Page 203 - @ccess 2 Teacher´s Book

points of all; indeed in every family in Britain how Orwell relates the drink with other countries
there are probably two schools of thought on the and different uses of tealeaves.
subject. The milk-first school can bring forward Student 1: Did you like the part of no adding
some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain sugar? Maybe we can do the experiment he
that my own argument is unanswerable. This is proposes and try it.
that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one Student 2: OK, let’s do it!
pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of
milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk TRACK 46 (Practice 8, Activity 15)
if one does it the other way round.
Student 1: It sounds a bit complicated! Student 1: Let’s work with this paragraph.
Announcer: Lastly, tea–unless one is drinking it I’ll read. “I remember that when the concept
in the Russian style–should be drunk WITHOUT of teabags appeared in Russia (right around
SUGAR. I know very well that I am in a minority the collapse of the Soviet Union), it did gain
here. But still, how can you call yourself a true popularity.”
tea-lover if you destroy the flavour of your Student 2: Stop! What is the writer implying
tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally here? When Russia was the Soviet Union they
reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant were a communist country, and there weren’t
to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. a lot of imported goods. Once it collapsed,
If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the Russians were able to buy American stuff.
tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could Student 1: You’re right! That’s why the writer
make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in talks about American candy bars. Look: “along
plain hot water. with candy bars and hamburgers.”
Some people would answer that they don't like
tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be Student 1: Yes, both are well-known products.
warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to Ok, so we can say that teabags were copied from
take the taste away. To those misguided people I the United States. They were popular because
would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, they were new and trendy, but it seems Russians
a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever didn’t like them. The essay states: “but also
want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again. became the butt of endless jokes.”
Student 2: Tea without sugar?! Student 2: Oh ok. Nobody makes jokes about
Student 1: Yes. It looks like this is the most something they like. They found them ridiculous.
important part of the recipe to Orwell. We can Read the joke.
say it is the main idea in this paragraph. Student 1: “Soon, instead of the tea called
Announcer: These are not the only controversial ‘Cheerfulness’, another tea, named ‘Greediness’
points to arise in connexion with tea drinking, will be on sale; it will have all the teabags tied to
but they are sufficient to show how subtilized one single thread.” Are they talking about
the whole business has become. There is also tea brands?
the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the Student 2: Yes. One is called “Cheerfulness” and
teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out the other “Greediness.”
of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be No, I believe there was only “Cheerfulness” and
written about the subsidiary uses of tea leaves, the other is the joke.
such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival Student 1: What does “Greediness” mean?
of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and Student 2: According to the dictionary, it means
sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention “intense and selfish desire of something”. Since
to such details as warming the pot and using the teabags are too weak and don’t make strong
water that is really boiling, so as to make quite tea, you should use “Greediness” because, in the
sure of wringing out of one's ration the twenty joke, it has all the teabags tied together. As if you
good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly were going to use 25 teabags to make one cup
handled, ought to represent. of tea.
Student 2: Tea is such an important aspect in Student 1: Oh, hahaha, I get it now.
the British culture. I didn’t know it took so many
steps to make a nice cup of tea. It is interesting

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