Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the

Stamp-collecting, once exclusively the【B1】______of small boys and an all-consuming【B2】______ for the older enthusiasts, has now become the target of【B3】______speculators. Stamps are both【B4】______ and negotiable any where and have thus【B5】______investors with no knowledge of the subject.【B6】______ , many of these people have burned their【B7】______as all forms of investment require 【B8】______ knowledge.

There are many cautionary tales. The Post Office【B9】______. When England won the Cup, the four-penny value was overprinted with the words "England Winners",【B10】______ , When profit taking started, the price dropped sharply and now the stamps are easily attainable at a price which would not make a hole in any schoolboy's pocket.

However,【B11】______. The condition of most childhood collections means that they were seldom fetched very much, where stamps can only increase value over the years. Surprisingly the first stamp ever issued, the British 1840 Penny Black, is not that much of a rarity and will never have the value of, say, the Mauritius One Penny of 1859.

【B1】