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Laura: Do you think there will be a show of the Chinese tea ceremony?
Benjamin: Of course. It’s a tea culture festival. So there should be many shows about that. Look, there is one over there. Let’s go and have a look.
(They come to see a tea ceremony.)
Laura: He looks very professional. What’s the most important thing about a tea ceremony?
Benjamin: Well, the Chinese tea ceremony emphasizes the tea, rather than the ceremony.
Laura: You mean what the tea tastes like?
Benjamin: Yeah. And also, what it smells like and how one tea tastes compared to the previous tea.
Laura: What do you mean by “previous tea”?
Benjamin: A good server can make a pot of tea serve 3 or 4 rounds and up to 5 or 6. The goal is that each round tastes the same as the first.
Laura: Cool. And I notice that the tea cups are very small. Why don’t they use bigger ones which can hold more tea at a time?
Benjamin: Well, in China, tasting and serving tea is an art. Tea is the symbol of elegance. So people use small tea cups to taste tea which is different from drinking tea.
Laura: I see. Tea tasting definitely has deep culture meanings.
Benjamin: Yeah. In old times, tea tasting is the thing which could always inspire poetry. So there are many poems about tea.
Laura: Really? That’s very interesting.
Benjamin: Last but not least, the water is also very important.
Laura: I know that. Some tea is ruined by boiling water. The best temperature is around 170~185 degrees F.
Benjamin: Exactly.
听看学
罗拉: 这里会有茶艺表演的展示吗?
本杰明: 当然有。这是茶文化节。所以应该会有很多茶艺表演。看，那边有一个。我们过去看看吧。
(他们来看一个茶艺表演。)
罗拉: 他看起来好专业哦。茶艺表演中最重要的是什么?
本杰明: 这个啊，相对于仪式，中国的茶艺更加注重茶本身。
罗拉: 你是指茶的味道吗?
本杰明: 是的。也包括茶闻起来的香味，以及先后品茶味道的比较。
罗拉: 你说的“之前的茶”是指什么?
本杰明: 一个出色的茶艺表演者可以让一壶茶叶泡3或4次甚至多达5或6次。关键是每一次泡的茶都和第一次泡的茶喝起来是一样的味道。
罗拉: 好酷。我还注意到这些茶杯都很小。他们为什么不用可以盛更多茶的大茶杯呢?
本杰明: 这个啊，在中国，品茶和泡茶是一门艺术。茶是高雅的象征。所以人们用小茶杯来品茶，这和喝茶是不一样的。
罗拉: 明白了。品茶一定有很深厚的文化内涵吧。
本杰明: 对啊。在古代，品茶常常可以给做诗带来灵感。这就是为什么有那么多描写茶的诗歌。
罗拉: 真的吗?那可真有意思。
本杰明: 还有一件重要的事就是沏茶的水也很重要。
罗拉: 这个我知道。有的茶会被沸水给烫坏的。最合适的水温是170到185华氏度。
本杰明: 完全正确。
经典背诵 Recitation
Laura: I watched a show of the Chinese tea ceremony today. It was really interesting. I was told that the Chinese tea ceremony emphasized the tea, rather than the ceremony. A good server could make a pot of tea serve 3 or 4 rounds and up to 5 or 6, and each round tasted the same as the first. Moreover, the tea cups used in a tea ceremony were really small, for it was for tasting tea, which was different from drinking tea.
生词小结
ceremony n. 仪式
emphasize vt. 强调
server n. 侍者
elegance n. 高雅
poetry n. 诗歌
注释
last but not least 最后但并非最不重要的(一点)
Scene practice 情景练习
仔细阅读下面五个场景，两人一组，使用表示祝愿的句型，用一用，练一练。
1.If you were Jane, a friend of you is going to get married soon. What would you say to him?
2.If you were Daniel, your sister May is going to take part in a speech contest. What would you say to her?
3.If you were Gucci, you met your boyfriend on his birthday. What would you say to him?
4.If you were Shirley, your sister was going to start a fashion shop soon. What would you say to her?
5.If you were Benjamin, your colleague was going to take a trip abroad. What would you say to him?
