How could Ponzi make so much money for people? This is what he did with the money people gave him: He used some of that money to pay other people who gave him money. However, he also kept a lot of the money for himself. Soon he had $250 million. This was a kind of theft, and it was against the law. The people who gave him their money didn't think anything was wrong. Ponzi paid them every month, just like a bank. Ponzi continued this way of working for two years. Then one day, he didn't have enough money to pay all the people. They discovered his crime, and he went to prison for fraud.

　　Ninety years later, people began to hear about a businessman in New York named Bernard Madoff. People said he gave good advice about money. They said when they gave him their money, he paid them a lot more than the bank. Madoff helped hospitals, schools, and individuals earn money. Over a period of 40 years, people gave him $170 billion. However, no one investigated what he did with the money. The people who gave Madoff their money also didn't think anything was wrong because he paid them every month.

　　One day, Madoff didn't have enough money to pay all the people he needed to pay. That's when people discovered how Madoff worked: He was taking money from some people to pay other people, just the way Charles Ponzi did. However, this time, instead of losing millions of dollars, people lost billions.

　　Madoff was accused of fraud, and United States government officials arrested him. He didn't have to go on trial because he said he was guilty. In 2009, a judge sentenced him t0 150 years in prison. Bernard Madoff's crime was even bigger than Ponzi's. It was the biggest fraud in history. The lesson of this story is clear: When something seems too good to be true, it probably is!

　　36. For every $100, Ponzi promised to pay people

　　A. $5 a year.

　　B. $20 a year.

　　C. $40 a year.

　　D. $100 a year.

　　【答案】：C

　　37. What did Ponzi do with the money people gave him?

　　A. He spent it all on things for himself.

　　B. He used some of it to pay other people.

　　C. He deposited it all in a bank.

　　D. He kept it all to save for a good plan.

　　【答案】：B

　　38. What was Ponzi's crime?

　　A. He robbed the banks of millions of dollars.

　　B. He gave people more than the bank did.

　　C. He kept a lot of other people's money for himself.

　　D. He did not pay people their interests.

　　【答案】：D

　　39. How long did Madoffs tricks last?

　　A. Forty years.

　　B. Four year.

　　C. Nine years.

　　D. Ninety years.

　　【答案】：A

　　40. Why didn't Madoff have to go on trial?

　　A. The officiais couldn't find any evidence against him.

　　B. He had friends in the government who helped him.

　　C. He admitted he was guilty.

　　D. He returned all the illegal money.

　　【答案】：C

　　第三篇

Gross National Happiness

　　In the last century， new technology improved the lives of many people in many countries. However， one country resisted these changes. High in the Himalayan mountains of Asia， the kingdom of Bhutan remained separate. Its people and Buddhist（佛教）culture had not been affected for almost a thousand years. Bhutan， however， was a poor country. People died at a young age. Most of its people could not read， and they did not know much about the outside world. Then， in 1972， a new ruler named King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to help Bhutan to become modern， but without losing its traditions.

　　King Wangchuck looked at other countries for ideas. He saw that most countries measured their progress by their Gross Natonal Product（GNP）。 The GNP measures products and money. When the number of products sold increases， people say the country is making progress. King Wangchuck had a different idea for Bhutan. He wanted to measure his country’s progress by people’s happiness. If the people’s happiness increased， the king could say that Bhutan was making progress. To decide if people were happier， he created a measure called Gross National Happiness（GNH）。

　　GNH is based on certain principles that create happiness. People are happier if they have health care， education， and jobs. They are happier when they live in a healthy， protected environment. They are happier when they can keep their traditional culture and customs. Finally， people are happier when they have a good， stable government.

　　Now these is some evidence of increased GNH in Bhutan. People are healthier and are living longer. More people are educated and employed. Teenty-five percent of the land has become national parks， and the country has almost no pollution. The Bhutanese continue to wear their traditional clothing and follow their ancient Buddhist customs. Bhutan has also become a democracy. In 2008， King Wangchuck gave his power to his son. Although the country still had a king， it held its first democratic elections that year. Bhutan had political parties and political candidates for the first time. Finally， Bhutan has connected to the rest of the world through television and internet.

　　Bhutan is a symbol for social progress. Many countries are now interested in Bhutan’s GNH. These countries are investigating their own ways to measure happiness. They want to create new policies that take care of their people， cultures， and land.

　　Brazil may be the nest country to use the principles of GNH. Brazilian leaders see the principles of GNH as a source of inspiration. Brazil is a large country with a diverse population. If happiness works as a measure of progress in Brazil， perhaps the rest of the world will follow.

　　41. Who was Jigme Singye Wangchuck?

　　A. A president.

　　B. A Buddhist priest.

　　C. A general.

　　D. A king.

　　42. Apart from modernizing Bhutan, what else did Wangchuck want to do for Bhutan?

　　A. To make its population grow.

　　B. To keep it separate from the world.

　　C. To encourage its people to get rich.

　　D. To keep its tradition and customs.

　　43. A country shows its progress with GNP