Britons are well known for drinking tea． The average （典型的） person in the UK drinks around 1.9 kg of tea every year． That's around 876 cups of tea． Tea is drunk by all levels of society． But tea does not grow in Britain． Most tea grows in India and China． So， how did it become an important part of British culture？

    Tea arrived in London in the 1600s． At this time， British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China． It was not long before green tea could be bought from the market． However， it was only for the rich people．

    At the beginning of the 1700s， the amount（数量）of tea arriving in Britain increased rapidly． Black tea arrived at this time． At first this tea served exactly as it was in China． They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar， giving the drink a special British colour．

    In the 1800s， tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money． At this time they began to have "afternoon tea"． They drank tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner． It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times．

Title： （1）　　 and Britain﹣a short history

Important facts

• Drinking tea is an important part of British culture． • The average British drinks about 1.9 kg of tea every year． • Tea is not （2）　　 in the UK， but mostly in India and China．

Big events

• British ships discovered tea in China while exploring the world and it arrived in London in the 1600s． • Black tea arrived at the beginning of the 1970s and Britons first drank it exactly the same way as the （3）　　 did． • A little milk and sugar were found to be a perfect （4）　　 for black tea and a special British drink was born． • Britons began to have 'afternoon tea' in the 1800s and it has （5）　____　 a tradition since then．