The farmer and the stork After the long winter, the farmers finally began planting their fields. This made the birds very glad, for now there would be millions of seeds to steal! While some of the birds were careful, the cranes were daring ; they stole seeds from right under the farmers' noses. The cranes considered stealing is fun, and that morning they asked a simple-minded stork to come along for the fun. The stork went along, not knowing what the cranes were up to. But the party ended unexpectedly when the birds all got caught in the trap of the farmer's net, who had set the trap for just that purpose. When the farmer discovered the birds in his trap, the stork asked for mercy . "Please, Farmer, sir, I am a stork. I come from a good family that is honest and true. I went along with the cranes, but I had no idea they were going to steal from you," the bird said. "You may come from a good family, but I caught you with the birds who were stealing. So you will receive the same punishment!" replied the farmer. You are judged by the company that you keep. The farmer set the trap in order to _ . A) catch the birds B) hunt birds for food C) punish the stork D) warn the cranes of danger
A
Welcome to Franklin Hotel. To make you stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities to the full. Dining Room: Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Also the room staff may bring breakfast to your room at any time after 7 a.m. If this happens, please fill out a card and hang outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch is from 12 to 2:30 p. m. Dinner is from 7:30 to 9 p. m. Room Service: This operates 24 hours a day; phone the Reception desk , and your message will be passed on to the staff. Telephones: To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected. We apologized for delays if the lines are very busy. There are also public telephones near the Reception desk. Tell Reception if early calls are needed. Shop: The hotel shop is open for presents, gifts and goods from 9 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. Laundry : We have a _ in the building, and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours, ask the room staff to collect them. Bar : The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p. m. and 7 p. m. to 1 a. m. Banking : The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange any foreign money for you. You would see this notice _ . A) in a hotel bar B) in a hotel dining room C) in a bedroom of a large international hotel D) at the entrance of a small family hotel
C
Q: Beijing: prefix = st1 /Qinghai- Tibet Railway was unfolded to the public on Monday. From July 1 the service will cost a minimum of 389 yuan(hard seat) and take about 48 hours from Beijing to Lhasa. A hard sleeper(bottom bed) will cost 813 yuan, and a soft sleeper(bottom bed)1,262 yuan. The fare for an air ticket is about 2,540 yuan. Trains will run to and from Lhasa in three directions: through Beijing, chengdu/Chongqing and Xining/Lanzhou New York: The aid group Save the Children says that African nations south of the Sahara are among the worst places to be a mother. The group examined the quality of life for mothers in 110 countries. It found that Northern European nations such as Swedenwere at the top of the list. Many African nations were at the bottom. The group said the study shows that the quality of children's lives is linked to the health and education of their mothers. UK: the world's costliest city MOSCOW is this year's most expensive city for big consumers in the world, a study released by British human resources firm _ suggests. Seoul was in second place, followed by Tokyo - which topped the list in 2005, when the Russian capital was in fourth position - then Hong Kong andLondon. The findings were based on prices for 200 goods and services, especially housing, transport, food, clothing and entertainment. In the 144 cities surveyed, Beijing andShanghairanked 14th and 20th. The train trip from Xining to Lhasawill take you_hours and_yuan. A) 48; no more than 389 B) less than 48; ; less than 1262 C) less than 48; ;2540 D) more than 48; not more than 1262
A: B
My mother celebrates her 90th birthday today. She has asked me to keep it a secret and tell people she is only 89. For some reason she seems to think this sounds better. We really have our share of disagreements, but on this one I stand firm: I think 90 sounds pretty fantastic. My mother says she never thought she would live this long. She was weak and had two near fatal illnesses under the age of 12. And then there was the fear of cancer. Her mother died of breast cancer when my mother was just 17, at a time when there was no such thing as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When I was 17 years old, I was worried that my life would parallel hers. I never shared my fears. Instead I would lie awake at night in my bed with the yellow and orange flowered bedspread she had made for me, counting how much time we had left together. What I didn't know until years later was that she had had the same fear. She told me how she would write away for every piece of information she could find on how to prevent the fatal disease until my father made her stop. He told her she had to relax and stop worrying so much. She was going to be OK. He was right. And one October, many years into the future, we would celebrate her 90th birthday. My mother is the reason I live the life I do. Her fierceness and independence was how I learned to walk the path I have chosen. She was always a forward thinker, reading up on what's new and willing to try something different. She taught me kindness and to look out for those less fortunate than us. When Dad died far too young, my mother was the one who sat me down the afternoon after the funeral and told me life would go on, and that as hard as it was to imagine, I would be happy again. She helped me to understand that death was a part of life we could never escape and we must learn to accept it. Our roles have changed in recent years. She turns to me for help now. She asks me what to do. She is the one to call me when she is worried or concerned or needs help with something. I am the one who... The author's mother never thought she could live a long life because of . A) her bad temper B) her unhealthy diet C) her unhappy family D) her poor health and her mother's death
D