One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for tea. Today, when we think of western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea:
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day, breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes, sandwiches, and tea was served to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups, plates, and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.
Will you come for coffee:
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use words “Will you come for coffee?” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.
Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange:
In the 17th century London coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange（股票交易所）is believed to be started from these coffeehouses.
小题1:Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ____________.
A．enjoyed chatting with her friends at home
B．loved tea and beautiful china tea cups
C．wanted to share nice food with her friends
D．found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals小题2:What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?
A．集体婚礼
B．社交活动
C．社区表演
D．公共场合小题3: If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee?”, you ___________.
A．will be offered coffee only
B．will be asked what you would like to drink
C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her
D．are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party小题4: From the last paragraph we can see ____________.
A．a new business was started in coffeehouses
B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers
C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee
D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the coffee小题5:Which is the best title（标题）for this article?
A．British and Chinese Culture
B．The Beginning of Tea and Coffee
C．Coffeehouses and Business
D．English Tea and Coffee Culture
