Question

Many people say pennies are not worth saving. After all, a penny is only worth a cent. But one unusual penny turned out to be worth a lot more when a coin collector paid $1.7 million for it earlier this month.

The coin is one of a kind. It is the only penny that the Denver mint(铸币厂) made out of copper, instead of steel, in 1943. Because it is unique, it is also very valuable. No penny has ever sold for so much money.

The Changing Penny

The Lincoln penny first appeared in 1909. For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper. Then, in 1943, the penny changed. World War II was going on, and copper was needed for equipment. So for one year, pennies were made out of steel instead. At least most of them were.

Only a few coins were made out of unused copper. There are three main mints, or places where coins are made, in the United States. Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.

Nobody knows for sure why a copper penny was made at the Denver mint in 1943, coin dealers Andy Skrabalak told Time for Kids. “There is a rumor that a mint employee made the coin in the middle of the night.”

A Special Set

The coin collector who bought the $1.7 million penny wants to remain unknown. But the reason for the trade is known. He already had two copper pennies from 1943 – one from the San Francisco mint and one from the Philadephia mint. To complete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.

The collector who sold the penny is also keeping his name a secret. It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin. Now that he has finally donating all of the money to charity.

1.Why is the Lincoln penny worth over one million dollars?

A．Because it has a history of thirty-four years.

B．Because it was made out of a rare material.

C．Because it was made on one night of 1943 by the Denver mint.

D．Because it was the only coin Denver mint made out of copper in 1943.

2.Before the Lincoln penny was sold, people thought one-cent coins __________.

A．were worth collecting for selling later

B．were surely valuable if not made out of steel

C．wouldn’t be sold for large amounts of money

D．were only useful for some coin museums

3.At least how many copper coins were made in 1943?

A．Five              B．Twelve            C．Seventeen         D．Eighteen

4.What can we learn about the collector who sold the penny?

A．He already had two copper pennies from 1943.

B．He wanted to complete the set of copper pennies.

C．He didn’t want to sell his penny in the beginning.

D．He was a well-known coin dealer in Tampa, Horida.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文叙述了人们一向都没有把一美分看的如此重，自从有人以高价$1.7 million买了一枚1分的硬币，人们才知道它的特殊之处，本文叙述了在美国总共有18枚1分硬币它们是在出厂时用铜做的，数量很少，所以现在它们都有了收藏价值。

1.细节理解题。根据For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper.它是用铜做的，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据No penny has ever sold for so much money.以前认为它不值钱，故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.12+5+1=18，故选D。

4.细节理解题。根据To complete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.可知他最初是不想卖出，故选C。

考点：社会现象类短文阅读。

点评：这类题虽然要求理解准确，但基本上限于字面意义的理解，范围也限于局部，因此是我们可望得高分的部分。本文都是细节理解题，在文中比较容易找到答案。