A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old and his face was wrinkled, and that was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field. "John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn butter and we shall never want for anything." "That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside. Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street of the town looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat. "Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!" "She's a very good cow," said the farmer. "Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her." The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money, "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige , my friends!" Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!" But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes . He stopped and listened -- Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dee. "Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!!" "I'll sell them to you," said the piper. "Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them." "You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend." Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away. "Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children instead of giving him pennies laughed at him. The day was chilly and in trying... What's Mrs.Vinegar's feeling after she knew the fact? A) Sad B) Calm C) Happ D) Angry
A
A Frenchman was once traveling in England. He could not speak English at all. One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came up, he opened his mouth, put his finger in his mouth and took it out. He wanted to showed, "Bring me something to eat." The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The man shook his head and put his finger in and out of his mouth again. The waiter understood him and took the tea away. In a moment he came back with a cup of coffee. But the man refused it. He shook his head again and again whenever the waiter brought him something to drink, for drinks were not food. When the Frenchman was going away, he saw another foreigner came in. This new comer saw the waiter, and put his hand on his stomach(,). That was enough. In a few minutes there was a large plate meat and vegetables on the table in front of him. The Frenchman signed to the waiter _ . A) to show he was thirsty B) to tell him bring a cup of tea C) to refuse the coffee D) to ask him for some food
D
Q: Poor weather. Technical difficulties. These are some of the typical causes of cancelled trains and planes. But sometimes, the excuse can be a lot more _ . Just recently, passengers waiting for a train to Peterborough heard the following announcement, "For reasons beyond our control, we regret to inform passengers that the 13:46 Train to Peterborough has been cancelled. The next train will be arriving on Platform in approximately 36 minutes." Oh, well, another delayed train, thought most passengers. But a couple of them decided to enquire further. Incredibly, they were informed that the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet. "A wet seat? That's got to be a joke," said one passenger angrily. "I wouldn't normally complain if the train is just a bit delayed, but this was unbelievable, " he added. "What really made me angry is that this driver refused to get in the train," said another passenger. "He probably went off for a cup of tea after that!" she added. A spokesperson for the rail company apologized for the incident, but said the driver couldn't sit on the damp seat, and wouldn't be able to drive the train standing up. The spokesperson went on to explain that the seat had become wet after water entered through an open window when the train was being cleaned in a "train wash" In another transport-related incident, a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Canada after the pilot spilled his coffee. Apparently, the spilt liquid caused the plane's radio to send out "transponder code 7500", which is used to inform ground control that there's been a hi-jacking . After landing in Toronto, the 255 passengers crew members were put up in a hotel for the night, then flown on to Frankfurt the following afternoon. "What a disgusting trip!" said one tired passenger after the painful experience had ended. So, does your job have the potential to cause such disorder? Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A) Wet seat, Canceled Train! B) Spilled Coffee, Emergency Landing! C) Small Incident, Big Disruptions! D) Innocent Driver, Angry Passengers!
A: C
It is commonly known that Japan went from a 19th century national economy to a 20th century global economy in a time span of 30 years between 1945 and 1975. What is less known is that Japan, understanding that fast, efficient transport was the key to a global economy, was the first country in the world to introduce the "Bullet Train". Kawasaki Heavy Industries was duly appointed the manufacturer and the first high speed train went "on line" in 1964. The Shinkansen, as is known in Japan, made its first journey between her capital and Osaka, a distance of 301 miles, at a speed of 132 mph. The next country to introduce high speed trains was France. SNGF, the public rail system in France, was losing passengers to other forms of transport and introduced the "TGV" (Train a Grande Vitesse) to counteract the trend in 1981. As a result of Opec controlling the oil market in 1974, the train was designed to be powered by gas turbines. It ran on a specially built track between Lyon and Paris. Eight years later another TGV was introduced, this time between the coast and Paris. Soon, France became the most rail efficient country in the world with high speed train connections to Belgium, London, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands. There was another positive element that resulted from the introduction of high speed trains. Between 1964 and 1991, Japan's Shinkansen had transported in excess of three billion passengers without there being a single fatal accident and eleven years after France introduced the TGV, it still had a 100% safety record. This statistic has never been equaled by the traditional slow moving trains in any country. China has become the fourth country to produce such trains, after France, Germany and Japan. China's first domestically produced bullet train with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour has rolled off the production line. Equipped with highly-efficient power system, the currently fastest train in China is also energy efficient. When the train is running, it can transfer kinetic... Which of the following advantage(s) belongs to bullet train? A) Speedy and energy-wasting. B) Slow but secure. C) Fast and safe. D) Crowded and expensive.
C