Avisitor to a gothic cathedral would have found him or herself surrounded by:

A visitor to a gothic cathedral would have found him or herself surrounded by columns of soaring height and large expanses of glass.

Explanation:

The Gothic Cathedral architecture is majorly characterized by the emphasis given to natural light. It is because of this characteristic of Gothic Cathedral architecture, the windows in these structures are large and are right up-to the heights of the tip of its columns. These windows allow ample natural light to come in.

it teaches readers about an interesting chinese custom and causes them to determine that the minister is trying to be polite

i’m   sure probably just geuss and see which one you can get right, i’m pretty sure it is the combination of goods and services