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 should be used. Finally they boiled(煮沸) the leaves, put some of them on a piece of bacon(咸肉) 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, big 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 extra 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 form 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 china from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second bottle (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small fire. 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 means a feeling of _________.

A. hunger B. loneliness C. thirst D. anger

3.Which statement is right according to the passage?

A. Tea was first introduced to England in the 16th century.

B. Ale was the national drink of England after King Charles II.

C. The habit of drinking tea in Britain came from the upper class.

D. Anna, the Duchess of Bedford first served afternoon tea in London.

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

A. helps raise the price of tea and china in England

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

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

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

1.D 2.A 3.C 4.C 【解析】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.细节理解题。根据文章第一段的“But they did not know how it ought to b...

Answer 1