“As for the rich, they kept apart in their handsome houses and—when they wished to escape the heat and dust of Rome—in villas at such pleasant retreats as Herculaneum and Pompeii. These villas were estates of superb style and comfort, as can be seen in a letter from the orator Marcus Tullius Cicero to his brother, who was traveling in Gaul. ‘All’s right on your estate,’ Cicero wrote. ‘Nothing left to do but the baths and a promenade and the aviary. The paved colonnade gives dignity. The columns have been polished and the handsome curve of the ceiling will make it an excellent summer room. . . . Your landscape gardener has won my praise; he has enveloped everything in ivy—even the Greek statues seem advertising it. It’s the coolest, greenest retreat. Statues, wrestling ground, fish pond, water system—all are fine.’” —Cicero’s letter to his brother, as quoted in Empires: Time Frame 400 B. C.–A. D.200 Which item on the estate gets Cicero’s highest praise? a. the aviary c. the fish pond b. the ivy d. the polished columns Please select the best answer from the choices provided A B C D