February 6th

　　An Update on the Cotswold Canals, by Liz Payne. The Stroudwater Canal is moving towards reopening. 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 info: 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 7713 0836

　　21.When is the talk on James Brindley?

　　A. November 7th. B. March 6th. C. February 6th. 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 Cotswold 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(維生素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.