Your losses in trade this year are nothing ____ (与我的相比)。

How many books did Carson write before Silent Spring, and what were their titles？ ______.

Read the article below about changes in working time.

Choose the best sentence to fill in each of the gaps.

For each gap 8—12, mark one letter (A—G) on your Answer Sheet.

Do not use any letter more than once.

One answer has been given as an example.

There is an example at the beginning.

The Nature of Money

C In the upper-left portion above the seal, a statement written in fine print says that the note is legal tender(法定货币) and that it" is redeemable(可兑现的)in lawful money at the United States Treasury (美国财政部) , or at any Federal Reserve Bank. " Does this mean that the bill is not lawful？ At the bottom center the same bill says, " Will pay to the bearer on demand X dollars. " (8)…

(9)…Many people believe that money has no value unless(10)…They think that the Federal Reserve note is only a symbol for money, and that real money is the precious metal backing the note. Some people look on money as wealth and believe that it must have intrinsic (内在的)value.

If we were to study the history of money, we would find that (11)… Cattle, shell, beads(珠子), tobacco leaves, and various metals—including iron, zinc(锌), bronze(青铜), and copper—have all been used as a basis of exchange. The precious metals, particularly silver and gold, have proved most satisfactory for this purpose and have been most commonly used in modern times.

Until early 1968, the United States backed its Federal Reserve Notes with 25 percent gold, but this did not mean that (12)…Clearly, it is not what money is but what it does that is important.

A it is backed by gold or silver.

B in different places and at different times a variety of things have been used as money.

C See if you can locate a $ 5, $ 10, or $ 20 bill printed before 1964 and marked " Federal Reserve Note" over the portrait.

D citizens could use gold as money or convert paper dollar to gold.

E therefore, the precious metals can be taken as money.

F Does it mean that your X-dollar bill is not X dollars？

G Much confusion exists about the real nature of money.

(8)

Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean and which cycle each member of the family has.

You see the following notice in an international magazine.

COMPETITION

Is it better to live in a flat, a modern house or an old house？

Write us an article giving your opinions.

The best article will be published and the writer will receive ￥500.

Write your article for the magazine.

听力原文：Collecting waste, food or materials that can cause fires creates serious health risks. In the United States, it violates laws that were created to protect public safety and property.

(54)