Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn’t buy as much as it used to, no matter when you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one’s hands. But what about coins that seem to do very little except stay in purses and pockets? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won’t get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable, fall more readily into a category for collectors. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up.
But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1840, the United States mint (造币厂) struck 19570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and these are unlikely ever to reach the auction (拍卖) market. So what happened to some 19564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American land then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates. The probable answer to the mystery is that they were melted down — since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich.We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．money buys as much as it did before |
| B．money does not buy as much as it did before |
| C．paper money buys more than metal money |
| D．metal money buys more than paper money |
Which of the following is true of a coin?
| A．The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes. |
| B．The more it wears out, the more valuable it becomes. |
| C．The less it gets scratched, the less it values. |
| D．The longer it lasts, the more it values. |
According to this passage, one of the rarest coins in the world is made of _______.
| A．silver | B．gold |
| C．copper | D．paper |
Coins become more valuable because _______.
| A．they stay in purses and pockets |
| B．the price of metal goes up |
| C．they fall more readily into a category for collectors due to their duration |
| D．Both B and C |
What really happened to some 19564 large silver coins?
| A．They were melted down. |
| B．They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. |
| C．It is still a mystery. |
| D．They were stolen by pirates. |
Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don't know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram (电报)," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.
He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.
In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, "Now I'm going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner."
He found a taxi and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel.
"Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "Please send me my address at this post office.Dick flew to New York because ________.
| A．he went there for a holiday | B．he had work there |
| C．he went there for sightseeing (观光) | D．his home was there |
Why did his wife want a telegram from him?
| A．Because she didn’t know his address yet. |
| B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too. |
| C．Because she might send him another telegram. |
| D．Because she couldn't leave her husband by himself in New York. |
Where did Dick stay in New York?
| A．In the center of the city. | B．In a hotel. |
| C．In a restaurant. | D．At his friend's house. |
Who would send him the name and address of his hotel?
| A．The manager (经理) of his hotel. | B．The police office. |
| C．The taxi driver. | D．His wife. |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city. |
| B．Dick didn't work on the first night of his arrival. |
| C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram. |
| D．Dick wanted to go back to his hotel in a taxi. |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,”said the first soldier.“I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the horse died!”The military camp was built in the village to________.
| A．stop the soldiers from going to towns |
| B．stop the soldiers from meeting their friends |
| C．train the new soldiers |
| D．make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because__________.
| A．he was kind to them | B．they felt lonely |
| C．they had something important to do | D．they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because_______.
| A．a traffic accident had happened |
| B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
| C．the nine soldiers would come back |
| D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because________.
| A．something was wrong with their buses |
| B．their horses died on the return way |
| C．it took them much time to run back |
| D．they all drank much in the town |
Which answer do you think is true?
| A．You’ll believe only the last soldier. |
| B．The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
| C．You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
| D．The officer won’t punish his soldiers. |
Jess really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact，he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food. As a result，he had put on a lot of weight，and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.
Cindy, who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that the trick（恶作剧）had worked. Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true. But there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up.
At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings（积蓄）, Cindy had a second idea. She knew that Jess’s family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use. Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her. What could she do now?The sentence “…he drowned his feeling with food” means “________”.
| A．he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely |
| B．he asked for a lot of food from his classmates |
| C．he brought his food to his classmates |
| D．he had a lot of food to put on weight |
What would happen if Cindy told Jess the truth?
| A．Jess would go on the camping trip himself. |
| B．Jess's family would be angry with Cindy. |
| C．Cindy might have trouble with her friends. |
| D．Jess would be thankful to his classmates. |
If Jess really bought a sleeping bag, ________.
| A．everyone else would also buy one |
| B．it would be the best in the class |
| C．Cindy would pay for it |
| D．he would have it for no use |
From the story we can guess ________.
| A．everybody would go camping in the class |
| B．Jess had few friends in the class |
| C．Cindy was Jess’s best friend in the class |
| D．Jess joined in many out-of-school activities |
Choose the best title for this passage.
| A．Jess and His School |
| B．Jess and His Friends |
| C．An Invitation for Jess |
| D．Jess and His Camping Trip |
Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day. And just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy presents for their fathers, presents from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do－buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy a Father’s Day present－not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.Father’s Day was started just because .
| A．there was a Mother’s Day | B．there was a Children’s Day |
| C．people liked their fathers a lot | D．fathers were more important |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries have a Father’s Day. |
| B．Father’s Day has a long history. |
| C．Father’s Day has become important in North America. |
| D．Maybe Father’s Day will become popular before too long. |
In America, people have a Father’s Day to .
| A．go shopping with their fathers | B．help their fathers do something |
| C．show their love to their fathers | D．get money from their fathers |
On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want .
| A．people to buy as many presents as possible |
| B．children to buy presents only for their fathers |
| C．women to buy presents only for their husbands |
| D．grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present only for their grandfathers |
It can be learned from the article that .
| A．the writer is against Father’s Day |
| B．many countries have a Father’s Day |
| C．shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day than usual |
| D．We don’t need to have a Father’s Day |
Sydney Tower
Address: 100Market St, Sydney
Phone: 02 9333 9222
Fax: 02 9333 9203
Open time: 9:00am to 10:30 pm(Saturdays to 11:30 pm)
Ticket: $60 (for an adult)
$30 (for a child)
Website: www.sydneytower.com.au
How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street
How to book tickets: by phone/ fax or through the web
Attraction: Sydney’s best views are just the beginning! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360°views of our beautiful city.Sydney Tower is ______ in Sydney, Australia.
| A．the busiest street | B．the biggest station |
| C．the most beautiful park | D．the highest point |
If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can’t _______.
| A．email sydneytower @ hotmail, corn | B．fax 02 9333 9203 |
| C．search www.sydneytower, com. au | D．dial 02 9333 9222 |
Frank wants to go to Sydney Tower with his two children, he will pay ________.
| A．$60 | B．$90 | C．$120 | D．$150 |
Last Saturday, Johnson went to visit Sydney Tower. He had to get down the tower _________.
| A．after 11:30 pm | B．before 11:30 pm |
| C．at 10:30 pm | D．by 10:30 pm |
The passage, above is probably________.
| A．a piece of news | B．a conversation |
| C．a story | D．an advertisement |
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