Steven Contursi is an American. He has a hobby of collecting coins. He became well known because he owned a very special coin. It is thought as the nation's oldest silver dollar. In 1794, America began producing silver dollars. On the front of the coin was a drawing of Lady Liberty with long, straight hair; on the back was a drawing of the famous American eagle. About 1,750 such silver dollars were produced that year. But now, only about 150 are known to exist in the world. Luckily, Steven collected one. Even 216 years later, it still looks very fine. So many coin collectors have great interest in it.
In May, 2010, Steven sold the coin to an educational organization that collects rare coins and educates the public about them. Can you imagine how much he sold the onedollar coin for? $7.85 million! The organization has a plan to put the coin on show. With the help of the little coin, the public will understand more about the early history of America.
Steven bought the coin in 2003 and wasn't planning on selling it until the organization gave him an offer he couldn't refuse.
1.How many years had Steven kept the coin?
A.6. B.7. C.8. D.9.
2.On the front of the coin is a picture of ________.
A.President Washington B.Lady Liberty
C.American eagle D.Steven Contursi
3.The organization plans to put the coin on show in order to ________.
A.let visitors know more about the early history of America
B.make lots of money by selling tickets to the visitors
C.show it off to the public
D.find another person or company to buy it
4.What can we learn from this passage?
A.The coin can't help us understand the history of America.
B.The coin will be sold by the organization for more money.
C.The coin was sold by Steven Contursi in 2003.
D.The coin will be kept well in the future.
5.What's the best title for this passage?
A.A Rare Coin B.Steven Contursi's Hobby
C.A History Show for the Coin D.A Public Education for the Coin
Everyone has different ways of spending his or her free time. As for me, I usually do some reading when I have free time. I think through reading, I can discover the beauty of the world.
Most of the time, I read alone. When I was young, my parents were always busy working. Therefore, they bought me a lot of books to read. Through reading, I have made friends with the Three Little Pigs, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and so on. Books are very handy to carry around with. It is easy for me to put them into my handbag. Moreover, I can read whenever and wherever, like waiting for a bus or at break time in school or at work.
Reading also gives me a lot of fun. I get to know about other countries and their cultures. I can also get to know about other peoples' stories. In short, reading makes me happy, and helps me relax.
1.The underlined word “handy” means ________ in Chinese.
A.手提的 B.微小的 C.便利的 D.结实的
2.Why does the writer think she can read whenever and wherever?
A.Because the books are easy to carry. B.Because reading gives her a lot of fun.
C.Because she likes reading very much. D.Because there are bookstores everywhere.
3.Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A.The writer's parents are teachers. B.The writer usually reads when she has free time.
C.Little Red Riding Hood is the writer's classmate. D.The writer doesn't like reading on the bus.
4.The last paragraph tells us ________.
A.reading gives the writer a lot of fun B.the writer writes lots of stories
C.the writer travels to many countries D.the writer is good at reading
5.What's the best title for the passage?
A.I Like Reading B.I Am Alone
C.I Have Many Books D.My Spare Time
My interest in cooking started when I was 11, partly thanks to my mother. She didn’t really like cooking and when she did cook, I didn’t like her food. Once I was watching something about cooking on TV and I thought I could do this, so I went to the bookstore and looked for the biggest cookbook I could find.
During a year, I had produced most of its recipes (食谱) and was ready for a bigger challenge (挑战). I wanted to create my own dishes and I started cooking for more people than just my family. To my joy, my parents allowed me to build a test kitchen. I did much cooking to test my dishes in it and my skill improved quickly. Later, my mom and I set up a dinner club that organized monthly events inside my home. Now as a teen chef (主厨), I have also cooked in top-class restaurants around the country. I am not doing it for the money, but because I love cooking.
Now I know that when you stop caring whether you’ll be famous or do well, your dream will come to you.
1.The writer is now ________.
A.a TV star B.a news reporter
C.a well-known bookseller D.a good chef
2.What made the writer begin to cook?
A.His parents wish. B.The customers’ advice.
C.His mother s delicious food. D.The information about cooking on TV.
3.After producing most of the recipes in the cookbook, the writer wanted to ________.
A.take cooking lessons B.write his cookbook
C.make new dishes of his own D.open a restaurant
4.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to (指代) “________”.
A.the bookstore B.a test kitchen C.a dinner club D.the country
5.What is important for the writer?
A.Finding a good job. B.Making lots of money.
C.Doing what he loves. D.Becoming famous.
I'm a middle school student. I am fifteen years old. My hobbies are listening to music and watching TV.
I have been interested in music since I was nine. I used to ______ my favourite songs on the radio ______ CDs were too expensive for me to buy. But now, I can go to ______ shops to buy good CDs. There are different kinds of CDs and I can choose ______ I like. Of the famous pop singers, I ______ Jay Chou.
I also spend an hour ______ news and documentary programs after dinner. I ______ enjoy the program The Window of the World because I can get lots of information of ______ and human civilizations. I always feel tired after one day's study and watching TV can ______ me relaxed.
I think that my hobbies are very ______. They can relax my mind and make me know more about the world.
1.A.hear B.listen to C.sing D.look
2.A.because B.since C.so D.but
3.A.book B.clothes C.music D.food
4.A.this B.they C.it D.the ones
5.A.carry B.teach C.watch D.prefer
6.A.watching B.reading C.speaking D.pouring
7.A.immediately B.clearly C.especially D.absolutely
8.A.nature B.maths C.sun D.land
9.A.bring B.make C.improve D.give
10.A.healthy B.impossible C.boring D.helpful
—________?
—Yes. I like playing the piano best.
A.Why do you like it B.Can I help you
C.What's the matter D.Do you have a hobby
We shall travel by night ________ by day.Or we can't get there on time.
A.as well as B.instead of C.as well D.instead
