Question

When tea was first brought to England between 1652 and 1654, it was so expensive that only the rich could buy it. It was said that an old couple had some sent to them as a great treat. But they did not know how it ought to be used. Eventually they boiled the leaves, put some of them on a piece of bacon for dinner, ate the leaves, and threw the tea soup away. However, tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale（麦芽酒）as the national drink of England after King Charles II and his Portuguese wife began to follow this foreign tea tradition.

Before the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals — breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread and beef. Dinner was a long, massive meal at the end of the day. It was no wonder that Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 — 1861) experienced a “sinking feeling” in the late afternoon. So she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o’clock in her castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for “tea and a walking the fields”.

The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses. A common pattern of service soon came into practice. The first pot of tea was made in the kitchen and carried to the lady of the house who waited with her invited guests, surrounded by fine porcelain（瓷器）from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small flame. Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose of the visiting being conversation.

1. The story of the old couple in Paragraph 1 is to show ____________.

A. how impolite the old couple were

B. how English people cooked tea

C. how difficult it was to introduce tea to England

D. how little English people knew about tea in those days

2.The underlined phrase “sinking feeling” in Paragraph 2 refers to a feeling of ____________.

A. hunger                 B. loneliness

C. thirst                 D. anger

3.According to the passage, the key factors of a typical afternoon tea include ____________.

a. cakes and bread

b. a massive meal

c. tea   d. ale

e. fine porcelain

f. silver tea pot

g. a small flame

A. a, b, c, d, f       B. a, c, e, f, g

C. a, b, e, f, g       D. a, c, d, e, g

4.We can know from the passage that afternoon tea ____________.

A. leads to the wide planting and large production of tea in England

B. helps bring King Charles II and his wife together in their childhood

C. is not only an additional afternoon meal but helps bring people together

D. contributes to the increasingly high price of tea and porcelain in England

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述了茶叶流传至英国以及英国传统下午茶的来历。英式下午茶的传统源自于贝尔福德公爵夫人，那时候的英国人一天只吃两餐，而公爵夫人每逢下午便闷闷不乐，所以在下午五点左右，她便邀请知心好友来享受茶点，逐渐风靡全英国。

1.D 细节理解题。根据文章第一段的But they did not know how it ought to be used.可知，这对老夫妻不知道如何喝茶，故选择D，表示那时候的英国人对茶叶了解不多。

2.A 词义辨析题。根据下文的So she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o’clock in her castle.可知她邀请朋友们来吃点心，故选择A，表示饥饿感。

3.B 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段以及最后一段的The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, and, of course, tea.、surrounded by fine porcelain（瓷器）from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small flame.可知选择B。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段的Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose of the visiting being conversation.可知，下午茶不仅仅是吃东西而且更多的是把人们聚集在一起。故选择C。

考点：考查说明文阅读