Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn’t buy as much as it used to, no matter were you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one’ s hands. Inflation eats away its buying power just as the steady appetite of waves chews at sand cliffs. But what about coins that seem to do very little except make purses and pockets untidy 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 collections. 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 struck 19,570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain solid these are unlikely ever to the auction market. So what happened to some 19,564 ladle 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 territory 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. Coins becomes more valuable because ______.
A. they make purses and pockets untidy
B. the price of metal goes up
C. they fall more readily into a category for collections due to their duration
D. both B and C
查看答案
British postmen and milkmen have a reputation for being cheerful. As they both arrive very early in the morning, when you are perhaps not feeling very good-tempered, their loud knocking and boring whistling may get on your nerves. Of course there are some gloomy postmen, who make you think that every letter contains sad news, but the majority are pleasant, this is quite surprising, because delivering the mail each morning is a job which is not very well paid and there are a great many problems. The city postman has to go on foot, not only along streets but also up and down stairs, as many blocks of flats still have no tilts and downstairs letterbox. If he has a registered letter to deliver, he has to wait for someone to come to the door to sign for it. That person may greet him in a mast unfriendly way if he has just been woken from a deep sleep very early in the morning. In the country, a postman may have a bicycle or a small van, so he does not have to walk so far, but nevertheless he has his problems too. It is very annoying to be compelled to go all the way to an isolated house simply to deliver a postcard or a circular, when this makes the journey half an hour longer, in winter, weather conditions are bad, but the postman must carry on in the rain or the snow. Sometimes it is impossible to use a van or a bicycle in these conditions, and he has to do his round on foot, like this city colleague. Most country people keep a dog. Although there may be a notice on the gate, ’BEWARE OF THE DOG’ this is of little help to the postman. He is forced to go in, whether the dog is dangerous or not. So every day the country postman knows that, if the dog is not safely tied up, it may bite him on the leg or tear his trousers. The city postman is forced to walk up and down a lot of stain because ______.
A. many people live in blocks of flats
B. many flats have letter boxes upstairs
C. many people receive registered letters
D. letter boxes are sometimes downstairs
Sad stories are net very pleasant to read about, but if we think and talk about them, we may be able to prevent more accidents. How can fire or hot things be a danger in the house Matches, of course, are always dangerous in the hands of young children. A little fire on waste land can easily get out of control. A wind comes, sparks are blown on to the roof of a house, and the whole building may be burnt to the ground before you can even call the Fire Brigade. Kerosene lamps, too, can be very dangerous. Quite recently there was a bad accident in a village house. The mosquito net over a baby’ s cot was blown against a lamp end caught fire. The bedclothes and even the clothes of the baby were burnt before the fire was discovered. Long grass and rubbish round a house can also lead to a disastrous fire, as most people know. However, not everybody is careful with such things as celluloid masks and toys; these burn up in a flash if you hold them near a flame. Young children often reach up to a table to take a saucepan down by the handle. If the saucepan or pot is full of boiling water, you can guess what well happen. Similarly, when a baby’s bath is prepared, cold water should be put in first. If any hot water has to be used, this should be put into the bath after the cold water end not before it. Many fireworks can lead to blindness or other injuries, especially those which are pushed into bamboo sticks. Catapults and wooden spears or swords should be used only by children with sense enough not to injure other people. Very young children often have to be watched carefully. They put everything they find into their mouths to see whether it can be eaten, sucked, or licked! Medicines have to be put out of their reach. A pill or some ointment which might be harmless for an adult can sometimes kill a baby. Older children have to be careful when drinking from a bottle. Some of them walk about as they drink, tip up the bottle to get the last drop out, then trip ever something on the ground. If they are unlucky, they fall in such a way that the broken glass makes a horrible wound in the face or neck. This is not a complete list of the dangers in end near a house, but it is enough to remind you to be careful. The main idea of the story is that ______.
A. disasters might happen here and there
B. even small file or very hot objects can be dangerous in a house
C. children should be watched carefully wherever they go
D. we must be aware of all the possible dangers around us
The celebration of Veterans Day is held on November 11th every year in the United States. This day is set (36) to honor and remember the (37) men and women who have (38) their country, in any war and (39) peacetime. Veterans Day was first (40) Armistice Day. That day (41) the end of World War I. Thirty-five countries (42) in that war. An armistice was (43) on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and this (44) the war was over. Many countries were (45) to hear that the war was over and that their soldiers would be coming home.An (46) American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery (47) a hillside overlooking the Potomac River at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1921. His (48) is called the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". The (49) of the tomb is where the U.S. government (50) its annual Veterans Day (51) . On the same day, a soldier from France and a soldier from England were (52) also buried in their (53) countries, to give special (54) to the end of the war. In 1954, the U.S. Congress changed the name of the day (55) Armistice Day to Veterans Day. 45().
A. exciting
B. joyous
C. laughing
D. jumping
What position does Michael have in the Student Union
A. Chairman of the Social Science Society
B. Chairman of the Natural Science Society
Chairman of the Environmental Work Society
D. Chairman of the Literature Society