网址:http://m.1010jiajiao.com/timu3_id_2993561[举报]
Bernice Gallegos sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay.She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card.She stopped for a moment and admired the picture.“Red Stocking B.B.Club of Cincinnati,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees.
![]()
As a collector and seller, it's her job to spot old items that might have value today.It's what Bernice, 72, and her husband, Al Gallegos, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique (古玩) store.
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay.She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction (拍卖).She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents.Later that night she got a few odd inquiries—someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the auction and sell him the card immediately.
The card is actually 139 years old.Sports card collectors call the find "extremely rare" and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at auction.
Just like that, Bernice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story."I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," Gallegos says, "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game." The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back.It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200.
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was—an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," Mirigian says."They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine.That card is history.It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso."
What can we conclude from Paragraph 3?
A.Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay.
B.Bernice wanted to end the auction that night.
C.Bernice decided to sell the card for $15.
D.eBay charged her 20 cents for the card.
The underlined word "fetch" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "____".
A.go and bring B.add up to C.go down to D.be sold for
From the passage, we may learn that ____.
A.Bernice is a baseball fan
B.Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card
C.Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card
D.Bernice didn't realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery B.Be mice Gallegos—A Lucky Collector
C.Sports Card Collectors D.The History of the Baseball Card
查看习题详情和答案>>Bernice Gallego sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day,and began listing items on eBay. She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card. She stopped for a moment and admired the picture. “Red Stocking B. B. Club of Cincinnatti,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of ten men with their socks pulled up to their knees.
As a collector and seller, it’s her job to spot old items that might have value today. It’s what Bernice,72, and her husband, Al Gallego, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique store.
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay. She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction.She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents. Later that night she got a few odd inquiries---someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the caution and sell him the card immediately.
The card is actually 139 years old. Sports card collectors call the find “extremely rare” and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at caution.
Just like that, Bernice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story. “I didn’t even know baseball existed that far back,” Gallego says, “I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a baseball game.” The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back. It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200.
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was-----an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnatti Red Stocking.
“When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted,” Mirigian says. “ They’ve uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine. That card is history. It’s like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso.”
67. What can we conclude from paragraph 3?
A.Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay.
B.Bernice wanted to end the caution that night.
C.Bernice decided to sell the card for $15.
D.eBay charged her 20 cents for the card.
68. The underlined word “fetch” in paragraph 4 most probably means “_______”.
A. go and bring B. add up to C. go down to D. be sold for
69. From the passage we may learn that _______.
A. Bernice is a baseball fan
B. Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card
C. Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card
D. Bernice didn’t realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction
70. What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery
B.The History of the Baseball Card
C.Bernice Gallego---A lucky collector
D. Sports Card Collectors
查看习题详情和答案>>PART FOUR WRITING
SECTION A
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.
On 3 March 2009, a package of reforms about ATM charge designed to improve competition in the Australian ATM system came into effect. Specifically, the reforms have made it easier for new providers of ATM services to enter the market and have provided ATM owners with the freedom to charge customers for the use of ATMs. Furthermore, the reforms have increased the transparency of ATM fees by ensuring that the fee charged by the ATM owner is displayed prior(在…之前) to the transaction(交易) being finished, with the customer given the opportunity to cancel the transaction at no cost.
One element of the reforms is the removal of interchange fees that card issuers paid to ATM owners when cardholders used ATMs that did not belong to their financial institution. These fees were often passed on, with a huge profit, by card issuers to cardholders in the form of a “foreign fee”. With the removal of interchange fees, the cost to card issuers when their customers use an ATM belonging to another unit has fallen, reducing the need to charge “foreign fees”.
Following the reforms, an ATM owner can charge a cardholder directly for an ATM transaction. When the ATM owner charges such a fee, it must be disclosed before the cardholder withdraws the cash or makes a balance enquiry, and it doesn’t apply if the transaction is cancelled before completion. And an ATM owner could impose direct charges on all customers, including its own if it’s also a financial institution.
Before the reforms, an interchange fee was paid by the cardholder’s financial institution to the ATM owner whenever a “foreign” ATM transaction was undertaken. And now the interchange fee paid has been cancelled and, in line with this, foreign fees have also fallen. In some cases, including two of the major banks, foreign fees were reduced to zero.
