Question

How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.

I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves（奴隶）."

Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring（量） the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout tire time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.

However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable（可靠的） ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.

Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in air antique clock and perhaps make a future profit（收益）?

1.According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____.

A.can hardly keep the value of your savings

B. will cost much of your savings

C. may increase your wealth

D. needs your bravery

2.By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to____.

A. suggest human beings are controlled by a clock

B. describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth

C. tell readers what clocks look like

D. compare chocks to human beings

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

A. Counting the beating of one's own heart.

B. Making use of candles, sand and water.

C. Observing shadows cast by the sun.

D. Keeping slaves busy day and night.

4.The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph（段落）4 means_________.

A. state-owned houses

B. houses in very good condition

C. grand houses open to the public

D. houses where statesmen meet regularly

5.The purpose of the passage is________.

A. to introduce the culture of antique clocks

B. to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks

C. to compare different ways to make a future profit

D. to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.C

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：对于通货膨胀的今天，如何进行投资？放入银行将难以保持其价值。只有有钱的人，勇敢的人才会进入股票市场。今天看来，一个最好的方法来保护你的储蓄，甚至可能增加你的财富。那就是收集古董，我要对收集古董钟表提出一些意见。

1.收集古董钟表可能会如何？分析原文：Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. 句意：今天，购买古董是保护你资金，甚至提高你的物品价值。结合选项第二项符合。故选C

2.毕竟，如果你是要被时间统治，为什么不投资于古钟，或许未来有收益？通过点题，说明作者建议人们被钟表控制。故选 A

3. 作为一种方法来测量时间，下列哪一项是没有提到？分析原文提到了三种计量时间的方法，第一种测量自己的心跳；第二种是利用太阳产生的阴影；第三种是水钟的发明。因此只有第四项（让奴隶日夜忙碌）是不能测量出时间的。故选D

4.事实上，任何喜欢古董严重的学生应该花尽可能多的时间参观宫殿，豪宅和博物馆看到最好的钟表代表。联系实际一定是很好的住宅，结合选项只有第四项（政治家们经常见面的房子，表示很好的住宅。）符合题意。故选C

5.通货膨胀的今天，选择收集古董钟表投资是好的方式。因此在短文中提到了许多的具体建议。故选B

考点：日常生活类短文阅读。