Топик на тему Tea на английском языке. Топик на тему Tea на английском языке Английское чаепитие топик на английском языке
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world. You make it by pouring hot water over the dried leaves of a tea plant. For centuries people believed that teas could cure illnesses, they used it as medicine. Today scientists know that tea contains chemicals that prevent cells from dying. Most teas have caffeine in them, a substance that makes you feel more active. Some people have problems drinking tea because it can cause sleeplessness.
Tea plant
The tea plant grows best in tropical and temperate places where rain falls throughout the year. Tea can be grown from sea level to about 2,000 metres, but the best quality grows in higher regions.
Tea comes from the leaves and buds of tea plants. Wild plants can be up to 9 metres high but on tea plantations they are cut back to a bush of about a metre in height so that workers can pluck the leaves easily. The plant produces pointed, leathery dark leaves, small white flowers and seeds that look like hazelnuts. It takes a plant three to five years before is ready for plucking.
A plucker can harvest about 20kg of tea a day. On large tea plantations the leaves are harvested by machines, but the quality of tea is higher when the leaves are hand-plucked.
Types of tea
The most common types of tea are black and green tea. They come from the same plant but are processed differently.
Workers take the leaves and spread them out on shelves where they can dry. Next, they are rolled and broken into pieces and put into a room where they absorb oxygen. Chemical reactions change the taste and character of the tea. Finally, the leaves are dried with hot air until they turn brownish-black. Most black tea comes from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and eastern Africa.
To make green tea, workers put the freshly picked leaves into a steamer, which keeps them green. Then they are crushed and dried in ovens. Japan is the biggest producers of green tea.
Tea can be bought in many forms – leaves, powder or tea bags. Some of them are added with flavours, like vanilla, orange or lemon. Although most people drink their tea hot, many enjoy iced tea, especially during the summer months.
Black tea is brewed by pouring water over a teaspoon of tea. The tea should soak for three to five minutes before you drink it. Green tea should be left in water longer. Instead of putting tea leaves into a pot people often put tea bags into a cup.
History
People first drank tea in China about 5000 years ago. Originally it was used as a medicine, then as a daily drink. It spread to Japan in the 3rd century A.D. Dutch and Portuguese traders brought tea from eastern Asia to Europe in the 1600s.
In 1657 the beverage was sold for the first time in coffee houses in Great Britain. When the English started a tradition of tea drinking in the afternoon it became England"s national drink. In the 17th and 18th centuries tea spread to British colonies overseas.
In 1767 Great Britain placed a tax on tea imported by American colonists. During the Boston Tea Party of 1773 they were so angry that they threw a ship full of British tea into the harbour to protest British rule. Two years later the American Revolutionary War started.
Today about 3.3 million tons of tea are produced. India, with its famous tea growing regions like Darjeeling and Assam, and China produce about half of the world"s tea. It also grows in many other parts of Asia, especially in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In the course of time growing tea has spread to countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and South America.
English people like to invite their friends to have tea with them.
On a certain day, perhaps once a month, the house is made very clean and fresh flowers are put in the rooms. Children are told not to leave their things about, and they are sent to their own room.
The guests arrive and soon the sitting-room is full of people, all talking. They talk about their homes, their families, their friends, clothes, the cost of things in the shops; they tell each other about their holiday plans, the plays, films and TV programmes they have seen, and sometimes about the things that other people have said and done. The conversation never stops.
Then tea is brought in. In England making tea is a very serious matter. This is how it is done. Fresh water is poured into the kettle and when it is hot, a little is put in the tea-pot to warm it. The tea-pot is then dried and the tea put in – one spoonful for each person and one "for the pot". When the water is quite boiling, it is poured on to the tea and then the tea-pot must stand in в warm place for four or five minutes before it is ready.
Tea must be poured as carefully as it is made. Some people like to have milk in the cup first and then tea, others like to put tea in first and then add milk, while others say they cannot see much difference. Some people do not take milk in their tea at all. When you are pouring tea, you should ask each person what he or she preferes.Mine people don"t like sugar in their tea, others like one, two or three lumps.
Tea is the Most Popular Drink in Britain
Everyone knows that tea is the most popular drink in Britain. It"s even more popular than coffee, which is favoured throughout Europe and America.The Dutch brought the first tea to Europe in 1610. But it was not until 1658 that the first advertisement for tea appeared in a London newspaper. At that time a pound of the cheapest tea cost about one-third of a skilled worker"s weekly wages. Tea was guarded by the lady of the house and kept in special containers, often with a lock and carefully doled out by the teaspoon.By 1750 tea had become the principal drink of all the classes in Britain. Later, tea-drinking developed into a fashionable social ritual. Tea parties were popular at home and soon the ritual of "afternoon tea" was firmly established.Nowadays, throughout the homes, tea shops and hotels of Britain, the custom of tea-time continues. Tea in Britain is brewed in a teapot. Then the one spoonful of tea per person and one for the pot is added.Most people in Britain prefer a rich, strong cup of tea with milk, and sugar is sometimes added to taste.
The British Media
The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting.Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: the «popular» papers and the «quality» papers.The popular papers are less in size, with many pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read. They are such papers as «Daily Express», «Daily mail», «Daily Mirror», «Daily Star», «The Sun» and others.The «quality» papers are for more serious readership. These papers are bigger in size, with larger articles and more detailed information. The «quality» papers are - «The Times», «Daily Telegraph», «The Guardian», «Financial Times», «The Independent».In addition to daily papers we have just mentioned above there are Sunday papers. They have a higher circulation than the dailies. Sunday papers in Great B ritain are such «quality» papers as «Observer», «Sunday Times», «Sunday Telegraph» and such «popular» papers as: «News of the World», «Sunday Express», «Sunday Mirror», «Mail on Sunday».As far as broadcasting and telecasting are concerned there are two radio and TV stations. The first one - well-known BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation, and the second - IBA - Independent Broadcasting Authorities.The newspapers in Britain are proud of the fact that they are different from each other - each tries to have a definite profile.
Transport in Britain
You can reach England either by plane, by train, by car or by ship. The fastest way is by plane. London has three international airports: Heathrow, the largest, connected to the city by underground; Gatwick, south of London, with a frequent train service; Luton, the smallest, used for charter flights.If you go to England by train or by car you have to cross the Channel. There is a frequent service of steamers and ferryboats which connect the continent to the south-east of England.People in Britain drive on the left and generally overtake on the right. The speed limit is 30 miles per hour (50 km/h) in towns and cities and 70 m.p.h. (110 km/h) on motorways.When you are in London you can choose from four different means of transport: bus, train, underground or taxi. The typical bus in London is a red double-decker. The first London bus started running between " ALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH=260 HEIGHT=249 BORDER=0>