Objective Proficiency p 32. Afternoon Tea. Extra Multiple Choice Cloze

Excerpt from Miss Read, GOSSIP FROM THRUSH GREEN

Afternoon Tea

In far too many places in England today, the agreeable habit of taking afternoon tea has vanished.

'Such a shocking waste of time', says one.

'Much too fattening a meal with all that dreadful starch', says another.

'Quite unnecessary, if one has had lunch or 1__________ to eat in the evening,' says a third.

All very true, 2_____________, but what a lot of innocent pleasure these strong-minded people are missing!  The very ritual of tea-making, warming the pot, making sure that the water is just boiling, inhaling the fragrant steam, arranging the tea cosy to fit snugly around the precious container, all the preliminaries 3__________ up to the exquisite pleasure of 4___________ the brew from thin porcelain, and helping oneself to hot buttered scones and strawberry jam, a slice of feather-light sponge cake or home-made shortbread.

Taking tea is a highly civilised pastime, and fortunately is still in favour at Thrush Green, where the inhabitants have got it down to a 5_____________ art.  It is common 6____________ in that pleasant village to invite friends to tea rather than lunch or dinner.....people can set off from their homes in the light, and return before dark, except for the really miserable weeks of mid-winter when one would probably prefer to stay at home anyway.

1. A designs      B proposes    C views         D minds

2. A no doubt    B no wonder  C no matter   D no way

3. A draw         B come          C lead            D run

4. A quenching  B nibbling       C munching    D sipping

5. A fine            B sheer          C rare            D pure

6. A custom       B practice      C habit          D procedure

KEY and Vocabulary

Agreeable: /əˈɡriːəbl/ pleasant and easy to like. E.g. We spent a most agreeable day together. He seemed extremely agreeable.

Starch: /stɑːtʃ/ a white carbohydrate food substance found in potatoes, flour, rice, etc; food containing this. Sp almidón. E.g. There's too much starch in your diet. You need to cut down on starches. 

1. B proposes

2. A no doubt

strong-minded: having strong opinions that are not easily influenced by what other people think or say. Determined. E.g. My mother was a very strong-minded woman who always got her own way.

headstrong: (disapproving) a headstrong person is determined to do things their own way and refuses to listen to advice. E.g. She is too wild and headstrong to be guided by me.

stubborn: (often disapproving) determined not to change your opinion or attitude. Obstinate. E.g. He was too stubborn to admit that he was wrong. She can be as stubborn as a mule. 

obstinate /ˈɒbstɪnət/ (often disapproving) refusing to change your opinions, way of behaving, etc. when other people try to persuade you to; showing this. stubborn. E.g. He can be very obstinate when he wants to be.

bigoted: /ˈbɪɡətɪd/ showing strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions and a refusal to change them. E.g. a bigoted man.

bigot: /ˈbɪɡət/ a person who has very strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions about race, religion or politics and who will not listen to or accept the opinions of anyone who disagrees. E.g. a religious/racial bigot.

bigotry: /ˈbɪɡətri/ the state of feeling, or the act of expressing, strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions. E.g. When religious people show bigotry and intolerance, they are in fact betraying the religion they uphold.

big-headed: /ˌbɪɡ ˈhedɪd/ having a very high opinion of how important and clever you are; too proud. E.g. I'm trying not to get too big-headed.

narcissist: /ˈnɑːsɪsɪst/ a person who admires himself or herself too much, especially their appearance. E.g.  ‘narcissists who think the world revolves around them’‘narcissists preening themselves in front of the mirror.

preen:

[transitive, intransitive] preen (yourself) (usually disapproving) to spend a lot of time making yourself look attractive and then admiring your appearance. E.g. Will you stop preening yourself in front of the mirror?

[transitive] preen yourself (on something) (usually disapproving) to feel very pleased with yourself about something and show other people how pleased you are.

[intransitive, transitive] preen (itself) (of a bird) to clean itself or make its feathers smooth with its beak.

Fragant /ˈfreɪɡrənt/ having a pleasant smell. E.g. Fragrant herbs/ flowers/ oils. The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 

Tea cosy: a cover placed over a teapot in order to keep the tea warm.

 

Snugly: /snʌɡli/ 1. warmly and comfortably protected especially from the cold. E.g. I left the children tucked up snugly in bed. Sitting snugly by the fireside while the storm raged. 2. Fitting closely. E.g. The vest fit snugly. The lid should fit snugly. The tea cosy fitting snugly around the teapot.

 

3. C lead 

Exquisite: /ɪkˈskwɪzɪt/ /ˈekskwɪzɪt/ (of a feeling) strongly felt. Acute. E.g. exquisite pain/ pleasure

4. D sipping

quench your thirst to drink so that you no longer feel thirsty

quench something (formal) to stop a fire from burning. E.g. Firemen tried to quench the flames raging through the building.

nibble: to take small bites of something, especially food. E.g. nibble something We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. He nibbled her ear playfully. nibble (at/on something) She took some cake from the tray and nibbled at it. 

nibbles [plural] small things to eat with a drink before a meal or at a party. E.g. wine and nibbles. 

Brew: [countable, usually singular] (British English, informal) an amount of tea made at one time. Sp. brebaje. E.g. I'll make a fresh brew. Let's have a brew.

Help (give food or drink) to give yourself/ somebody food, drinks, etc. E.g. If you want another drink, just help yourself. Help yourself/ somebody to something Can I help you to some more salad? 

Scone: /skɒn/ /skəʊn/ a small round cake, sometimes with dried fruit in it and often eaten with butter, jam and cream spread on it.

  

Sponge cake: (also sponge) a light cake made from eggs, sugar and flour, with or without fat.

 

Shortbread: (also shortcake) /ˈʃɔːtbred/ a rich crisp biscuit made with flour, sugar and a lot of butter.

 

5. A fine

Get something down to a fine art: to learn to do something well and efficiently. E.g. I spend so much time travelling that I've got packing down to a fine art.

6. B practice