June 2022 Exam A (You will see the key and the text at the end of the document)

You will hear a spokesperson from the Tea and Coffee Organisation talking about the British
love of tea.

____ 1. The speaker says that the British ...

a) prefer milk in their tea. b) take their tea in a variety of ways.
c) think tea with lemon is too exotic for them to drink.

____2. According to the Tea and Coffee Organisation …

a) there is a big difference between British tea and Italian coffee consumption.
b) the British drink 16 billion cups of tea a year.
c) there are no statistics for how much tea children drink.

____3. According to the speaker …

a) afternoon tea is an everyday activity. b) most tea is drunk in the workplace.
c) there is a dress code if you have afternoon tea in certain hotels.

____4. According to the speaker, the British also drink tea ...
a) whenever they sit down to gossip. b) to avoid talking about their problems.
c) in times of stress.

____ 5. Research into tea shows that it …

a) could have some positive effects on the body. b) has proven medical benefits.
c) is beneficial only if you are cold.

____ 6. Which statement is true, according to the speaker?

a) Coffee contains more caffeine than tea. b) Tea contains more caffeine than coffee.
c) Coffee contains more theanine than tea.

____7. Kate Fox …

a) researches the properties of tea. b) has written many books on tea.
c) maintains that there is a connection between tea and the class system.

____ 8. Strong tea is an indicator of ...

a) higher social status. b) lower social status. c) someone who aims for higher social status.

9. When making tea, the middle classes ...

a) tend not to add milk. b) always add milk and sugar.
c) are concerned with the correct timing of the addition of milk and sugar.

____ 10. According to Fox, Britain’s love of tea is a result of …

a) trade with other countries. b) the convention of preparing tea.
c) customs already in place in British colonies.
 KEY

____ 1. The speaker says that the British ...

b) prefer milk in their tea. b) take their tea in a variety of ways.
d) think tea with lemon is too exotic for them to drink.

____2. According to the Tea and Coffee Organisation …

c) there is a big difference between British tea and Italian coffee consumption.
d) the British drink 16 billion cups of tea a year.
c) there are no statistics for how much tea children drink.

____3. According to the speaker …

b) afternoon tea is an everyday activity. b) most tea is drunk in the workplace.
c) there is a dress code if you have afternoon tea in certain hotels.

____4. According to the speaker, the British also drink tea ...
b) whenever they sit down to gossip. b) to avoid talking about their problems.
c) in times of stress.

____ 5. Research into tea shows that it …

b) could have some positive effects on the body. b) has proven medical benefits.
c) is beneficial only if you are cold.

____ 6. Which statement is true, according to the speaker?

a) Coffee contains more caffeine than tea. b) Tea contains more caffeine than coffee.
c) Coffee contains more theanine than tea.

____7. Kate Fox …

b) researches the properties of tea. b) has written many books on tea.
c) maintains that there is a connection between tea and the class system.

____ 8. Strong tea is an indicator of ...

b) higher social status. b) lower social status. c) someone who aims for higher social status.

9. When making tea, the middle classes ...

a) tend not to add milk. b) always add milk and sugar.
c) are concerned with the correct timing of the addition of milk and sugar.

____ 10. According to Fox, Britain’s love of tea is a result of …

a) trade with other countries. b) the convention of preparing tea.
c) customs already in place in British colonies.
You will hear a spokesperson from the Tea and Coffee Organisation talking
about the British love of tea.
Whether they have their tea with the classic combination of milk and sugar, or
whether they have it more exotically with lemon, or even just on its own, it’s clear
that the British love their tea! / Indeed, we at the Tea and Coffee Organisation
have calculated that they consume 60 billion cups a year. That’s more than 900
cups a year for every man, woman and child in Great Britain. If you can believe it,
that’s far more than the number of cups of coffee that Italians drink in a year! /
Tea has become part of the British way of life, from the simple tea break at work,
to afternoon tea with cakes, and when afternoon tea is served at the most
exclusive hotels, you are required to wear your most elegant clothes for the
occasion. Of course, the British hardly have afternoon tea every day. / Apart from
its refreshing qualities, tea is also a great comforter. Whenever the British have a
problem, their first reaction is to make a cup of tea. ‘You’ve fallen out with your
boyfriend? Have a cup of tea’. ‘You’ve lost your job? Have a cup of tea’. /
Considering how much tea is drunk, research has been done into whether there
are any medical benefits from it. There is some evidence that tea might help
protect the body from certain illnesses, and at the very least it definitely warms
the body up, but more research needs to be done before any final conclusions can
be made. / Tea also contains stimulants, like caffeine and theanine, which can
help make you more alert and awake. By comparison, there is no theanine in
coffee, but it does have twice as much caffeine as tea. / Further research into tea
has been carried out by anthropologist Kate Fox in her book ‘Watching the
English’. She believes that the way you take your tea can be an indicator of your
social status. / Strong tea, for example, is usually drunk by the working class. In
fact, the weaker the tea is, the higher the social status of the drinker. / The
middle classes’ main concern, she says, is the right moment, when making tea, to
add milk or sugar, if required. Apparently, they worry about whether it is more
refined to put milk or sugar in the cup before or after they pour the tea! / The big
question she says everyone asks is why the British came to choose tea as their
national drink. The old colonial connection is important, as is Britain’s history of
foreign commerce. Yet Fox believes it’s the culture of making the tea that’s so
vital and so intrinsically British. /
KEY