Intermediate passages 1 The best recruiting agents

54 Short stories

Ours is the great generation of the short story. The growth of the newspaper, the development of the magazine, the universality of popular education with its increase in human curiosity - most of all, the increasing pace of modern life, its speed of living and competitive pressure - gave this literary type its greatest encouragement. Here is the people's literature, and the most democratic of all forms of writing because it offers a means for the use of every conceivable sort of plot, character or background. It's just the right length in a world of tumult and hurry; it is a form that presents things concisely and graphically, and it is the type of writing most easily understood by every kind of reader.

1. Writers of short stories

1. 
   find it hard to keep up with the pace of modern life
   

3. 
   are not restricted in their choice of subject
   

2. 
   prefer to be published in newspapers or magazines
   
   4. 
      feel under pressure to be competitive
      

2. The way the short story is written

A) is popular with newspaper and magazine editors B) shows how competitive the authors are
C) indicates whether its writer comes from a democracy or not D) makes it possible for everyone to understand it

3. According to the writer, the short story

A) suits the modern way of life
B) is most frequently found in newspapers and magazines
C) puts pressure on other literary types
D) is in need of a lot of encouragement

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55 The spice trade

Spices were known to Eastern peoples thousands of years ago. Arab traders artfully withheld the true source of these spices, however, and they became valuable items of commerce early in the evolution of the spice trade. The most notable uses of spices in very early times were in medicine and in the making of holy oils. Belief in the healing power of spices filtered down, in a moderated form, into the Middle Ages and even into early modern times. It is not known when spices were first used in food. Certainly, the ancient Greeks and Romans used spices to flavour food and beverages because they discovered that spices helped to preserve foods, mask the flavour of partially spoiled meats, and also brought a change of flavour. Knowledge of the use of spices to preserve and flavour food slowly spread through Europe. Finally, in the last third of the 15th century, the Europeans decided to build ships and venture abroad in search of a route to the spice-producing countries.

1. 
   Initially, spices were A) sold for very low prices B) given in exchange for oil C) grown by Arab traders D) sold to the West by Arabs
   

2. 
   Spices were first used
   

1. 
   by the ancient Greeks and Romans
   
2. 
   mostly for healing and religious purposes
   
3. 
   in the West in the early Middle Ages
   
4. 
   to make partially spoiled meat edible
   

3. 
   We are told in the passage that the ancient Greeks and Romans used spices for all the following, except A) to make food taste even better
   

B) in religious ceremonies to please their gods C) to keep food from going bad

D) to hide the taste of rotting food