Question

    Tea, the most typical English drink, became famous in Britain because of the influence of a foreign princess, Catherine of Braganza, the queen of Charles II. As a lover of tea since her childhood in Portugal, she brought tea-drinking to the English royal court and set a trend for the beverage in the 17th century. The fashion soon spread beyond the circle of the noblemen to the middle classes, and tea became a popular drink at the London coffee houses where people met to do business and discuss events of the day. Many employers served a cup of tea to their workers in the middle of the morning, thus inventing a lasting British institution, the “tea break”. However, drinking tea in social settings outside the workplace was beyond the means of the majority of British people. It came with a high price tag and tea was taxed as well.

Around 1800, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anne Maria, began the popular practice of “afternoon tea”, a ceremony taking place at about four o’clock. Until then, people did not usually eat or drink anything between lunch and dinner. At approximately the same time, the Earl of Sandwich popularized a new way of eating bread—in thin slices, with something like jam or cucumbers between them. Before long, a small meal at the end of the afternoon, involving tea and sandwiches, had become part of the British way of life.

As tea became much cheaper during the 19th century, its popularity spread right through all corners of the British society. Thus, tea became Britain’s favorite drink. In working-class households, it was served with the main meal of the day, eaten when workers returned home after a day’s labor. This meal has become known as “high tea”. Today, tea can be drunk at any time of the day, and accounts for over two-fifths of all drinks consumed in Britain—with the exception of water.

1.What is mainly discussed about tea in the text?

A.Its development in Britain. B.Its traditional ways of drinking.

C.Its influence around the world. D.Its popularity in Europe.

2.What does the underlined words “the beverage” probably refer to?

A.Tea drinking. B.A small meal.

C.A way of eating bread. D.A choice of drinks.

3.Why was tea unable to be accepted as a common drink in Britain in the 17th century?

A.It was merely served in London. B.It was taxed as an alcoholic drink.

C.It was forbidden in business settings. D.It was too expensive for most people.

4.How is the text organized?

A.By cause and effect. B.By comparison.

C.In time order. D.In frequency order.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述茶作为英国最典型的饮料是如何引进，流行并且成为英国人的一种生活方式的。

1.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍茶作为英国最典型的饮料是如何引进，流行并且成为英国人的一种生活方式的，实际上也就是茶在英国的发展史。所以短文主要在说茶在英国的发展史。故选A。

2.词义猜测题。下文“The fashion soon spread beyond the circle of the noblemen to the middle classes, and tea became a popular drink at the London coffee houses where people met to do business and discuss events of the day.”。这种时尚很快就从贵族圈子扩展到中产阶级，在伦敦的咖啡馆里，人们见面谈生意和讨论当天的事情，茶成了一种受欢迎的饮料。这种时尚指代的就是上文中的a trend for the beverage，因此可以推断the beverage指的就是喝茶，故选A。

3.细节理解题。文中“However, drinking tea in social settings outside the workplace was beyond the means of the majority of British people. It came with a high price tag and tea was taxed as well.”然而，在工作场所以外的社交场合喝茶是大多数英国人所无法承受的。它的价格很高，茶叶也被征税了。因此在17世纪的时候茶还不能作为一种普通的饮料是因为它的价格太高，故选D。

4.推理判断题。文中介绍茶在英国的发展史，先是介绍它的引进及在17世纪成为一种潮流，然后是18世纪的下午茶，接着是19世纪茶叶开始便宜，茶更加大众化，最后到今天茶已经成为英国人的一种生活方式，所以本文是按照时间顺序规划的，故选C。