Countess Nicolette de Gobignon pressed a wet cloth tothe King's brow. Though he lay there helpless, still she found him an awesome figure, like a fallen cathedral tower. Only two other men are as tall, she thought. Amalric and Orlando. She felt a pang of guilt. How could she be thinking about the troubadour here where her royal master lay slowly dying? She fixed her eyes on Louis, and on the ivory and wood crucifix that rose and fell on his chest with his labored breathing. Nicolette felt as if she, too, could hardly breathe. Across the crowded room a fire roared in a huge stone-lined fireplace. The air was stifling. She resented all that made it so, down to the woolen draperies and wall hangings and the thick carpets that sealed in the heat. But she knew that this northern chateau, Pontoise-les-Noyons, a day's ride from Paris, had had to be built to withstand cold, its walls thick and its windows tiny ? so totally unlike the bright, airy Languedoc manor she had grown up in. Sweat trickled down her brow and stung her eyes. Her breath was coming in little gasps. She felt as if she would faint if she couldn't go outside soon. Dozens of people, the King's family and courtiers, had packed themselves uselessly into the room, making it even more suffocating. Their whispers, like the buzzing of mosquitoes, irritated Nicolette. Almost all of them, she was sure, worried more about their own welfare than about the King's. And even Louis's wife and mother, though they grieved for him, were too distracted to do much to alleviate his suffering. She saw the King's lips quiver, and quickly she bent close to him. Any last words could be terribly important. "Jerusalem," he mumbled. "Towers - golden. Gates of pearl. Crystal waters." Then he panted heavily. "Hush, sire," she whispered. "Rest easy." How long was everyone in the same room? Pick the correct answer from the following options: A. A day B. An hour C. not enough information D. Several hours
B

WHITE HOUSE White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant days ago, told reporters on Monday that "calls for harassment and a push for any Trump supporter to avoid the public is unacceptable." She was referring to comments from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who previously has called for President Donald Trump's impeachment. Waters told supporters, "If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them, and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere." The most prominent Democrat in the House of Representatives, however, disagreed with Walters. "Trump's daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable," Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said on Twitter on Monday. "As we go forward, we must conduct elections in a way that achieves unity from sea to shining sea." Pelosi's tweet included a link to a CNN story about Waters encouraging harassment of Trump administration officials. Trump also responded to Water's remarks, saying on Twitter that the congresswoman whom he referred to as an "extraordinarily low IQ person" had called for his supporters to be harassed. In the social media message, the president concluded, "Be careful what you wish for Max!" Last week, protesters yelled at Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen at an upscale Mexican restaurant near the White House. Earlier, Nielsen publicly defended the policy of separating children from parents who were apprehended for illegally entering the U.S., a policy the president has since reversed. Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller, also an immigration hard-liner, was called a "fascist" while dining at a Mexican cantina in a neighborhood in the District of Columbia. The incident involving Sanders took place Friday night at the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, 300 kilometers south of the U.S. capital. "I explained that the restaurant has certain... Who was called a fascist at a Mexican restaurant in D.C.? Pick the correct answer from the following options: A. Trump B. Stephen Miller C. not enough information D. Sanders
B

(Question)
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday slammed China's militarization of disputed South China Sea islands, insisting that weapons systems recently deployed in the area were meant to intimidate and coerce Beijing's neighbors. The comments came during a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual Asian defense forum in Singapore. In the speech, Mattis laid out the broader U.S. strategy for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region. "China's policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promotes. It calls into question China's broader goals," Mattis said. Specifically, the Pentagon chief mentioned China's deployment of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, electronic jammers, and the landing of a bomber aircraft at the Paracel Islands off the coast of Vietnam. "Despite China's claim to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion," Mattis added. Though much of the world is focused on an upcoming summit between North Korea and the United States, this year's Shangri-La Dialogue has focused primarily on the region's long-term future and how to deal with a more assertive China. Beijing has begun projecting power beyond its borders, most notably through the construction and militarization of islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Last week, the United States disinvited China from the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), a major international maritime exercise to be held later this year, citing Beijing's behavior in the South China Sea. Mattis on Saturday referred to that disinvitation as an "initial response" to China, but he did not outline any additional steps that might be taken. "The U.S. will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperating when possible and competing vigorously where... How long did the summit last between the US and North Korea? Pick the correct answer from the following options: A. a few days B. a few years C. not enough information D. a few months
(Answer)
A