Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.

　 He says our relation with others often become clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he as a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.

　 Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.

　 Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?

　 Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect.. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.

　 People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important deed in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

1. The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money ____.

　 A. is a good way to test your friendship

　 B. will do harm to your friendship

　 C. will strengthen(增进)your friendship

　 D. is a good way to break off your friendship

2. What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

　 A. He does not feel that he is well educated.

　 B. He does not think that he is a very important person.

　 C. He does not think that being rich deserves(应受)so much attention.

　 D. he does not consider himself to be very successful.

3. What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?

　 A. Money is an end.　　　　　　 B. Money is a means.

　 C. Money is everything.　　　　　 D. Money is important.

4. Which of the following might the author disagree?

　 A. Money is important in modern society.

　 B. The meaning of life does not completely lie in money.

　 C. Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness.

　 D. happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth.

Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.

He says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are a very good friend. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn't. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.

Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.

Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich because you are a self-made man?

Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I do not know much. All I am is rich.

People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to bring happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

54. The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money _______.

　 A. is a good way to test your friendship

　 B. will do harm to your friendship

　 C. will strengthen your friendship

　 D. is a good way to break off your friendship

55. What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

　 A. He does not feel that he is well educated.

　 B. He does not think that he is a very important person.

　 C. He doesn't think that being rich is worth so much attention.

　 D. He does not consider himself to be very successful.

56. What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?

　 A. Money is an end.　　　　　 B. Money is a means.

　 C. Money is everything　　　　 D. Money is unimportant.

57. What does the answer mean by" All I am is rich. "?

　 A. I am a rich person.

B. I only have money.

　 C. I have all money.

　 D. I've got a large sum of money.

America’s greatest technological achievement, the Hoover Dam, now has a companion piece, a bridge held up by the longest arch in the Western Hemisphere（半球）. The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which opened this month and connects the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, crosses the vast chasm（峡谷）890 feet above the Colorado River that is controlled by the dam.

The striking 1,900-foot-long structure will improve traffic in the region and help protect the dam from being destroyed. It is the seventh highest bridge in the world, behind four in China, one in Papua New Guinea and one in the US state of Colorado.

“The Hoover Dam is the greatest civil engineering achievement in America’s history,” said the bridge project manager Dave Zanatell. “Our goal was not to outdo or outshine it. Our goal was to, in a respectful way, do something that would be great for our generation and that would stand besides Hoover Dam in a respectful and quality way that would become a part of Hoover’s legacy（遗产）.”

Just as the Hoover Dam was built in the heart of the Great Depression（大萧条）and was seen as an example of the nation’s can-do spirit, some hope this project can also provide some uplift.

The bridge is surprising: at 1,050 feet, its support arch holds up a roadway that lies on 300-foot-long concrete pillars（柱子）, some of the tallest in the world. It contains 16 million pounds of steel.

　　The idea of the bridge came into being in the 1960s because the top of the Hoover Dam has been a narrow two-lane road that is the fastest route from Arizona to Las Vegas and then the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

  　Access to the dam from each direction is a dangerously winding route, but massive trucks and passenger vehicles shared it for decades. During the day, when thousands of tourists travel to the dam from Las Vegas three times as many accidents as on a normal road will happen.

  　The bridge has a sidewalk on the side facing the dam. The wall on both sides is 54 inches high, so walkers can take photos there.

1.Which of the following is true of the Hoover Dam?

   A. It was completed recently.

   B. It was built during the hard times.

   C. It has the longest arch.

   D. It’s the seventh highest dam in the world.

2.What is one of the purposes of building the bridge?

   A. To protect the dam.                                            B. To save the cultures.

   C. To outdo the dam.                                                   D. To develop the tourism.

3.The underlined word “uplift” in Paragraph 4 means _____.

   A. lift of the heavy object                              B. support in money

   C. spiritual encouragement                                   D. instruction in technology

4.Which of the followings shows the right position of the bridge and dam?

5.The text is mainly about ______.

   A. the Hoover Dam                                                 

   B. American western development

   C. a tour along the Colorado River                      

   D. a recently built bridge

    But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1840, the United States mint struck 19, 570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and these are unlikely ever to the auction market. So what happened to some 19, 564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates. The probable answer to the mystery is that they were melted down—since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What .is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich.

　　 1. It can be inferred from the passage that——.

　　　　  A. money buys as much as it did before

　　    B. money does not buy as much as it did before

　　　　  C. paper money buys more than metal money

　　　　  D. metal money buys more than paper money

　　 2. Which of the following is true of a coin?

　　　　  A. The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes.

　　　　  B. The more it wears out, the more valuable it becomes.

　　　　  C. The less it gets scratched, the less it values.

　　　　  D. The longer it lasts, the more it values.

　　 3. Coins becomes more valuable because

  　　　　A. they make purses and pockets untidy

　　　　  B. the price of metal goes up

　　　　  C. they fall more readily into a category for collections due to their duration

　　　　  D. both B and C

　　 4. What really happened to some 19, 564 large silver coins?

　　　　  A. They were melted down.　　　　 B. They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

　　　　  C. It is still mystery.　　 　　    　　  D. They were stolen by pirates.