C

Why are so many coin banks shaped like pigs? Why not dogs or cats or elephants?

Coin banks weren't always made to look like pigs. In fact, the name "piggy bank" may have come from a kind of clay and not from the animal at all.

The history of the piggy bank goes back to the Middle ages. At that time in Western Europe, metals were expensive, so a cheap orange clay known as pygg was used for everyday items such as dishes and jars. In fact something made from pygg clay was often just called a pygg. The first piggy bank may well have been a pygg in which a person put a few extra pennies to buy a treat on market day.

People have always had a hobby of saving pennies, and using a pygg as a coin bank became common practice. Potters (陶工) began making jars specially for saving coins, and eventually these jars took a pig-like shape. Modeling a bank to look like a pig may have been influenced by the name of the clay. The earliest Roman coin bank ever found was decorated with a pig. Because it was considered as a valuable farm animal in many countries, the pig was an appropriate symbol of wealth and prosperity.

These early clay banks were fragile and easily broken. As time passed, mining became less expensive. Iron, copper, and silver gradually replaced pygg clay in the production of household items. Although pygg clay lost its popularity, the habit of saving pennies did not. Today piggy 'banks are made of every material imaginable.

The familiar saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" is as old as the clearly piggy banks. Marry a child received his or her first coin bank accompanied by this wise advice. The modern-day piggy bank may have changed in sine, shape, and spelling, but it saves our pennies just as well as the first pygg did countries ago.

64. In the Middle ages, people used pygg to make dishes because ________.

A. it was precious                               B. it stood for wealth

C. it had a beautiful color                            D. it was cheaper than other materials

65. What do we know about the pygg bank?

A. Its name might come from an animal.                   B. The first pygg bank looked like a pig.

C. It was designed for children at the beginning.         D. The early piggy banks were easily damaged.

66. Why did pygg day lose its popularity?

A. Other cheap and solid materials appeared.     B. It was inconvenient to carry it to the market.

C. It couldn't be made into other shapes.          D. People had run out of this kind of material.

67. In the last paragraph, the author intends to tell us ________.

A. piggy banks nowadays are not practical          B. piggy banks still play a part in our daily lives

C. piggy banks today are mainly made of iron

D. most children don' t have the habit of saving money

   Banks are not ordinarily prepared to pay out all account; they depend on depositors(储户) not to demand payment all at the same time. If depositors come to fear that a bank is not sound, that it can not pay off all its depositors, then that fear might cause all the depositor to appear on the same day .If they did, the bank could not pay all accounts. However, if they did not all appear at once, then there would always be funds to pay those who wanted their money when they wanted it. Mrs Elsie Vaught has told us of a terrifying run on the bank that she experienced.

  One day in December of 1925, several banks failed to open in the city where Mrs Vaught lived. The other banks expected a run the next day, and so the officers of the bank in which Mrs Vaught worked as a teller(出纳员) had enough funds on hand to pay off as many depositors as might appear. The officer simply instructed the tellers to pay on demand. The next morning a crowd gathered in the bank and on the sidewalk outside. The length of the line made many believe that the bank could not possibly pay off everyone. People began to push and then to fight for places near the tellers’ windows. Clothing was torn, legs and arms broken, but the crowd continued for hours. The power of the panic atmosphere was so great that two tellers, though they knew that the bank was sound and could pay out all depositors, drew their own money from the bank. Mrs Vaught says that she had difficulty preventing herself from doing the same.

1. When would a bank run happen?

A. A bank is closed for one or more days.

B. Too many depositors attempts to draw out their money at the same time.

C. Other banks don’t have enough money.

D. Clerks of a bank take their own money out of the bank

2. The crowd in the bank and on the sidewalk gathered because of _________.

A. demand      B. hunger           C. doubt         D. anger

3. The basic cause of a run on the bank is __________.

A. loss of confidence    B. lack of enough funds

C. crowds of people     D. inexperienced tellers

Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations.

Recently, two major US student loan lenders — Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether. Because banks currently have a lack of credit, they are reluctant to offer students low-interest loans that need a several-year wait for any return of interest.

In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government-funded loans. In the 2005­-2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education. The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard.

Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis. Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government-funded loans and grants (助学金). Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent.

Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes (住房抵押贷款计划) have disappeared — a direct result of the credit crisis. This has boosted the house rent market.

