An Accidental Invention
Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water), was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world’s favorite drinks was invented.
A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, ‘the sage of tea’, mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.
It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn’t appear until around 1660, but in less than 100 years, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.
参考译文
一个意外发明-核
你知道吗？茶（仅次于水的世界最受欢迎饮品）的发现纯属偶然。普遍认为约5000年前人们首次饮用茶。传说中国统治者神农最早发现茶可饮用。某日他在篝火上烧水时。茶树叶子落入水中，浸泡后散发香气。他尝了这褐色液体，发现味道美妙，于是世界上最受欢迎的饮品之一就此诞生。几千年后，’茶圣’陆羽在《茶经》中提及神农。该书记载了茶树种植、茶叶制作工艺。
Key Words
remain /rɪˈmeɪn/v. 保持；仍然是；留下；剩余
- Memories of their trip remained in their hearts for a long time.
- Although years passed, their friendship remained strong.
sage /seɪdʒ/n. 圣人；智者；
- The sage once said, “Happiness comes from helping others”—his words have guided many people..
- In ancient stories, the sage often gave people wise advice to solve their problems.
trade /treɪd/ n. 贸易；商业；行业 v. 做买卖；进行贸易；交换
- China does a lot of trade with other countries around the world.
- trade with（与…… 贸易 / 交换）
- We trade with our neighbors for vegetables.
- trade in（经营…… 生意）
- The shop trades in school supplies.
popularity /ˌpɒpjuˈlærəti/ n. 普及；流行；受欢迎
popular /ˈpɒpjələ(r)/ adj. 受欢迎的；流行的；大众的
popularly /ˈpɒpjələli/ adv. 普遍地；广泛地；通俗地
- This singer is very popular among teenagers—many students know her songs.
- The popularity of online shopping has grown a lot in recent years.
- It’s popularly believed that the festival started over 2,000 years ago.
without doubt “毫无疑问”可放在句首（逗号隔开）或句中，强调对某件事的 “绝对肯定”，语气比 “certainly”“surely” 更强。
It + be + without doubt + that 从句，意为 “毫无疑问……”，用于强调对某一事实或观点的绝对肯定。
- It is without doubt that hard work leads to success.
- There are many ways to keep healthy, and without doubt, exercising regularly is the most effective.
- Without doubt, protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility.
- It is without doubt that the Internet has changed our daily life greatly.
Key Structures
It is said that… “据说······，有人说······”， 这是一个固定句型，“it” 是形式主语，真正的主语是后面的 “that 从句”，表示 “流传的说法、不确定的信息”。
- It is said that this painting was created by a famous artist in the 19th century.
- It is said that drinking a glass of warm water in the morning is good for health.
- It is said that reading widely can improve our writing skills.