Question

    Stamp collection was once considered a harmless and educational pastime for small boys. It still is — but with a difference. Grandpa and grandma have joined the small boys, along with shoe clerks, waitresses, truck drivers, college professors , businessmen, presidents and kings. Stamp collecting has today grown into big business.

All the really rare old stamps are already owned by collectors who refuse to part with them. But even if these owners were willing to sell, few people could afford to buy.

A stamp becomes valuable because it is “ rare”. Modern collectors with little money to spend have to create their own “ rarities”. One rarity that stamp collectors look for is an error in the stamp. The error may be so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. If it is there, however, it makes the stamp more valuable.

Stamp collectors have another way of making their collections rare or unusual. They bring together as many examples as they they can of a certain kind of stamp. What makes such a collection unusual is the time and the idea that went inot making it. One may collect only stamps of some color. Another may collect only stamps from a certain foreign country, or stamps connected with some person, place or event. Still other collectors are interested in the tiny holes along the edge of a stamp. They may be long or short, round or oval. Some stamps may not have them at all. Another thing that makes a stamp “ rare” is its postmark or its cancellation. Collectors go through a lot of trouble to have letters mailed to them from unusual places.

1.Grandpa and grandma have joined the small boys in collecting stamps because ________.

A.even kings and presidents are also collecting stamps.

B.they want to be with their garandsons

C.it is no longer a pastime for little boys

D.people can make a lot of money by buying and selling stamps.

2.All the really rare old stamps are sometimes owned by collectors who  ________..

A.have a lot of rare stamps B.do not understand their real value

C.want to keep them D.are anxious to sell them for a good price.

3.Errors in the stamps _______.

A.may be too small for eyes to see

B.are usually wiped out by the stamp collectors

C.will keep the value of the stamps low

D.can not be seen at all

4.One of the ways that stamps collectors make their stamps unusual is to __________.

A.collect a large number of stamps according to a certain pattern

B.sell out stamps and buy new ones

C.keep the valuable stamps only

D.spend time studying them

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了关于邮票收集，尤其是珍稀邮票收藏者还有一些使得邮票与众不同的方法。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段Stamp collection was once considered a harmless and educational pastime for small boys. It still is--- but with a difference.（集邮曾被认为是对小男孩无害的、有教育意义的消遣。它仍然是——但有所不同）可知，收集邮票不再只是小男孩消遣的方式了，它现在有区别了。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段All the really rare old stamps are already owned by collectors who refuse to part with them.（所有真正稀有的旧邮票都已经被那些拒绝把它们卖掉的收藏者拥有了）可知，真正稀有的旧邮票已经被拥有很多稀有邮票的人收藏了。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段The error may be so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. （误差可能很小，用肉眼是看不见的）可知，用眼睛看可能看不见这些误差。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据第四段Stamp collectors have another way of making their collections rare or unusual. They bring together as many examples as they can of a certain kind of stamp. What makes such a collection unusual is the time and the idea that went into making it.（集邮者有另一种方法使他们的收藏品变得稀有或与众不同。他们收集了尽可能多的关于某种邮票的例子。让这个系列与众不同的是它的制作时间和创意）可知，邮票的收藏者使他们的邮票与众不同的方法之一是按照一定的模式收集大量的邮票。故选A。