北京地区成人本科学士学位英语统一考试 11月Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)Directions: There are three passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.Passage 1Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage: Jarden Zinc Products, a large zinc plant a few miles outside Greeneville, Tennessee, has a special claim. Since 1982, it has been the only supplier of penny blanks for the U.S. Mint (铸币厂). Its a good business for Jarden-since , the company has earned more than $ 800 million. But it may not be a good deal for the U.S. (76) The value of the penny has been dropping for years. In , it began to cost more than a penny to make a penny. It now costs 2 C to produce a 1 C coin. Many countries have stopped using pennies. Is it time for the U.S. to do the same? Jarden and the zinc industry are fighting to keep the penny. Since , Jarden has given $1.2 million to Americans for Common Cents (ACC). The groups mission is to keep the penny in use. Mark Weller is ACCs executive director. He argues that there are three main reasons for keeping the penny: Without it, we would become more reliant on the five-cent coin, which also has problems; charities（慈善机构）that depend on penny drives would not be able to raise as much money; and a survey shows that 67% of Americans want to keep the penny. (77) Many people surveyed said they feared they would end up paying more for products. Many experts disagree with ACC, They point to the dozens of countries that have gotten rid of their lowest-value coins without raising prices for consumers. And charities dont seem too concerned either. President Barack Obama says the mint could explore using cheaper metals to make pennies. Steel is less expensive than zinc. Pennies are 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. But no matter what it is made of, the pennys days may be numbered. Most in-store purchases are now made with credit cards, not cash. Is it time for a change?1. what is the main idea of the passage? A.Many countries are trying to reduce the cost of making coins. B.These days a penny made is a penny wasted. C.There is disagreement over whether the U.S. should stop using pennies. D.Many countries have stopped using pennies.2. The mission of ACC is to _. A. conduct online surveys B.lower the production costs of the penny C. raise money for charities D.keep the penny in use3. The penny coin is mainly made of _. A. copper B. steel C. iron D. zinc4. What does the sentence the pennys days may be numbered in the last paragraph probably mean? A.The penny may be out of use very soon. B.The value of the penny may rise. C.The penny has a special place in American history. D.The penny is part of American culture. 5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? A.Jarden is the sole supplier of the zinc the U.S. Mint uses to make the penny. B. The majority of American people are in favor of keeping the penny. C. Many Americans fear that getting rid of the penny would cause prices to rise. D. The U.S. Mint now spends 2.4 cents to make a penny. Passage 2 Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage: Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, England. He was the second of eight children. His father always had problems with money. When Charles was 12 years old, his father went to prison because he was in debt. Charles had to leave school to help his family. He got a job in a dirty, old factory. Charles Dickens never forgot his difficult childhood. Many of his stories and books were about poor people and their problems. (78)Later, Charles went back to school for two more years. He left school when he was 15 years old to become a newspaper reporter. In 1836, he began to write The Pickwick Papers. It was published as a series and was a huge success. By age 24, Dickens was a prominent writer in both Great Britain and the United States. Many people bought his books, but they also paid to hear him read his stories aloud. Because there was no radio or television, people liked to hear famous writers read in public. Dickens read his works like he was acting in a play. He went on very successful reading tours and earned a lot of money. Dickens was meticulous (过度注意琐事旳）. Everything had to be just right. When he worked at home, everything had to be in its place. He worked at a desk by a window that always had a vase (花瓶) of flowers and the same ornaments (装饰物) on it. (79)He wrote 2, 000 words a day and he required complete quiet while he wrote. He divided his page into three parts, and on each side he had notes in difficult colors. The main writing was in mid