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 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 Gallego, 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, Bemice 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 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."

1.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.

2.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

3.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

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

       A.A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery        B.Bemice Gallego—A Lucky Collector

       C.Sports Card Collectors                  D.The History of the Baseball Card

       Many do-it-yourself homeowners are interested in trying out solar power to leam about the technology and perhaps to provide energy for limited-use applications.There are a variety of ways to find cheap solar panels(板), including buying used and building your own with factory seconds.Both methods will save money while forcing you to learn the ins-and-outs of a solar

power array (阵列).  

       We've all seen solar-powered street signs or PV panels being used for various purposes at remote locations.When those units become cracked or chipped and are considered "unsafe", companies are forced to replace them, generally to avoid responsibility issues.Because it's difficult to get rid of PV panels, many companies, if approached, are willing to give them away or to sell them for modest prices.Depending on the degree of damage present, expect to see performance degradation (降级) in the range of 10% to 60%.A multimeter (万用表) can be used to test the panel before buying.If the panel's free, take it anyway.It could still be useful in a home solar project.

       A solar panel is really nothing but a box serving as a container for a large group of solar cells.Factory second solar cells are usually sold on eBay at a small part of their regular cost.The cells come in a variety of sizes.You will need to figure out how much power a single cell produces to determine how many will need to be wired together to form an array.

       A simple search of the Internet will show numerous sites detailing home solar panel projects.Do-it-yourself lovers are generally quite generous in supply photographs of their work and description of what went wrong and right with the project.

       Getting cheap solar panels with slight imperfections, either used or through sales of factory seconds, is a perfect solution for home-built renewable energy projects.The high number of solar lovers online provide a wealth of useful information.Only limited skills are required, plus an understanding of the basic wiring involved.All are well within the talents of almost any home handyman.Beyond the satisfaction of having completed the project, you'll come away with a functional solar panel that will be a source of power for use around the house or at remote locations.

       Solar energy systems are quickly becoming more popular with homeowners as prices continue to decline.

1.The author writes the passage to introduce ____.

       A.ways of finding cheap solar panels        B.ways of saving energy

       C.a way of making a solar panel             D.a home-built energy system

2.What does the phrase "factory seconds" in the passage refer to?

       A.Second-hand factory products.         B.Cheap but perfect factory products

       C.Faulty factory solar cells.                D.The second best factory solar cells

3.From Paragraph 5, we can learn about home-built energy projects that ____.

       A.none of them are beyond home handymen

       B.a lot of useful information is available on the Internet

       C.a perfect solution is to get cheap and perfect solar panels

       D.understanding electrical wiring is not necessarily needed

4.What is the author's attitude towards the future of solar energy systems?

       A.Optimistic.         B.Pessimistic.           C.Indifferent.      D.Doubtful

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process.People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured.The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way.The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties.In this process, the journey never really ends;there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first.How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow.Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences.Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge.Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.

These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow.If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing.We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.

1.In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______. 

       A.succeed in climbing up the social ladder 

       B.grow up from his own achievements

       C.face difficulties and take up challenges   

       D.aim high and reach his goal each time

2.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

       A.Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges.

       B.Jane won the first prize in the speech competition.

       C.Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris.

       D.Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000.

3.For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______.

       A.being curious about more changes                                       

       B.being quick in self-adaptation

       C.having an open mind to new experiences                              

       D.staying away from failures and challenges

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

       A.It is not so easy to measure personal growth.

       B.To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable.

       C.There are only two ways to see a person’s growth.

       D.If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up. 

5.The best title for this passage should be ______.

       A.Facing New Challenges                        B.Growth—Product or Process

       C.Two Basic Ways of Growth                  D.Overcoming Internal Fears

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