As traditional tea processing techniques and their 【小题1】(associate) social practices in China were recently included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the world is paying more attention to Chinese tea.

Southwest China’s Sichuan province has the 【小题2】(early) history of tea growing in China, with one place in particular standing out: Mengding Mountain in Ya’an. The average annual temperature there is 14.5 degrees, and the year-round mist and rain is 【小题3】(benefit) to the forming of nitrogenous (含氮的) substances in tea 【小题4】(leaf).

Its superior natural and ecological conditions, along with a 【小题5】(high) developed production process, contribute 【小题6】 the quality of Mengshan tea.

【小题7】(origin) in the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD24), the tea has more than 2,000 years of history. Since the year 742 during the reign of the Xuanzong Emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Mengshan tea 【小题8】(serve) as a gift for the royals.

A traditional green tea, 【小题9】 includes five varieties, is represented by Mengding Ganlu. Famed as one of the 10 most famous teas in China, the technique for making Mengshan tea was listed 【小题10】 the national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

Since the birth of agriculture almost ten thousand years ago, humans have bred plants in order to grow food crops not found in the wild. Now, people don’t have to grow generations of plants to make 【小题1】 (they) look, taste, or behave differently. Scientists can give a seed 【小题2】 new quality in the laboratory simply by giving it a new gene.

Creating a brand-new organism by 【小题3】 (combine) the genes of existing, unrelated organisms is known as genetic engineering. The new 【小题4】 (vary) are known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMO food products 【小题5】 (become) part of the U.S. diet in the mid-1990s. People who support GMO food say that their potential 【小题6】 (solve) world hunger outweighs any unknown risks.

【小题7】, many people worry about possible risks to their families and the environment. Some opponents say the widespread use of GMO crops is making the world’s food supply 【小题8】 (risk). Some people say humans shouldn’t eat GMO food until scientists know more about its long-term effects 【小题9】 health. They are concerned that genetically modified crops or the chemicals to grow them may cause diseases such as cancer. Another concern is new food allergies because some GMO food contain proteins 【小题10】 people have never eaten before.

The British have many traditions but there is nothing more quintessential (典型的) than taking afternoon tea. We know the British have a love affair with drinking tea, 【小题1】 more than 160 million cups drunk every day, but it was the invention of afternoon tea that turned tea-drinking into 【小题2】 popular pastime.

This sociable feast involves drinking good quality tea 【小题3】 (comfort) while nibbling (小口吃) on nice sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and a selection of small cakes. And, of course, it can only happen in the afternoon!     Afternoon tea, 【小题4】 (design) as a light snack to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, dates back to the 1840s.   It went on to become a 【小题5】 (fashion) social occasion for the upper classes.

Now there is a resurgence (复苏) in its 【小题6】 (popular) in the UK and it is available to anyone who can afford it. 【小题7】 it can be enjoyed at home, the best way to experience it is at a smart hotel of café. But if you’re thinking of visiting such a place 【小题8】 (enjoy) a plate of sweet and tasty treats with a steaming hot brew, remember the rules you must follow to avoid 【小题9】 (ask) to leave.

Writer Henry James once noted that “there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour devoted to the ceremony known as afternoon tea”. I’m sure once you try it, you 【小题10】(agree).