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　　Dollars and cents are the basic units of American money. The back of all dollar bills are green (hence "greenbacks"). The commonly used coins are: one cent (penny ), five cents (nickel), 10 cents(dime), and 25 cents (quarter). 50 pieces (half dollar) and silver dollars (not really silver anymore) are gaining in usage, while there has been talk of phasing out the penny that's inflation for you. "Always carry plenty of quarters when travelling. Very useful for phones, soda machines, laundry machines, etc."



　　There is generally no problem in using US dollars in Canada, but this is never possible in reverse.



　　It's useful always to carry small change for things like exact fare buses, but do not carry large sums of cash. Instead keep the bulk of your money in travellers' cheques which can be purchased both in the US and abroad and should be in dollar denominations. The best known cheques are those of American Express, so you will have the least difficulty cashing these, even in out of the way places. Thomas Cook travellers' cheques are also acceptable, especially as lost ones can be reclaimed at some car rental companies. Dollar denomination cheques can be used like regular money. There's no need to cash them at a bank: use them instead to pay for meals, supermarket purchases or whatever. Ten or twenty dollar cheques are accepted like this almost always and you' 11 be given change just as though you'd presented the cashier with dollar bills. Be prepared to show I.D. when you cash your cheques.



　　Credit cards can be even more valuable than travellers' cheques, as they are often used to guarantee room reservations over the phone and are accepted in lieu of deposit when renting a car--indeed without a credit card you may be considered so untrustworthy that not only a deposit but your passport will be held as security too. The major credit cards are VISA, Master Charge and Access, Diners Club and American Express. If you hold a bank card, it could well be worthwhile

　　to increase your credit limit for travel purposes--you should ask your bank manager.



　　56. Why is it useful to carry enough 25-cent coins with you?

　　[ A ] They can act as small change for the-exact bus fares.

　　[ B ] There is- generally no problem in using them in Canada.

　　[ C ] As a basic unit of money, they are gradually gaining in usage.

　　[ D ] They may come in handy for pay phones or laundry machines.



　　57. It is not necessary to carry cash instead of dollar travellers' cheques because the latter can be ________.

　　[ A ] used for phones, bus fares and hotel reservations

　　[ B ] used to pay in restaurants and big stores

　　[ C ] used like credit cards, even in remote areas

　　[ D ] exchanged easily, even at car rental companies



　　58. The phrase 'in lieu of' (line 2, paragraph 4) most probably means________.

　　[ A ] on behalf of

　　[ B ] in line with

　　[ C ] with regard to

　　[ D ] instead of



　　59. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　[ A ] Credit cards have more advantages than travellers' cheques.

　　[ B ] Dollar bills are as convenient as credit cards.

　　[ C ] One-cent coins have been withdrawn from circulation.

　　[ D ] You can increase your credit limit as you like.



　　60. This passage is most probably taken from

　　[ A ] a tourist guide

　　[ B ] a bank brochure

　　[ C ] a booklet about car rental

　　[ D ] a handbook on U.S. currency



　　Part B

　　Directions:

　　Read the texts from a cyber saloon in which five people talked about Tofu (also known as bean curd), a traditional Chinese and Japanese food. For questions 61 to 65, match the name of each person to one of the statements (A to G) that he or she is most likely to say. Mark your answers on your ANSWER SHEET.



　　Jenise:

　　I love peas and beans more than most people, so tofu is a natural choice for me. My Chinese friend Annabelle loves them too, and tells me that soy beans contain an ingredient not present in any other food source, or at least in that concentration, that helps prevent breast cancer. When we share a big bowl of these, we eat with abandon "for medicinal purposes"! I like it plain although there may be many different ways to prepare it and it may cure other diseases.



　　Lee:

　　In fact, I was probably preprogrammed to like it: as a kid one of my favorite books was Toru and the Tofu (hope I' m remembering the title right), a story about a young Tokyo boy, named Toru, who was given the assignment, his first, of going to the neighborhood tofu maker' s by himself and bringing back some fleshly made cubes for dinner. I can still recall Toru' s unique way of getting it home intact ( with a jar filled with water). It all seemed very strange to the five-year old me in semi-rural Southern California.



　　Hoke:

　　It's great in spicy Sichuan style soups, especially with fish, but I like it fried quickly to give a crisp exteriorwhilst retaining a moist, soft interior. Steaming is another option, with a pork and prawn mince ( with spring onion) on top of each cube. The thing that I love most is ,the texture--really good tofu is just amazing in the mouth, poised as it is between solidity and fluidity. I' m definitely a fan.



　　Nyby:

　　It's sort of weird to me. You go in to one of those "Mock Vegetarian" restaurants only to find everything on the menu "mock"--mock chicken, mock beef, mock pork, etc. Now whatever you order, it' s tofu molded into something that looks like that particular meat. I don't know about you, but if I' m eating a vegetarian I don' t need to go through a fantasy of pretending I' m eating a veal cutlet or a pork chop or a chicken breast. Is this to delude someone, or distract them from thinking they are eating vegetarian food?



　　Robin:

　　Precisely because it is so "tasteless", I eat. it like a madman: I like the way it picks up the flavors of the dishes it' s served with. I can enjoy it in lots of different cuisine, in moderate quantities in relation to other ingredients in each dish. If you try them and tell me that you don't think they have much flavor, I' 11 have to disagree because that's not true of tofu. The flavor's mild and you can combine that with the hottest spices in the world, which for me illustrates its most endearing attribute. It does a reasonably good job of absorbing a great many flavors.



　　Now match each of the persons (61 to 65) to the appropriate statement.



　　Note: there are two extra statements.



　　Statements

　　61. Jenise [ A ] Real or unreal, who knows?

　　62. Lee [ B ] Don' t deceive yourself and others: tofu is no meat.

　　63. Hoke [ C ] Amazing texture, I enjoy tofu inside out.

　　64. Nyby [ D ] I am constantly at war with tofu.

　　65. Robin [ E ] Tofu hasn' t got a unique taste of its own, but it goes well with any food.

　　[ F ] Eating tofu is a strong childhood memory.

　　[ G ] Tofu is the best medicine.
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