阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题（请注意每题词数要求）。

1

The year 2012 has one extra day in it—February 29th. Why does this happen？ Well， it actually takes the planet earth a little more than 365 days to revolve （转动） completely around the sun. After four years an extra 24 hours have accumulated so an extra day is added to the calendar.

It is called a leap year because hundreds of years ago in England， the extra day wasnt legally recognized. The British just leapt over that day. Therefore a year with 29 days in February is consequently called a leap year and the 29th day is sometimes called leap day. If you are born on February 29th in a leap year， there is difficulty in celebrating your birthday. So people tend to celebrate on either 28th February or 1st March every year.

There is a well-known tradition in the UK associated with 29th February， introduced many centuries ago. Women are allowed to break with tradition and propose （求婚） to their boyfriends on this day. This all started back in the 5th century， when a famous Irish saint， Bridget， complained to Saint Patrick， another famous Irish saint， that women had to wait too long for men to propose. According to the legend， Saint Patrick said any female longing for a proposal could ask their boyfriends to marry them on this additional day in February.

Now there are calls for 29th February to become a public holiday. Some people believe that it should be an official day off， because no one gets paid for working in a leap day. For the moment though， the British still have to go to work on this day.

1. What year is called a leap year？ （within 7 words）

2. Why is the year called “a leap year”？ （within 10 words）

3. How long does it take the planet earth to revolve completely around the sun？ （within 6 words）

4. What will happen if one is born on February 29th？ （within 7 words）

5. Why do people think 29th February should be an official day off？ （within 10 words）

2

Job interview is a skill that can be learned and the key lies in the “three-ps” of planning， practice and preparation. Here are some tips on making a successful interview.

Prepare as well as you possibly can， search the web and research the background of the company and the people who you think are going to be interviewing you. Learn exactly what it is that they do and exactly how you would fit in with the company. Most importantly， try to understand the “culture” of the company. Understand a little of what their competitors are doing. This will show you where their position in the market is.

Just as important is your own personal preparation. Think about the key things you want to communicate and why you would be ideal for the job. Think about you can sound enthusiastic， without sounding desperate； now you can sell yourself. If they ask you a question， such as “tell me about your cv （简历）”， and you cant do it fluently， you will find the interviewers will lose interest and you wont get the job.

During the interview， be a very good listener and if you can find some common ground with your interviewers， you will have a big advantage over your competitors. The interview is basically an interaction between two people， so how you come across as a person is of upmost importance. As soon as you enter the company building， make sure everyone you meet is left with the impression that you are a pleasant person.

Generally wear a suit and tie， but it does depend on the job you are going for. You should have discovered， when you studied the company culture， what is expected. For media companies， for example， being smart but casual might be the style they want.

It is natural if you are nervous， in fact it is a good sign； it shows you are taking the interview seriously. However， try to avoid nervous mannerisms， such as tapping your foot or playing with your hair. Positive body language is important， so adopt a good posture. If you slouch （无精打采地坐） in your chair， the interviewer will think you could be sloppy （懒散的） in your work as well. Positivity is essential in all aspects of your interview.

6. Why is it necessary to know a little about the companys competitor？ （within 10 words）

7. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about？ （within 6 words）

8. How can you have an advantage over your competitors during the interview？ （within 12 words）

9. What should you wear if you want to apply for a media company？ （within 10 words）

10. What does the author think is most important in the interview according to the last paragraph？ （within 3 words）

3

I travel a lot in my work， and what I dislike about my job is eating alone. It always makes me feel lonely to see others laughing and talking. So， room service for several nights was a better choice for me.

After having room service three nights at a hotel in Houston， however， I needed to get out of my room. Although the restaurant opened at 6：30 pm， I arrived at 6：25 pm. The waiter at the front desk made a comment （评论） about my “being there really early”. I explained my dislike of eating alone in restaurants. He then seated me at a lovely table and asked me whether I would mind if he sat down with me for a while.

I was glad！ He sat and talked with me about his career goals and the difficulty of being at work on nights， weekends and holidays. He said he hadnt enough time to be with his family. After 15 minutes， he saw some customers at the front desk and excused himself. I noticed that before he went to the front desk， he stopped in the kitchen for a moment.

Then another waiter came out of the kitchen and had a wonderful chat with me. Before I left that night， some other waiters， even the cook， had come out of the kitchen and sat with me！

When I asked for my bill about one hour later， all the people who had sat down with me came over in a big group to my table， and presented me with a red rose. And I cried！ What had begun as a lonely night ended as a beautiful experience.

