How do countries determine whose portraits to feature on their currency, and what does it tell us about their pasts? Here’s a look at banknotes from around the world and the stories behind their creation.
United States
In 1866, controversy erupted when the U.S Treasury issued a five-cent note bearing the portrait of Spencer Clark, the first chief of what is now known as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Clark was not well liked by some members of Congress, who had accused him years earlier of fraud and “gross immortality.”
Following public outcry, Congress passed a law on April 7, 1866, which prohibited printing the “portrait or likeness of any living person” on the country’s currency. U.S. law still prohibits using the likeness of living people today, and even commemorative coins honoring a past president cannot be issued until two years after the president’s death.
In the modern era, the country celebrated past presidents and Founding Fathers on its currency－with portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Franklin gracing its banknotes.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s banknote design has been an unintentional reflection of New Zealand’s evolving self-image ever since it began issuing currency in 1934, according to historian Matthew Wright. The British dominion’s first banknotes reflected a split identity, bearing both British and local designs. The earliest series bore a portrait of Maori King Tawhaio, whose image was replaced in 1940 with Captain James Cook, the British explorer who “discovered” New Zealand.
New Zealand became a self-governing nation in 1947－yet in 1976, more than 20 years later, it was still proud of its association with Britain. Queen Elizabeth II displaced Cook on all banknotes, alongside native plants and birds.
By the late 20th century, however, New Zealand had begun to think of itself as a diverse and independent nation. In 1991, five years after winning full legal independence from Britain, New Zealand removed the Queen from all but its $20 bill and replaced her with remarkable New Zealanders－including women’s voting rights leader Kate Shepperd, mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, Maori political and cultural leader Sir Apirana Ngata, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford－who still grace the banknotes today.
1. Why did U.S. Congress ban the portrait of any living person on the currency?| A．To solve a crime. | B．To issue a five-cent note. |
| C．To honor a past president. | D．To stop public controversy. |
| A．They are determined by the public. |
| B．They include the portraits of outstanding figures. |
| C．They symbolize the independence of the countries. |
| D．They are closely associated with local environment. |
| A．Historians affected it greatly. |
| B．The process of it was complicated. |
| C．New Zealand used to be a diverse nation. |
| D．The banknote design experienced lots of tests. |
| A．Ernest Rutherford. | B．Maori King Tawhaio. |
| C．Queen Elizabeth II. | D．Captain James Cook. |
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According to legend, Ponce may have landed in Florida by mistake. He is said to have been looking for an island called Bimini and its Fountain(喷泉) of Youth. The magical fountain could supposedly make old people young again. Instead, Ponce landed on Florida and claimed it for Spain. He named it La Florida, or “flowery place”.
Ponce explored more of Florida’s coasts over the next few months. He later returned to Spain but went back to Florida in 1521 to attempt to set up a colony. However, native Americans attacked him and his friends, and Ponce was killed. It wasn’t until 1565 that Spain set up a successful colony at St. Augustine on Florida’s east coast. It is the oldest European settlement in the U.S.
Florida didn’t belong to the U.S. until Spain lost control. It was admitted to the U.S. as the 27th state in 1845.
Today, Florida has one of the fastest-growing populations of any state. More than 19 million people call it home.
It’s also popular with tourists. Last year, 89 million people visited the Sunshine State. These days, most visitors come in search of fun in the sun on its sandy beaches and its theme parks, such as Disney World and Sea World.
1. Five hundred years ago,_____.
| A．the United States was founded |
| B．the first European came to Florida |
| C．Florida was discovered by human beings |
| D．Spanish explorer Juan Ponce was born |
| A．He hated Florida |
| B．He discovered Florida by accident |
| C．He finally found Fountain of Youth |
| D．He could make old people young again. |
| A．by his friends |
| B．on his way to Florida |
| C．during his second stay in Florida |
| D．after he set up a colony |
| A．Tourists are losing interest in it. |
| B．Its beaches are not well protected. |
| C．There are 89 million people in Florida at present. |
| D．Its population has been increasing in recent years. |
【推荐2】St Kilda is a tiny archipelage (群岛) of the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are among the most spectacular, but the greatest fascination is that, for over a thousand years, people lived there and possessed a sense of community. Cut off from the mainland, the islanders had a distinct way of living their lives, mainly eating the seabirds that returned to breed on the rocks.
