24. Under the old system the poor had frequently been compelled to refuse letters ________.��

　　A. because they could not afford to pay the high postage rates which had to be paid on receipt of a letter��

　　B. unless the charge on them was less than four pence��

　　C. although rates varied according to the distance letters were carried��

　　D. because many of them had left their homes to seek work elsewhere

　　25. The new postal scheme was adopted by every civilized country in the world ________.

　　A. because it enabled the poor, as well as the rich, to exchange news��

　　B. as a tribute to the wisdom and vision of its promoter��

　　C. since the scheme, in addition to its convenience, had proved financially successful��

　　D. a hundred years after its adoption by the English

　　Passage Two

　　��Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.

　　��We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?”“And Paul-why didn't I pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.��

　　Why do we go wrong about our friends——or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You're a lucky dog.” Is he really on your side? If he said, “You're a lucky guy” or “You're a lucky gal,” that's being friendly. But “l(fā)ucky dog”? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.��

　　“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.��

　　How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says quare with(符合) the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.��

　　26. In the first paragraph, the writer recalls some things that happened between him and his friends. He ________.��

　　A. feels happy, thinking of how nice his friends were to him��

　　B. feels he may not have “read” his friends' true feeling correctly��

　　C. is sorry that his friends let him down��

　　D. thinks it was a mistake to have broken up with his girl friends, Helen