Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two tines that aided in the cutting of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving during cutting and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife. By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining. From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward. In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. "Why should a person need a fork when God had given him hands?" they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British. Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century, four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to America. Why were forks made into a curved shape? A) They could be used to scoop food as well. B) They looked more fashionable in this way. C) They were designed in this way for export to the US. D) They ensured the meat would not twist while being cut.
A
How many times have you gotten upset because someone wasn't doing their job, because your child isn't behaving?How many times have you been annoyed when you've planned something carefully and things didn't go as you'd hoped? This kind of anger and irritation happens to all of us -- it's part of the human experience. One thing that annoys me is when people talk during a movie. Or cut me off in traffic. Actually, I have a lot of these little annoyances -- don't we all? And it isn't always easy to find peace when you've become upset or annoyed. Let me tell you a little secret to finding peace of mind: _ See, the cause of our stress, anger and irritation is that things don't go the way we like, the way we expect them to. Think of how many times this has been true for you. And so the solution is simple: expect things to go wrong, expect things to be different than we hoped or planned, expect the unexpected to happen. And accept it. One quick example: on our recent trip to Japan, I told my kids to expect things to go wrong -- they always do on a trip. I told them, "See it as part of the adventure." And this worked like a charm. When we took the wrong train on a foreign-language subway system, or when it rained on the day we went to Disney Sea, or when we took three trains and walked 10 blocks only to find the National Children's Castle closed on Mondays ... they said, "It's part of the adventure!" And it was all OK -- we didn't get too bothered. So when the nice glass you bought inevitably falls and breaks, someday, you might get upset. But not if you see the glass as already broken, from the day you get it. You know it'll break someday, so from the beginning, see it as already broken. Be a time-traveler, or someone with time-traveling vision, and see the future of this glass, from this moment until it inevitably breaks. And when it breaks, you won't be upset or sad -- because it was already broken, from the day you got it. And you'll realize that every moment you have with it is precious. The author's children could enjoy their trip to Japan because _ . A) everything went smoothly B) they had a lot of adventures C) they had expected things to go wrong D) they could soon get used to the customs there
C
(Q).
prefix = st1 /SPAIN is unique. Enough sunshine, gorgeous beaches and delicious food make it a favourite holiday spot for millions of Europeans. But eating and sunbathing is not all this Mediterranean country has to offer. Its wild nightlife has given Spaniards a well--earned reputation as non-stop party animals. The traditional afternoon nap known as a "siesta" means millions of Spanish people can live a crazy life every day. Not into drinking and dancing? Take a look at the vibrant arts scece, with numerous galleries and museum featuring Spain's many famous artists like Salvador Dail, Pablo Picasso and Antonio Gaudi. Take our tour around the country. Barcelona, located on the Mediterranean sea, is famous as the host city for the 1992 Olympic Games. It is Spain's second largest city, afterMadrid. Barcelona is filled with landmark places and world-class museums, including Antonio Gaudi's famed La Sagrada Familia cathedral, the Museu Picasso, and the Las Ramblas street. Barcelona also has great nightlife. There are many outdoor squares in the city. So when the weather is good, which it usually is, there are also popular places for people to get together. Nightlife kicks off from about 8 or 9 pm. Then things quiet down until a second surge of energy brings out the post-dinner crowds from 11pm to midnight. Madrid, the capital of Spain, located in the center of the Iberian Peninsula , has a number of places, castles, museums and other unique places, such as the Plaza Mayor, the Cibeles Fountain, and the Palacio Real, as well as the fantastic bullring , Las Ventas. The city of 3.5 million people also has many theatres, live music venues and nightclubs because dinner is served late in Spain, usually around 9 pm, nightlife doesn't really get under way until after 11 pm. Native people are so fond of wandering around at night that they are known in Spain as gatos(cats.) Young people love to meet in nightclubs to drink and sing together. Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast, isSpain's third--largest city. It is... Among three cities, which are the coastal ones? A) Barcelona and Valencia. B) Valencia and Madrid C) Madrid and Barcelona D) All of the three cities
(A).
A