单选题 The first European stock exchange was established in Antwerp, Belgium(比利时), in 1531. There were no stock exchanges in England until the 1700's. A man wishing to buy or sell shares of stock had to find a broker(agents)to transact his business for him. In London, he usually went to a coffee house, because brokers often gathered there. In 1773, the brokers of London formed a stock exchange.
In New York City, brokers met under an old button-wood tree on Wall Street. They organized the New York Stock Exchange in 1792. The American Stock Exchange, the second largest in the United States, was formerly called the Curb Exchange because of its origin on the streets of New York City.
A stock exchange is a market place where member brokers buy and sell stocks and bonds (债 券) of American and foreign businesses on behalf of the public. A stock exchange provides a market place for stocks and bonds in the same way a board of trade does for commodities. The stockbrokers receive a small commission on each transaction they make.
The stockholder may sell his stock wherever he wants to unless the corporation has some special rule to prevent it. Prices of stock change according to general business conditions and the earnings and future prospects(前景) of the company. If the business is doing well, the stockholder may be able to sell his stock for a profit. If it is not, he may have to take a loss.

单选题 In the 1600' s, if a man wanted to buy or sell shares of stock, he had to do it through ______.
A. the government B. himself C. a broker D. the stock exchange
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。文章第一段第三句指出,如果(在17世纪)有人想买卖股票就必须通过经纪人(代理人)替他交易。
单选题 The second largest stock exchange in the U.S. used to be called ______.
A. the Wall Street Exchange B. the New York Stock Exchange
C. the Curb Exchange D. the U. S. Exchange
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。文章第二段第三句指出,美国股票市场,是美国第二大市场,因其发起地点在纽约市的街道上而曾被称为科伯股票市场。
单选题 Which of the statements is true?
A. The stockholder can sell his stock to anywhere at anytime.
B. There were no stock exchange in England in the 1700' s.
C. The price of stock is not stable.
D. The stockbrokers do the transaction without charging for the stockholders.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 事实细节题。文章第四段第二句指出,股票价格根据公司的总体情况和收益以及公司未来的发展情况而变化。从而可以判定C正确,即:股票价格不稳定。
单选题 The passage is mainly about ______.
A. the Wall Street B. the stock exchange
C. the stock D. the stockholder and stockbroker
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 主旨大意题。文章主要讲的是股票市场的形成和发展状况,所以B为正确答案。