In the earliest stages of man’s development he had no more need of money than animals have. He was content with very simple forms of shelter, made his own rough tools and weapons and could provide food and clothing for himself and his family from natural materials around him. As he became more civilized, however, he began to want better shelter, more efficient tools and weapons, and more comfortable and more lasting clothing than could be provided by his own neighborhood or by the work of his own unskilled hands. For these things he had to turn to the skilled people such as smiths, leather workers or carpenters. It was then that the question of payment arose.
At first he got what he wanted by a simple process of exchange. The smith who had not the time to look after land or cattle was glad to take meat or grain from the farmer in exchange for an axe or a plough (犁). But as more and more goods which had no fixed exchange value came on the market, exchange became too complicated to be satisfactory. Another problem arose when those who made things wanted to get stocks of wood or leather, or iron, but had nothing to offer in exchange until their finished goods were ready.
Thus the difficulties of exchange led by degree to the invention of money. In some countries easily handled things like seeds or shells were given a certain value and farmer, instead of paying the smith for a new axe by giving him some meat or grain, gave him so many shells. If the smith had any shells left when he had bought his food, he could get stocks of the raw materials of his trade. In some countries quite large things such as cows or camels or even big flat stones were used for trade. Later, pieces of metal, bearing values according to the rarity (稀有) of the metal and the size of the pieces, or coins were used. Money as we know it had arrived.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
| A.Man needed little in the earliest stages of development. |
| B.Man preferred to make tools by himself. |
| C.How the simple process of exchange arose. |
| D.What the early man needed from others. |
As men became more civilized they __________.
| A.all learnt to make by themselves the things needed |
| B.had to travel a lot to look for what they wanted |
| C.wanted better things than those they themselves could provide |
| D.no longer provided food and clothing for themselves |
Exchange of goods became difficult because __________.
| A.man became more civilized |
| B.there was not a marketplace for farmers and smiths to exchange their goods |
| C.farmers hadn’t enough grain or meat to provide for skilled workers |
| D.more and more goods which had no fixed exchange values appeared on the market. |
Money was not used until __________.
| A.paper was invented |
| B.nothing could be offered in exchange |
| C.people practiced a simple process of exchange |
| D.the exchange of one thing for another became too complicated |
What was used for trade according to the text?
| A.Shells | B.Tea | C.Salt | D.Horses |
It is often said that you cannot “teach an old dog new tricks”, but three New Zealand dogs have decided to prove otherwise 
by learning a skill—driving a car!
What’s even more impressive is that the three who have become skilled in just eight weeks are not special dogs that belong to some rich owners, but abandoned ones at New Zealand’s SPCA.
To get their training started, 10-month-old Porter, 18-month-old Monty and one-year-old Ginny were selected from a pool of seven potential candidates and moved to Animal Q, a talent agency that teaches animals tricks for movies and television shows.
The driving classes began with teaching the dogs some basic driving techniques like turning the steering wheels(方向盘)and applying the brakes. After that the dogs practiced everything they had learnt behind the wheels of a motorized(装上发动机的)car. Then finally, it was time for the big test-driving a real car!
Human cars are not really built for four-legged animals, so the car they drove was adjusted so that the dogs could sit comfortably and easily reach the steering wheel with their paws.
Though they all seemed to do very well, the real test came on Monday night when Monty, the best driver of the three, showed his great driving skill on live television.
Why would the SPCA go through so much trouble to highlight the skills of homeless dogs? The reason is to show that adopting a dog from a shelter does not mean owners are getting a pet that is worse than one purchased from a keeper. The CEO of the SPCA is hoping that this unusual event will be enough to convince the residents of New Zealand to consider them, when searching for a pet. We surely hope so, meanwhile we are almost certain that these three pioneers have at least landed their names in the Guinness World Records, creating a category that probably does not even exist today!Who do the three dogs belong to?
| A. Some rich owners. | B. Animal Q. |
| C. A shelter. | D. A zoo. |
The car the dogs drove was adjusted.
| A. because it was too big for the dogs to drive |
| B. because it had no steering wheels and brakes |
| C. to ensure the dogs could sit comfortably and drive easily |
| D. to motorize the car and turn it to be a real one |
Why does the SPCA decide to teach the three dogs to learn to drive a car?
| A. To prove old dogs can learn new tricks. |
| B. To teach them performing tricks for movies and television shows. |
| C. To provide amusing performances for homeless children. |
| D. To encourage people to adopt the abandoned dogs. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A. A new Guinness category for driving dogs will probably be created. |
| B. Abandoned dogs are much cleverer than house-kept ones. |
| C. All the dogs at New Zealand’s SPCA will soon be adopted. |
| D. New Zealand has the most homeless dogs among all countries. |
People are being tricked into Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook. You could create your own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things; your city, your photo, your friends’ names were set, by default (默认)to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information. They have a “less satisfying experience.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them. At the side of the pages totally, who wants to took at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning,which is why I’m considering cancelling my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A.It is a website that sends messages to users who want to get married. |
| B.It earns money by putting on advertisements. |
| C.It makes money by selling its users’ personal data. |
| D.It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A.They are unwilling to give up their personal information. |
| B.They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| C.They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
| D.They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A.To provide better service to its users. |
| B.To obey the Federal guidelines. |
| C.To improve its users’ connection |
| D.To expand its business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A.He is dissatisfied with its present service. |
| B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C.He doesn’t want his personal data badly used. |
| D.He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
Swim Birthday Parties
Ages 3 and up.
Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1—5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must be at arm’s length from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian.
Please contact Sarah Hagan 762—8384x210.
Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225
Youth Fitness Birthday Parties
Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282).
Fee: $295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child—16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request.
The Art Spot Birthday Parties
The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4—Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet(花束), paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake!
Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available.
Cost: $21 per child.
Rain or shine there’s no better place than the Art Spot for your child’s next party!
Nursery School Birthday Parties
If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214).
Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child.The phrase “be at arm’s length” probably means“______________”.
| A.be as careful as possible | B.be as long as an arm |
| C.be as near as possible | D.be as faraway as possible |
If 12 children take part in Youth Fitness Birthday Parties, they will pay ____________.
| A.$ 455 | B.$315 |
| C.$ 200 | D.$250 |
If your child joins in the Art Spot Birthday Parties, he will.
| A.swim in the 25-yard pool |
| B.spend half an hour to clean up |
| C.create his own art project |
| D.do activities with other kids |
What information can you get from the passage?
| A.You can schedule the party when it is convenient for you. |
| B.The number of people for these parties is limited. |
| C.You need to bring nothing to join in the birthday parties. |
| D.All of these birthday parties center on a special theme. |
One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that, ”and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong, and you were right about that. ”
I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (箱子). Then he related an incident and I began to remember clearly the incident he was describing.
I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.
The Manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting (examining)some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the criminal. He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I protested my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, obviously the manager did not.The author was ______ when he wrote this article.
| A.about 8 | B.about 18 |
| C.about 23 | D.about 15 |
Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of cartons?
| A.The author. | B.The manager. |
| C.The woman. | D.The author’s mother. |
When the manager scolded him the author _______.
| A.was frightened and cried | B.tried to explain |
| C.did not say anything | D.felt the manager was right |
It can be inferred that the author _______.
| A.regrets arguing with the manager for what he didn’t do |
| B.would like to tell people never to be fooled by an egg sale |
| C.has forgiven the manager for what he did to him fifteen years ago |
| D.expects the woman to say sorry to him for the mistake she made |
Grand Opening
Bentwood Truck Museum
Saturday, November 8, at 10:00 A. M.
After eighteen months of hard work by more than 100 volunteers, the Bentwood Truck Museum is ready to open. The old factory on the corner of Palmer Street and Norman Drive had been scheduled to be destroyed. When Roger Haygood heard about the plans to tear down the building, he bought it so that he could store his collection of old trucks there. Then he had the idea of turning the building into a truck museum.
During the past year and a half, the old building has been transformed into a treasure chest of memories. Instead of a dark and dull house, the building has become a cheery, bright home for all kinds of trucks from the past.
The museum now houses 68 trucks, and we hope to have even more soon. There is a 1959 school bus, a 1942 bakery truck, and a 1937 fire engine. Our oldest vehicle is a 1919 milk truck. Our newest vehicle is a 1966 tow truck.
You can take a ride on a fire truck, a mail truck, or an ice-cream truck. Rides are $ 2.00, but you can get a ticket for a free ride at any grocery store in Bentwood.
Help us celebrate our grand opening by bringing your family and friends! There is something to interest everyone who attends. The Bentwood Truck Museum is a special piece of our history.
•To get to Bentwood Truck Museum, take Route 29 (Kingston Highway) to Palmer Street.
•Go south on Palmer Street for one block and take a left onto Norman Drive.
•You will see the museum building and the amusement park on your left.
•Parking is available across the street, on your right.In which of the following can visitors take a ride?
| A.A milk truck. | B.An ice-cream truck. |
| C.A bakery truck. | D.A school bus. |
What is special about this museum?
| A.It is built on the ruins of an old building. |
| B.It offers visitors free rides to the museum. |
| C.It exhibits trucks dating back to 100 years ago. |
| D.It’s transformed from an old factory by volunteers. |
What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
| A.To introduce the old history of Bentwood Truck Museum. |
| B.To persuade readers to attend the opening of the museum. |
| C.To explain why Bentwood Truck Museum was set up. |
| D.To call on the visitors to take a ride in old trucks. |