a big red house |
| C．go to the cinema together |
| D．go shopping together |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．Nancy and Sheila are classmates. |
| B．Sheila should take NO.5 bus first . |
| C．Nancy asks Sheila to come to her home on Saturday . |
| D．Sheila knows Nancy’s home very well. |
How far is it from the big tree to the small yellow house ?
| A．It’s five minutes walk. |
| B．It’s a hundred minutes’ ride . |
| C．It’s about two hundred metres . |
| D．It’s about five hundred metres |
Where is Nancy’s house ?
| A．It’s beside a big red house . |
| B．It’s beside a small tree . |
| C．It’s on the right side of Red Road. |
| D．It’s behind a small yellow house. |
Why does Nancy asks Sheila to open the door with her foot ?
| A．Because she thinks Sheila should carry a lot of presents in both hands. |
| B．Because she thinks Sheila should bring her family members to her home. |
| C．Because she thinks Sheila should bring other classmates to her home. |
| D．Because she thinks Sheila will be afraid to open the door with her hands. |
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