单选题 How can a single postage stamp be worth $16800? Any mistake in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on one inexpensive postage stamp has the stamp worth a million and a half times its original value.
The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the British colony of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to a London printer. Mauritius was to become the fourth country in the world to issue stamps.
Before the order was filled and delivered, a ball was planned at Mauritius" Government House, and stamps were needed to send out the invitations. A local printer was instructed to copy the design for the stamps. He accidentally wrote the words "Post Office" instead of "Post Paid" on the several hundred stamps that he printed.
Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left. fourteen One-penny Orange-Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because of the Two-penny Blue"s rareness and age, collectors have paid as much as $16800 for it.
单选题 According to the passage, a postage stamp is worth $16800 because ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题是一道具体细节题。问按照文章所说，一张邮票可以值16800美元的原因是什么。根据文章第一段的内容，一张邮票怎么会值16800美元呢?邮票印刷上的任何错误都会使其在集邮者手中增值。一枚价格低廉的邮票上的一处错误可使其原面值增加到150万倍。由此我们可以找出本题的正确答案应是C“很少有这种上面有印刷错误的邮票”。
单选题 In the middle of the 19th century most countries in the world were ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】本题是一道具体细节题。问19世纪中叶世界上大多数国家在邮票使用方面是怎样的。根据文章第二段最后两句话，1847年，一份邮票订单送到了伦敦一位印刷商的手中——毛里求斯即将成为世界上第四个邮票发行国。我们可以推断出本题的正确答案应是B“还没有使用带有邮资的邮票”。
单选题 The passage tells us that the stamp worth a million and a half times its original value is ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题问文章告诉我们其原面值增加到150万倍的邮票是哪种。利用查阅式阅读法，我们可以在文章的最后一段的最后一句话中找到相关信息。这句话指出，由于两便士蓝色邮票稀少并且年代久远，集邮者购买一枚价钱已高达16800美元。此句所表达的内容刚好与文章的第一段内容相对应，都与16800美元和150万倍有关。因此，本题的正确答案应是C“那种两便士的蓝色邮票”。
单选题 It can be understood from the passage that ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】本题是一道暗示引申类题。问从文章中我们可以了解到什么。针对四个选项所给的内容，利用查阅式阅读法对照原文理解，我们可以发现本题的正确答案应是B“集邮者正在寻找上面有错误的邮票”。选项A“毛里求斯政府擅长印制邮票”，C“当地印刷商接到指示要求他们在印制邮票时出错”，D“毛里求斯印制邮票是为了赚钱”，这三个选项所述内容与原文不符，因此都是错误选项。
单选题 The best title for the passage could be ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题问全文的最佳标题是什么。通读全文后，我们可以总结归纳出本文的基本大意，本文主要叙述了一张两便士蓝色邮票怎么会值16800美元的原因和事情发展的经过。因此，本文的最佳标题是C“两便士蓝色邮票”。