IELTS Academic Reading Task: Tea Times

Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading
Passage below.
Tea Times
0
A. The chances are that you have already drunk a cup or glass of tea today. Perhaps, you are
sipping one as you read this. Tea, now an everyday beverage in many parts of the world,
has been an important part of rituals of hospitality both in the home and in wider society
over the centuries.
5
B. Tea originated in China, and tea-making and drinking ceremonies have been popular for
centuries in Eastern Asia. Tea was first shipped to North-Western Europe by English and
Dutch maritime traders in the sixteenth century. At about the same time, a land route from
the Far East, via Moscow, to Europe was opened up. Tea also figured in America’s bid for
independence from British rule the Boston Tea Party.
10
C. As tea leaves became available throughout much of Asia and Europe over the last four
hundred years, the ways in which tea was drunk changed. The Chinese considered the
quality of the leaves and the ways in which they were cured all important. People in other
cultures added new ingredients besides tea leaves and hot water. They drank tea with
15 milk, sugar, spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and herbs such as mint or sage. The
variations are endless. For example, in Western Sudan on the edge of the Sahara Desert,
sesame oil is added to milky tea on cold mornings. In England tea, unlike coffee, acquired
a reputation as a therapeutic drink that promoted health. Indeed, in European and Arab
20 countries as well as In Persia and Russia, tea was praised for its restorative and health-
giving properties. One Dutch physician, Cornelius Blankaart, advised that to maintain
health a minimum of eight to ten cups a day should be drunk and that up to 50 to 100
daily cups could be consumed safely.
D. While European coffee houses were frequented by men discussing politics and closing
25 business deals, respectable middle-class women stayed at home and held tea parties.
When the price of tea fell in the nineteenth century poor people took up the drink with
enthusiasm. Different grades and blends of tea were sold to suit every pocket.
E. Throughout the world today, few religious groups object to tea drinking. In Islamic
30
cultures, where drinking of alcohol is forbidden, tea and coffee consumption is an
important part of social life. However, Seventh-Day Adventists, recognising the beverage
as a drug containing the stimulant caffeine, frown upon the drinking of tea.
35 F. Nomadic Bedouins are well known for the traditions of hospitality in the desert.
According to Middle Eastern tradition, guests are served both tea and coffee from pots
kept ready on the fires of guest tents where men of the family and male visitors gather.
40
Cups of “bitter” cardamom coffee and glasses of sugared tea should be constantly refilled
by the host.
G. For over a thousand years, Arab traders have been bringing Islamic culture, including tea
drinking, to northern and western Africa. Techniques of tea preparation have been
adapted. In West African countries, such as Senegal and The Gambia, it is fashionable for
young men to gather in small groups to brew Chinese “gun-powder” tea. The tea is boiled
with large amounts of sugar for a long time.
45
H. Tea drinking in India remains an important part of daily life. There, tea made entirely
with milk is popular. “Chai” is made by boiling milk and adding tea, sugar and some
spices. This form of tea making has crossed the Indian Ocean and is also popular in East
Africa, where tea is considered best when it is either very milky or made with water only.
50 Curiously, this “milk or water” formula has been carried over to the preparation of instant
coffee, which is served in cafes as either black or sprinkled on a cup of hot milk.
I. In Britain, coffee drinking, particularly in the informal atmosphere of coffee shops, is

currently in vogue. Yet, the convention of afternoon tea lingers. At conferences, serving
55 coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon remains a common practice. Contemporary
China, too, remains true to its long tradition. Delegates at conferences and seminars are
served tea in cups with lids to keep the infusion hot. The cups are topped up throughout
the proceedings. There are as yet no signs of coffee on such occasions.
Question 1-5
Reading passage 1 has 9 paragraphs (A-I).
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings given below.
There is an example that has been done for you.
List of Headings
i. Diverse drinking methods

ii. Limited objections to drinking tea
iii. Today’s continuing tradition – In Britain and China
iv. Tea – a beverage of hospitality
v. An important addition – tea with milk
vi. Tea and alcohol
vii. The everyday beverage in all parts of the world
viii. Tea on the move
ix. African tea
x. The fall in the cost of tea
xi. The value of tea
xii. Tea-drinking in Africa
xiii. Hospitality among the Bedouin
For example: Paragraph F Answer: xiii
1. Paragraph A _____________
2. Paragraph B _____________
3. Paragraph C _____________
4. Paragraph D _____________
5. Paragraph E _____________
Question 6-11
Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage to
fill each blank space
6. For centuries, both at home and In society, tea has had an important role
in______________
7. Falling tea prices in the nineteenth century meant that people could choose
the_________________ of tea they could afford.
8. Because it_________________ Seventh-Day Adventists do not approve of the drinking
9. In the desert, one group that is well known for Its traditions of hospitality is
the__________________
10. In India, ________________ and tea are added to boiling milk to make “chai”.
11. In Britain, while coffee is in fashion, afternoon tea is still a________________
UNTIL I FOUND YOU
Georgia, wrap me up in all your-

I want you in my ___________
Oh, let me __________ you
I'll never let you go again like I did
Oh, I _______________ say
"I would never _______________________ again until I found her"
I said, "I would never fall ____________ it's you I fall ____________"
I was lost within the _________________, but then I found her
I found you
Georgia, ____________ me in
I asked to love her once again
You fell, I _____________ you
I'll never let you go again like I did
Oh, I _________________ say
"I would never ______________________ again until I found her"
I said, "I would never fall ______________ it's you I fall _______________"
I was lost within the _________________, but then I found her
I found you
I would never _______________ again until I found her
I said, "I would never fall _______________ it's you I fall ______________"
I was lost within the _______________, but then I found her
I found you

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Reading Passage

I. In Britain, coffee drinking, particularly in the informal atmosphere of coffee shops, is

Reading passage 1 has 9 paragraphs (A-I).

i. Diverse drinking methods

For example: Paragraph F Answer: xiii

Georgia, wrap me up in all your-

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