11. Why did the author ask for room service？ （within 11 words）

12. How did the waiter feel when he saw the author come in at 6：25 pm？ （1 word ）

13. According to Paragraph 3， what was the waiters difficulty of his work？ （within 10 words）

14. Why did other waiters chat with the author that night？ （within 7 words）

15. Why did the author cry？ （within 9 words）

4

Sam， a dog， was left behind in Colorado while his owners， Mr and Mrs Green moved to Southern California. They did not give the dog up. They found him a very nice home before they moved. They would have let Sam accompany them， but they were afraid the dogs presence would make it difficult for them to rent a house when they reached their destination.

The Green family lived in Colorado for less than a year. Before that， they had lived in the same neighborhood in California to which they returned. So Sam had been there before， but only for a short time when he was young.

Several months after the Greens left Colorado， after they were comfortably settled back in California， they heard a scratch at the door. They couldnt imagine who might be there. It never occurred to them that it might be Sam， because they were sure he was happily set up with his new family back in Colorado. When they opened the door， the Greens saw a dirty， tired dog with very hurting feet. The animal looked a little bit like Sam， but no one could believe that Sam could have walked 840 miles on his own. The tired dog spent the night under the family car. The next day， when he was more rested， he performed some of his old tricks. The Greens knew they had their own dog back.

16. Why did the Green send Sam away before they moved？ （within 12 words）

17. Where did the Green live before they came to Colorado？ （within 2 words）

18. How did the Green feel when they saw Sam outside their door？ （1 word）

19. Why did Sam appear in a dirty look and with hurting feet？ （within 8 words）

20. Why could Sam find his home in California？ （within 6 words）

5

Two traveling angels 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 mansions guest room. Instead the angels were given a small 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 arent always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor， but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good nights 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 sole income， lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen？ The first man had everything， yet you helped him， she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything， and you let the cow die.

“Things arent always what they seem，” the older angel replied.

“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion， I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune， I sealed the wall so he wouldnt find it.”

“Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed， the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things arent always what they seem.”

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things dont turn out the way they should. If you have faith， you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until sometime later.

21. What was the first family like who the angels stayed with？ （within 3 words）

22. Where were the angels asked to stay in the first family？ （within 4 words）

23. Why did the farmer and his wife cry？ （within 3 words）

24. Why did the angel repair the wall for the wealthy family？ （within 11 words）

25. What is the authors advice？ （within 3 words）

17. Where did the Green live before they came to Colorado？ （within 2 words）

18. How did the Green feel when they saw Sam outside their door？ （1 word）

19. Why did Sam appear in a dirty look and with hurting feet？ （within 8 words）

20. Why could Sam find his home in California？ （within 6 words）

5

Two traveling angels 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 mansions guest room. Instead the angels were given a small 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 arent always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor， but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good nights 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 sole income， lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen？ The first man had everything， yet you helped him， she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything， and you let the cow die.

“Things arent always what they seem，” the older angel replied.

“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion， I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune， I sealed the wall so he wouldnt find it.”

“Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed， the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things arent always what they seem.”

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things dont turn out the way they should. If you have faith， you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until sometime later.

21. What was the first family like who the angels stayed with？ （within 3 words）

22. Where were the angels asked to stay in the first family？ （within 4 words）

23. Why did the farmer and his wife cry？ （within 3 words）

24. Why did the angel repair the wall for the wealthy family？ （within 11 words）

25. What is the authors advice？ （within 3 words）

17. Where did the Green live before they came to Colorado？ （within 2 words）

18. How did the Green feel when they saw Sam outside their door？ （1 word）

19. Why did Sam appear in a dirty look and with hurting feet？ （within 8 words）

20. Why could Sam find his home in California？ （within 6 words）

5

Two traveling angels 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 mansions guest room. Instead the angels were given a small 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 arent always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor， but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good nights 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 sole income， lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen？ The first man had everything， yet you helped him， she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything， and you let the cow die.

“Things arent always what they seem，” the older angel replied.

“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion， I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune， I sealed the wall so he wouldnt find it.”

“Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed， the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things arent always what they seem.”

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things dont turn out the way they should. If you have faith， you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until sometime later.

21. What was the first family like who the angels stayed with？ （within 3 words）

22. Where were the angels asked to stay in the first family？ （within 4 words）

23. Why did the farmer and his wife cry？ （within 3 words）

24. Why did the angel repair the wall for the wealthy family？ （within 11 words）

25. What is the authors advice？ （within 3 words）