Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things we need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money. Lots of the money today is made of paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells. Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Some Africans once used elephant tusks, monkey tails, and salt as money. The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. Later, countries began to make coins of gold and silver. But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today. Money has had an interesting history, from the days of shell money until today. The first metal coins looked like _ . A) square-shaped with some designs on them B) square-shaped with a round hole in the center C) round-shaped with a square hole in the middle D) round-shaped with a round hole in the middle
C
(Question)
A job is more than just a job,especially to the older generation."It's not the money that matters,but the sense of selfworth," 56yearold Cheng Wonlan said.So,every day Ms Cheng carries a bag of parcels,letters and documents of all shapes and sizes and does her rounds in North Point.She's a courier . Five years ago,Ms Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic.She had worked there for almost 30 years but was made jobless when the doctor migrated .It was extremely difficult for her to find another job."People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am," she said.After two years of searching,the mother of two eventually found another nursing job.But then after two years,she quit.Why? "My colleagues were young and they didn't understand me because of my age.They often asked me,'You are so old;what are you working for?' I was very unhappy." she said.So while the rest of her family left for work,she was left to lonely boredom at home.The urge to work drove her to suffering.Then,one of Ms Cheng's neighbours told her about Employee's Retraining Board (ERB) offering retraining courses for older people on specific occupations,such as convenience store assistants,junior clerks and so on. "I was interested in courier work.I didn't think my age was a barrier because I was fit and healthy.So I thought why not give it a try." she said.Upon graduation from the ERB,Ms Cheng was offered a job by the Speeding Shuttle Courier Service Company Limited.But then Ms Cheng was faced with a conflict:she was caught between honour and employment.It took Ms Cheng 24 hours to make up her mind and eventually came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong or embarrassing about doing the job.So she took heart and went off to work as a courier. Ms Cheng's employer is delighted with her,"Ms Cheng has been working with us for two months and has shown a good responsible attitude to work."Anthony Chong,who runs the company,said.Currently,Mr Chong has 60 couriers working for his company:five of them are over fifty,four of whom have been... Ms Cheng left her second nursing job because _ . A) she was bored B) it was too difficult C) she was too old to do the job D) the other staff made her feel uncomfortable
(Answer)
D
Ques: Last year more than one million Filipinos worked abroad as servants,nurses,sailors and in other difficult but low-paid jobs.Southeast Asians leave their poorer countries for their richer neighbours. Many of these wage-earners return in the end.In the meantime,they send home huge amounts of money--in the Philippines' case,over 10% of its GDP.Between January and November,the amount was up 18% on the same period of 2005.Poverty and unemployment are still high in the Philippines and other labour-exporting countries.They would be far worse but for this outflow of bodies and inflow of dollars.As for those Asian countries that import labour,as in Europe,falling birth rates mean they are going to need more foreign workers. On January 13th leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) signed an agreement to help migrant workers--with the realization that the flow of labour between their countries is a growing problem that they cannot blame on outsiders.A 2005 study showed that 8.4 million Southeast Asians worked outside their home countries,but this did not include the huge numbers of Indonesians doing so without papers.So the true total is probably rather higher. Of the ten ASEAN countries,the Philippines,Indonesia,Myanmar,Cambodia,Vietnam and Laos export labour,Singapore and Brunei import it,and Thailand and Malaysia do both.Sziraczki of the UN's International Labour Organization points out that,in the next ten years,the total labour force of the worker-exporting countries should grow by about a third.It makes sense to work on the problem before it gets out of control. People in the receiving countries seem to be worried about competition for their jobs.Most Thais said their government should admit no more foreign workers,and a few thought otherwise.Even in Singapore,just over half of people are against admitting more foreign workers.Malaysians think that the increase in foreign workers has worsened crime rates . For the labour-importing countries,the flow of labour may lead to _ . A) higher birth rates B) lower crime rates C) greater money inflows D) stronger job competition
Ans: D
Question: More Chinese are seeking out the surgeon's knife to improve their looks.Yet the tragic death of the former Super Girl Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular. Wang Bei,24,is said to have gone under the knife in Wuhan,to jump-start her stage-show career. It seems that the ambitious singer has finally achieved the fame and influence after her death. For years Miss Lu expected a plastic surgery to make her jaw fashionable narrow and her face smaller. She finally decided against it after hearing of the death of Wang Bei. "Wang Bei's death rang the warning bell for me,"Miss Lu said in her blog." It was frightening and I gave up the plan. " A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks. Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society's impractical standard of beauty:double eyelids,and the pointed chin typical of Western actresses. Others said her death indicated the limits to which people would go to achieve fame and fortune. Last year 15 billion was spent on cosmetic surgery and the figure is expected to rise 20% annually. The International Society of Plastic Surgery ranks China first in Asia in terms of the number of cosmetic surgeries in 2009. Worldwide, China is third, after Brazil, while the United States is first. Nowadays,people are living longer and better. But the effect of aging off their appearance affects their mood and confidence. Many older women want to look young and beautiful. Young people, on the other hand, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love. "They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage,"says a famous plastic surgeon. "We're living in a highly competitive society. People regard appearance as a weapon in life battle. Those who are young and naturally good-looking tell me,'I don't care how much I spend. Just make me look more beautiful.' " Advice from a surgeon and psychologist: 1.Choose regular, qualified... It is mentioned in the passage that _ . A) Miss Lu's face is narrow and small B) Wang Bei is a victim of the Internet C) all Westerners have the pointed chin D) the US ranks first in cosmetic surgery
Answer:
D