【轻松英文阅读】制造硬币成本高

 The penny is costing the government a pretty penny these days. In fact, the US government lost over 50 million dollars last year in penny production. The culprit is the cost of the metal in the penny. However, contrary to common belief, the penny is made mostly out of zinc¹—not copper². * Increasing demand and a limited supply of zinc have been driving the metal’s price up since the middle of 2013. As a result, the US mint³ is projected to have even higher loses for 2014.

 

President Obama has recommended phasing out the penny. But so far most Americans seem unwilling⁴ to accept such a change.

 

Canada began phasing out its own penny in February of last year. The Canadian government hopes to save taxpayers⁵ over 10 million dollars a year with the phase-out. Several other countries have eliminated their smallest coins including Australia, Denmark and New Zealand to name a few.

 

Where do you stand on this issue? Let us know in the comments section.

1 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

2 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

3 mint   

n.薄荷，铸币厂；vt.铸造（硬币），创造（词）等

参考例句：

• The mint makes coins.铸币厂制造硬币。
• This candy tastes of mint.这糖果有薄荷味。

4 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。