Listening for ielts 7 Unit 1

Listening for IELTS
101 
The English custom of drinking tea has its roots in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When 
first imported to Britain, the exotic "tcha", "chai" or "chaa" (as the Chinese tea was variously called) was 
considered a man's drink to be enjoyed with colleagues at London coffee shops. These were popular 
meeting places for many walks of life- politicians, lawyers, poets, actors and writers. Many London clubs 
began in this manner and the famous Lloyd's insurance underwriters stared out as Lloyds Coffee House.
In 1706 the first coffee house that offered tea was Tom's Coffee House owned by Thomas Twining. He 
realized that he needed to introduce an added attraction to compete with the many other coffee houses 
in London and tea was rare, exotic and extremely expensive. With these credentials tea became an 
exclusive drink and enabled Twining to open a tea shop under the sign of the Golden Lion in the Strand.
By the eighteenth century the ladies of the more affluent classes were going "China Mad", using tea 
as an excuse for displaying their extravagant purchases of Chinese porcelain and Dresden tea-sets. A 
comprehensive tea-tray would consist of a teapot and stand, teacups and saucers, a sugar bowl, a milk 
jug and a basin (for discarded tea and tea-leaves). Tea was still expensive and kept in locked "tea-
caddies". Skilled craftsmen fashioned "caddies" of carved, inlaid woods fitted with crystal and precious 
metals. To ensure the servants weren't tempted by this priceless commodity, the "Caddy" was kept 
locked and only the mistress of the house held the key and prepared tea when guests came to visit. No 
well-brought-up young Englishwoman could consider herself socially acceptable unless she knew how to 
brew a proper cup of tea.
As the eighteenth century progressed changes in commerce and working hours resulted in the main 
meal of the day being taken much later in the evening. The prospect of lasting from breakfast until 
evening did not appeal to the Duchess of Bedford, who was usually credited with being the first to 
alleviate late-afternoon hunger pangs by introducing a small four o'clock meal served with tea. With 
time, the light, wafer-thin toast or delicate white bread gave way to exotic fillings like tomato and egg, 
cucumber, chicken or potted shrimps followed by buttered scones, crumpets or elegant pastries.
The popularity of tea continued to spread but it was not until 1839 that the first shipment of Assam 
Indian tea was landed in Britain. A healthy trade with India was soon established and tea clippers (like 
the Cutty Sark, now a museum in a dry dock at Greenwich) were reaching the peak of their sailing days. 
In 1879 the first limited shipments of Ceylon tea began to arrive and by 1880 this had been firmly 
established alongside Indian and China teas, giving the broad range of teas that are available today.
There have been few changes in three centuries of tea trading. London is still the centre and indeed 
Twining still has a shop on the site of the original Tom's Coffee House at 216 Strand. The name Twining 
has been linked with tea for over 280 years. Indeed it was Richard Twining, in his capacity as Chairman 
of the Dealers of Tea, who in 1784 persuaded Prime Minister William Pitt to reduce the high tax on tea, 
making the beverage more accessible to the general public.