Ranked as the number one beverage consumed worldwide, tea takes the lead over coffee in both popularity and production with 5 million metric tons of tea produced annually. Although much of this tea is consumed in Asian, European and African countries, the United States drinks its fair share. According to estimates by the Tea Council of the United States, tea is enjoyed by no less than half of the U.S population on any given day. Black tea or green tea – iced, spiced or instant – tea drinking has spurred a billion-dollar with major tea producer in Africa and South America and throughout Asia.

Tea is made from the leaves from an evergreen plant, Camellia saneness, which grows tall and lush in tropical region. On tea plantation, the plant is kept trimmed to approximately four feet high and as new buds called flush appear; they are plucked off by hand. Even in today’s world of modern agricultural machinery, hand harvesting continues to be the preferred method. Ideally, only the top two leaves and a bud should be picked. This new growth produces the highest quality tea.

After being harvested, tea leaves are laid out on long drying racks, called withering racks, for 18 to 20 hours. During this process, the tea softens and become limp. Next, dependent on the type of tea being product, the leaves may be crushed or chopped to release flavor, and then fermented under controlled condition of heat and humidity. For green tea, the whole leaves are often steamed to retain their green color, and the fermentation process is skipped. Producing black teas requires fermentation during which the tea leaves begin darken. After fermentation, black tea is dried in vats to produce its rich brown or black color.

No one knows when or how tea became popular, but legend has it that tea as a beverage was discovered in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung of China when leaves from camellia dropped into his drinking water as it was boiling over a fire. As the story goes, Emperor Shen Nung drank the resulting liquid and proclaimed that the drink to be most nourishing and refreshing. Though this account cannot be documented, it is thought that tea drinking probably originated in China and spread to other parts of Asia, then Europe, and ultimately to America colonies around 1650.

With about half the caffeine content of coffee, tea is often chosen by those who want to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate their caffeine intake. Some people find that tea is less acidic than coffee and therefore easier on the stomach. Others have become interested in tea drinking since the National Cancer Institute publishes its finding on the antioxidant properties of tea. But whether tea is enjoyed for it perceived health benefit, its flavor, or as a social drink, teacups continue to be filled daily with the world’ most popular beverage.

The word “eliminate” in paragraph 5 could be best replaced by which of the following words?

Câu hỏi liên quan

• The man mentioned in the passage, who used his cellphone too often, ______.

• Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

• According to the text, the most important quality of a teacher is _______.

ZUNIA12

• The word “indiscriminately” could best be replaced by which of the following?

• The word "their" in line 12 refers to ......

• These changes in the Amercan home may ______________

• What is the main topic of the passage?

• It’s probable that the next paragraph would discuss ________.

• According to the passage, the frame buffers mentioned in the third paragraph are used to ........

• The man mentioned in the passage, who used his cell phone too often, ...........

• According to the passage, Charlotte Taylor believes that women in 1970s .............

• Which of the following statements does paragraph 1 support?

• The word "ball" in paragraph 2 probably means ...............

• A nod of the head from the teacher will likely ask his student to __________ what he is saying.

• The phrase "set off" is closest in meaning to______________.

• Which of the following is NOT given as an advantage of using biological agents over chemical herbicides?

• Which of the following sentences is true?

• What is the main idea of the passage?

• According to the passage, an exuberant tone of voice may be an indication of a person’s ____________.

• We can see from paragraph 5 that after his father’s death, Mantle ______.