An old and very rich friend of mine told me he had an unpleasant experience. He went to a famous jewelry shop and asked to be shown some gold necklaces. After examining several minutes, he decided to buy a gold necklace with a precious diamond, and asked if he could pay by cheque (支票). The assistant said that was quite in order, but the moment my friend signed his name, he was invited into the manager's office. The manager was very polite, but he explained that someone with exactly the same name had given them a worthless cheque not long ago. My friend got very angry when he heard this and said that he would buy a diamond necklace somewhere else. When he got up to go, the manager told him that the police would arrive at any moment and he had better stay unless he wanted to get into serious trouble. Sure enough, the police arrived soon afterwards. They were polite, too, but explained that a person who had used the same name as his was responsible(负责任)for a number of recent robberies. Then the police asked my friend to copy out a note which had been used by the thief in a number of stores. The note read, “I have a gun in my pocket. Ask no question and give me all the money in the drawer.”

Luckily, my friend's handwriting was quite unlike the thief's. He was not only allowed to go without further delay，but also to take the diamond necklace with him.

21．Why was the man invited into the manager's office?

A. Because his handwriting was like a thief's.

B. Because a thief had used the same name as his.

C. Because he didn't sign his name correctly.

D. Because his cheque was different from others.

22．After the man heard what the manager said, he ________.

A. got very angry and left at once

B. went out to buy a diamond necklace somewhere else

C. insisted on staying until the police came

D. thought that he had nothing to do with the stealing

23．The police were polite, too, because ________.

A. they didn't think the man was a thief

B. the man was old and very rich

C. they were not sure whether the man was the thief they wanted

D. they doubted that the man was responsible for a number of recent robberies

24．Which of the following is suggested (暗示) in the passage?

A. Though the man had some trouble, he got the necklace without paying cash.

B. Nobody saw the man take the necklace with him.

C. The manager never thought an old man would be a thief.

D. The thief always stole things in famous jewelry shops.

Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity. I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary. I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper. After all, isn't accumulating memories a way of preserving(保存) the past?

When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand. The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows. I automatically took out my pen...

At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley. All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.

Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling. I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful. I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful. I'm no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old. I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future. I don't want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes. Maybe I won't have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I'll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me. I don't live to make memories — I just live, and the memories form themselves.

25．Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of ________.

A. observing her school routine

B. expressing her satisfaction

C. impressing her classmates

D. preserving her history

26．What caused a change in the author's understanding of keeping a diary?

A. A dull night on the journey.

B. The beauty of the great valley.

C. A striking quotation from a book.

D. Her concerns for future generations.

27．What does the author put in her diary now?

A. Notes and beautiful pictures.

B. Special thoughts and feelings.

C. Detailed accounts of daily activities.

D. Descriptions of unforgettable events.

28．The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is ________.

A. to experience it

B. to live the present in the future

C. to make memories

D. to give accurate representations of it

Café Hub

Next to the Castle lies The Hub, home of the Edinburgh International Festival and one of the most talked about spots in town. Our café is open every day for mouth­watering lunches, snacks and fine dining. Come in and enjoy the atmosphere of The Hub or watch the world go by from our beautiful terrace.

The Hub, Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh. Open every day from 9：30 a．m. till late.

Tel: 0131­473­2067

Website: www.thehub­edinburgh.com

Farm World

Enjoy being “A Farmer for a Day”. Join in delivering and feeding our spring babies — bottle feeding sessions twice daily. Fun for all family. Horse Rides, BMX Bikes Cross Country Course, Tractor Ride through 600 acres, New Adventure Playground, Nature Trails. Full details on website.

Open: May — Oct Wednesdays to Saturdays and daily during school holidays 11 a．m.—5 p．m.

Tel: 01797­260256/260321

Website: www.farmworld­rye.co.uk

Enter the Europe­wide student competition!

Are you curious, creative and energetic? Are you interested in the new media? Are you between 9 and 12 years of age? Then Join Multimedia 2009 is for you!

Your challenge will be to build a team and develop a multimedia presentation in English — based on one of three different topics. You can register (报名) between May 1 and June 15, 2009 and will have to turn in your entry before September 15, 2009.

The rewards are wonderful: ￡ 150, 000 in prize for schools and teams and the chance to attend a European student camp — plus new experiences, an opportunity to make friends throughout Europe!

For further information and registration forms go to: www. siemens, com/join multimedia.

29．You'll have to register first if you want ________.

A. to enjoy delicious food

B. to try Tractor Ride through 600 acres

C. to enter the Europe­wide student competition

D. to watch the world go by from the beautiful terrace

30．According to the passage, there will be________ rewards for the Europe­wide student competition.

A. only one          B. two        C. three          D. four

31．You can visit Farm World ________.

A. on Monday in May

B. any day in October

C. at 2 p．m. at Christmas

D. at 10：30 a．m. during school holidays

Can dogs and cats live in peace in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new way for success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.

However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while attacking and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals are just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals attack, while a dog doing the same signals admitting defeat. In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “dog”， and dogs can learn how to talk “cat”.

What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was previously thought. Once familiar with each other's presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.

The advantage of this research on cats and dogs may not only about pets — to people who don't get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.

32．The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.

A. early     B. sweetly    C. quickly     D. surprisingly

33．Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.

A. they are cold to each other

B. they look away from each other

C. they understand each other's signals in a wrong way

D. they are introduced at an early age

34．What is found surprising about cats and dogs?

A. They eat and sleep together.

B. They observe each other's behaviors.

C. They learn to speak each other's language.

D. They know something from each other's voices.

35. What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?

A. We should learn to live in peace.

B. We should know more about animals.

C. We should live in peace with animals.

D. We should learn more body languages.

Life comes in a package, which includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. __36__

Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on another face gives a certain level of fulfillment. __37__ Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary (暂时的)．

__38__ It helps us to succeed and teaches us to survive and shows us an exact way, while success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect. The only way to express our thanks for our success, achievements and happiness is to be respectful to the failure.

Hope is what keeps life going. __39__ Hope builds in patience.

__40__ Life also teaches us not to regret over yesterday, because it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. So the only alternative is to work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

A. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night, there is a day.

B. With each passing day we learn to deal with various situations.

C. Different people have different attitudes towards success and failure.

D. Hope makes us dream.

E. Failure is the path to success.

F. Never stop doing whatever you are fond of.

G. Only when we are in sorrow can we realize the true worth of happiness.