Many people say pennies are not worth saving. After all, a penny is only worth a cent. But one unusual penny turned out to be worth a lot more when a coin collector paid $1.7 million for it earlier this month.
The coin is one of a kind. It is the only penny that the Denver mint(铸币厂) made out of copper, instead of steel, in 1943. Because it is unique, it is also very valuable. No penny has ever sold for so much money.
The Changing Penny
The Lincoln penny first appeared in 1909. For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper. Then, in 1943, the penny changed. World War II was going on, and copper was needed for equipment. So for one year, pennies were made out of steel instead. At least most of them were.
Only a few coins were made out of unused copper. There are three main mints, or places where coins are made, in the United States. Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.
Nobody knows for sure why a copper penny was made at the Denver mint in 1943, coin dealers Andy Skrabalak told Time for Kids. “There is a rumor that a mint employee made the coin in the middle of the night.”
A Special Set
The coin collector who bought the $1.7 million penny wants to remain unknown. But the reason for the trade is known. He already had two copper pennies from 1943 – one from the San Francisco mint and one from the Philadephia mint. To plete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.
The collector who sold the penny is also keeping his name a secret. It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin. Now that he has finally donating all of the money to charity.
【小题1】Why is the Lincoln penny worth over one million dollars?
A. Because it has a history of thirty-four years.
B. Because it was made out of a rare material.
C. Because it was made on one night of 1943 by the Denver mint.
D, Because it was the only coin Denver mint made out of copper in 1943.
【小题2】Before the Lincoln penny was sold, people thought one-cent coins .A．were worth collecting for selling laterB．were surely valuable if not made out of steelC．wouldn’t be sold for large amounts of moneyD．were only useful for some coin museums【小题3】At least how many copper coins were made in 1943?A．FiveB．TwelveC．SeventeenD．Eighteen【小题4】What can we learn about the collector who sold the penny?A．He already had two copper pennies from 1943.B．He wanted to plete the set of copper pennies.C．He didn’t want to sell his penny in the beginning.D．He was a well-known coin dealer in Tampa, Horida.D
网友回答
(答案→)D
解析：文章介绍了一枚非常珍贵的便士被出售的情况。
【小题1】D 细节题。根据Only one was made in the Denver mint.可知D正确。
【小题2】C 推理题。根据文章第一句Many people say pennies are not worth saving.可知很多人认为这样的便士不值这么多的钱。故C正确。
【小题3】D 计算题。根据Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.可知共有18个。
【小题4】C 推理题。根据文章最后一段It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin.可知一开始他并不想卖，花了四年的时间才说服他卖这个便士。故C正确。