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Despite celebrating her 94th birthday last year, the Queen keeps a diary every day. However she still manages to find time for the things she loves, including seeing her family, horse riding and going for walks. And there is another more unusual hobby stamp collection that the Queen enjoys and it has earned her a lot of money over the years—about £100 million to be exact.

The Queen has been collecting stamps for decades and she now has an impressive private collection. One of the most valuable in her collection is a Mauritian stamp, which alone was valued at an amazing £2 million back in 2002. The 1847 stamp from the Post Office of Mauritius is one of the most prized in the world, reports the Telegraph. It first belonged to her grandfather King George V, who bought it at auction in 1904. He paid £1,450 for the stamp at the time, which is worth around £60,000 today. The stamp went on display to the public in 2002 as part of a travelling exhibition to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

Over the years the Queen has added her own very impressive stamps to the growing collection, and it is now absolutely massive. It is said to fill about 300 albums and about 200 boxes, which are all stored in a vault at St James’ Palace.

When the Queen took over the collection, she decided to sell some of the “surplus to requirement” stamps at auction, and used the cash to buy new additions. According to the Telegraph, the pieces she sold were a huge hit with buyers back in 2001 and her 200 items made £750,000. She spent £250,000 of the profit on a unique set of 10 Penny Blacks. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the queen could spend more time on her collection. She always says if she stops, she will drop, so she’ll be keeping busy.

1.Which is NOT mentioned about the Queen’s preferences?

A The family life.

B Outdoor sports.

C The stamp collection.

D Travelling around the world.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据文章第一段内容可知，女王每天都写日记，她设法找到时间做她喜欢的事情，包括看望家人、骑马和散步，还有一个更不寻常的爱好集邮，文中未提及她喜欢环游世界，故选D。

2.What can we learn about the Mauritian stamp?

A It appeared at a recent auction.

B It helped the Queen earn about £100 million.

C It belongs to the Queen’s grandfather’s collection.

D It was banned from exhibition because of its value.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第二段第四句It first belonged to her grandfather King George V, who bought it at auction in 1904.可知，这枚毛里求斯邮票当初是属于女王祖父乔治五世国王的，故选C。

3.The underlined part “a huge hit” has a similar meaning to _______.

A success

B popularity

C fashion

D highlight

解析：选B。词义猜测题。根据文章最后一段第二句According to the Telegraph, the pieces she sold were a huge hit with buyers back in 2001 and her 200 items made £750,000.可知，据《每日电讯报》报道，2001年女王的200件藏品卖出75万英镑，由此推断她卖出的各种藏品受到了买家的极大欢迎，故选B。

4.How does the queen like the stamp collection nowadays?

A She just intends to pass the time through it.

B She works tirelessly for keeping this habit.

C She slows down her collection due to the COVID-19.

D She decides to keep the collection within a certain range.

解析：选B。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段During the Covid-19 lockdown, the queen could spend more time on her collection. She always says if she stops, she will drop, so she’ll be keeping busy. 可知，在新冠疫情封锁期间，女王可以花更多的时间在她的收藏上。她总是说如果她停下来，她会垮掉的，所以她会一直很忙。由此说明女王不知疲倦地为她养成的集邮习惯劳碌着，故选B。