Question 22 is based on the recording you have just heard.

Recording Three

听力原文

    Virtually every American can recognize a dollar bill at a mere glance. Many can identify it by its sound or texture. (22) [But few people indeed can accurately describe the world’s most powerful, important currency.] 

    The American dollar bill is colored with black ink on one side and green on the other; (23) [the exact composition of the paper and ink is a closely guarded government secret.] Despite its weighty importance, the dollar bill actually weighs little. It requires nearly 500 bills to tip the scales at pound. Not only is the dollar bill lightweight, but it also has a brief lifespan. Few dollar bills survive longer than 18 months.

    The word “dollar” is taken from the German word “thaler”, the name for the world’s most important currency in the 16th century. The thaler was a silver coin first minted in 1518 under the reign of Charles V, Emperor of Germany.

    The concept of paper money is a relatively recent innovation in the history of American currency. When the Constitution was signed, people had little regard for paper money because of its steadily decreasing value during the colonial era. (24) [Because of this lack of faith, the new American government minted only coins for common currency.] Interest-bearing bank notes were issued at the same time, but their purpose was limited to providing money for urgent government crises, such as American involvement in the War of 1812. The first non-interest bearing paper currency was authorized by Congress in 1862 at the height of the Civil War. At this point, citizens’ old fears of devalued paper currency had calmed, and the dollar bill was born. The new green-colored paper money quickly earned the nickname “greenback”.

    Today, the American dollar bill is a product of the Federal Reserve, and is issued from the 12 Federal Reserve banks around the United States. The government keeps a steady supply of approximately 2 billion bills in circulation at all times.

    Controversy continues to surround the true value of the dollar bill. (25) [American history has seen generations of politicians argue in favor of a gold standard for American currency.] However, for the present, the American dollar bill holds the value that is printed on it, and little more. The only other guarantee on the bill is a Federal Reserve pledge as confirmation in the form of government securities.

22. What does the speaker say about the American dollar bill?

解析：B。录音开头部分提到，许多人可以通过声音或纹理来鉴别美钞，但很少有人能真正准确地描述出它的特点。B项中的Few people和describe均为录音中的原词复现，precisely是对录音中accurately的同义替换，故正确答案为B。

错项排除：A项利用录音中出现的can identify it by texture进行干扰，但音频说的是许多人（Many）都能辨认美钞的质地，而不是很少人（Few people），故排除A项。录音最后提到关于美元实际价值（true value）的争论仍在继续，但后面紧跟着说到美元价值就等于它的票面价值，也就是说美元价值是确定的，C项的is open to interpret与录音内容相悖，故排除。D项利用importance进行干扰，但录音中说的是尽管美元钞票很重要，但它实际上并不重，而且后面还进一步解释说500张钞票大约仅重1磅，所以这里指的是重量很轻，并不是说美钞不重要，故D项错误。