拇指英语说， 分享英语学习心得，技巧和方法。让英语学习变得更有趣，更简单。
在英语学习中，阅读是学生获得英语知识，提高英语能力与素养的重要途径。通过阅读，学生们可以增强语感、积淀文化知识，提高学生跨文化交际能力，从而整体提高他们的英语综合能力。
为增加阅读素材的多元化，拇指英语说特推出“报刊时文阅读素材积累系列”。众所周知，报刊阅读的材料内容丰富，真实感和时效性强，语言地道，话题轻松活泼，贴近学生生活。因此，报刊阅读是对校内英语教材的有益补充，有利于培养学生的阅读兴趣，提高阅读技能。本系列适合小学高年级至初中年级学生。按阅读难度，分为一星（小学高年级），二星（初中低年级）和三星（初中高年级）。
[来源】Teens
[主题语境】品茶悟人生
[难度系数】 **
Do you know anything about tea? How many kinds of tea are there in China? Tick the ones you’ve had before. 你知道茶吗？ 中国有多少种茶叶呢？ 请勾选出你喝过的茶。
□ green tea 绿茶
□ white tea 白茶
□ yellow tea 黄茶
□ oolong tea (乌龙茶)
□ black tea (红茶)
□ dark tea (黑茶)
Reading
Tea to some people in eastern countries is like air or water. It’s something that they can’t live without.
When I was 22 years old, I experienced a neighbor’s deep and warm kindness. I was very sad and lost after the loss of a long-term relationship. My neighbor invited me to have tea at her home one evening.
That night, she set out a beautiful tea set. She told me all about her life story. She came to America because she had lost a man who she loved deeply. She told me, over that cup of tea, that her pain was gone. She suggested that I make a detailed (详细的) plan about how to go forward. We ended our evening tea at 2 am. It was truly a heartwarming and unforgettable cup of tea.
When I was 38 years old, I was teaching English in Japan. One young woman wanted to say “thank you” in a special way when her lessons were completed. During the final lesson, she brought her tea set – a lovely box with all the things that were needed for a Japanese tea ceremony. She quietly knelt at my coffee table, poured green tea powder into a bowl, added hot water, whisked (搅拌) it gently with a brush, and then placed some tiny pieces of gold leaf on top! She silently held it out to me to drink with both hands, smiling sweetly. I was surprised at the beauty of her gift and at her kind heart. It was so much more than a cup of tea!
When you feel upset, why not have a cup of tea and enjoy how calm and happy it makes you feel?
【Sharing seconds】分享时刻
清茶在手，一人得幽，
二人得趣，三人成品。
【Treasure box】
- loss . 损失
- pain . 疼痛；痛苦
- complete . 完成
- ceremony . 仪式
- kneel . 跪下
Difficult sentences:
- She suggested that I make a detailed (详细的) plan about how to go forward.
释义：她建议我做一个如何继续前行的详细计划。
点拨：suggest 表示“建议，提议”，可用 suggest doing sth 结构，也可使用 that 从句，且从句中使用 (should) + 动词原形，should 可省略。
例句： I suggested that we should meet and they agreed.
2.It was so much more than a cup of tea!
释义：这不仅仅是一杯茶那么简单!
点拨：more than 除了表示数量概念，指“多于，超过”外，还可表示程度概念，意为“超过，胜过，不仅，不止，更加”。
例句： He is more than a father to me.
【Comprehension test】
Choose the answer:
1. Why did the writer feel sad and lost at the age of 22?
A. Because her neighbor hadn’t invited her for tea.
B. Because she had broken up with someone.
C. Because her neighbor had to move away.
D. Because she lost her job and had no money.
2. What did the writer learn from her neighbor?
A. What to use to make the best tea.
B. How to drink traditional tea.
C. How to get over something painful.
D. What to do when you stay up late.
3. What did the writer think of the Japanese woman’s tea ceremony?
A. She was surprised at how good the tea tasted.
B. She thought she couldn’t learn anything from it.
C. It wasn’t very interesting to her.
D. She was moved by the woman’s kindness.
4. What is the story mainly about?
A. The writer’s experiences with tea culture.
B. The popularity of tea in the US.
C. The development of tea ceremonies overseas.
D. The cultural importance of tea in Japan.
Keys:
1-4 B C D A
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