Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in"reeds ", which were used for the purpose of holding the filling ( ), and were not eaten. The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word"pie"became a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe was also published by the Romans. Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies. There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl ( ) and the fowl's legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie. Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold the filling during baking(@&*). Over the years, pie has become what it is today --- "the most traditional American dessert". Pie has become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie". Which of the following is NOT true about pies? A) English settlers brought pies to America. B) Early Romans ate not only pies but also the crusts. C) The Romans first published pie recipe. D) The word "pie " became popular because of the Romans' efforts.
B
We know the westerners like to plan for their time carefully in order to do all the things that are important to them. So if your American or English friend asks you to dinner, he usually invites you a week ahead. But if you really have no time and can't go to the dinner, you can ring him to say sorry. The dinner is usually served at home, sometimes at a restaurant. You should get there on time, and don't forget to put on your fine clothes. It is also a good idea to take some little presents to your friend, such as flowers, chocolates and so on. When you are at dinner, you should also observe some other customs. Here I'll give you some dos and don'ts about them in the following: 1) Don't leave bones on the table or the floor. (You should put them on your plate with fingers.) 2) Don't use your bowl to drink soup, but use your spoon to help you instead. 3) Don't talk with much food in your mouth. 4) Don't ask others to have more wine. (This is quite different from that in China.) 5) After dinner, use your napkin to clean your mouth and hands. 6) Make sure small pieces of food are not left on your face. Then after dinner, you can stay there a little time. And your friend will be pleased if you leave in half an hour or so. Next day, you had better ring him up to thank him for the good dinner. Which of the following is not true? A) After dinner, you'd better stay and talk with your friends for a long time to show your thanks. B) You'd better ring your friend the next day to show your thanks. C) After dinner, you'd better leave in half an hour. D) After dinner, use napkin to clean your mouth.
A
Q: For a commuter rushito catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and foods in the microwave. What most passengers don't realize is that their minute is already there. Every commuter train that departs from New York Cityabout 900 a d leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15.In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that trainwell, relax. You have two. The courtesy minute , in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant for those who need the extra time to get off the platform and onto the train. "If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they're going to waste time doing unimportant things," explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. "Don't blow our cover!"she said. Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy. The railroad industry helped invent the concept* of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law. And most commuters know their train by the accurate minute it departs. The trains quickly make up the minute:at all other stops, the public timetable is carried out. The courtesy minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco. But in New York, the secret minute dates back decades. "That's been done forever, from my knowledge," said Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North. "I was the trainmaster starting in 1970 and I'm sure it's been the case since 1870 for all I know." What can we conclude from the passage? A) The courtesy minute exists in many cities in the US. B) The train will reach the destination one minute late. C) .Most railroad staff in New York know the courtesy minute. D) In American rail system, train's departure time is accurate to the minute.
A: C
*Question*
For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain. Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things? Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices. Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home. The $299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound. The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity. The font is highly readable and adjustable by size. Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages. And you can connect it to your PC to download books. Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain. For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails for $15.19 at the Sony site, while Amazon will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for $16.19. The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music. So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many _ , a lot. Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging. You can write notes in the margin1s, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves. The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material. Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today. According to the passage, the Sony book reader _ . A) is as light as a laptop computer B) can hold more than 200 books C) is convenient to carry around D) cannot be connected to a PC
**Answer**
C