They say money doesn't grow on trees. But it certainly appears to do so on the mysterious coin-studded trunks dotted around the UK's woodland. The strange phenomenon of old trees with coins fixed firmly all over their bark has been spotted on trails from the Peak District to the Scottish Highlands. The coins are usually knocked into felled tree trunks using stones by passers-by, who hope it will bring them good fortune. These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time. The tradition of making offerings to gods at wishing trees dates back hundreds of years, but _ . It used to be believed that god's spirits lived in trees, and they were often decorated with sweets and gifts -- as is still done today at Christmas. The act is like tossing money into ponds for good luck, or the trend for couples to attach "love padlocks" to bridges and fences to symbolize lasting romance. Some pubs, such as the Punch Bowl in Askham, Cumbria, have old timbers with splits in them into which coins are forced for luck. There are seven felled tree trunks with coins pushed into them in the picturesque village of Portmeirion, in Wales. Meurig Jones, an estate manager at the tourist destination, told the BBC, "We had no idea why it was being done when we first noticed the tree trunk was being filled with coins. I did some detective work and discovered that trees were sometimes used as 'wishing trees'. In Britain it dates back to the 1700s -- there is one tree somewhere in Scotland which apparently has an old coin stuck into it. " He said that a sick person could press a coin into a tree and their illness would go away. If someone then takes the coin out though, it's said they then become ill. We haven't made it known at all, it's just happened," he added. "It's quite amazing really." In Scotland, there is also a legend about a kissing tree. If a young man could drive a nail into a tree with one blow, he earned a kiss from his sweetheart. What was the real reason why in UK people knocked coins into the old trees? A) It was hoped that it would bring them good future and make the trees more beautiful. B) Nobody knew why there was such a strange custom that it could make them lucky. C) It might come from the tradition of making offerings to gods hundreds of years ago. D) It was said that god's spirits lived in trees and doing so could please the gods of the trees.
C
Even bird brains can get to know an entire continent ----- but it takes them a year of migration to do so, suggests a Princeton research team. The scientists have shown that migration adult sparrows can find their way to their winter nesting grounds even after being thrown off course by thousands of miles. The team first brought 30 sparrows to Princeton from northern Washington State, where the birds had been in the process of migrating southward from their summer breeding grounds inprefix = st1 /Alaska. Half the birds were juveniles of about three months in age that had never migrated before, while the other half were adults that had made the round trip to their wintering site in the south-western United States at least once. After the birds were released, they attempted to resume their migration, but both age group grew disoriented quickly. "All the birds scattered at first," Wikelski said. "It was clear that they were turned around for a couple of days. But while the adults eventually realized they had to head southwest, the younger birds resumed flying straight southward as though they were still in Washington." "The adults," said team member Richard Holland, "recovered their bearings because they possess something the younger birds do not, which is an internal map." "These birds need two things to know where they are and migrate effectively: a 'map' and a 'compass'," saidHolland, a postdoctoral research associate in Wikelski's lab. "What we've found is that juveniles use their compass, but the adults also use their map." Hollandsaid, "The birds do not lose the compass as they age, but somehow develop the map, eventually applying both tools to keep on track during migratory flights. Scientists already have determined that the compass is based on the sun or the magnetic field, but where the map comes from remains a mystery----one that the team will be exploring in coming years." Scientists are still not sure _ . A) what guides sparrows in their migratory flights B) what a 'compass' is based on C) what a 'map' is based on D) in what way magnetic field can help sparrows in their flight
C
(Question)
More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less--and liking it Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel.Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets. "Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No," says Ms.Giddens, "This is a phenomenon that's fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do.If their base is being damaged, what's the payoff?" Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job. Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make."You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is," Ms.Robin says, "You tend not to use things up.You cook at home rather than eat out..." Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks."It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids," she says, "Simplicity is not just about saving money; it's about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music." Mrs.Luhrs now edits a magazine,Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less. "It's not about poverty," Mrs.Luhrs explains, "It's about conscious living and creating the life you want.The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn." Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to _ . A) pay off the debt B) start a private hotel C) cut down expenses D) buy living necessities
(Answer)
B