茶与中国人

文章词数约3 6 8建议用时★★★难度6分钟

难词探意

1.tea utensil 茶具

2.tea saucer 茶托

3.tea tray 茶盘

4.pastry/'peɪstri/n.糕点

5.poisonous/'pɔɪzənəs/adj.有毒的

6.transparent/træns'pærənt/adj.透明的

Tea-drinking is a nation-wide custom in China.When any guest comes,it is a tradition to present a cup of tea to him or her.

Tea-drinking is also an art and a skill in China.In some places the way of making tea is very complicated.And the tea utensils—the teacup,tea saucer,teapot and tea tray—are works of art.Diansin （pastry）,which goes with tea,both tasty and appealing,is loved not only by the Chinese but also by the people all over the world.

According to Lu Yu's Tea Classics （《茶经》）,tea-drinking in China can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty.It is said that tea was discovered by Shennong and became popular as a drink in the State of Lu （鲁国）.

It is said that tea-drinking in China has a history of over four thousand years.As the legend has it,Shennong,a legendary hero,tasted hundreds of wild plants to see which were poisonous and which were eatable,so as to prevent people from eating poisonous plants.Allegedly，he was poisoned one day but was saved by chewing some leaves of an evergreen plant blossoming with white flowers.Since he had a transparent belly,people could see how the food moved throughout his stomach.When they saw the juice of the leaves go up and down in the stomach as if it had been searching for something,they called it “cha”,meaning“search” in Chinese.Later it was renamed“cha”,having the same sound of the present one.

In modern times,people still keep drinking tea as their daily practice.Study shows that tea can also has effects on some modern illnesses.To those groups who have to work with computers for a long time,drinking a cup of tea can help them to build up a wall aganist the computer radiation gradually.To those people who may find themselves fat,drinking tea can help them to recreate a new balance in their bodies.And to those aged people,drinking tea is also a good way to keep a calm mood for a longer life.

Reading Check

Ⅰ.Choose the best answer for each question.

1.What can we learn about tea-drinking in China according to the passage?

A.It enjoys popularity in the world.

B.It dates back to Song Dynasty.

C.It is expensive.

D.It is a daily practice.

2.The paragraph 4 mainly talks about______.

A.tea-drinking history

B.tea-drinking customs

C.tea-drinking stories

D.tea-drinking development

3.From which is the text probably taken?

A.A culture journal.

B.A history textbook.

C.A health magazine.

D.A science report.

Ⅱ.Discussion

Do you like drinking tea in your daily life?What role（s） does tea-drinking play in your life?

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Language Study

Sentence for writing

Diansin(pastry),which goes with tea,both tasty and appealing,is loved not only by the Chinese but also by the people all over the world.

【信息提取】本句中主语为Diansin（pastry）， 主句为Diansin （pastry） is loved not only by the Chinese but also by the people all over the world,其中which goes with tea为非限制性定语从句，both tasty and appealing为定语，均修饰主语。

【句式仿写】纯净水是一种清澈的液体，对人类有许多益处。

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Cultural Background

茶圣陆羽

陆羽（733—804），唐代著名的茶学家，被誉为“茶仙”，尊为“茶圣”，祀为“茶神”。陆羽一生嗜茶，他就像那起浮回旋的茶叶，虽然一路冲荡，却终得茶香般的善果。陆羽精于茶道，所著的《茶经》为世界上第一部茶叶专著。