Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea yearly. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea is not native to Britain. Most tea is grown in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?

Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring (探索) the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the richer sections of society.

At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic (特色).

In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.

In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising (交际) in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became necessary in every kitchen.

【小题1】How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following the order of time.	D．By following the order of importance.

【小题2】According to the passage, what is the British characteristic of tea?

A．Green tea.	B．Black tea.
C．Tea with a little milk and sugar.	D．Afternoon tea with a snack.

【小题3】The underlined word “decreased” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

A．went up	B．took off
C．fell off	D．came out

【小题4】When was tea a necessity for ordinary people in Britain?

A．In the 1600s.	B．In the 1800s.
C．In the late 1800s.	D．At the start of the 20th century.