2.Try to pick out some whole leaves，and gum down any you can find on a piece of card.They will looksomething like this.The leaves are dark brown in colour.They have jagged edges，and are pointed at each end.
3.When we make tea，we put some tea-leaves into a tea-pot，and then pour boiling water on them.The juice of the tea-leaves makes the water brown.This brown water is the tea we drink.
4.Can we use these tea-leaves over again？No；the boiling water has taken all the strength or taste out of them.
5.But where did the tea-leaves come from？They are the leaves of the tea -plant，a shrub which grows well in China and India.It has dark-green leaves and a pretty white flower.
6.The leaves are picked two or three times a year by girls and women.They are first dried in the sun，next roasted in big iron pans，and then rolled on long tables by hand or by amachine.
THE TEA-PLANT（茶树的局部）
7.The tea is then packed in boxes called tea-chests，and brought in ships to this country.Tea has been used in Britain for two hundred years；but it is not very long since it became cheap.
8.Long ago，when ships came from China with tea，they had to sail round Africa，and this took them many months.The captains used to have races every year to see who would land his tea first in London，because the one who came first got the best price for it.Tea is now brought from China by steamships in a few weeks，for the steam-ships can come by a much shorter road.
9.Could we not gather some leaves from our hedges，and roast them in a pan，and then roll them up？Yes；but such leaves would not make “tea，”when you poured boiling water on them.
10.The juice of each plant has its own taste，and leaves from the hedges would not have the taste of tea.There are some wildflowers and leaves that poor people used in place of tea long ago，when tea was very dear.But I do not think that we should like them now.
SUMMARY
The tea-plant grows in China and India.It has dark-green leaves with jagged edges，and a pretty white flower.The leaves are picked two or three times a year.They are dried in the sun，then roasted，rolled，and packed in chests.Tea is made by pouring boiling water over tealeaves.Long ago it took many months to bring tea to this country，and it was very dear.Now it comes in a few weeks，and is very cheap.
【中文阅读】
1．小朋友，今天晚上，你喝完茶以后，请让妈妈把茶壶给你，把壶里的茶叶倒进一盆水里面。把这些茶叶分出来，用清水洗干净。
2．把几片完整的茶叶挑出来，都黏到一张卡片上。茶叶看起来就应该是这个样子，颜色是深棕色的，边上有锯齿，两头都是尖的。
3．我们泡茶的时候，先往茶壶里放点儿茶叶，然后倒上开水。茶叶里的汁液会让水变成棕色，这种棕色的水，就是我们喝的茶了。
4．我们能用这些茶叶再泡一次茶么？不能了。开水已经把茶叶的“精华”和香味带走了。
5．可是，茶叶是从哪儿来的呢？茶叶是茶树的叶子，茶树是一种灌木，在中国和印度有很多。茶树的叶子是暗绿色的，花是一种漂亮的白花。①6．一年有两三次，女孩子们跟妇女们把茶叶采下来，先在太阳下晒干，然后用大铁锅炒熟，再用手或者机器，在长长的桌子上，把一片片茶叶卷起来。
7．人们再把茶叶装进茶叶箱里，用船运到英国来。在英国，人们已经喝了两百年的茶，但直到最近，茶叶的价钱才变得便宜。②8．很久以前，运茶叶的船从中国来英国的时候，必须绕过非洲，要走好几个月才能到。以前的船长们，每年都举行比赛，看谁能第一个把茶运到伦敦，因为第一个到达的人，能把茶叶卖出最高的价钱。现在，我们用蒸汽船从中国运茶叶，因为蒸汽船可以走一条近得多的路。
9．我们能不能从田野边的树篱上摘点儿叶子下来，在铁锅里烤干，再卷起来呢？能，但这些叶子，倒上开水，也泡不出“茶”来。
10．每一种植物的汁液，都有自己的味道，树篱的叶子的味道，跟茶叶的味道是不一样的。很久以前，茶叶还很贵的时候，穷人曾经把一些野花和野草叶子，当成茶泡着喝。不过，我觉得，现在我们应该不喜欢这些东西了。③译注①茶树属于“被子植物门”“双子叶植物纲”“杜鹃花目”“山茶科”“山茶属”“茶树种”。人工栽培的茶树高度一般在1米左右。在热带还有乔木茶树，高度可达15-30米。
②在英国，贵族开始普遍喝茶，是1662年以后的事儿。英国从1689年开始，直接从中国进口茶叶。这本书是1907年出版的，离1689年正好是两百多年。当然，现在我们就说，英国的饮茶历史已经有300多年了。至于中国的饮茶历史是什么时候开始的，因为时间实在太久，有很多说法。一般认为比较可靠的，是西周时期，也就是2700多年到3000多年以前。
③亲爱的读者，在给英国孩子看的书里看到中国，你一定觉得很有意思吧？我再告诉你一点儿这方面的事情。“茶”的英语叫tea，tea的发音，就来自中国福建方言里的“茶”。在1849年以前，从中国到英国的运茶船很笨重，从中国南方的港口出发，绕过非洲来到英国，要走九个月到一年的时间。1849年之后，人们发明了一种快速帆船，只用三个月就能走到英国了，课文里提到的快速帆船比赛，就是在这个时候举行的。但是，1869年发生了一件大事，连接印度洋和大西洋的苏伊士运河开通了，这样运茶船就不用绕过非洲了。而且，这条航线，沿路给蒸汽船修了很多加煤站，大大方便了蒸汽船的航行。直到现在，咱们中国还是世界上的茶叶出口大国之一。2012年前6个月，中国就出口了15.3万吨的茶叶呢！平时你喝一次茶只有几克，1000克是一公斤，1000公斤是一吨，15.3万吨茶够喝多少年啊！
SNOW-FLAKES