根据以下材料，回答26-30题
Theritual of English tea time is believed to have originated in the late 1700'swhen Anna,Duchess of Bedford, ordered that a plate of cakes be sent up to herwith her afternoon cup of tea.
TheDuchess chronically experienced a “sinking feeling” (what we would term “lowblood sugar”) in the late afternoon. To tide her over the long hours betweenmeals she turned to carbohydrates.
Other royals immediately copied theDuchess, and afternoon tea parties became quite
fashionable.Low tables were set up in front of sofas and chairs, and the ladies found a newopportunity to show off pretty clothes, fine china, embroidered linentablecloths and napkins, and silver tableware.
Tea timewas also the time to exchange juicy gossip and serve refreshments. Soon darlinglittle sandwiches and sweet pastries as well as scones were being arranged ondecorative stands and plates for the ladies' pleasure.
The teaparty mania quickly spread across the Atlantic where tea was already enjoyed asa beverage. This fondness for tea was later suppressed by the patrioticAmericans during the era immediately preceding the American Revolution becauseof the unreasonable British tax on tea.
However,by April 27,1776, Congress announced in the Philadelphia Packet that “thedrinking of tea can now be indulged.” The custom of afternoon tea parties wasnot really revived in this country, though, until the mid-1800's, whenVictorian ways were in vogue here. Leisure-class American ladies began having“kettledrums” at 4 p.m.. “Kettledrums”wascalled that in connection with the term “teakettle” . Petits fours and otherdainty delights were served amid Victorian opulence.
A Victorian diarist, Maud Berkeley (Maud:The Illustrated Diary of a Victorian Woman,Chronicle Books,1987) gave ananecdote concerning tea time: "Mrs. Barnes had out a lovely tea-cloth forher tea-party, worked all over with cyclamens and honeysuckle. Shoggie Boucher,unused to such dainty, contrived to slop his tea all over it. Thankful it wasnot I. As it was, my new feather boa, which I wore for the first time, got intomy teacup, causing much alarm and merriment to all assembled. LilianBlack-Barnes was, as ever, strong in adversity and wrung out the offendingobject in the kitchen sink. Fear it may never be the same again, none theless."
Myfamily, mother, and I were able to relieve some of that sophisticated elegance(minus the drippy boa) when we had tea at the Ritz in London. The Palm Court,an open area on the ground floor of the hotel, is a study inturn-of-the-century decor. Gilt statuary, palms, and other plants, and stylishly-setlittle tables beckon welcomingly under high-up, rose-tinted skylights.
Ourwaiter brought us a selection of finger sandwiches of smoked salmon, ham,cucumber,Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and chives, or egg salad. Scones(similar to American biscuits) were offered with butter, and various preservesand jellies.
Alongwith this we were served Indian or China tea, and hot chocolate for my youngdaughter.
Then thedapper waiter presented a vast tray holding many French pastries and cakes fromwhich we could choose. After several teeny sandwiches and a couple ofmarmalade-coated scones, a chocolate eclair seemed to add carbohydrate overloadto carbo-loading, but “when in England, do as the English do”.
This teafeast was served between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. Around 10:00 p.m., we had regainedjust enough appetite to sample some fish and chips (French fries), and then weput our weary stomachs and ourselves to bed.