Ejercicio Texto A - Preguntas 1-4 · Inglés PAU Asturias Ordinaria 2021

TEXTO A: Tea in Britain

Although drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China, it was not until the mid 17th century that the beverage first appeared in England. The use of tea spread slowly from its Asian homeland, reaching Europe by way of Venice around 1560, although Portuguese trading ships may have made contact with the Chinese as early as 1515. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, with regular shipments by 1610. Curiously, it was the London coffee houses that were responsible for introducing tea to England. One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657. He advertised the virtues of tea as 'making the body active and vigorous' and 'preserving perfect health until extreme old age'. Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, which annoyed tavern owners because tea cut their sales of beer and gin, and it was bad news for the government, who depended upon a regular source of income from taxes on alcohol sales. By 1750 tea had become the favoured drink of Britain’s lower classes. English nobles had an impact on the habit of drinking tea. Afternoon tea is said to have originated with one person, Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800’s she started the idea of having tea in the late afternoon to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, which in fashionable circles might not be served until 8 o’clock at night. This fashionable custom soon evolved into high tea among the working classes, where this late afternoon meal became the main meal of the day. British porcelain industry is closely related to tea. Tea in China was traditionally drunk from cups without handles. When tea became popular in Britain, there was an urgent need for good cups with handles, to accommodate British habits. This made for tremendous growth in porcelain industry and the prosperity of companies such as Wedgwood and Royal Albert.

QUESTIONS. Do not copy literally from the text.

1.

Explain how tea reached England and how it was introduced in the country.

2.

Who were afraid of the popularity of tea in Britain, and why?

3.

Briefly summarize what the text says about afternoon tea.

4.

What is the relationship between British porcelain industry and tea?