高考英语阅读训练(045)
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2006-12-21 07:35 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Robert Spring, a 19th century forger1 (伪造签字者), was as good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he make some money by selling his small but genuine of early U.S. autographs (亲笔签字). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ban Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To make less the chance of detection (发觉), he sent his forgeries2 (伪造物) to England and Canada for sale and circulation (销售).

Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged3 paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.

In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden4 lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's economic problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eye experts the difficult task of separating this forgeries from the originals.

1. Why did Spring sell his autographs in England and Canada?

A. There was a greater demand there than in America.

B. There was less chance of being detected there.

C. Britain was Spring's birthplace.

D. The price were higher in England and Canada.

2. After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for ___.

A. Southern money

B. signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin

C. Southern manuscripts and letters

D. Civil War battle plans

3. Robert Spring spent 15 years ___.

A. running a bookstore in Philadelphia

B. corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson

C. as a forger

D. as a respectable dealer5

4. According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to ___.

A. sharp-eyed experts

B. persons who aren't experts

C. book dealers6

D. owner of the old books

5. Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?

A. The only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson.

B. A little-known girl who sold her father's papers to Robert Spring.

C. Robert Spring's daughter.

D. An imaginary person created by Spring.

KEY: 1. B 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. D



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 forger ji1xg     
v.伪造;n.(钱、文件等的)伪造者
参考例句:
  • He admitted seven charges including forging passports.他承认了7项罪名,其中包括伪造护照。
  • She alleged that Taylor had forged her signature on the form.她声称泰勒在表格上伪造了她的签名。
2 forgeries ccf3756c474249ecf8bd23166b7aaaf1     
伪造( forgery的名词复数 ); 伪造的文件、签名等
参考例句:
  • The whole sky was filled with forgeries of the brain. 整个天空充满了头脑里臆造出来的膺品。
  • On inspection, the notes proved to be forgeries. 经过检查,那些钞票证明是伪造的。
3 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
4 maiden yRpz7     
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
参考例句:
  • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
  • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
5 dealer GyNxT     
n.商人,贩子
参考例句:
  • The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
  • The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。
6 dealers 95e592fc0f5dffc9b9616efd02201373     
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者
参考例句:
  • There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
  • The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败,与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
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