In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6.5 percent more in rent than the previous year. Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of ￡103. Yet, despite students’ suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow. During economic slumps (经济萧条时期), people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets.

1.According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________.

A．the students are poor and sometimes they can’t pay off the debt

B．banks prefer lending the money to the young professionals

C．banks don’t have enough money left at the present time

D．they think college students are not studying hard

2.The underlined phrase “top up” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．put up     B．make up     C．fill up    D．pick up

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．UK college students have to pay more if they want to rent houses.

B．More UK students want to further their study in college.

C．It is not so easy for US students to loan money now.

D．College students’ tuition fees have risen greatly.

4.It can be inferred that ________.

A．there are no private student loan lenders in the UK

B．loans for US college students will be increased next year

C．private funding falls a little because of higher-interest loans in the US

D．private loans play a very important role in financing US students’ education

Banks are not ordinarily prepared to pay out all account; they depend on depositors(储户) not to demand payment all at the same time. If depositors come to fear that a bank is not sound, that it can not pay off all its depositors, then that fear might cause all the depositor to appear on the same day .If they did, the bank could not pay all accounts. However, if they did not all appear at once, then there would always be funds to pay those who wanted their money when they wanted it. Mrs Elsie Vaught has told us of a terrifying run on the bank that she experienced.
One day in December of 1925, several banks failed to open in the city where Mrs Vaught lived. The other banks expected a run the next day, and so the officers of the bank in which Mrs Vaught worked as a teller(出纳员) had enough funds on hand to pay off as many depositors as might appear. The officer simply instructed the tellers to pay on demand. The next morning a crowd gathered in the bank and on the sidewalk outside. The length of the line made many believe that the bank could not possibly pay off everyone. People began to push and then to fight for places near the tellers’ windows. Clothing was torn, legs and arms broken, but the crowd continued for hours. The power of the panic atmosphere was so great that two tellers, though they knew that the bank was sound and could pay out all depositors, drew their own money from the bank. Mrs Vaught says that she had difficulty preventing herself from doing the same.
1. When would a bank run happen?
A. A bank is closed for one or more days.
B. Too many depositors attempts to draw out their money at the same time.
C. Other banks don’t have enough money.
D. Clerks of a bank take their own money out of the bank
2. The crowd in the bank and on the sidewalk gathered because of _________.
A. demand      B. hunger           C. doubt         D. anger
3. The basic cause of a run on the bank is __________.
A. loss of confidence    B. lack of enough funds
C. crowds of people     D. inexperienced tellers

“So, Mr. Banks, you’re going on holiday with your family to Bournemouth,” said the police officer. “You left Brandford early this morning and came down the motorway. Then you left the motorway near Tewkesbury and stopped to buy a paper at a little place called Stanway. It was 11 o’clock. Then you stopped about fifteen minutes later here, in Stow, and went into the back of your Somna—Mobile (家庭旅游车), but your wife wasn’t there.”
“That’s right, officer.”
“Perhaps she got off at Stanway,” the policeman said.
“We didn’t hear mum,” Vicki said, “I think …”
“I want my mum,” Eddie said. He began to cry.
“We’ll find her, sonny(宝贝)” the policeman said kindly.
※                ※                  ※             ※
“So, Mrs. Banks,” the man said, “Your husband stopped here, in Stanway, about fifteen minutes ago and you went into the supermarket to get some coffee. Your husband didn’t know you weren’t in the back of the Somna and …”
“Perhaps he knew she wasn’t there,” the woman said.
“Quiet, Matilde. He didn’t know and must have driven away. Then we stopped and our Somna is exactly the same as yours. So you got in and made coffee.”
“I’ve lost my husband and my children,” Fay said.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Banks,” the man said kindly. “We’ll find them. I suppose they are traveling south”.
67. How many people took park in the conversations?
A. Eight  B. Seven C. Six     D. Five
68. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Matilde lost her husband and children.
B. Mr. Banks dropped his wife halfway to Brandford.
C. Mr. Banks lost his wife halfway to Bournemouth and he went to the police for help.
D. The police officer knew where Mrs. Banks was.
69. Fay was now        .
A. in Matilde and her husband’s Somna          B. at the supermarket
C. in the police station   D. in a bar
70. What mistake did Fay make to cause the trouble?
A. She went to the supermarket during the trip.
B. She got in another Somna without telling her husband.
C. She got in a wrong Somna.
D. She shouldn’t have bought the coffee.