Two traveling angels (天使) stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

  The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor but very hospitable (好客的) farmer. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.

  The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” “Why didn’t you watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused（指责）. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”

  “Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal（封口）the wall so he couldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

21. Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?

A. Because she didn’t like the greedy owner.

 B. Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.

 C. Because the basement was too cold to stay in.

 D. Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.

22. In paragraph two, the pair refers to _____________.

 A. the rich couple  B. the angels         C. the guests     D. the poor couple

Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.

How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they’ll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.

First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn’t.. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.

Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.

Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life.

25. Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way _______.

A. for you to make more and more new friends

B. to begin your business talks

C. to get the conversation going smoothly

D. for you to make a deep and lasting impression on others

26. After having asked somebody a question, it’ll be polite of you to _______.

A. make clear what kind of person he is            B. listen to his reply attentively

C. wait quietly and patiently for his answer         D. go on asking him more questions

27. Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who _______.

A. are good at making any topic interesting        

B. never talk too much or too little

C. always speak in a gentle way      

D. know how and when they should change the topic of the talk

28. If you really take delight in meeting someone again, _______.

A. you may take him as your lifelong trustworthy friend

B. it seems necessary for you to let him know it

C. it’s proper for you to give him a second handshake

D. it’ll be helpful for you to have further understanding of him

Europe is home to a variety of cultural treasures. Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide publisher, has offered pairs of cities for culture­hungry but time­poor travelers.

London and Paris

It takes you about two hours to travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, a high­speed railway service. The two capital cities have been competing in fashion, art and nightlife for decades－but each secretly looks up to the other.

No one can doubt the grand and impressive beauty of Paris' Louvre Museum, but if you want to save money, you cannot skip the British Museum free to visit.  Compared with London,  Paris has more outdoor attractions such as the beautiful green walkway La Promenade Plantee.

In Paris, you'll see diners linger over red wine. While in London, you can try some afternoon tea, eat fish and chips or salted cake.

Vienna and Bratislava

Austrian capital Vienna and Slovakia city Bratislava are an hour apart by train. But since they are linked by the Danube River, the best way to travel is by ship. A tour of the two cities is the perfect way to experience everything from 17th century’s Habsburg dynasty splendor to sci­fi restaurants.

Vienna is famous for Mozart and imperial palaces. You can appreciate the perfect blending of architecture and nature in the grand Schonbrunn Palace, and reward yourself with a cup of Vienna coffee, which has made its way to the world's cultural heritage list.

Bratislava is best known for its fine dining－the remarkable UFO restaurant. You can enjoy a meat­laden dinner here in an amazing setting.

29. What’s the relationship between London and Paris according to the text ?

  A. They help each other.　　　　　         B. They attack each other.

  C. They admire each other.                       D. They don't like each other.

30. What are the advantages of Paris mentioned in the article?

  a. The Louvre Museum                  b. Free access to museums

  c. More outdoor attractions            d. Better wines and perfumes

  A. ac　    　　　 B. cd 　　     　     C. acd 　　  　    D. bcd

31. Which of the cities should you choose if you are interested in sci­fi restaurants?

  A. London.        B. Paris.              C. Glasgow.         D. Bratislava.

32. Lonely Planet recommends these two pairs of cities because ________.

  A. they are not expensive to visit　　　    

B. they are best known to the world

  C. they are always enemies between each other 

  D. they are close but different in many aspects

 I was walking with a friend yesterday when I found a Xiao-Mi cell phone in a puddle of melted snow. I picked it up and it still worked! I started looking through the contact list and calling numbers to see if I could figure out whose phone it was. Unfortunately, only one person answered and she didn’t recognized the number that I was calling. She made a comment of “It is just so nice that you are trying to find out whose phone it is.”

Since that lady didn’t know whose phone it was, my friend suggested that we go back to the street and the house that we found the Xiao-Mi phone in front of. I knocked on the door and two college age people answered. They hadn’t lost their phones, but as I told them the story and mentioned some names on the contact list, the young man said that he had those names also and it must be the phone of one of their friends. Then, both of the people commented on how wonderful it was that I took the time to find the owner. I really didn’t have anything to say, because in my mind, I was just doing the right thing. I never considered keeping the phone—it wasn’t mine. I immediately tried to find the owner, because that is exactly what I would want someone to do if either I or my family members lost their phones.

Sometimes, helping others is just doing the right thing. And, it felt awesome when I found out it would get back to the owner. The best part was I didn’t say who I was—give a name, number —because doing the right thing felt awesome and was more than enough for me!

33.   The author made many calls with the cell phone he picked up to _________

A.      call the police                     B. call his friends for help

C.  find the phone’s owner             D. check whether the phone would work

34．How did the author finally find the owner?

A. He met a friend of the phone owner  

B. He put up a lost and found notice

   C. He called the persons on the contact list

   D. He met the owner of the phone who was searching along the street.

35．What made the author want to find the phone’s owner immediately?

   A. Fear of being laughed at by others   

B. The encouragement from his friend.

   C. The phone was very expensive      

D. His desirable way of the same situation he would meet.

For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping- watching TV and buying things by phone. _36__ In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys and many other things.

_37_ For example, the biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made $100 million. In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about $20 million a year to buy things through those channels.

In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day. Then the government allowed more teleshopping. Other channels can open for tele-business, including the largest American teleshopping company and a 24-hour teleshopping company. __38__

Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes. With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason, but at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping. __39__ Many Europeans usually worry about the quality of the things for sale on TV. Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.

__40__ They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell. They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person.

       A. Now teleshopping is starting in Europe.

       B. They call teleshopping “Junk on the air”.

       C. Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden.

       D. German businesses are hoping this new teleshopping will help them sell more things.

E. The need for high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be different from the American companies.

       F. Teleshopping is popular among people.

       G. German teleshopping business is controlled by American.