An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Smoudwater Canal is moving towards reopenling. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.

　　March 6th

　　Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.

　　Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book

　　More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson

　　London Canal Museum

　　12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT

　　www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi

　　Tel:020 77130836

　　21.When is the talk on James Brindley?

　　A. February 6th.

　　B. March 6th.

　　C. November 7th.

　　D. December 5th.

　　22. What is the topic of the talk in February?

　　A. The Canal Pioneers.

　　B. Ice for the Metropolis

　　C. Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands

　　D. An Update on the Cotsword Canals

　　23. Who will give the talk on the islands in the Thames.

　　A. Miranda Vickers

　　B. Malcolm Tucker

　　C. Chris Lewis

　　D. Liz Payne

　　B

　　The freezing Northeast hasn’t been a terribly fun place to spend time this winter, so when the chance came for a weekend to Sarasota, Florida, my bags were packed before you could say “sunshine”. I left for the land of warmth and vitamin C(维生素C), thinking of beaches and orange trees. When we touched down to blue skies and warm air, I sent up a small prayer of gratefulness. Swimming pools, wine tasting, and pink sunsets(at normal evening hours, not 4 in the afternoon) filled the weekend, but the best part- particularly to my taste, dulled by months of cold- weather root vegetables- was a 7 a.m. adventure to the Sarasota farmers’ market that proved to be more than worth the early wake-up call.

　　The market, which was founded in 1979, sets up its tents every Saturday from 7:00 am to 1 p.m, rain or shine, along North Lemon and State streets. Baskets of perfect red strawberries, the red-painted sides of the Java Dawg coffee truck; and most of all, the tomatoes: amazing, large, soft and round red tomatoes.

　　Disappointed by many a broken, vine-ripened(蔓上成熟的) promise, I’ve refused to buy winter tomatoes for years. No matter how attractive they look in the store, once I get them home they’re unfailingly dry, hard, and tasteless. But I homed in, with uncertainty, on one particular table at the Brown’s Grove Farm’s stand, full of fresh and soft tomatoes the size of my fist. These were the real deal- and at that moment, I realized that the best part of Sarasota in winter was going to be eating things that back home in New York I wouldn’t be experiencing again for months.

　　Delighted as I was by the tomatoes in sight, my happiness deepened when I learned that Brown’s Grove Farm is one of the suppliers for Jack Dusty, a newly opened restaurant at the Sarasota Ritz Carlton, where- luckily for me- I was planning to have dinner that very night. Without even seeing the menu, I knew I’d be ordering every tomato on it.

　　24. What did the author think of her winter life in New York?

　　A. Exciting. B. Boring. C. Relaxing. D. Annoying.

　　25. What made the author’s getting up late early worthwhile?

　　A. Having a swim.

　　B. Breathing in fresh air.

　　C. Walking in the morning sun.

　　D. Visiting a local farmer’s market.

　　26. What can we learn about tomatoes sold in New York in winter?

　　A. They are soft.

　　B. They look nice.

　　C. They taste great.

　　D. They are juicy.

　　27. What was the author going to that evening?

　　A. Go to a farm.

　　B. Check into a hotel.

　　C. Eat in a restaurant.

　　D. Buy fresh vegatables.

　　C

　　Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the most popular of modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L’Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist’s showman qualities.

　　The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.

　　The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities (无限). “From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras,” explains the Pompidou Centre.

　　The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作)with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

　　28. Which of the following best describe Dali according to Paragraph 1?

　　A. Optimistic.

　　B. Productive

　　C. Generous.

　　D. Traditional.

　　29. What is Dali’s The Persistence of Memory considered to be?

　　A. One of his masterworks.

　　B. A successful screen adaptation.

　　C. An artistic creation for the stage.

　　D. One of the beat TV programmes.

　　30. How are the exhibits arranged at the World of Dali?

　　A. By popularity.

　　B. By importance.

　　C. By size and shape.

　　D. By time and subject.

　　31. What does the word “contributions” in the last paragraph refer to?

　　A. Artworks.

　　B. Projects.

　　C. Donations.

　　D. Documents.

　　D

　　Conflict is on the menu tonight at the café La Chope. This evening, as on every Thursday night, psychologist Maud Lehanne is leading two of France’s favorite pastimes, coffee drinking and the “talking cure”. Here they are learning to get in touch with their true feelings. It isn’t always easy. They customers-some thirty Parisians who pay just under $2 (plus drinks) per session-care quick to intellectualize (高谈阔论)，slow to open up and connect. “You are forbidden to say ‘one feels,’ or ‘people think’,”Lehane told them. “Say ‘I think,’ ‘Think me’.”

　　A café society where no intellectualizing is allowed? It couldn’t seem more un-French. But Lehanne’s psychology café is about more than knowing oneself: It’s trying to help the city’s troubled neighborhood cafes. Over the years, Parisian cafes have fallen victim to changes in the French lifestyle-longer working hours, a fast food boom and a younger generation’s desire to spend more time at home. Dozens of new theme cafes appear to change the situation. Cafes focused around psychology, history, and engineering are catching on, filling tables well into the evening.

　　32.What are people encouraged to do at the cafe La Chope?

　　A. Learn a new subject

　　B. Keep in touch with friends.

　　C. Show off their knowledge.

　　D. Express their true feelings.

　　33. How are cafes affected by French lifestyle changes?

　　A. They are less frequently visited.

　　B. They stay open for longer hours.

　　C. They have bigger night crowds.

　　D. They start to serve fast food.

　　34. What are theme cafes expected to do?

　　A. Create more jobs.

　　B. Supply better drinks.

　　C. Save the cafe business.

　　D. Serve the neighborhood.