Money is all surrounding us．Every day, we see it, use it, and it is on the tip of our tongue．Did you ever stop to take into consideration where the money that you carry around every day comes from?
Making new money is a very unique job and no easy task．It has up to 65 steps When the money in circulation（流通） gets dirty and worn out, it is replaced with new money The old money is taken from banks and brought to places where it is destroyed Usually, the old money is burned．The burned money is replaced by new paper money
If old money is being replaced, then new money is printed in a place called a mint（造币厂）．Large sheets 01 paper are printed with many pictures of some currency （流通货币）．These large sheets are cut into individual bills．The individual bills are then put together in big stacks and then sent to banks．
Sometimes the mint will make a new bill with a new picture （portraits of statesman and places of interest are favoured） or a new colour. It is not easy for the government to make a new bill. It takes a long time, and there are many steps to go through before a new bill can be sent to banks, first, people m the government decide that a new kind of bill is needed Then, they ask and artist to design the new bill．A different artist cuts the new picture into a soft piece of metal called a die．The dies are made and put onto large printing machines．Then, very special paper is used, which no one but the mint can have．Along with this special paper, the mint also prints currency using special colours．After the dies print the new currency onto the paper, the bills are cut, stacked, and sent off to the banks．
1.From the passage we know that
|
A．banks make new money |
|
B．it takes 65 procedures to make new money |
|
C．mints decide what kind of bill is needed |
|
D．old money that is not used is forever stored in a special place |
2.We can infer from the passage that a die is ____
|
A．something for dead people |
|
B．a special machine that prints the money |
|
C．a special piece of paper that the money is made from |
|
D．a piece of metal that puts the picture on the money |
3.'Which of the following shows the right order of dealing with new money?
①New money is printed in a mint．
②Bills are cut from large sheets of special paper．
③New money is sent in large amounts to banks．
④The government decides to make new money．
|
A．①②③④ |
B．④③②① |
C．④①③② |
D．④①②③ |
4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
|
A．The reason for making new money． |
|
B．The processes of making a new bill． |
|
C．The amount of new money needed． |
|
D．Things used．to make new money or a new bill． |
Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap（水龙头）?
In America, people will include a case or two of bottled water when buying the week's groceries（日用杂货）．When they are going to a soccer game or activity, it's common for them to grab a cold bottle of water out of the fridge with them．In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, about 29 billion bottles a year．
But all these plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment．In order to make all the 29 billion bottles, producers use 17 million barrels of crude oil, which is enough to keep a million cars going for 12 months．
So why don't people drink water straight from the tap? Some people have a strong belief that bottled water is better than water out of the tap, but that's not necessarily true．In the US, the local governments make sure water from the tap is safe．There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may go into the water．
People love the convenience of bottled water．But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a reusable steel container instead of plastic．
Some argue that plastic bottle recycling can help．Recycled bottles can be turned into items like carpeting or clothing．Unfortunately, only one in six bottles is recycled．The rest make it to landfills（垃圾填坦场） or end as trash in other places．Plastic bottles take hundreds of years for them to disintegrate．
Water is important for you, so keep drinking it．But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change．
And yes, you can make a difference．Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours．
1.How many cars can be kept going for a year by the crude oil used to make 29 billion bottles?
|
A．100． |
B．I,000． |
C．100,000． |
D．I,000,000． |
2.Why do Americans prefer bottled water?
|
A．Bottled water is better than water from the tap． |
|
B．Bottled water is cheaper than water from the tap． |
|
C．Bottled water contains beneficial chemicals in it． |
|
D．Bottled water is more convenient than water from the tap． |
3.What does the underlined word "disintegrate" in the fifth paragraph probably mean^
|
A．Be well recycled． |
B．Become less poisonous． |
|
C．Break into small pieces． |
D．Go down below a surface． |
4.The author's intention of writing this passage is to recommend Americans
|
A．drink more water from the tap |
|
B．send plastic bottles to landfills. |
|
C．use water bottles to power light bulbs |
|
D．buy bottles filled with water from the tap |
When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer ?full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course （持续到底） in the shadowland．
1.Why did Alex give up his job?
|
A．Because he didn't like the working conditions． |
|
B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living． |
|
C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer． |
|
D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job． |
2.What did Alex express when he answered the call?
|
A．He refused the job offer． |
|
B．He was willing to give them a hand． |
|
C．He expected them to pay him more money． |
|
D．He would write in his spare time． |
3.What kind of person is Alex?
|
A．Determined． |
B．Modest． |
|
C．Shy． |
D．Brave． |
4.Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
|
A．Look before you leap． |
|
B．Two heads are better, than one． |
|
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true． |
|
D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush． |
One cold night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was walking home around one o clock m the morning after a 36 practice at the theatre With he opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines by heart. I was having 37 handling my part-time job at the bank in the daytime and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about 38 both acting and San Francisco. I had 39 too much of city life.
As I walked down the 40 streets under the tall buildings, I felt very small and cold, so I began 41 both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out 42 a few homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my 43 , I heard a sound behind me. I 44 quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me 45 so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I 46 what the noise had been. It had been my wallet 47 to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk 48 for 15 minutes, my wallet was 49 to be found.
Just as I was about to quit the 50 , I heard the garbage truck stop to the sidewalk next to 51 .when a voice came from the inside, “Alisa Camcho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened and out jumped a small blonde man with an 52 look in his eyes. “Is this 53 you’re looking for?” He asked, holding up something like a wallet.
It was already 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I couldn’t get much sleep, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some 54 of city life. I realized the city couldn’t be a bad place 55 people were willing to help each other.
|
1. |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
|
|
8. |
|
|
9. |
|
|
10. |
|
|
11. |
|
|
12. |
|
|
13. |
|
|
14. |
|
|
15. |
|
|
16. |
|
|
17. |
|
|
18. |
|
|
19. |
|
|
20. |
|
is known to us a11 is that London will host the 30th Olympic Games next
|
A．As |
B．Which |
C．It |
D．What |
—How do you find the health club?
—I . Everyone is saying its management is going from bad to worse
|
A．ought to join |
B．should have joined |
|
C．would rather not have joined |
D．would like to have joined |
