VOA常速英语2007年-Tea Drinking Tradition Continue to Be Important

By Naomi Martig
Hong Kong
11 November 2007

The tradition of tea drinking was mentioned in Chinese literature as far back as five thousand years ago, and is still an important part of many Asian cultures. Although the patience needed to brew¹ a perfect pot of tea may seem at odds² with today's fast-paced lifestyle, it remains³ popular across the generations. VOA's Naomi Martig reports from Hong Kong.

At the Lam Kie Yuen Tea Company in Hong Kong, containers of loose tea leaves line the walls, and the scent⁴ of roasting tea in the backroom oven is overwhelmingly aromatic⁵. Lam Kwan Yin has worked in the tea business for more than 50 years. He started the Lam Kie Yuen Tea Company in Hong Kong in 1955, and just recently opened a store in Vancouver, Canada.

Lam says the numbers of young people and adults who come to the shop are roughly equal. He says both age groups are interested in learning how to brew tea, but the types they prefer are quite different.

Lam says young people are more interested in lighter⁶ teas, such as Green or Oolong teas, which are often marketed as having health benefits. Adults who are long-time tea drinkers, however, prefer darker, redder teas, which are also considered healthful, but taste much more bitter.

Zhu Zhunghai with the China Tea Association in Beijing says there is a belief that young people today are not as interested in tea as their parents were. But he says this is not the case.

"Green tea [drinking] among the youth has actually increased, because the newer generation is more counseled about the health, and tea is seen as a health drink," he said.

Lam says loose-leaf tea is much more popular in his shop than tea bags, because his customers are more interested in learning the tradition of tea brewing⁷.

Steeping the tea takes more than 10 minutes, and Lam says that most young people who come to his shops are eager to learn the process, which includes arranging the cups, rinsing⁸ them, and pouring steaming water onto the tea leaves.

Even sipping⁹ the final product is an art, a style he says is very similar to wine tasting.

Although soft drinks and fast food certainly have charmed younger Asians more than their parents' generation, it appears that some traditions are not going to simmer down any time soon. A perfect cup of tea, for Asians young and old, continues to be seen as an artistic¹⁰ accomplishment¹¹, and is still very much worth the wait.

1 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

5 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

6 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

7 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

8 rinsing   

n.清水，残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉

参考例句：

• Pablo made a swishing noise rinsing wine in his mouth. 巴勃罗用酒漱着口，发出咕噜噜噜的声音。 来自辞典例句
• The absorption of many molecular layers could be reestablished by rinsing the foils with tap water. 多分子层的吸附作用可用自来水淋洗金属箔而重新实现。 来自辞典例句

9 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

10 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

11 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。