The United States is well?known for its network of major highways designed to help a driver get from one place to another in the shortest possible time.?　36　? these wide modern roads are generally ?　37　? and well maintained, with ?　38　? sharp curves and many straight ?　39　?,a direct route is not always the most ?　40　? one. Large highways often pass ?　41　? scenic areas and interesting small towns. Furthermore, these highways generally ?　42　? large urban centers which means that they become crowded with ?　43　? traffic during rush hours,?　44　? the “fast, direct” way becomes a very slow route. However, there is ?　45　? always another route to take ?　46　? you are not in a hurry. Not far from the ?　47　? new “superhighways”,there are often older,?　48　? heavily traveled roads which go through the countryside.?　49　? of these are good two lane roads; others are uneven roads ?　50　? through the country. These secondary routes may go up steep slopes, along hilly ?　51　? or down frightening hillsides to towns ?　52　? in deep valleys. Though these are less direct routes, longer and slower, they generally go to places ?　53　? the air is clear and the scenery is beautiful, and the driver may have a ?　54　? to get a fresh, clean ?　55　? of the world.

36. A. Although     B. Since  C. Because      D. Therefore

37. A. rough   B. splendid     C. smooth       D. complicated

38. A. little     B. few     C. much  D. many

39. A. selections     B. separations C. divisions    D. sections

40. A. terrible B. Possible     C. enjoyable   D. reasonable

41. A. to B. Into    C. over    D. by

42. A. lead     B. connect      C. collect D. provide

43. A. large    B. fast     C. light   D. heavy

44. A. when    B. for      C. but     D. that

45. A. yet       B. still     C. almost D. quite

46. A. unless   B. if C. as       D. since

47. A. relatively     B. regularly    C. reasonably  D. respectively

48. A. and      B. Less    C. more   D. or

49. A. All       B. Several      C. Lots    D. Some

50. A. driving B. crossing     C. curving      D. traveling

51. A. rocks    B. cliffs   C. roads  D. paths

52. A. lying    B. laying C. laid     D. lied

53. A. there    B. when  C. which D. where

54. A. space    B. period C. chance       D. spot

55. A. view    B. variety       C. visit    D. Virtue

    But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1840, the United States mint struck 19, 570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and these are unlikely ever to the auction market. So what happened to some 19, 564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates. The probable answer to the mystery is that they were melted down—since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What .is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich.

　　 1. It can be inferred from the passage that——.

　　　　  A. money buys as much as it did before

　　    B. money does not buy as much as it did before

　　　　  C. paper money buys more than metal money

　　　　  D. metal money buys more than paper money

　　 2. Which of the following is true of a coin?

　　　　  A. The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes.

　　　　  B. The more it wears out, the more valuable it becomes.

　　　　  C. The less it gets scratched, the less it values.

　　　　  D. The longer it lasts, the more it values.

　　 3. Coins becomes more valuable because

  　　　　A. they make purses and pockets untidy

　　　　  B. the price of metal goes up

　　　　  C. they fall more readily into a category for collections due to their duration

　　　　  D. both B and C

　　 4. What really happened to some 19, 564 large silver coins?

　　　　  A. They were melted down.　　　　 B. They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

　　　　  C. It is still mystery.　　 　　    　　  D. They were stolen by pirates.

_______ we know, hurricane is _______ to come.

　 A. As soon as; possible 　 B. As long as; probable

　 C. As far as; likely 　    D. As well as; perhaps