IMAGINE if, to collect your salary each month, you had to walk to the nearest town, perhaps tens of miles away, to gather in a school or a football court or a church. There, you and your colleagues wait for a man to arrive from the capital, perhaps a thousand miles away, with a suitcase of cash.

Few countries are as corrupt as Congo(刚果). Mobutu Sese Seko, a former strongman, used state funds to charter a Concorde to take him on shopping trips to Paris. By the time of his overthrow in 1997, graft was endemic. Government employees were not paid but rather expected to use their positions to make a living. Among the most prized government jobs was that of accountant: the people responsible for transporting bags of cash to the provinces to hand out to employees.

In 2012, however, the Congolese government started helping civil servants to open bank accounts. Around three-quarters of them—some 670,000 people—now have one. In the process, the government has weeded out tens of thousands of ghost employees, since the embezzlers who invented them could not open accounts in their names without a matching ID.

Yet in a vast country with fewer roads than Luxembourg, hardly anyone lives anywhere near a bank branch. So Congolese banks must now do the work the government accountants used to: shipping money to the remote area. Cash has to be transported to branches in regional capitals, and thence to account-holders on the backs of motorbikes, in canoes or by foot. Bank staff with suitcases of cash make easy targets, just as they did in the west of America in the 19th century. Though they usually travel with armed policemen, there have been at least ten armed robberies of bank employees since January.

At the moment banks are little more than money-transfer companies, and not very sophisticated ones at that. The transfers tend to go only one way—out of Kinshasa—so cannot be netted against each other; instead cash almost always has to be moved physically. Therefore, most Congolese bankers hope that the new system will promote the growth of a proper banking system.

1.The underlined word “charter” (Paragraph 2) can be replaced by “_______________”.

A. drive B. rent C. write D. push

2.How did government employees use to earn a living?

A. By getting enough salaries

B. By talking to employees

C. By transporting bags of cash

D. By benefiting from their positions

3.What is not one of the challenges that bank staff have to face while transferring each?

A. The transfers are netted against one another

B. The cash may be robbed away

C. Most cash has to be moved physically

D. They sometimes have to walk to transfer cash

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the article?

A. Unavoidable robberies B. Frequent corruption

C. Cash on the way D. Best banking system

完形填空

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

We were standing at the top of church tower. “Look down, Elsa,” Father said. I gathered all my and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets to the square.

"See, my dear," Father said gently. "There is more than one way to the . Life is like that. If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try ."

In the years that followed I often remembered the Father taught me. I knew where I wanted to in life. I wanted to be fashion designer. But on the way to my first small success I found the road .

That year I was busy getting ready to show my winter fashions. Then just 13 days before the the sewing girls were called out on strike. I found myself with one tailor and woman who was in charge of the sewing room! I was as gloomy as my models and salesgirls. “We’ll never it,” one of them cried.

Here, I thought, is the of all tests for Father’s advice. Where is the way this time? I wondered and worried. I was certain we would have to the presentation or else show the clothes unfinished. Then it to me. Why not show the unfinished clothes?

We worked hurriedly. And, exactly 13 days later, right time, the Schiaparelli showing .

What a showing it was! Some coats had no sleeves; others had only one. Many of our clothes were still in a(n) stage. They were only patterns made of heavy cotton cloth. But on these we simple pictures and pieces of material.

All in all, the showing was different. It was so different that it was a great success. Our showing caught the attention of the public, and for the clothes poured in.

Father’s wise words has guided me. There is more than one way to the square always.

1.A. courage B. interest C. information D. savings

2.A. leading B. coming C. getting D. falling

3.A. city B. square C. church D. village

4.A. other B. another C. this D. that

5.A. text B. material C. lesson D. class

6.A. rest B. relax C. come D. go

7.A. taken B. paved C. followed D. blocked

8.A. competition B. ceremony C. presentation D. introduction

9.A. left B. tired C. burdened D. connected

10.A. have B. lose C. make D. hit

11.A. text B. test C. tip D. example

12.A. in B. out C. up D. round

13.A. bring down B. bring forward C. call up D. call off

14.A. occurred B. belonged C. happened D. objected

15.A. in B. over C. on D. behind

16.A. took on B. took off C. took down D. took place

17.A. mature B. beautiful C. early D. late

18.A. took B. drew C. collected D. pinned

19.A. normal B. unusual C. beautiful D. common

20.A. orders B. designs C. patterns D. changes

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