To the Editor,

I have been reading your newspaper, the Hometown Gazette, for the past two years, ever since I moved to Smithville. We moved here from New York City, so I am accustomed (习惯的) to reading excellent newspapers such as The New York Times. In fact, we still have the Times delivered on Sundays. The entire family enjoys reading the recipes (食谱) in the magazine, as well as the Styles section.

The Times is great, but the Gazette is another story. I’ve never read an article that doesn't contain at least three or four spelling or grammatical errors. For instance, in last week's issue, you misspelled the word“secretary,”used a singular verb with a plural noun, and used “it's”as a possessive (所有格). And that was just in the lead story! In case you never went to elementary school, “it's”means “it is. ”It's not a possessive adjective!

It's a pity that this tiny little hick (乡下) town has only one newspaper, because I' d like to have an alternative (替换物)to the rag you publish. I find it hard to believe your news stories. If you can' t spell correctly, how can you get your facts right?

I’ve been meaning to get this off my chest for some time. Please cancel my subscription(订阅 ). And buy yourself a dictionary.

Sincerely,

Jane Z. Jones

53. Which phrase from the passage shows the writer' s prejudice (偏见)?

A. get this off my chest

B. three or four spelling or grammatical errors

C. tiny little hick town

D. reading the recipes in the magazine

54. The author's tone in this passage can best be described as       

A. happy         B. angry          C. sympathetic(同情的)       D. objective

55. Which statement of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. The writer once lived in New York City, so he was used to reading the Times.

B. The entire family enjoys reading the Styles section in the magazine.

C. The writer has long been planning to express his dissatisfaction with the local newspaper.

D. It is obvious that the editors of the newspaper are not very careful about their work.

Robert Spring, a 19th century forger(伪造者), was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he became rich by selling his small but real collection of early U.S. autographs (手稿). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To lessen the chance of detection(察觉), he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale.

  Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can’t deal with a respectable buyer but people who don’t have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.

  In Spring’s time right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny’s financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts (手稿). Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.

 

44. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?

  A. There was a greater demand there than in America.

  B. There was less chance of being detected there.

  C. Britain was Spring’s birthplace.

  D. The prices were higher in England and Canada.

45. After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for________.

  A. Southern money

  B. Signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin

  C. Southern manuscripts and letters

  D. Civil War battle plans

46. According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to________.

  A. sharp-eyed experts                  B. persons who aren’t experts

  C. book dealers                   D. owners of old books

47. Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?

  A. The only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson.

  B. A little - known girl who sold her father’s papers to Robert Spring.

  C. Robert Spring’s daughter.

  D. An imaginary person created by Spring.

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