When tea was first brought to England between 1652 and 1654, it was so expensive that only the rich could buy it. It was said that an old couple had some sent to them as a great treat. But they did not know how it ought to be used. Eventually they boiled the leaves, put some of them on a piece of bacon for dinner, ate the leaves, and threw the tea soup away. However, tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale as the national drink of England after King Charles II and his Portuguese wife began to follow this foreign tea tradition. Before the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals -- breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread and beef. Dinner was a long, massive meal at the end of the day. It was no wonder that Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 -- 1861) experienced a _ in the late afternoon. So she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields". The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses. A common pattern of service soon came into practice. The first pot of tea was made in the kitchen and carried to the lady of the house who waited with her invited guests, surrounded by fine porcelain from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small flame. Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose of the visiting being conversation. We can know from the passage that afternoon tea _ . A) leads to the wide planting and large production of tea in England B) helps bring King Charles II and his wife together in their childhood C) is not only an additional afternoon meal but helps bring people together D) contributes to the increasingly high price of tea and porcelain in England
C
When Jamie Beondik saw a puppy getting beaten with a chain, he tried to help. What he got in return was a beating of his own and he had to go to hospital. The neighbors saw the fourmonthold black dog named Tomba Wednesday morning being beaten, choked and dragged on a chain by a man on a bike. Jamie decided to get involved, telling the man to stop hurting Tomba. "He started swinging the chain around in the air and I said 'OK. Well, I'm going to call the police.' And that's when he hit me with the chain," said Jamie. He got hit in the legs and then the man and the dog ran off. Twenty minutes later, the man came back and attacked Jamie with a slingshot before throwing a rock at him, hitting him in the back. Jamie now has to use the wall to steady himself and his hands won't stop shaking, but he expects to be OK. Despite his injuries, he has no regrets. Jamie says he'd do it all again. "He was hurting the dog. I have had a dog for 13 years that looked just like Tomba. The dog was crying for help. I just wanted him to let the dog go. I didn't think he'd beat me," said Jamie. The police arrested the man, who would face at least one charge of assault . Tomba obviously was not seriously injured. "That's all that's important. The dog's okay and he's in prison," said Jamie. Why did the man hit Jamie Beondik with the chain? A) Because Jamie Beondik was rude to him. B) Because Jamie Beondik wanted to take the dog away. C) Because Jamie Beondik would call the police if he continued beating the dog. D) Because the man hated Jamie Beondik, who was once the owner of the dog.
C
Q: Do you always understand the directions on a bottle of medicine? Do you know what is meant by "Take only as directed"? Read the following directions and see if you understand them. "To reduce pain, take two tablets with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For night-time and early morning relief, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours. For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount. For children under six years old ,ask for your doctor's advice. Reduce the amount if you suffer from restlessness or sleeplessness after taking the medicine". This text is most probably taken from a . A) textbook B) newsreel C) doctor's notebook D) bottle of medicine
A: A
(Question)
Family life is being disrupted because parents and children are overwhelmed by the huge volumes of emails and social messaging updates they are handling each day, according to a new study.As a result one in three of us are now desperate to cut down our use of Twitter and Face book as well as emails. Surprisingly the study, by Cambridge University, found children as well as adults preferred to communicate face to face.More than half of all families said a "technology-free" time is important and a third of parents said technology had disrupted family life.The findings led family groups to warn that if parents end up spending more time checking emails and social networks than with their children, it could have a detrimental effect on the home. Amongst children aged 10 to 18, who have grown up with new technology, 38% admitted feeling overwhelmed by the volume of messages.Similar numbers of adults felt the same way, with 34 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds agreeing. Justine Roberts, founder of parenting website Mums net, warned: "Social media is something we have to keep a watch on because it can eat into your life." "We encourage our members to switch off because otherwise you can't give your kids and husband the time they need." She added: "Websites like Face book and Twitter can be enjoyable and addictive but, like with everything, it needs to be taken in moderation." The survey also discovered that 43 percent of children and 33 percent of adults are taking steps to reduce their reliance on messaging, text and networking.But only one in five said they would be reducing the number of text messages they are sending and even less said they will be writing fewer emails.Nearly 43 percent said they have had a cull of their Face book "friends" and followers on Twitter in an attempt to cut down on the amount of time spent on the websites. As part of the research, 63 families were asked to keep a diary of their use of communications technology.More than 1,250 adults were questioned in the research which was paid for by... Why are many people trying to cut down the use of Twitter and Face book as well as emails? A) Because they are determined to communicate face to face. B) Because they value "technology-free" time. C) Because they realize communication technology is disrupting family life. D) Because they have no free time.
(Answer)
C