题目内容
Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.
A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps
B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing
C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D. to compete with online bill paying
By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr. Saunders means that forever stamps ________.
A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren
B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands
C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers
D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D. 2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
What can be concluded from the passage?
A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.
C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
【小题1】C
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】A
解析:
【小题1】细节理解题。由文章第四段第一句中的 “…answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases.”可得出正确答案是C。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据Mr. Saunders所说的前一句话 “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,”可推断出，forever stamps可能是从曾祖父继承下来的。
【小题3】细节理解判断题。由文章最后一句 “No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.”可知，选项C与文章内容符合，其它三个选项文章中均未提到。
【小题4】推理判断题。由文章倒数第二段中的 “He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time.”可推断出，正确选项是A。
阅读理解C
Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington D.C. He is one of the 250 mail carriers in the United States.
Mr. Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher. One is that he does not forget details. He knows each child’s name, the parents’ names and what each child knows and needs to know. In addition(另外), he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr. Leachim does not make mistakes. Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification number. His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together. He identifies the child without mistakes. Then he starts the lesson.
Another advantage is that Mr. Leachim is flexible. If children need more time to do their lessons, they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr. Leachim’s lesson over and over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something interesting about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr. Leachim off.
【小题1】The first paragraph of the passage tells us ________.
| A．human beings are not as smart as robots |
| B．robots can help people in many different ways |
| C．robots will take the place of man to rule the earth |
| D．we can only use robots to do some regular jobs |
| A．advantages | B．knowledge | C．appearance | D．energy |
| A．not strict | B．not hard |
| C．changeable | D．suitable |
A. There are 250 robot teachers in the United States.
B. Bobby works in a large office building in Washington D.C.
C. Mr. Leachim is run(开动) and controlled by electricity.
D. The lessons taught by Mr. Leachim are given on a TV set.
Talking to Teachers—Teachers are just people．Behind that desk, is a living, breathing human being．And just like any human being, they will probably be friendly to people who talk nicely to them．Teachers also seem to get along better with children who take schoolwork seriously and are prepared for class．And, just like any other human being, teachers like to be appreciated．The next time your teacher helps you solve a math problem or figure out a science project, say thank you with a smile.
Talking to Parents—Parents can be very supportive if their children ask for help．If you think there’s something your parents can do to help you socialize more or feel more comfortable around people, then ask them．Very often, parents want very much to help, but really don’t know what to do．Pick a quiet time of the day and ask to talk．Tell them how you feel．Maybe they had the same trouble when they were kids.
This Stranger Thing—This is always a tough one．How do you deal with a neighbor, the mail carrier, or someone walking down your street—situations that often seem to cause arguments between kids and parents．The answer to these questions will vary from kid to kid, from parent to parent because all cultures are different．Some folks live in small towns where a hello to everyone is “what’s done”．Then there are kids who live in the city who may have been taught not to speak to anyone they don’t know．If you’re having trouble with this and always feel awkward in these kinds of situations, you might want to talk to your parents or a teacher about it．Where do they think you should draw the line? When is silence rude and when is it wise?
1.From the first paragraph we may learn that teachers dislike____ .
|
A．being talked to nicely |
|
B．their students to be serious with the schoolwork |
|
C．the students’ appreciation |
|
D．the students who are not ready for classes |
2.If your parents are not supportive and you are not getting along quite well with your parents, who or what is to blame?
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A．Your parents. |
B．Yourself. |
|
C．Lack of communication. |
D．Your teachers. |
3.The underlined word in the third paragraph is close in meaning to____.
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A．afraid |
B．puzzled |
C．strange |
D．familiar |
4.The passage doesn’t say but it implies that in daily communication____.
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A．arguments often happen between kids and parents |
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B．we should talk to the neighbors and other people according to different cultures |
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C．city people and country people greet in the same way |
|
D．we should fit our words with proper situations |