Many people are astonished to heat that coins issued before the birth of Christ- representing sixty generations of human life- can be bought for just a few dollars. Owning something which has literally passed through the hands of so many of our ancestors (祖先) is instantly appealing. When such a coin is not only rare but beautiful, it is not surprising that collectors will pay thousands of dollars to own it. Australia’s own coins, although so much more recent than, say, Roman coins, can still be very valuable. For example, in March1992 an Australian 1920 sovereign was sold for$287,000 at a London auction.

    Coins speak to us from the past. If we care to study them we can learn more about how our ancestors used to think. But perhaps most interestingly, we can discover how people dealt with one another. Basically, coins represent the value put objects which we own and want to trade, now or at some future date. We can call this complex system currency(货币). Australia, like few other countries in the world can trace its history through its currency.

1. The word closest in meaning to “was kindled” as it is used in the passage is ________.

A．began

B．dived

C．filled

D．went

2. After receiving the coins as a young child, the author felt ________.

A．suddenly very rich

B．a desire to spend them all

C．moved by owning very old objects

D．an overwhelming sense of discovery

3. If something is “instantly appealing” it is ________.

A．wildly exciting

B．immediately pleasing

C．invariably interesting

D．strangely curious

4. Australia’s coins can be valuable even though ________.

A．they have been passed down through generations

B．they are not very old

C．the currency has changed

D．the currency system is complex

5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Coin collecting has always been an expensive hobby.

B．Numismatics appeals to both children and adults

C．Coins were not issued before the birth of Christ.

D．Australia is unique in that it can trace its history through coins.

　　 Collecting coins (or numismatics to the more seriously minded) is one of the world’s popular hobbies. Although you can begin collecting coins at any age, most numismatists will recall their hobbies being stimulated in childhood．My interest was kindled as a ten - year- old child when I was presented with a small tin of old coins by the boyfriend of an elder sister. I wasn’t rich all of a sudden but I was certainly impressed by possessing objects that were so many times older than myself. Such is the fascination of coins for old and young alike.

    Many people are astonished to heat that coins issued before the birth of Christ- representing sixty generations of human life- can be bought for just a few dollars. Owning something which has literally passed through the hands of so many of our ancestors (祖先) is instantly appealing. When such a coin is not only rare but beautiful, it is not surprising that collectors will pay thousands of dollars to own it. Australia’s own coins, although so much more recent than, say, Roman coins, can still be very valuable. For example, in March1992 an Australian 1920 sovereign was sold for$287,000 at a London auction.

    Coins speak to us from the past. If we care to study them we can learn more about how our ancestors used to think. But perhaps most interestingly, we can discover how people dealt with one another. Basically, coins represent the value put objects which we own and want to trade, now or at some future date. We can call this complex system currency(货币). Australia, like few other countries in the world can trace its history through its currency.

1. The word closest in meaning to “was kindled” as it is used in the passage is ________.

A．began

B．dived

C．filled

D．went

2. After receiving the coins as a young child, the author felt ________.

A．suddenly very rich

B．a desire to spend them all

C．moved by owning very old objects

D．an overwhelming sense of discovery

3. If something is “instantly appealing” it is ________.

A．wildly exciting

B．immediately pleasing

C．invariably interesting

D．strangely curious

4. Australia’s coins can be valuable even though ________.

A．they have been passed down through generations

B．they are not very old

C．the currency has changed

D．the currency system is complex

5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Coin collecting has always been an expensive hobby.

B．Numismatics appeals to both children and adults

C．Coins were not issued before the birth of Christ.

D．Australia is unique in that it can trace its history through coins.