Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

    My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding（衬垫）onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

    I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

    I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

21. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

    A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

    B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

    C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

    D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.

22. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to _______.

    A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor

    B. meet her father who was already an old man

    C. join in the holiday celebration of the company

    D. finish her work before the deadline approached

23. The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.

    A. avoided        B. lacked           C. abandoned        D. took

24. What is the best title for the passage?

    A. The Emotional Well-being         B. The Two Saddest Words

    C. The Most Useful Rule              D. The Peace of Mind

STAY INFORMED WITH CITIZENS’ BANK!

   Are you a busy person who likes to stay on top of your finances? Then why do you waste your time constantly checking your bank account? Citizens’ Bank now offers a new service for you.

   With our new Automated Alert Service，Citizens’ Bank account holders can have important account information sent directly to their cell phone or email address. The type of information you’ll receive is up to you.

   •Be informed when your account balance drops below a certain level.

   •Receive notification (通知）when a specific check clears.

   •Find out instantly whenever a withdrawal is made.

   And at the end of the month, your complete bank statement will still be sent to you. With Automated Alerts, staying on top of your banking will be a lot easier. For more information, contact us at aas@citizens’ bank. net or drop by your nearest branch.

From：Robert Renfield robertyaho@nemo. com

To:Citizens’ Bank aas @citizens’ bank. net

Subject：An Inquiry of the Alert Service

Good afternoon，

   I am writing to request more information on your new Automated Alert Service，as advertised on your Website. I have had both personal and commercial accounts with Citizens’ Bank for many years. Often, I find it necessary to move money between accounts. Because of this, it is vital that I keep a close eye on the cash flow of all of my accounts，to assure that their balances stay above the required minimums. Therefore, I have been searching for an economical means of keeping better track of my finances. I was considering purchasing software for this purpose, but I think that your new service might be a convenient alternative.

   My first question concerns the timeliness of the notifications. When you say “instantly” ,does that relate only to banking hours? For example，if my wife were to use our debit card (借记卡）on a Sunday afternoon to make a transfer (转账）at an ATM, would I be informed via email instantly or on Monday morning? My second question is in regard to the information available in this service. Is it possible to be aware of any information in my monthly bank statement, such as interest on my savings account? Finally，I would like to know the cost of this service.

   Please send me this information as soon as possible. If necessary, you can contact me in the evenings at 225-782-0902.

   R. Renfield

25. What is Citizens’ Bank advertising?

A. A kind of checking account.

B. A way to bank over the phone.

C. A free hotline for new customers.

D. A service for account holders.

26. What is Mr Renfield’s relation to Citizens’ Bank?

A. He has had accounts with it for many years.

B. He is a member of its board of directors.

C. He recently opened a new account with it.

D. He used its Automated Alert Service.

27. Which of the following will be most important for Mr Renfield?

A. Receiving information directly on his cell phone.

B. Knowing when his balances drop to a certain level.

C. Being informed when a specific check clears.

D. Having his monthly bank statement sent to him.

    Have you ever wondered when dogs first became “man’s best friend” and the world’s favourite pet? If you have then you’re not alone. When and where dogs first began living side-side with humans are questions that have stirred hot debate among scientists. There are a few hard facts that all agree on. These include that dogs were once wolves and they were the first animal to be domesticated（驯养）by humans. They came into lives some 15000 years ago, before the dawn of agriculture.

    Beyond that, there is little agreement. The earliest bones found that are unquestionable dogs and not wolves date from 14,000 years ago. However, 30,000-year-old skulls have been discovered in France and Belgium that are not pure wolf and some scientists think could be dogs.

    With such puzzling evidence, many scientists are now turning to DNA to find out when and where dogs were first domesticated. In one research project, tens of thousands of blood samples have been taken from street dogs around the world. The plan is to compare them with those of wolves. It’s even possible to analyse DNA from ancient bones. Tiny pieces of the 30,000-year-old skulls mentioned earlier are currently being studied, and another DNA study has already shown that ancient dogs preserved in the Alaskan ice-fields evolved from Asian wolves, not American ones.

    Indeed, the ancient DNA may turn out to be more informative than the DNA of living dogs. Because dogs have accompanied humans around the world for thousands of years, their current distribution may tell us very little of their origins. This is why different groups of scientists believe that dogs variously originated in eastern Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Europe or Africa.

    But why were the animals domesticated in the first place? The most recent theory is that dogs domesticated themselves, initially living in and around our ancient villages to eat any food thrown out. Today, this is a way of life still shared by three-quarters of a billion unowned dogs worldwide.

28. Which is the only statement generally agreed on by scientists studying dogs?

A.They originally were used as farm animal

    B.They evolved from wolves found in Europe

    C.They helped the development of agriculture

    D.They were the first animal to be kept as pets

29. Why does the writer first mention the 30,000-year-old animals skulls?

    A.To show that dogs were much larger in the past

    B.To prove that dogs developed from Asian wolves

    C.To suggest that dogs may have evolved much earlier

    D.To argue that dogs were first kept in France and Belgium

30. How did scientists determine the origins of the ancient dogs found in Alaska?

    A.By examining the animals’ DNA       B.By analyzing the age of their bones

    C.By studying the shape of their skulls    D.By comparing them with modern dogs

31. Why did dogs start living with humans?

    A.Because they were attracted by food

    B.Because they were trapped by humans

    C.Because they couldn’t survive in the wild

    D.Because they were trained to protect villages

   Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown,an expert in human-computer interaction, it is a combination of the two.
   We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype(网络电话). He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
   Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
   Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
   Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.

32.In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.

A.build up his own reputation

B.laugh at his stupid friend

C.prove the GPS system is only garbage

D.describe an example of human error

33.With which of the following statement would Barry Brown most likely agree?

A.GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures.

B.We should introduce higher standard for the driving license.

C.Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.

D.Drivers’ GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.

34.What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?

A.Unconcerned             B.Prejudiced          C.Objective            D.Critical

35.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Driving with GPS can be difficult

B.Driving confusions can be caused by small screen

C.Driving without GPS should be much more convenient

D.GPS equipment in driving: to be deserted or improved?

   Theme park getaways are popular with families, but they sure aren’t cheap. Happily, there are some golden rules of ticket-buying that apply to pretty much every theme park, and they can help you chip away at the cost of tickets. 36

   •Buy tickets online.

   Never ever pay the walk-up ticket price at a theme park. 37 You’re guaranteed to save a significant sum—sometimes as much as $ 20 per ticket—even for same-day tickets.

   •Buy in advance.

   38  For instance，Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, slices off $25 per ticket when you make your purchase at least three days ahead.

  • 39

This one is a universal no-brainer. Single-day ticket prices at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio,are about 30 percent less than admission on Saturdays and Sundays. But the big bonus is that lines will be much shorter, allowing you to spend less time waiting in lines and more time having fun.

   •Go in the afternoon.

    40  For example, Hersheypark’s sunset tickets allow entry after 4 pm or 5 pm, depending on the day. You’ll still get between four to six hours of fun before the park closes,and you’ll pay up to 50 percent less than the full-day ticket price.

A.Avoid weekends.

B.Buy more tickets than you need.

C.Here are some ways to lower your theme park spending.

D.At larger parks，you’ll save money when you buy a package.

E.Instead, visit the theme park website and print out your tickets before you go.

F.Some parks offer deeply discounted tickets for visitors arriving later in the day.

G.Most theme parks offer a price cut if you buy tickets at least a few days before you arrive.