练习1：
要求，认真听原文，不要记笔记，根据WHAT、WHO、WHEN AND WHERE、HOW AND WHY 几大要素总结段落大意。

Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
What's the general idea of this short passage?
Compared with the Chinese, People in Europe, particularly in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, and how to use it. They cooked tea leaves as vegetable and served them with butter and salt and even made them part of Children's sandwiches.
练习2
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships
of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk. General idea：
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century.
On the continent, people used to drink tea without milk until a French lady invented the habit of drinking tea with milk.
二、主题练习——会议致辞词汇
词汇积累
（致）欢迎/开幕/闭幕词(deliver/make) a welcome/opening/closing
speech/address/lecture
开/闭/揭幕式opening/closing/unveiling ceremony
举行烈士纪念碑的揭幕典礼unveil a monument to the martyrs 为展览会揭幕inaugurate an exhibition
奠基典礼foundation laying ceremony
开学典礼school’s opening ceremony
毕业典礼graduation ceremony /commencement
开国大典founding ceremony of a state
婚礼wedding ceremony
庆典celebration
答谢宴会return banquet
晚宴evening reception/dinner
招待会/宴会reception
冷餐招待会buffet reception
联欢/新年/篝火晚会get-together/spring festival/campfire party 酒会cocktail party
宣布…开幕declare…open; declare the commencement of …
宣布…闭幕declare the closing/conclusion of …
陛下Your/His/Her Majesty
殿下Your/His/Her (Royal/Imperial/Serene)Highness
阁下Your/His/Her Honor/Excellency
贵宾们distinguished guests
尊敬的主席先生respectable/honorable/respected Mr. President
至此… 之际on the occasion of
代表… on behalf of …
我愿借此机会… I would like to take this opportunity to …/ I would like to avail myself of this great opportunity to …
我代表中国政府向各位来宾表示热烈欢迎，对会议的召开表示衷心祝贺!
On behalf of the Chinese government, I would like to extend our sincere welcome to all the guests here and to express our warm congratulations on the convening of this session.
最后，祝各位在北京生活愉快，并祝会议圆满成功!
Finally, I wish a full success of the conference and wish you all a pleasant stay here in Beijing.。