1
Sulinet Digitális Nyelvi Tananyagbank (www.sulinet.hu/nyelvek)
KEY to ‘The story of TEA’
1 You can list many items, here are some examples:
1 A tea pot, cup, hot water, sugar, spoon, teabag, tea ball (teatojás) + tea leaves,
and especially in Hungary we normally also serve honey and lemon
1 B you can list the items above with the exception of the last two – instead of honey and lemon, you should serve milk with the tea and also, do not forget about the tea-cake / tea-biscuit / shortbread (omlós teasütemény),
2 What do they mean?
priest — A person having the authority to perform and administer religious rites
caffeine — A bitter white alkaloid (found in tea or coffee). It is used in medicine chiefly as a mild stimulant and to treat headache.
brew— To make (a beverage – e.g. tea) by boiling, steeping, or mixing various ingredients.
to order — To give a command or instruction for something.
3 Making the perfect cup of tea – my examples:
- Boil fresh water.
- Put the milk in second. (note that in England it is considered more polite/appropriate/highbrow to pour the milk first, and then the water).
- Brew teabag for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Enjoy the delicious, refreshing drink.
4 Answering the questions
a.) 5000 years ago
b.) He said it was refreshing.
c.) He is called ‘the father of Japanese tea’.
d.) perfect, polite, graceful, charming
e.) from 1600
5 Fill in the gaps
1/ ordered, 2/ interested, 3/ refreshing, 4/ priest, 5/ developed, 6/ important, 7/ buttered, 8/ popular.
Transcript
Tea
The story of tea began in China 5000 years ago. Emperor Shen Nong ordered his servants to boil some drinking water. Some leaves fell into the water. When the emperor saw this he became interested and decided to taste it. He was pleased with the taste. He said it was refreshing.
Tea drinking soon spread throughout China. A Japanese Buddhist priest, Yeisei, brought tea back to Japan. He is called ‘the father of Japanese tea.’ The Japanese developed a Tea Ceremony. Some women spend many years learning and practicing the tea ceremony. It is important that the act is perfect, polite, graceful and charming.
Europeans began to hear stories about tea, but didn’t know much about it. One traveller said the leaves were boiled, salted, buttered, and eaten! From 1600 the Europeans began to trade with China and tea became popular.
6 Define the expressions
a.) a small box or metal container for holding loose tea
b.) a type of small round cake with raisins in it
c.) support and kindness that you provide for somebody who is upset or in trouble
d.) somebody/something is not the kind of person/thing that I like/enjoy
e.) 1. an aromatic beverage made by steeping tea leaves in boiling water
2. an afternoon refreshment consisting of sandwiches and cakes served with tea
Tea - Fügedi