"I say, I'm pleased to see you," said the little man standing by the letter-box. "Oh, hello," I said, remembering he was a new neighbor. "Simpson, isn't it?" "Yes, that's right." He seemed quite pleased by my ready recognition. "I wonder if you could lend me some money," he continued. "My wife gave me a letter to post, and I've just noticed it isn't stamped." "yes, they never are," I said, sympathetically . "It must go tonight--it really must! I'd get stamps out of the machine," explained Simpson," Only I find I have no small change about me." "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't either," I said. "Oh, dear, dear," he said. "Yes, well," I said, intending to move off. But he looked so unhappy standing there with the blue unstamped envelope that I really hadn't the heart to desert him. So I took him to my house and found some pennies and gave them to him, who, in the most business like way, made a note of the loan in his pocket-book, and left. But soon he turned up again. "I'm sorry I am a stranger round here and --well, I'm rather lost..." It took me several minutes to explain to him where the post office was. In the end I felt as lost as Simpson and had to accompany him to the post office, but, only to find the automatic stamp-machine was empty! "Oh!" Simpson was so desperate that he dropped the letter on the ground and when he picked it up there was a large black spot on its face. "Dear me," he said, "My wife told me to post it tonight. I'd better post it, if you know what I mean." I did know. Or, at least, I knew Mrs Simpson. Then I got a good idea, "Post the letter unstamped--let the other man pay double postage on it in the morning. " And he had to agree. Finishing off our job, I took him home. "I'm so grateful to you, really," he said when we reached his home. "That letter--it's only an invitation to dinner to Mr... Dear me!" "Why, what's the matter?" "Nothing. Just something I've remembered." "What?" But he didn't tell me. He just opened his eyes and his mouth at me like a wounded gold- fish, murmured a... Simpson was very happy when the writer greeted him because _ . A) they were good friends B) he had a very important letter to post C) he saw somebody he could turn to at last D) he didn't expect the writer to recognize him instantly
D
Everyone's at it,even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't done an eBay deal. So,I decided to try my hand at online auction . Buying for beginners:Sign up on _ . Most items(e.g. tables, computers, and books) ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description;others may be marked with "Buy It Now" and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away. If the item is being auctioned,you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid,then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish you get an email telling you whether you have won the item. How to pay: Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal,an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card . Selling made simple:If you plan to sell on eBay,it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends' advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction,starting on a Thursday. This way, buyers had two weekends to bid. The big things in life:It' s easy to post a small item,but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by deliverymen . Check the ways of delivery before you bid. After bidding for an item,a buyer _ A) will get what he wants in ten days B) should make payment immediately C) has chances to make higher bids D) may check its picture and description
C
Q: Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes , never to be seen again. Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies. The nearly two-month-old spill has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life. For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking in the oily sheen and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals. "I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said. The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages. What do the marine life react to the BP disaster? A) Birds crawl deep into caves. B) Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water. C) Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead. D) Sea creatures flee from oil spill, gathering near seashore.
A: D