VIP Class Notes (Vicki)

Write about your daily diet and maybe you can recommend a type of food or a personal recipe to me

2 truths and 1 lie

1. I once stole money from my mom’s wallet. 
2. I have dated a girl before.
3. I used to ride a bike to school until I fell twice and I quit.

1. I went to massage yesterday and I was hurt. 
2. I will go to the northest place of China in December.
3. I was cheated by a man last year.

Vocabulary

bruise – 淤青
i.e. I have a bruise on my skin.

brew – the method of making tea or coffee
i.e. Can you brew me some coffee?

slurp – make the sound while drink
i.e. Don’t slurp while you eat.

sip – take small amount of the drink
i.e. Can I have a sip of your wine?

glug – chug
i.e. He glugged that water in two minutes.

premium – luxurious
i.e. I want to go shopping for premium skin care.

microscopic – tiny, not visible to our eyes
i.e. There are a lot of microscopic particles all around us.

vicious cycle – 恶性循环
i.e. It is a vicious cycle.

seal – close shut
i.e. I need to seal the bag so the water does not spill out.

compose – make, put things together
i.e. I like to compose music during my free time.

composted – artificially made
i.e. That material is composted and it is not natural.

degrade – 降解
i.e. We need to degrade the plastic wastes.

biodegradable – 可生物降解的
i.e. We have to use more biodegradable materials to save our environment.

Are you a tea drinker? If so, you’re not alone. Every day around the world millions of cups of this popular brew are drunk, and it’s been that way for thousands of years. The oldest discovered tea is from the Han Dynasty, dating from 206BC to 220AD. But it’s thought that the tea trend really took off during the Tang Dynasty in the 8th Century, when it became China’s national drink. Now, Turkey, the Republic of Ireland and the UK are believed to be the biggest tea-drinking nations, per capita.

Tea is consumed in many ways – slurped, sipped or glugged. It can be poured from pots, infused or brewed in the cup using tea bags – and it’s this latter process that is causing concern. Research last year found some premium tea bags might be leaving billions of microscopic plastic particles in the cup.  Scientists from McGill University in Montreal found that some ‘plastic’ tea bags shed high levels of microplastics into water. However, The World Health Organization says such particles in drinking water do not appear to pose a risk.

Most tea bags are made from paper, with a small amount of plastic used to seal them shut – made from oil. This has led to debate about whether they can be recycled, but many are still composted. However, gardener Mike Armitage has told the BBC that the plastic contained in the soil could be washed into streams and rivers and ultimately out to sea.

Unilever, the owners of the tea brand PG Tips, said their tea bags are made with a small amount of plastic – used to seal them – and that they are suitable for composting. And the brand Yorkshire Tea said their bags do contain 25% polypropylene, but they were “actively developing plant-based and biodegradable alternatives”.

While tea bag manufacturers might be doing their bit to reduce plastic pollution, it could be a good time to switch your favourite beverage to coffee, or if that isn’t your cup of tea then try using loose-leaf tea, which can have a better flavour.