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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.

聽看學

羅拉: 這里會有茶藝表演的展示嗎?

本杰明: 當然有。這是茶文化節。所以應該會有很多茶藝表演。看，那邊有一個。我們過去看看吧。

(他們來看一個茶藝表演。)

羅拉: 他看起來好專業哦。茶藝表演中最重要的是什么?

本杰明: 這個啊，相對于儀式，中國的茶藝更加注重茶本身。

羅拉: 你是指茶的味道嗎?

本杰明: 是的。也包括茶聞起來的香味，以及先后品茶味道的比較。

羅拉: 你說的“之前的茶”是指什么?

本杰明: 一個出色的茶藝表演者可以讓一壺茶葉泡3或4次甚至多達5或6次。關鍵是每一次泡的茶都和第一次泡的茶喝起來是一樣的味道。

羅拉: 好酷。我還注意到這些茶杯都很小。他們為什么不用可以盛更多茶的大茶杯呢?

本杰明: 這個啊，在中國，品茶和泡茶是一門藝術。茶是高雅的象征。所以人們用小茶杯來品茶，這和喝茶是不一樣的。

羅拉: 明白了。品茶一定有很深厚的文化內涵吧。

本杰明: 對啊。在古代，品茶常常可以給做詩帶來靈感。這就是為什么有那么多描寫茶的詩歌。

羅拉: 真的嗎?那可真有意思。

本杰明: 還有一件重要的事就是沏茶的水也很重要。

羅拉: 這個我知道。有的茶會被沸水給燙壞的。最合適的水溫是170到185華氏度。

本杰明: 完全正確。

經典背誦 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.

生詞小結

ceremony n. 儀式

emphasize vt. 強調

server n. 侍者

elegance n. 高雅

poetry n. 詩歌

注釋

last but not least 最后但并非最不重要的(一點)

Scene practice 情景練習

仔細閱讀下面五個場景，兩人一組，使用表示祝愿的句型，用一用，練一練。

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?