When I lived in Spain,some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car,before they left,they asked me about how to find accommodation .I suggested that they should stay at "bed and breakfast" houses,because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family.My friends listened to my advice,but they came back with some funny stories. "We didn't stay at bed and breakfast houses,"they said."Because we found that most families were away on holiday." I thought this was strange.Finally I understood what had happened My friends spoke little English,and they thought "VACANCIES" meant "holidays" because Spanish word for "holiday" is "vacaciones".So they did not go to houses where the sign outside said "VACANCIES",which in English meant there are free rooms.Then my friends went to houses where the sign said "NO VACANCIES",because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday.But they found that these houses were all full.As a result,they stayed at hotels! We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs.In Spanish,a word very similar to "DIVERSION" means fun.In English it means that workman is repairing the road,and that you must take a different road when my friends saw the word "DIVERSION" on a road sign,they thought they were going to have fun.Instead, the road ended in a large hole. English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages.Once in Paris,when someone offered me some more coffee,I said "Thank you" in French.I meant that I would like some more.However,to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that "Thank you" in French means "No,thank you". I suggested that they stay at bed and breakfast houses because _ . A) they would be able to practise their English B) it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels C) it would be convenient for them to have dinner D) there would be no problem about finding accommodation
A
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods.We were only a couple of blocks from home when I spotted a cell phone and a credit card sitting on the road.We took them home.We always find amazing things on the street and she looks upon them as a movable feast-a chicken wing here or a barbecue rib there. I found another cell phone a few years back, too, and called a number in its phone book.I explained the situation to the guy who answered.He said it was his sister's and that he'd come to pick it up, which he did. And that was that.No verbal thank-you, no written thank-you, no "here's a box of chocolates" thank-you. I didn't have time to call anyone on my latest found cell phone.I was pouring myself coffee when it started to shake and dance across the kitchen counter. "Who's this?" someone asked when I picked up. "Who's this?" I countered ."Sarah?" She was surprised at my knowing her name until she realized her name was on the credit card."Could you send them to me?" she asked. She lives in Arlington, which is 2 miles from my house. "Hmm, no, "I replied, adding that I thought she could come to get them, and that if I wasn't at home, they would be in my mailbox. A day later, when I was out for a run, someone got them back.There wasn't even a piece of paper put in the mailbox with "Thanks" on it.In this age of e-mail and cell phone, there's really no excuse.Years ago, I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street:a driver's license.I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me, so I called him up.He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door. "I guess I could, "I replied. And that was that. How did the writer know Sarah's name? A) From her telephone's phone book B) From her credit card C) From her e-mail D) From her driver's license
B
Q: Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps? In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal . The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it. In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the "Post Office Reforms" in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the "Penny Black" was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the "Penny Black". This is now the world's most famous stamp. This new system spread fast. The first stamp was made _ . A) more than 160 years ago B) more than two centuries ago C) less than 100 years ago D) about 100 years ago
A: A
(Q).
Barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak. Many people passed, but never did one person stop. The next day I decided to go back to the park, curious to see if the little girl would still be there. Right in the very spot as she was yesterday, she sat with the saddest look in her eyes. Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl. As we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I began walking towards her, I could see the back of the little girl's dress indicated a deformity . I smiled to let her know it was okay, I was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple "Hello". I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty. I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me and with a sad face said, "Because I'm different." I immediately said "That you are!" and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder. She said, "I know." She looked at me and smiled. Slowly she stood to her feet, and said, "Really?" "Yes, dear, you're like a little guardian angel sent to watch over all those people walking by." She nodded her head "yes" and smiled, and with that she spread her wings and said with a twinkle in her eye, "I am. I'm your guardian angel." I was speechless, sure I was seeing things. She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself, my job here is done." Immediately I stood to my feet and said, "Wait, so why did no one stop to help an angel!?" She looked at me and smiled, "You're the only one who could see me, and you believe it in your heart." ...and she was gone. And with that my life changed dramatically. So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you. Mine is! Which of the following statements is TRUE? A) The author smiled because he saw the girl was shy. B) The author had known that the girl was a real angel. C) The author believed that an angel was always watching him. D) The author decided to go back to the park because he was sure that the little girl would be there.
(A).
C