I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese. For Christmas I prayed for the boy, Robert. When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried in panic. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners?

On Christmas Eve, my mother created abundant Chinese food. And then they arrived—the minister's family and all my relatives. Robert greeted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.

Dinner threw me deeper into disappointment. My relatives licked (舔) the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table. Robert and his family waited patiently for a large plate to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert made a face. Then my father reached his chopsticks just below the fish eye and picked out the soft meat. “Amy, your favorite,” he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.

At the end of the meal, my father leaned back and burped (打嗝) loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. “It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied,” explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddish face. The minister managed to bring up a quiet burp. I was shocked into silence for the rest of the night.

After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside.” She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt. “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud that you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”

It was not until years later that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the purpose behind her particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen excellent Chinese food.

1. When the writer found out the minister's family would come for Christmas Eve dinner, she cried mainly because ________.

A. she worried about their shabby Chinese Christmas

B. she worried about their Chinese relatives lacking American manners

C. she worried about being laughed at

D. she worried about meeting the minister's family

2.What does “he was not worthy of existence” probably mean? It means ________.

A. he should not exist

B. he was worthless

C. the writer was not interested in his existence

D. the writer expected his coming

3. The dinner threw the writer deeper into disappointment mainly because ________.

A. she childishly expected all of them to act in the same way as Americans did at table

B. her father reached his chopsticks to pick fish for her

C. her father leaned back and burped loudly

D. her relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks

4.We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. the writer appreciated her mother's lesson years later

B. the mother prepared to show Chinese different food culture

C. the writer must be proud that she is different

D. the minister's family really enjoyed the food

At an auction (拍卖会) last Thursday, Kevin Lipton paid $2,585,000 for the Birch Cent, a made in 1792 that is its engraver (刻版师), Robert Birch. It’s the most money paid for a one-cent piece. And yes, he said, the purchase made . “It’s like our very first penny,” Lipton, 55, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. “It’s such a(n) coin. It’s so important, so rare.”

The coin is 10 similar coins known to exist that were produced after the founding of the U.S. Mint (美国造币厂), said Jim Halperin, co-chairman of Heritage Auctions. It features a profile face Miss Liberty, framed by a motto that was later abandoned, “Liberty Parent of Science & Industry.”

Lipton, who owns a coin wholesaling business (批发业务) in Beverly Hills, had been eyeing the Birch Cent he saw it in 1981 at a New York auction house. That year, Johns Hopkins University consigned (拍卖、寄售) the penny for auction, and it was by New York City developer Donald G. Patrick $200,000. Patrick consigned the coin to Texas-based Heritage Auctions. At the Orlando auction where Lipton the Birch Cent, he bought a quarter dollar from 1792 for $2,232,500. , he paid about $4.8 million for 26 cents.

Lipton has coins since he was 12 years old, and his full-time coin business _ when he was just 17. He that he was nervous about spending so much money, but now he’s his million-dollar coins will mature. “They are a great store value, and will only be worth more ,” Lipton said. ‘‘They are Mona Lisas of our coinage.’’

1.A. dollar B. note C. coin D. quarter

2.A. designed for B. sold by C. based on D. named after

3.A. ever B. even C. still D. yet

4.A. money B. sense C. changes D. adjustments

5.A. special B. magical C. artificial D. beneficial

6.A. between B. within C. among D. of

7.A. experimentally B. definitely C. finally D. perfectly

8.A. predicting B. indicating C. representing D. suggesting

9.A. until B. when C. after D. since

10.A. sold B. purchased C. borrowed D. lent

11.A. by B. on C. for D. in

12.A. set up B. picked up C. made up D. put up

13.A. also B. thus C. already D. just

14.A. Altogether B. Anyway C. However D. Besides

15.A. made B. issued C. displayed D. collected

16.A. started B. decreased C. failed D. progressed

17.A. concluded B. declared C. admitted D. swore

18.A. cautious B. confused C. committed D. confident

19.A. in the past B. in the future C. for the moment D. at the time

20.A. merely B. actually C. temporarily D. probably

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