Про­чи­тай­те тек­сты и уста­но­ви­те со­от­вет­ствие между тек­ста­ми А–G и за­го­лов­ка­ми 1–8. В ответ за­пи­ши­те цифры, в по­ряд­ке, со­от­вет­ству­ю­щем бук­вам. Ис­поль­зуй­те каж­дую цифру толь­ко один раз. В за­да­нии есть один лиш­ний за­го­ло­вок.

1.  Popular snack invention

2.  Getting round the world

3.  A new favourite in the East

4.  Travelling outside the Earth

5.  Events in honour of the vegetable

6.  Vegetable language

7.  Recipes to cook the vegetable

8.  New and frightening

A. From Spain, potatoes spread to all parts of Europe. Spanish ships carried the vegetable to Italy in around 1560, making that country the first after Spain to eat potatoes. A bit later, the potato reached Austria and France, England and Germany, Portugal and Ireland. The potato was introduced to India, possibly as early as 1615, and then reached the most remote parts of China. In 1792 Captain William Bligh planted the first potatoes in Australia.

B. It is not unusual for new foods to be met with skepticism and fear, especially those arriving from a faraway continent. The potato, however, had a harder battle for acceptance than many other vegetables from the Americas. People didn’t like its unusual, ugly appearance and originally bitter taste. Besides, the potato was not mentioned in the Bible and it was often associated with the devil.

C. In the United States, the potato has found its way into pop culture and has been used in lots of idiomatic phrases. A couch potato, for example, means an inactive person; hot potato indicates a dangerous topic; small potatoes refers to something that is not a big deal; meat and potatoes means simple food. Calling someone a potato head is not a compliment because it means someone who is not very clever.

D. In 1853, that typically American product, the potato chip, was invented by pure accident. Annoyed when the guest of the restaurant sent back his fried potatoes because they were too thick, George Crum, the chef, thought he would teach him a lesson. He sliced some potatoes paper thin, deep-fried, and salted them. The guest loved them. However, potato chips began to be commercially manufactured only in 1915.

E. Potatoes are still making history. In October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages and, eventually, feeding future space colonies. The environmentally friendly potato was chosen due to its ability to grow under different conditions.

F. Potato festivals are very popular in the United States. They are held in autumn to celebrate farmers and the potato. During the festivals adults and children take part in fun parades and carnivals, taste new potato dishes, learn about growing potatoes, and join in some fun potato competitions. There are usually huge firework displays in the evening.

G. According to the United Nations report the annual diet of an average citizen in the beginning of the 21st century included about 33 kg of potatoes. However, the local importance of the potato is extremely variable. It remains an essential vegetable in Europe, but the most rapid increase has occurred in southern and eastern Asia. Nearly a third of the world's potatoes are harvested in China and India nowadays.