Title: 71___________
I. Time of 72. : on 3 March 2009
II. 73. : to improve competition in the Australian ATM system
III. 74. :
Making it easier for new 75. to enter the market
Offering ATM owners the freedom to charge customers for 76.
77. ________________ of ATM fees
78.____________that card issuers paid to ATM owners when cardholders used ATMs not belonging to their financial institution
A cardholder: being charged directly for an ATM transaction
An ATM owner: being able to 79. on all customers
IV. 80. of interchange fee:
Before the reforms: often being charged by the cardholder’s financial institution
After the reforms: having fallen and some being reduced to zero
查看习题详情和答案>>
Parents in three Midwestern states will soon know just how good or bad their kids' driving is when their children take the car for a spin (疾驶).
Starting today, American Family Insurance is offering customers with teen drivers free cameras that record what happens when a sudden change in the car's movement occurs.
The cameras record the action inside and in front of the car in 20 - second audio - video clips (剪辑). The clips are then transmitted to Drive Cam, a San Diego company that analyzes the clips for risky behavior.
Among things the analysts look for is the response time of the drivers and if they are paying attention to the road. Parents can receive a report on their kids' driving and view the clips on a home computer.
Car accidents are the leading cause of death among U. S. teens, according to the NHTSA
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
"There will be fewer accidents," Rick Fetherston, vice president at American Family said of the new system. American Family will test the system out by offering it for free for one year to 30.000 families in Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota to see whether the system results in fewer accidents. If the system is proven to prevent accidents, customers who volunteer to use it might see their insurance premiums (保险费) drop. The company would not be viewing the videos or individual score cars, unless there is an accident.
Bruce Moeller, president of Drive Cam, says his company's system is already being used by companies with lots of cars. "Some of our customers are reporting a 30% to 90% reduction in their risky driver events," Moeller says.
But a lawyer in Minneapolis says. "If I felt I needed a camera in the car to watch over my kids, I shouldn't be letting them drive."
American Family tested the system in two high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Megan Ireland, 17, said the camera caught her stopping too late and taking turns too fast. The student at Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minn., said she didn't like it because she felt it invaded her privacy (侵犯隐私) but has warmed up to the system. "Now I don't really have a problem with it because it's made me a better driver," she says. "For real."
69.The camera is being offered to________by________free of charge now.
A.teen drivers; a company called Drive Cam
B.insurance companies; a San Diego company
C.families with teen drivers; an insurance company
D.American Family Insurance; the NHTSA
70.The camera is used to________.
A.record what the teen driver does while driving
B.prevent the teen drivers from speeding
C.reduce the insurance premiums
D.provide videos and score cards for the police
71.Which of the following states is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Drive Cam will analyze the clips to find if the driver drives riskily.
B.All the students in Minnesota and Wisconsin don't like the system.
C.The insurance company will never look at the clips or score cards of the customers.
D.If the system can reduce the number of accidents, the fees for insurance will be reduced.
72.The best title for this passage might be________.
A.Teens, drive carefully B.A free camera for kids
C.Cameras invade Privacy D.Cameras keep watch on teen driving
Parking has long been a major headache for drivers in Shanghai. The Transportation Department is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are one million cars on the road in Shanghai but only enough public parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.
The city is seeing a rise in private car owners. In March, the city sent out 2,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to 14,600 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.
By the year 2020, the number of automobiles in Shanghai will probably reach two million. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles.
Downtown Shanghai is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in downtown areas is not practical and doesn’t provide an ideal solution. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway or bus stations and ride public transport to go downtown. Based on this idea, the city will limit the number of parking lots in downtown areas and demand higher parking fees but build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.
72.The underlined phrase “ mapping out ” in the first paragraph means __________.
A. making B. arguing C. controlling D. inspiring
73. About __________ drivers can find places to park their cars in Shanghai now.
A. 850,000 B. 1,000,000 C. 150,000 D. 2,000,000
74. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us ?
A. The city sent out more private licenses in February.
B. Less and less people bought cars in March.
C. The city sent out less private licenses in March.
D. More and more people are going to buy cars.
75. According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will __________.
A. send out more private car licenses
B. build more parking lots near bus stops
C. encourage people to buy more cars
D. build more parking areas in downtown