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.

　　Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn't buy as much as it used to, no matter where you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one's hands. Inflation (通货膨胀) eats away at its buying power just as the steady appetite of waves chews at sand cliffs. But what about coins that seem to do very little except make purses and pockets untidy? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won't get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable (耐用的), fall more readily into a category for collections. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up.

    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.

阅读理解

　　Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn't buy as much as it used to no matter where you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one's hands. Inflation (通货膨胀) eats away at its buying power. But how about coins that seem to do very little except cluttering (杂乱地堆放) up purses and pockets? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won't get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable (耐久的), fall more readily into a category (种类) for collectors. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up.

　　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 (造币厂) 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 reach the auction(拍卖) markets. 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 (领土) 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 (海盗). The probable answer to the mystery is that they were molted 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 learned from the passage that paper money ________.

[　　]

A．does not buy as much as it did before

B．buys as much as it did before

C．buys more than metal money

D．does not buy as much as metal 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 is worn 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 can become more valuable because ________.

[　　]

A．they clutter up purses and pockets

B．some people like to collect them due to their duration

C．they are rare

D．they will not get scratched or worn

4．It can be inferred from the passage that the rarest coins in the world are generally made of ________.

[　　]

5．What really happened to some 19,564 large silver coins mentioned in this passage?

[　　]

A．They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

B．They were melted down.

C．It is still a mystery.

D．They were stolen by pirates.