Question

The value of the U.S. penny has been dropping for years. Many countries have stopped using pennies. Is it time for the U.S. to do the same?

Those who think we should keep the U.S. penny offer the following arguments to support their positions:

Prices will increase. If we get rid of the penny, everything will have to be rounded to the nickel (五分硬币), costing us more for everything we buy.

Charities need pennies. There are thousands of small charities that depend on pennies to bring in donations. People think nothing of pouring out their old penny jars to support charity, but they won’t part with nickels so easily.

Nickels cost even more to make. If we get rid of the penny, we will need more nickels in circulation. Nickels cost 7.7 cents to make, 2.7 cents over face value, as opposed to 0.26 cents over face value to make a penny. Since the penny costs 0.26 more than face value to make, the Mint (铸币厂) can make 5 pennies and still lose less money than making 1 nickel.

People who want to retire the penny also have some persuasive arguments, including these:

Pennies waste time. The average American wastes 2.4 hours a year handling pennies, or waiting for people who handle them. This statistics is the result of collecting a number of penny-handling related events, including the 30-second period we sometimes spend waiting for someone who just has to dig through their pockets or purse to find that last cent so they can pay for something with exact change (probably so they don’t get stuck with any more pennies).

Making pennies wastes taxpayers’ money. It costs the U.S. Mint 1.26 cents to make each 1 cent coin, meaning that taxpayers are losing 0.26 of a cent for each one of the 7.4 billion pennies the Mint produces each year.

History will repeat itself. In 1857, the Mint stopped making the half-cent coin, partly because the cost of making it was considered to be no longer needed. Yet, commerce continued without any catastrophic effects. History has shown us that updating the monetary supply in countries where the currency (货币) is very stable has had little, if any, negative effect on the economy, or on people’s acceptance of the coinage.

1.According to people who want to keep the penny, getting rid of the penny       .

A. is good for ordinary consumers

B. is especially bad for rich people

C. will be convenient for them

D. may lead to fewer donations to small charities

2.Why do pennies waste time?

A. Because consumers don’t always have enough change.

B. Because it takes time for people to get them from their pockets or purse.

C. Because pennies are not easy to take.

D. Because pennies are difficult to collect.

3.The underlined word “catastrophic” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “      ”.

A. direct    B. positive

C. important    D. disastrous

4.The text is mainly developed by       .

A. giving examples

B. setting down general rules

C. comparing different opinions

D. following the natural time order

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】本文是议论文，文章就美国是否应该淘汰一分硬币列出了正反双方的观点。

1.推理判断题。根据“There are thousands of small charities that depend on pennies to bring in donations. People think nothing of pouring out their old penny jars to support charity, but they won’t part with nickels so easily.”有许多小型的慈善机构依靠这些便士带来捐款。人们会毫不犹豫的捐出一美分，但不会轻易捐出五美分淘汰一分硬币会导致小的慈善机构得到的捐赠减少。根据题意，故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据“The average American wastes 2.4 hours a year handling pennies, or waiting for people who handle them.”美国人平均每年要花2.4个小时来处理零钱，或者等待人们递给他。可知人们需要花费时间从口袋里或钱包里拿出来。根据题意，故选B。

3.词义猜测题。根据“History has shown us that updating the monetary supply in countries where the currency (货币) is very stable has had little, if any, negative effect on the economy”历史表明在一个货币稳定的国家调整货币供给对经济的负面影响即便有也是很小的。据此，可推测取消硬币后，商业持续发展，没有受到灾难性的影响。根据题意，故选D。

4.推理判断题。文章主要是比较了反对取消一分硬币和提倡一分硬币的人的不同观点。根据题意，故选C。