question: McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald is now (or so the company claims) the word's most recognized person after Santa Claus.

The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard "Dick" McDonald. Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and efficient service.

After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954, the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m(PS44m). Dick remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.

Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality surrounds Kroc (who died in 1984) at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac (1968) and the Egg McMuffin (1973); and helped launch Ronald McDonald ---- "in any language he means fun" ---- on to television in 1963.

Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including India (vegetarian-only to avoid offending the non-beef-eating populace) and Israel (non kosher, despite fierce local objection). McDonald's chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff mottoes such as "If you've got time to lean, you've go time to clean."
1. In what state was the first McDonald's opened?
2. In what city?
3. In what year?
4. Was the restaurant founded by brothers?
5. What is one of their names?
6. And the other's name?
7. Did he have a nickname?
8. What was it?
9. What part of the restaurant did he run?
10. What facet of the business did Mac run?
11. What kind of lights did they use in their advertising?
12. How much money in yearly sales does the restaurant have?
13. Who is the company's mascot?
14. Is he compared to a character associated with Christmas?
15. Which one?
16. In what year did Kroc buy McDonald's?
17. What was his first name?
18. What kind of work did he do before McDonald's?
19. What kind?
20. In what year was the Big Mac introduced?
****
answer: 1. California
2. San Bernardino
3. 1948
4. Yes
5. Mac
6. Richard McDonald.
7. yes
8. Dick
9. marketing
10. restaurant side
11. neon lights
12. $12.4bn
13. Ronald McDonald
14. yes
15. Santa Claus.
16. 1955
17. ray
18. Salesman
19. kitchen equipment
20. 1968

question: Like most cultures around the world, the Zulu people of Africa tell stories that have animals as heroes. These stories are meant to have fun, but they are also used to teach important lessons to children. This is one of those stories. One hot afternoon, Jackal was walking along the rocky road sniffing the ground. He was hoping to smell a mouse or a lizard , or something else that would be good to eat. He was so much lost in sniffing that he wasn't really paying attention to what was around himself. Suddenly, Jackal looked up to see his neighbor, Lion, walking straight toward him. He did not have enough time to run way. Jackal had played many tricks on Lion over the years, so he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught. Jackal needed to think of something quickly. "Help! Help!" cried Jackal as he quickly jumped upon a large rock hanging over the road. "The rocks are falling down, and I can't hold them much longer. We shall both be crushed if you do not do your best to hold these rocks back, Lion" At once, Lion pushed his strong shoulder against the rocks to keep them from moving any further. "I'll just run over here to get something to stop the rocks." shouted Jackal as he ran way to safety. Lion stayed _ against the unmoving rocks for quite a long time before he realized that Jackal had tricked him yet again!
1. Are there animals here?
2. Such as?
3. Anything else?
4. What was the sneaky one doing at first?5. For what purpose?
6. Like what?
7. What time of day was it?
8. Was it cold?
9. Why was the sneaky one worried about the tough one?
10. Why?
11. Where does this story come from?
12. Are they strictly for enjoyment?
13. What else then?
14. Are there dangerous boulders?
15. Why does the tough one push a boulder?
16. Would they have fallen otherwise?
17. Why not?
18. What body part did he use to push it?
19. Did he realize right away he'd been duped?
20. What did the sneaky one say he was doing when he sprinted off?
****
answer:
1. yes
2. a Jackal
3. a lion
4. sniffing the ground.
5. he was looking for something to eat
6. a mouse or a lizard
7. afternoon
8. it was hot
9. he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught
10. he had played many tricks on him over the years
11. the Zulu people of Africa
12. no
13. to teach important lessons to children
14. yes
15. to keep them from moving any further.
16. no
17. it was a trick
18. his shoulder
19. no
20. I'll just run over here to get something to stop the rocks.