EigoPro 2級 読解 — The Story of Tea

The Story of Tea After water, tea is the most popular drink in the world. It is enjoyed in noisy city cafés and quiet mountain villages alike, and many cultures have built whole ceremonies around it. Behind every simple cup, however, lies a long history that stretches across thousands of years and almost every continent. According to an old legend, tea was discovered in China nearly five thousand years ago, when a few leaves blew into a pot of boiling water that an emperor was preparing. Whether or not the story is true, we know that tea was being grown and drunk in China long before it was known anywhere else. For centuries, the Chinese kept the secrets of growing and processing the plant carefully to themselves. Slowly, tea spread beyond China's borders. It travelled along trade routes to Japan, where it became central to a refined ceremony, and much later to Europe. There, it was at first a rare and expensive luxury enjoyed only by the rich. In Britain, tea eventually became so popular that it shaped daily life, and the custom of afternoon tea was born. The demand for tea even played a part in major historical events, including wars and the growth of huge trading companies. Today, tea is grown in many countries, from India and Sri Lanka to Kenya, and is sold cheaply almost everywhere. Scientists have also begun to study its possible health benefits. Yet for most people, the appeal of tea has little to do with history or science. A warm cup remains, as it has always been, a simple way to pause, to relax, and to share a quiet moment with others.

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