第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
(A)
Fang Wei had planned to study in Britain for his master's degree,but had to keep putting it off. These days,however,Fang is quite happy about the delay since the exchange rate of the British pound against the RMB has been descending.
“The change means I can save a large sum of money for my studies.” said Fang. “I pay a lot of attention to the pound­to­RMB exchange rate every day now.” Last Tuesday the rate broke the 10­yuan mark for the first time since 2005.
So，what is an exchange rate？
This is the standard term for the comparison of two currencies and tells how much one currency is worth when measured by the other. For example,the pound­to­RMB exchange rate last Wednesday was 9.88，meaning that one pound was worth the same as 9.88 yuan.
But how could this affect our lives？
The exchange rate is important for anyone wanting to travel to or study in a foreign country.
A higher RMB value is good news for Chinese tourists and students. That's because any given amount of RMB can be exchanged for a larger amount of foreign money than with a lower RMB value. It therefore buys more abroad.
For example,according to Chinese agencies that handle study abroad,the cost for university study in Britain used to be around 20,000 pounds a year. At the beginning of 2008，when the pound­to­RMB exchange rate stood at 14,Chinese students had to have 280,000 yuan for a year. But now that the rate has fallen to less than 10 yuan，200,000 yuan is enough for a year in Britain.
However，the stronger yuan may be bad news for Chinese exporters. A rising RMB means that Chinese products are becoming expensive and less attractive on foreign markets.
56.Why did Fang Wei have to put off his study in Britain？
A. Because he didn't have enough money.
B. Because the exchange rate of the pound­to­RMB was too high.
C. Because he didn't get the letter from the university he had applied for.
D. The passage didn't tell us.
57.What's the meaning of the underlined word “descending” in Paragraph 1？
A. Turning down.              B. Putting off.
C. Falling down.                D. Going up.
58.If the pound­to­RMB exchange rate was 12, Fang Wei would have paid 240,000 yuan for a year's study. Now the rate is 9.6，how much can he save if he goes to study in Britain？
A.46,000 yuan.                  B.42,800 yuan.
C.192,000 yuan.                D.48,000 yuan.
59 .When RMB has a higher value in the currency exchange market，the following are right except that 　　　　.
A. it shows we have a strong economic potential
B. it indicates we have a stable political environment
C. it will help our export business
D. it is beneficial for Chinese students and travelers to foreign countries