Question

    Tea, the most typical of English drinks, is a relative latecomer to British shores. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium (一千年) BC in China, it was not until the mid-17th century that the drink first appeared in England. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, reaching the Continent by the way of Venice  around 1560, with regular shipments by 1610.

Curiously, it was the London coffee houses that were responsible for introducing tea to England. One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657. Three years later he issued a broadsheet advertising tea at £6 to £10 per pound, touting ( 兜 售 ) its virtues at “making the body active and lusty (健壮的)”, and “preserving perfect health until extreme old age”.

Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the pub owners, as tea cut their sales of beer, and it was bad news for the government, who depended upon a steady stream of revenue (税收) from taxes on liquor sales. By 1750 tea had become the favoured drink of Britain’s lower classes.

A 1676 act taxed tea and required coffee house operators to apply for a license. This was just the start of government attempts to control, or at least, to profit from the popularity of tea in Britain. By the mid-18th century the duty on tea had reached a ridiculous 119 percent. This heavy taxation had the effect of creating a whole new industry — tea smuggling ( 走 私 ). Ships from Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast, then stood offshore while smugglers met them and unloaded the precious cargo in small vessels. The smugglers, often local fishermen, secretly moved the tea inland through underground passages and hidden paths to special hiding places. One of the best hiding places was in the local church!

Even smuggled tea was expensive, however, and therefore extremely profitable, so many smugglers began to adulterate (掺假) the tea with other substances, such as willow and sloe leaves. Used tea leaves were also redried and added to fresh leaves.

Finally, in 1784 William Pitt the Younger introduced the Commutation Act,  which dropped the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5%, effectively ending smuggling. Adulteration remained a problem, though, until the Food and Drug Act of 1875 brought in severe punishment for the practice.

1.According to the passage, tea drinking _______.

A.is the favorite pastime of the Dutch

B.is an important British tradition

C.was well-received by the Portuguese centuries ago

D.could be found everywhere in the world in 1560

2.Who might be annoyed by the popularity of the tea?

A.Coffee house owners. B.Wine sellers.

C.Britain’s lower classes. D.Smugglers.

3.Which of the following statements about tea smuggling is TRUE?

A.Churches provided convenience for smuggling.

B.Fishermen and farmers contributed a lot to tea industry.

C.Underground passages and boats were ideal hiding places for tea.

D.The government encouraged tea smuggling for taxes on tea.

4.How was the order of the tea market finally restored in Britain?

A.By passing an act related to a tax rise.

B.By imposing mild punishment.

C.By punishing those who sold fake tea.

D.By mixing redried used leaves with fresh tea leaves.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。讲述了茶在英国的发展历史。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段第一句Tea, the most typical of English drinks，可知茶，最典型的英国饮料，可知，喝茶在英国也是很受欢迎的。选项B和文章的意义相符合。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段前两句：Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the pub owners, as tea cut their sales of beer, and it was bad news for the government, who depended upon a steady stream of revenue (税收) from taxes on liquor sales.可知。茶的流行使酒吧老板很苦恼，因为茶的出售因为茶削减了他们的啤酒销量，这对政府来说是个坏消息，因为政府依赖于来自酒类销售税收的稳定收入。选项B符合题意。故选B项。

3.细节理解题。结合文章第四段： This heavy taxation had the effect of creating a whole new industry — tea smuggling ( 走 私 ). Ships from Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast, then stood offshore while smugglers met them and unloaded the precious cargo in small vessels. The smugglers, often local fishermen, secretly moved the tea inland through underground passages and hidden paths to special hiding places. One of the best hiding places was in the local church!这种重税造成了一个全新的产业——茶叶走私。 来自荷兰和斯堪的纳维亚的船只，把茶叶带到了英国海岸，然后停靠在近海，走私者与他们会面，用小船卸下珍贵的货物。 走私者，通常是当地的渔民，通过地下通道和隐蔽的小路，秘密地将茶叶运往内陆特殊的藏匿地点。最好的藏身之处就是当地的教堂！可以知道，因为对茶叶的重税，促使茶叶走私的形成。当地渔民把走私的茶叶藏在当地的教堂，所以教堂为走私茶叶提供了便利。所以A项符合题意。故选A项。

4.细节理解题。理解文章最后一段：最后，在1784年，小威廉·皮特引入了减税法案，将茶叶税从119% 降至12.5% ，有效地终止了走私。 掺假一直是个问题，直到1875年的《食品和药品法》对这种行为进行了严厉的惩罚。可以得知，正是因为对茶叶掺假问题的行为进行了严厉的惩罚后，茶叶市场才恢复了正常的秩序。选项C和文章意义相符。故选C项。