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1. Qualificiation is like this: The very top teams automatically qualify, and the couple of teams below them go into an early playoff with teams from other nations to see who gets in. In the top leagues, such as Italy and England, the top 2 teams automatically go into the Champions League. The third and fourth teams go into a playoff and compete with third- and fourth-placed teams from other leagues for a few remaining spots. Not every leagues has 4 Champs Leagues spots. In Germany, for example, only the top 3 teams are eligible.
2. The Champs League season qualifying (for third- and fourth-placed teams) begins a little bit before the major leagues start. That's why big teams like AC Milan would definitely rather finish 2nd than 3rd, so they don't have to rush their players back for the early rounds of the Champions League. The Champs League proper's schedule runs along the same lines as the major European leagues, from about September to May. After the group stages, there's a winter break, when they stop playing for a couple of months. They pick up again when the weather is better.
3. If there's a tie over two games, away goals count more. For example, last week Manchester United beat AC Milan at home, 3x2. That means AC Milan has 2 away goals. If AC Milan wins at home 1x0 or 2x1, the aggregate score would be ties 3x3 or 4x4, but Milan would go to the final on the basis of having scored more away goals. A clearer example: A few years ago, Milan and Inter played in the semifinal. They tied 0x0 when Milan was the home team and 1x1 when Inter was the home team, meaning the aggregate over the two legs was 1x1 and Milan went through because it had scored an away goal.
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