Which country grows the most tea? The answer is India. It grows three times as much as China. Which country drinks the most tea? It’s neither China nor Japan. It’s Great Britain.
In the wild, tea plants may be 30 feet tall. But a plant grown for market is pruned. Pruning keeps the plant only three or four feet tall. This is an easy height for tea picking. Only the two top leaves and bud of each new shoot are picked. So to make money, tea plantations must be huge.
In general, there are two kinds of tea. Black tea and green tea. Black tea is fermented. In the process, the tea loses nearly all of its healthy qualities. Green tea is steamed right after the leaves are picked. Green tea retains its healthy qualities. For example, it may prevent heart disease.
How did we get tea bag? The answer: by accident. Tea merchants used to send samples in tin boxes. This was costly. One merchant thought of a cheaper way. He sent samples in small silk bags. Customers would cut open the bag. They would brew the leaves as usual. One customer put the bag into a pot. Then he just poured hot water over it. And the tea bag was born.
Shen Nong was the first to drink tea. (Shen was a Chinese emperor.) This was about 2737 B.C. Shen had bad digestion. So he drank several cups of hot water daily. One day something happened. Leaves from a wild tea tree fell into the hot water pot. The next cup was poured. The water was now colored. Shen sipped it. He liked it. He drank it all. Shen was proud of his new drink. He served it to his guests. Word spread. People thought this way. Tea is good enough for the Emperor. So it must be good enough for the people. Tea became the drink of China.
【小题1】The best title for this passage should be ________________.

Which country grows the most tea? The answer is India. It grows three times as much as China. Which country drinks the most tea? It’s neither China nor Japan. It’s Great Britain.

In the wild, tea plants may be 30 feet tall. But a plant grown for market is pruned. Pruning keeps the plant only three or four feet tall. This is an easy height for tea picking. Only the two top leaves and bud of each new shoot are picked. So to make money, tea plantations must be huge.

In general, there are two kinds of tea. Black tea and green tea. Black tea is fermented. In the process, the tea loses nearly all of its healthy qualities. Green tea is steamed right after the leaves are picked. Green tea retains its healthy qualities. For example, it may prevent heart disease.

How did we get tea bag? The answer: by accident. Tea merchants used to send samples in tin boxes. This was costly. One merchant thought of a cheaper way. He sent samples in small silk bags. Customers would cut open the bag. They would brew the leaves as usual. One customer put the bag into a pot. Then he just poured hot water over it. And the tea bag was born.

Shen Nong was the first to drink tea. (Shen was a Chinese emperor.) This was about 2737 B.C. Shen had bad digestion. So he drank several cups of hot water daily. One day something happened. Leaves from a wild tea tree fell into the hot water pot. The next cup was poured. The water was now colored. Shen sipped it. He liked it. He drank it all. Shen was proud of his new drink. He served it to his guests. Word spread. People thought this way. Tea is good enough for the Emperor. So it must be good enough for the people. Tea became the drink of China.

1.The best title for this passage should be ________________.

A. Black Tea B. Tea Plant

C. About Tea D. Tea Bag

2.One difference between green tea and black tea is that green tea __________.

A. must be pruned B. has a better taste

C. is fermented D. is healthier

3.What does the underlined word “retains” mean?

A. Keeps. B. Makes.

C. Produces. D. Loses.

4.We can know from this passage that __________.

A. tea bag was invented by a merchant

B. tea is better than any other drink

C. tea is popular in many countries

D. tea only grows in warm climates

Autumn in the Grape Valle

The Grape Valley in Turpan, Xinjiang Province has already won a great fame(名声)in the world, as it is a place with both beautiful scenery and unique cultural features(特色). Most tourists choose to visit Grape Valley in summer, as that is the best season for grapes.

       A Cigarette--loving Monkey in GuiyangThe picture was taken in Qianling Park in Guiyang on November 4, Guizhou Province, and a monkey was eating a pack of cigarettes. It is surely better for its health if it gives up the bad habit of eating cigarettes, but it will not be easy at all.

1. Where is the Grape Valley?

A. In Shanghai.   B. In Jilin.   C. In Guiyang.   D. In Xinjiang.

2. Which season is the best if you want to visit the Grape Valley?

     A. In spring.   B. In summer.   C. In fall.    D. In winter.

3. How many people are there in the two pictures?

     A. One.       B. Two.      C. Three.      D. Four.

4. The monkey isn't in the park, is it?

A. Yes, it is.    B. No, it isn't.  C. Yes, it does.  D. No, it doesn't.

5. What is the monkeys' bad habit?

     A. To smoke.              B. To drink tea.

     C. To climb the trees.        D. To eat cigarettes.

When you see the girl for the first time, you may think she is a boy. She is very outgoing（外向）. Who is she? Wang Meng, the Chinese top skater.
On the evening of February 26th, 2010, Wang Meng first got to the finishing line in 1 minute and 29.213 seconds in the women’s 1000 meters short track speed skating final（短道速滑决赛）at the Vancouer Olympic Winter Games（温哥华冬奥会）. After she succeeded in the 500-meter and 3000-meter races, she won her third gold medal this time. With this one China won four gold medals in the women’s short track speed skating. That helped China first win the team gold medal in Winter Olympics history.
Just before the final race Wang Meng caught a bad cold and coughed terribly. With the words of “You can, you can do!” she won at last. She said, “I really feel these three gold medals belong to my team, to China. It was with the help of my team that I won the prize.”
Though Wang Meng is only twenty-four, she has been the most successful Chinese skater. Chinese are proud of her and her team. We hope she will be faster in Sochi Olympics in 2014.
【小题1】China won ________gold medals in the women’s short track speed skating.