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A king once 【B1】 seriously ill. His doctors and wise men tried cure 【B2】 cure. But nothing
【B1】
A.fell
B.felt
C.feel
D.fall
![](https://static.youtibao.com/asksite/comm/h5/images/solist_ts.png)
【B1】
A.fell
B.felt
C.feel
D.fall
So the king made it 【B8】______ to all that if any person could discover the 【B9】______ and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the 【B10】______ , he would have the 【B11】______ he liked best to take as his wife, and would be king 【B12】______ his death. But whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, would be 【B13】______ to death.
A prince from a nearby country soon came. He was well entertained, and in the evening was taken to the chamber (大房间) next 【B14】______ the one where the princesses lay in their twelve 【B15】______ .There be was to sit and 【B16】______ where they went to dance; and, in order 【B17】______ nothing could happen without him hearing it, the door of his 【B18】______ was left open. But the prince soon went to sleep; and when he 【B19】______ in the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing, 【B20】______ the soles of their shoes were full of holes.
【B1】
A.was
B.were
C.is
D.are
Passage Four
Dressing fashionably was very important in fourteenth-century Spain. This was especially true for any man who considered himself an aristocrat or dandy. Before going out, a well-dressed man would put on his finest boots, one of his embroidered caps and his favorite beard, dyed to match the color of his clothing.
Believe it or not, false beards were once as popular as neckties are today. Beards had for years considered a sign of strength and manhood, and the bigger and thicker they were, the better. Those unfortunates who had little facial hair were forced by custom into wearing false beards made of horsehair. Soon, however man in the Spanish fashion world was wearing them too, while many quite substantial real beards were shaved off to make way for the false variety.
By day, the fashionable dandy might wear a yellow or a crimson beard to impress his friends, but in the evening a long black beard was proper for serenading his senorita, Any color or shape of beard could be had.
However, as you can imagine, the growth of this unusual custom created many interesting problems. People with similar beards were mistaken for one another. Creditors could not find debtors, and police often arrested the wrong people, while the real villain escaped wearing their hairy disguises. The price of horsehair skyrocketed. Finally, King Philip IV of Aragon put a stop to all the foolishness by outlawing the wearing of false beards.
46. What is the passage mostly concerned with?
A. The size of beards.
B. The color of beards.
C. Varieties of false beards.
D. The custom of wearing false beards.
The currencies of the world's major economies have names and backgrounds that are as diverse as the countries themselves.
The dollar is the name for the currency used in many countries including the United States , Canada, and Australia. It gets its name from a silver coin minted during the Middle Ages in a small valley, or "Thal" , in Bohemia called Joachimathal. Just a sausage Frankfurt called "Joachimsthaler" or simply " Thaler" , and came to be called " dollar" in English.
The pound, used in Britain, Egypt, and Lebanon among others, refers to the weight used in determining the value of coins, based on precious metals such as gold or sterling. The penny has the same origin as the word pawn,found in terms such as pawn shop , and originally meant "to pledge". A penny , like any currency , is a " pledge " of value.
In Italy and Turkey , the currency is called lira. The word is based on the Latin lira, meaning "pound" and once again referring to the weight of the original coins.
In Spanish , the word meaning " weight" , peso is used to describe the coins that were based on a certain weight of gold or silver. Originally,there were gold coins called peso de oro and silver ones called peso de plata. In Spain , the currency is called peseta, meaning "small peso". The word peso is used to describe the currency in many Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.
In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the word for crown-krone in Denmark and Norway,krona in Sweden-is used to describe the currency that was originally minted by the king and queen,with royal crowns stamped on the earlier coins. Today,the crown has been replaced by other symbols , but the name remams.
The franc,used in France, Switzerland, and other countries and territories,is based on the early coins used in France, that bore the Latin inscription franconium rex , meaning "king of the Franks". The com, as well as the country, took its name from one of the original tribes that settled in the area, the Franks.
The German mark and Finnish markka derive their name from the small marks that were cut into coins to indicate their precious metal content. The German mark, deutsche mark in German ,is often called by its shortened name , D-mark.
The ancient Chinese word yuan meant "round", or "round thing". The name of the Japanese currency, the yen, and the name of the Chinese currency, the yuan , both derived from the old Chinese word,refer to the round shape of the original coins.
Problem may arise when using the plural forms of these currencies. Most take the English plural "s", for example , pounds , dollars , francs , Deutschmarks , etc. However , some are invariable: yuan, yen, baht, and rand. Others keep the plural form of the language spoken in the country of origin: lira-lire , krone-kroner, krona-kronor , markka-markkaa , etc.
Currencies are said to be convertible or invertible. Semi-convertible currencies can only be bought or sold through a country's central bank for documented commercial transactions. The exchange rates are fixed. Semi-convertible currencies are typical of third world countries.
A hard currency is one which is strong and unlikely to fall in value. A soft currency is one from a country with a week balance of payments and for which there is little demand.
Questions for reading :
A. His, Arg, Glu
B. His, Ser, Asp
C. Arg, Ser, Asp
D. Asp, Glu, Ser