出自:华北水利水电大学英语
A mistake in the printing of a stamp was made more than a hundred years ago in the former British colony Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to London. Mauritius was about to become the fourth country in the world to put out stamps.
Before the order was filled and the stamps arrived from England, a big dance was planned by the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces on the island. The dance would be held in his house and letters of invitation would be sent to all the important people in Mauritius. Stamps were badly needed to post the letters. Therefore, an islander, who was a good printer, was told to copy the pattern of the stamps. He carelessly put the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid”, two words seen on the stamps at that time, on the several hundred stamps that he printed.
Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left – fourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because there are so few Two-penny Blues and because of their age, collectors have paid as much as ﹩16,800 for one of them.
（11 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 D
About 150 years ago, a mistake in printing stamps was made in ___________.( )
A
a big British country
B
a small island of Britain
C
an Indian island
D
a former colony of Britain
（12 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 C
评分 4分
Mauritius printed some stamps because ___________.( )
A
An islander was good at printing
B
London stamps were not well printed
C
Invitations to a dance had to be posted soon
D
All the important people would come to the dance
（13 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 B
我的答案 D
评分 0分
The mistake on the island-printed stamps was in the __________.( )
A
pictures
B
words
C
color
D
price
（14 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 D
In 1847 most countries in the world __________( )
A
collected valuable stamps
B
printed their own stamps
C
ordered stamps from London
D
didn’t use any stamps
（15 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 A
If a mistake is made in the printing of a stamp, the stamp .( )
A
will probably increase its value
B
will have to be thrown away
C
is not worth collecting at all
D
is worth half of its face value
I am not a computer expert. I never learned much in the way of math. And I am quite puzzled by things like engineering or electronics.
Then why am I able to write about computer? I can write on this subject because of these shortcomings. The last two years of learning has been a severe test for me. By hard work I have managed to learn enough to use computers fairly well, and to work with people who know a great deal more than I. Since I have learned all this at such personal cost, I would like to share my knowledge with others.
The best way to learn is to take a course. However, many people do not have the time for this. They will have to find some other way to get some basic information. I hope to be able to help them by writing about some of the things I have learned myself.
I have a home computer on which I have learned in my own time. I have used it like a home study course. I have sat down with it day after day, night after night, I have forced it to give up some of its secrets. Now I can use it to do some of the work that I get paid for. And I can do this work in my own home, instead of in an office. Many people may soon be working on a computer at home, just as many now take in other people’s typing.
Some things about computers are easier than you may fear. First, computers are logical. Things that at first seem difficult will make sense to you after you learn the rules. Second, it is really not hard to learn enough to use today’s machines. You do not need to be a great brain. But you do have to learn to think in new ways. And you do have to keep a good bit of information in your head. Finally, there are many people around who are really enthusiastic about computers. These people are always happy to be of help.
（16 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 C
我的答案 C
评分 4分
According to the passage, a home computer can best be described as .( )
A
difficult
B
puzzling
C
logical
D
secret
（17 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 D
我的答案 D
评分 4分
We can infer from this passage that in order to write about computers, the author had to .( )
A
learn from other people
B
study very hard
C
learn electronics
D
take a home study course
（18 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 D
The phrase “a great brain” in the last paragraph most probably means .( )
A
a person with a big head
B
a great man
C
a remarkable success
D
an intelligent person
（19 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 A
Which of the following statements about the author is NOT true?( )
A
She knows more than her colleagues.
B
She can help others with computers.
C
She knows very little science or math.
D
She knows many things about computers.
（20 / 22）单选题（4分）
正确答案 D
The passage is to convince readers that, by studying computers at home, people can become .( )
A
computer programmers
B
computers experts
C
writers about computers
D
skilled amateurs
第三次世界大战