Question

Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops. People had it sent from Holland. And even those people who could afford it did so only because of curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.

Tea remained very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.

At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was so famous a lady that people liked to copy everything she did, they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.

At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess （公爵夫人） found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.

1.The word “curiosity” in the first paragraph probably means ________.

A. 好奇    B. 臆测    C. 迷恋   D. 决心

2. Which of the following is true of tea-drinking in Britain?

A. The British people got expensive tea from India.

B. The habit of tea-drinking reached Britain from France.

C. The British people were much slower in getting the habit.

D. People in Britain began drinking tea one thousand years ago.

3. Some people cooked tea leaves because ______

A. most children liked to have them

B. they were very good vegetables

C. they didn’t know how to use them

D. sandwiches needed mixing with them

4. People in Britain like to drink tea with milk because of the influence of _______.

A. a famous French lady

B. people in Holland

C. the upper social class

D. the ancient Chinese

5.This passage mainly discusses _______.

A. how tea-time was born in history

B. the history of tea-drinking in Britain

C. the habit of drinking tea with milk in it

D. differences about tea-drinking Europe

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.A

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述英国茶叶的历史 ；

1.A词意猜测。根据第一段提到It could not be bought in shops. People had it sent from Holland. And even those people who could afford it did so only because of curiosity.商店没有卖的，人们从荷兰去来，即使能买得起的人们也只是为了好奇，故选A项。

2.C推断题。根据倒数第二段提到Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.慢慢的这种习惯开始到英格兰，故可知C项正确；

3.C推断题。根据第一段提到They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches他们发现自己的错误，但许多人把用过的茶叶面包中，做成三明治给孩子吃，故选C项。

4.A细节理解题。根据倒数第二段提到Because she was so famous a lady that people liked to copy everything she did, they also drank their tea with milk in it.因为她是有名的女士，人们喜欢模仿她，他们也这样喝，故选A 项。

5.B主旨大意。本文主要讲述茶叶是被引入英国，进而成为他们文化的一部分，故选B项。