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.

What does the word “they” in paragraph 2 refer to?

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• The word “glitches” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ...........

• The topic of this passage is ___________.

• The orchid is unique because of ......

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• Satellites are used to .............

• According to paragraph 4, which of the following is the most fascinating to booklovers?

• According to the article, what does the band Four Square hope to do in the future?

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

• It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that business operated by women are small because ................

• Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

• Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

• According to the passage, what did Carson primarily study at Johns Hopkins University?

• According to the passage, the highest amount of pheromone vapor is found ........

• The word “address” in in paragraph 6 can be replaced by ......

• What did researchers discover in the study of honeybees discussed in paragraph 2?

• What does the author imply in the last sentence of the passage?

• According to the passage, the difficulty in diagnosing allergies to foods is due to ______________.

• According to the passage, which of the following is true of humpback whales?

• How many Americans are involved in telecommuting?

• What do the Hindu people think about marriage?

• The word “they” in paragraph 5 refers to _______________.