UNIT 1: RELATIONSHIPS

PASSAGE 1
The history of cakes at weddings
Later in the 17th century, there was a
new development when wedding cakes
began to be made in pairs, one for the
bride and another for the groom. Both
cakes were dark, heavy fruitcakes; the
groom’s cake was smaller than the
bride’s cake, and was cut up into little
squares that were placed in boxes for
the guests to take home as a wedding
memento. Groom’s cakes gradually
died out and are no longer part of
British weddings. However, the
tradition has undergone a revival in the
United States, where for many years the
groom’s cake has served as a wedding
gift for guests. Modern groom’s cakes
are often formed and decorated to
depict the groom’s hobby, for example
a golf bag, a camera, a chess board.

Groom’s cakes were never covered with icing, but Bride Cake covered with
white icing first appeared sometime in the 17th century. After the cake was
baked, it was covered with a pure white, smooth icing made with double
refined sugar, egg whites, and orange-flower water. The mixture was beaten
for two hours, then spread over the cake and dried in the oven until hard. A
pure white color was much sought after for wedding cake icing because white
icing meant that only the finest refined sugar had been used. Thus a pure white
cake was a status symbol, as it displayed the family’s wealth.

The late 1800s in Britain saw the introduction of a new tradition, with the first
multi-tiered wedding cakes. These were impressive cakes: they were heavy
because they were made with so much dried fruit, and highly decorated with
icing and embellished with sugar flowers, doves, horseshoes and bells. The
first multi-tiered cakes comprised iced cakes stacked on top of each other
rather like a succession of boxes gradually decreasing in size. The cakes from
the upper tiers did not sink into the lower tiers because they were a bit put on
top of each other until the icing between each cake had had time to harden. It
was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the cake tiers were
separated and supported by columns.

Twenty-first-century weddings are big business for Britain’s wedding

industry. Over 300,000 people get married each year and a wedding can cost
thousands of pounds. The cost of the all-important wedding cake can be
hundreds of pounds, depending on the dimension and design. It will be
interesting to see whether wedding cakes continue to be popular at weddings.

Question 1 - 4

Label the diagram below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

1. Examples of wedding cakes with several 10 __________ .

2. In the early 1900s, 11 __________ were used to keep individual cakes
apart.
 3. The size of these cakes as well as their 12 __________ affects
pricing.
4. Hardened 13 __________ between cakes stopped higher cakes
sinking into tower cakes.

PASSAGE 2
Nurturing talent within family
Evidence now exists that most young
children, if given enough opportunities and
encouragement, are able to achieve
significant and sustainable levels of
academic or sporting prowess. Bright or
creative children are often physically very
active at the same time, and so may receive
more parental attention as a result - almost
by default - in order to ensure their safety.
They may also talk earlier, and this, in turn,
breeds parental interest. This can sometimes
cause problems with other siblings who may
feel jealous even though they themselves
may be bright. Their creative talents may be
undervalued and so never come to fruition.
Two themes seem to run through famously creative families as a result. The
first is that the parents were able to identify the talents of each child, and
nurture and encourage them accordingly but in an even-handed manner.
Individual differences were encouraged, and friendly sibling rivalry was not
seen as a particular problem. If the father is, say, a famous actor, there is no
undue pressure for his children to follow him onto the boards, but instead their
chosen interests are encouraged. There need not even by any obvious talent in
such a family since there always needs to be someone who sets the family
career in motion, as in the case of the Sheen acting dynasty.

Martin Sheen was the seventh of ten children born to a Spanish immigrant
father and an Irish mother. Despite intense parental disapproval he turned his
back on entrance exams to university and borrowed cash from a local priest to
start a fledgling acting career. His acting successes in films such as Badlands
and Apocalypse Now made him one of the most highly-regarded actors of the
1970s. Three sons - Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez and Charlie Sheen - have
followed him into the profession as a consequence of being inspired by his
motivation and enthusiasm.

A stream seems to run through creative families. Such children are not
necessarily smothered with love by their parents. They feel loved and wanted,
and are secure in their home, but are often more surrounded by an atmosphere
of work and where following a calling appears to be important. They may see
from their parents that it takes time and dedication to be master of a craft, and
so are in less of a hurry to achieve for themselves once they start to work.

Questions 1-3

Which THREE of the following does the writer regard as a feature of creative
families?

Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.

A a higher than average level of parental affection

B competition between brothers and sisters

C parents who demonstrate vocational commitment

D strong motivation to take exams and attend university

E a patient approach to achieving success

F the identification of the most talented child in the family

Question 4

Choose the appropriate letters A—D and write them in boxes 4 on your answer
sheet.

The writer cites the story of Martin Sheen to show that

A he was the first in a creative line.

B his parents did not have his creative flair.

C he became an actor without proper training.

D his sons were able to benefit from his talents.