Red roses were her favorites; her name was also Rose. And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows. The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door. The card said, "Be my Valentine " , like all the years before. Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say, "I love you even more this year, than last year on this day. My love for you will always grow, with every passing year." She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear. She thought, he ordered roses in advance before this day. Her loving husband did not know that he would pass away. He always liked to do things early. Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine. She cut away some stems, placed them in a very special vase, and set the vase beside the picture of his smiling face. She would sit for hours in her husband's favorite chair, staring at his photo and the roses sitting there. A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate. Loneliness and solitude had become her fate. Then, the very hour, as on Valentine's Day before, the doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door. She brought the roses in, and just looked at them in shock. Then, she went to get the telephone to call the florist shop. The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain why someone would do this to her, causing her such pain. "I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago," the owner said, "I knew you'd call, and you would want to know. The flowers you received today were paid for in advance. Your husband always planned ahead. He left nothing to chance." "There is a standing order that I have on file down here. And he has paid, well in advance; you'll get them every year. There is also another thing that I think you should know. He wrote a special little card ... he did this years ago." "Then, should ever, I find out that he's no longer here. That's the card ... that should be sent to you the following year." She thanked him and hung up the phone ,her tears now flowing hard. Her... What can we know about Rose's husband when he was alive? A) He knew his wife loved roses more than himself. B) He preferred to make arrangements ahead of time. C) He gave his wife a pleasant surprise every Valentine's Day. D) He was so busy that he had to order roses in advance each year.
B

Fed up with huge mortgage payments, Simon Dale decided to take matters into his own hands.    Armed with only a chisel, a chainsaw and a hammer, the 32-year-old moved his family to a hillside in Wales and started digging.    The result is a wooden eco-home - constructed in four months and costing just PS3,000 - which would look perfectly at ease alongside the Hobbit houses in The Lord Of The Rings.    Mr Dale, who has no experience in carpentry or architecture, created his sustainable family home using scrap wood for floors, materials scavenged from skips and by diverting water from a nearby spring.    He said: "Being your own have-a-go architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass-produced box designed for maximum profit and the convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers' profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic  poisons that fill most modern buildings.    The family struck lucky searching for a site for their dream project. In return for looking after the area, the owner of the woods gave them their plot for free.    After digging into the hillside, Mr Dale - with the help of his father-in-law, a builder - first constructed the building's timber frame.    The roof, which came next, has a layer of straw bales for insulation and is covered with sheets of plastic to make it waterproof. Finally it is covered with a layer of earth, which ensures the house blends perfectly into its surroundings.    Once the outer shell was complete, the family made an interior wall from straw bales stacked on dry-stone walling and staked together with hazel sticks.    As well as being made from sustainable material the Hobbit house, as it is dubbed by locals, has lime plaster on its walls instead of cement, a compost toilet, a fridge cooled by air from beneath the foundations and solar panels for power. The owner of the woods gave the Simons the plot for free because   _ A) the plot was deserted and was worth nothing. B) he was deeply struck by their dream project. C) The home to be built resembled the Hobbit house a lot. D) The Simons promised to take care of the area.
D

Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit. He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat with Tom. "What time is your bus?" asked John. "Oh, there is plenty of time yet," answered Tom. "Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John. They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going back-ward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John. Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then. What time was it in fact when he looked at the clock in the mirror? A) Half past twelve. B) Half past eleven. C) Twenty to twelve. D) Half past one.

A