It was 1504,and Columbus was making another trip to the New World. Columbus and his men needed fresh water and food after three months at sea. They saw an island and went on shore. On the island there were unfriendly Indians who refused to give food to them. Columbus’ men were afraid of the Indians, but he had a clever plan. He used sign language to tell the Indians about his mysterious (神秘的) power to turn off the light in the sky. He knew about a lunar eclipse (月蚀) the next night because the information was in his almanac (天文历书). Columbus told the Indians, “ Tomorrow night I’ll turn off the light in the sky.” But they didn’t believe him . When the eclipse began the next night ,the Indians became very frightened . They begged Columbus to turn on the light again , and they quickly gave him all the food and water he wanted. Immediately Columbus and his men hurried back to the ship and sailed away in the moonless night.

1.Columbus and his men stopped at the island because_______________.

A. they wanted to meet the Indians there

B. they hoped to get supplies of food and water

C. they had never been on the island before

D. they had planned to visit it    

2.The Indians ___________ Columbus and his men.

A. were glad to see    B. were kind to

C. welcomed      D. were not kind to

3.Columbus ________ to tell the Indians that he had mysterious power.

A. used movements of hands and expressions in his face

B. spoke in the language of the Indians

C. drew a lot of signs

D. wrote in the language of the Indians

4.“The light in the sky ” here means __________.

A. the sun   B. the moon   C. the stars  D. the daylight

5.The Indians gave Columbus food and water because they _________.

A. believed Columbus was a man with mysterious power

B. were interested in Columbus’ trip

C. wanted to help Columbus

D. were clever

 

  Many families in the United States have a large income now than ever before, but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is wondering, “What happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left to put away. ”

  Why isn’t a dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy. The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent, clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it.

  No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers can make process go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there a a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time, if there’s a shortage of goods, the prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies which hold gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.

  Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you must find ways to save money. Maybe you’re spending too much on entertainment. Or if you’re spending too much on clothes; you may want to sew your own clothes. budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases.

1. What has troubled many families in the United States?

  A. A not-large-enough income.

  B. Nothing is left over to put away.

  C. The increasing cost of living.

  D. A shortage of certain goods.

2. ____ determines the value of the dollar.

  A. The government

  B. The cost of living

  C. The economist

  D. The bank

3. While the cost of living increases, the value of the dollar ____.

  A. increases too

  B. decreases

  C. neither increases nor decreases

  D. seldom decreases

4. When ____, the prices go up.

  A. demand exceeds(超过) supply

  B. supply exceeds demand

  C. demand doesn’t exceed supply

  D. supply equals demand

5. Budgeting helps ____.

  A. one to make his income meet the cost of living

  B. the government to battle the rising cost of living

  C. merchants(商人)to produce more goods

  D. the workers to earn more money

 

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