Chapter 1 基础篇

Passage 1 爱上下午茶 Fall in Love with Afternoon Tea

Step 1 阅读行不行

Afternoon tea, that most essence of English custom is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition. It was not until the mid 19th century that the concept of “afternoon tea” first appeared.

Afternoon tea was introduced to England by Anna, the seventh Duchess1 of Bedford, in the year of 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably2 late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter and cakes be brought to her room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her. This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880's upper-class and society women would change into long gowns3 , gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o'clock.

High tea, a term often confused with afternoon tea, usually takes the place of supper. During the Industrial Revolution, working class families would return home tired and exhausted.The table would be set with dinner foods like meat, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese and of course tea. It was termed “high tea”because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table.

Afternoon tea (because it was usually taken in the late afternoon) is also called “low tea” as it is served at a low table. Since this wasn't a meal, but rather like a late afternoon snack meant to stave off hunger, finger foods were the common fare. Tiny, dainty4 sandwiches, scones5 and pastries6 were served with afternoon tea. Finger foods afforded one the opportunity to take a petite bite and easily maintain a conversation. This is the most important, as one is not merely taking tea to gain nourishment or satisfy hunger, but to take time to relax, converse and enjoy the company of dear friends. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o'clock or five o'clock in the afternoon and no one stayed after seven o'clock.

keywords and phrases

1 duchess /'dʌtʃəs/ n. 女公爵；公爵夫人

2 fashionably /'fæʃnəblɪ/ adv. 随着流行地，赶时髦地

3 gown /gaʊn/ n. 女裙；女礼服

4 dainty /'deɪntɪ/ adj. （食物）美味的，可口的；（人）娇小的，秀丽的；（物）小巧的

5 scone /skɒn/ n. 烤饼；司康饼

6 pastry /ˈpeɪstrɪ/ n. 糕点；油酥糕点

phrase to know

Iow tea 也就是本文讲到的afternoon tea，与high tea的区别在于用茶的时间与丰盛程度。afternoon tea一般是从下午4点开始，除了茶或咖啡等饮料之外，一般还有现烤涂抹奶油和果酱的热松饼和三明治。维多利亚时代的女人赴下午茶会，必须要穿缀有花边的蕾丝裙，她们会把腰束紧，而且喝茶时要滴滴润饮，点心也要细细品尝，交谈更要低声絮语，举止要优雅大方。这种古老的聚会方式流传至今，礼仪早已化繁为简不少，但是正确的冲泡方式、优雅的摆设和精致的茶点，还是被视为传统而继续流传下来。

high tea 是指下午5、6点之间的正式茶点，点心要装在两三层高的点心盘中，通常除了松饼和三明治，还会有更加丰富的蛋糕、甜品、奶酪甚至冷肉，丰盛的程度有点和晚饭合并到一起的意思。至于下午茶中最关键的茶，老派的做法是把茶叶直接冲泡，再用茶漏过滤掉茶渣才能倒入杯中饮用。不过，现在一般都选用袋装茶包，冲泡比较方便。喝茶时可以加入一些新鲜的柠檬片及牛奶，柠檬一般多加在红茶里，而将牛奶加入茶中的做法则只有英国人比较喜欢。

stave off stave作动词讲时，意思是“暂时挡住，避开（某事）；延缓，推迟（令人不快的事物）”。因此该短语的意思是“推迟，暂时避开”，例如：to stave off hunger/illness表示“暂时解除饥饿/缓解病情”。

Step 2 手写行不行

★ 公爵夫人非常富裕，她的钱似乎怎么也花不完。(have money coming out of one's ears)

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★ 那个女孩穿着总是很时髦。(fashionably)

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★ 新款的结婚礼服销路很好。(be a great success)

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★ 小姑娘身上的连衣裙很漂亮。(dainty)

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★ 年轻的绅士们一边喝茶吃烤饼一边聊天。(scone)

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★ 点心金黄酥脆。(pastry)

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Step 3 口语行不行

Q1 What is your general impression on the British？你对英国人总的印象如何？

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Q2 Please talk about Chinese tea in brief. 请简单谈一下中国茶。

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Q3 Do you like drinking tea? Why？你喜欢喝茶吗？为什么？

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试题解答篇

Step 2 手写行不行答案

1．The Duchess was so wealthy that she seemed to have money coming out of her ears.

2．The girl always dresses fashionably.

3．The new wedding gown was a great success.

4．The little girl wore a dainty dress.

5．The young gentlemen chatted over tea and scones.

6．The pastry is golden and crisp.

Step 3 口语行不行答案

1．In my view, the best known quality of the British is“reserved”. They do not talk very much to strangers, do not show much emotion, and seldom get excited. To those who are fond of flowery expressions, the Englishman may appear uncomfortably cold. In their relations with others they value at least a show of modesty. Self-praise is felt to be impolite. If a person is, let me say, very good at tennis and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will seldom reply“Yes, ” because people will think him conceited. He will probably give an answer like, “I'm not bad.” or “I think I'm very good, ” or “Well, I'm very keen on tennis.”

2．Chinese tea is a beverage from the leaves of tea plants boiled with water, which are ordinarily used for tea in China. Tea leaves are processed by traditional Chinese methods. The Chinese drink tea throughout the day, including during meals, as a substitute for plain water for health or simple pleasure. In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows their respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea. In the past, people of lower rank served tea to higher-ranking people. Today, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, sometimes parents may pour a cup of tea for their children, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants. However, the lower-ranking person should not expect the higher-ranking person to serve him or her tea in formal occasions.

3．I love tea. Besides water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world. Almost every culture in the world has a tea tradition of one sort or another, and these traditions are often central to the act of meeting and greeting friends and newcomers. Having an appreciation of tea and tea rituals can often get me past many language or cultural barriers when traveling overseas. Besides, many coffee-drinkers can't stand the taste on its own, and must add milk, cream, and / or sugar in order to make it palatable. Tea on the other hand is much less harsh / bitter on its own, and is widely enjoyed without additives of any kind. Tea may also help boost metabolism, which can help dieters to lose weight faster.