Isolation also had a big effect upon St Kildans’ attitudes and ideas. The people sacrificed themselves year in and year out, in a constant battle to secure a livelihood. In such harsh conditions, life was only possible because the whole community worked together.
In the 19th century St Kilda was subject to pressures from the outside world. Education, religion and tourism all attempted to throw the St Kildans’ way of life into doubt. In the early 20th century, the strength of the community became weakened as contact with the rest of Britain increased. When disease cut their numbers, and wind and sea made it difficult to get adequate food, the St Kildans were forced to turn to the mainland for assistance.
In 1930, the St Kildans finally agreed to abandon their homes. They settled on the Scottish mainland, not realizing it meant throwing themselves into the 20 century. As adults, they had to accept those values most Scots believe in. For instance, the islanders found difficult to base their existence upon money. They had never lived in a world where they bought goods and services from each other.
The islanders showed themselves indifferent to the jobs they were given on the mainland. The labours asked of them were unskilled compared with the spectacular skills they had once performed in order to kill seabirds. Moreover, killing birds had once provided the community with food to survive. On the mainland, however, the tasks they were asked to perform did not provide them immediately with what was needed to keep them fed and warm.
The history of the St Kildans after the evacuation (撤离), of their inability and lack of resolution to fit into urban society, makes sad reading. When they were resettled on the mainland, the St Kildans were forced to live in a society whose values were unacceptable and incomprehensible to the majority of them. For many, the move was a tragedy.
1. According to Paragraph 3, the following factors lead to St Kildans seeking help from outside EXCEPT ________.| A．unbearable wind | B．insufficient food supply |
| C．contact with Britain | D．worsening health |
| A．soon learned how to buy goods and services from others |
| B．had trouble adapting to the value of dominant society |
| C．exhibited willingness to carry out their given jobs |
| D．had the opportunity to show their skills of killing seabirds |
| A．The major source of food was found locally. |
| B．It was essential for people to help each other. |
| C．Very few people had visited mainland Scotland. |
| D．Money played an insignificant role in life. |
| A．The role of money in modern communities. |
| B．How a community adapted to a different form of life. |
| C．The destruction of an old-fashioned community. |
| D．How a small community fight against opposite conditions. |
【推荐3】
Most of the money today is made of metal or paper.
Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.
The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.
Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money.
But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money.
Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.
| A．The first coins in England were made of tin (锡). |
| B．But people used to use all kinds of things as money. |
| C．No one knows for certain when people began to use money. |
| D．People strung (串连) them together and carried them from place to place. |
| E．Money, as we know, is all made of paper. |
| F．They began to use paper money. |
| G．Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. |
【推荐1】In the west of Melbourne, more than 300 kids from six primary schools are going to use special school bags that can also check air quality. This helps scientists find ways to reduce air pollution. It’s part of a study called “Breathe Melbourne”, where kids will become air quality scientists by collecting important information while going to and from school.
Schools in this areas were picked for the research because they have high levels of air pollution and a lot of kids with asthma (哮喘病). This is because these areas used to have a lot of factories.
More kids in these areas go to the hospital for asthma compared to other parts of Australia. Professor Irving from a hospital said, “The Breathe Melbourne study is very significant because it focuses on children who are already at risk because of bad air quality, and it aims to reduce that risk and help with asthma.”
An engineer named James explained how the air quality readers work. There’s a fan in the bag that pulls in outside air towards the sensors (传感器). The bag also has a GPS tracker that helps experts see which areas have more air pollution.
In a recent study, the schoolchildren and some of their teachers are seen wearing the air quality bags on four days each week for a few months. Children change their roads and the ways they go to school in the experiment as healthier choices are found. In the research, children can be educated and will learn more about air pollution.
Dr. Kate Lycett, the lead researcher, hopes that the information they collect will force officials to take action. She said, “Every child should have fresh air to breathe. Where they live shouldn’t decide how clean the air they breathe is.”
