Complete the text with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets and answer the questions. Where do you go when you want to know the latest business news, follow commodity prices, оr stay abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments? Today, the answer is obvious: you log on to the internet. Three centuries ago, the answer 1(be) just as easy: you2 (go) to a coffee-house. There, for the price of a cup of coffee, you 3(can) attend scientific lectures, or chat with like-minded people about literature or politics. Like today's websites, coffee-houses 4(be) lively. Collectively Europe's interconnected web of coffee-houses 5(form) the internet of the Enlightenment era.

The contrast between coffee and alcoholic drinks was reflected in the decor of the coffee houses that 6(begin) to appear in European cities, London in particular. They7(decorate) with bookshelves, mirrors, gilt-framed pictures and good furniture, in contrast to the rowdiness and gloom of taverns. According to custom, social differences 8 (leave) at the coffee-house door and anyone who started a quarrel had to atone for it by buying an order of coffee for all present.

Coffee9( be) the ideal drink. Its popularity owed much to the growing middle class оf information workers, who 10(do) mental work in offices rather than performing physical labour in the open, and found that coffee sharpened their mental faculties. Such men 11)be) not rich enough to entertain lavishly at home, but 12(can) afford to spend a few pence a day on coffee. Coffee-houses were nicknamed "penny universities" in a contemporary English verse which observed: "So great Universitie, I think there ne'er was any; In which you may a Scholar be, for spending of a penny."

Where do you go when you want to know the latest business news, follow commodity prices, or stay abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments? Today, the answer is obvious: you log on to the internet. Three centuries ago, the answer was just as easy: you went to a coffee-house. There, for the price of a cup of coffee, you could attend scientific lectures or chat with like-minded people about literature or politics. Like today's websites, coffee-houses were lively. Collectively, Europe's interconnected web of coffee-houses formed the internet of the Enlightenment era.

The contrast between coffee and alcoholic drinks was reflected in the decor of the coffee houses that began to appear in European cities, particularly London. They were decorated with bookshelves, mirrors, gilt-framed pictures, and good furniture, in contrast to the rowdiness and gloom of taverns. According to custom, social differences were left at the coffee-house door, and anyone who started a quarrel had to atone for it by buying an order of coffee for all present.

Coffee was the ideal drink. Its popularity owed much to the growing middle class of information workers, who did mental work in offices rather than performing physical labor in the open, and found that coffee sharpened their mental faculties. Such men were not rich enough to entertain lavishly at home, but could afford to spend a few pence a day on coffee. Coffee-houses were nicknamed "penny universities" in a contemporary English verse which observed: "So great University, I think there ne'er was any; In which you may a Scholar be, for spending of a penny."

Answers to the questions:

1. was
2. went
3. could
4. were
5. formed
6. began
7. were decorated
8. were left
9. was
10. did
11. were
12. could