1. Why will some students in Melbourne carry the special school bags?| A．To receive fitness training. | B．To prepare for short school trips. |
| C．To protect school from the bad weather. | D．To help scientists get useful information. |
| A．They enjoy good medical services. | B．They care more about climate change. |
| C．They are troubled by the poor air quality. | D．They know little about the local industrial history. |
| A．Important. | B．Different. | C．Interesting. | D．Difficult. |
| A．It offers them a wide choice of school bags. | B．It introduces health courses to their schools. |
| C．It makes them understand air pollution better. | D．It reduces traffic problems on their way to school. |
【推荐2】There is such a group of singers in the western musical circle at present, who enter the business as online celebrities(名人)and then become top idols and giant stars globally.They become popular for their videos online and then they are discovered by talent agents and gradually cause huge storms in the musical circle.For example, Troye Sivan, a singer who is nicknamed “chuoye”, became popular on You tube from an early age.
As a popular video sharing website, You Tube has given rise to plenty of stars, creating a new celebrity culture.Providing a platform where anyone can post videos, You tube presents the opportunity for anyone to achieve fame by simply uploading a short video.Sivan has been making you tube videos since he was 12 to show his singing talent.In the digital age, Sivan has already developed large devoted audience online and his sensitive video blogs have earned him extreme popularity.
A.survey has showed that US teenagers are more attracted with You Tube stars, which is a surprising result.You Tube stars are judged to be more attractive, outstanding and related than traditional stars.Looking at the survey comments and feedback, teens enjoy a close and real experience with You Tube celebrities, who aren't carefully directed by design.Teens also say they appreciate YouTube stars sense of humor and risk-taking spirit, which are often limited by Hollywood stars.As a result, singers who make their first show in the traditional way no longer have a complete advantage in front of the audience.Online platforms open up a lot of doors for people.They become the best place to be discovered.
1. How do online celebrities become popular?| A．By acting in Hollywood. |
| B．By writing blogs on the website. |
| C．By posting their videos online and gain recognition. |
| D．By meeting audience across the country. |
| A．To give an example of becoming successful by working hard. |
| B．To give an example of becoming a well-known singer with the help of the website. |
| C．To give an example of holding a successful concert. |
| D．To give an example of sticking to great determination. |
| A．They never give performances online. |
| B．They are more outstanding than YouTube stars. |
| C．They write less sensitive video blogs than YouTube stars. |
| D．They are less humorous and risk-taking than YouTube stars. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐3】We truly are what we eat—and what our ancestors ate. Food has changed who we are and how we developed for hundreds of thousands of years. From processing (加工) to preserving to cooking, what humans did and continue to do to food played a big role in shaping our evolution (进化).
“Processed food isn’t just a modern invention. It’s as old as human itself and may have helped create our species,” wrote Nicholas Temple, author of The Best Before: The Evolution and Future of Processed Food for the BBC.
Although processing is viewed negatively nowadays, it was important to our development as a species. Processing doesn’t necessarily mean adding chemicals. It also includes pounding or slicing or changing the food in anyway before eating. Compared to our ancestors, modern humans’ teeth, jaws and faces have gotten smaller because of making food easier to chew, especially from cooking.
Cooking food was one of the biggest changes in human history. Researchers believe it could have occurred between 1.8 million to 400,000 years ago. Without cooking, an average person would have to eat around five kilos of raw (未加工的) food to survive and will have to spend most of the day eating. Also, up to 50% of women who only eat raw foods develop a condition that signals that the body can’t support a pregnancy (怀孕) —a major problem for evolution, according to Science American. Processing food leads to a huge gain in leisure time. The less time people spent chewing, the more time they had to develop complex spoken language. Cooking food also breaks down its cells. So our stomachs need to work less to absorb the nutrients and save more energy, which could then be used to power a large brain.
Processed food actually shaped us as a species and made us human—the only species on earth who can cook.
1. Why are modern humans’ teeth and jaws smaller?| A．Because they look much more beautiful. |
| B．Because they are suitable for cooked food. |
| C．Because humans become small in size. |
| D．Because humans have to adapt to modern life. |
| A．It takes people much time and energy. |
| B．It stops the evolution of human beings. |
| C．It causes people’s stomach to work less. |
| D．Its lows the development of written language. |
| A．Only modern people process food. |
| B．Some animals can cook food as humans. |
| C．Processed food is of great value to humans. |
| D．People began to process food in recent years. |
| A．To introduce various ways to process food in human history. |
| B．To uncover the details about the development of human food. |
| C．To present the findings of a study about food in human history. |
| D．To explain the importance of processed food to human beings. |
