VIP Class Notes (Vicki)

Tell me about the most memorable thing that happened during CNY

I saw see my cousin, my cousin named Nini. She’s my good friend. And we picked oranges together and played in the park with some views of river and some waterbirds.

Because it’s the same every year. 

I want to travel around the world. 

because my mother don’t talk English -> because my mother doesn’t speak English

My college classmates and my colleagues and maybe my high school classmates…. because they have the same mind as with me and we can go to KTV and eat some BBQ and maybe ride horses.

Vocabulary

old-fashioned – like older things and do not accept new things
i.e. My parents are very old-fashioned, they don’t like to use cellphones.

conservative – not as open-minded
i.e. my mom doesn’t allow me to stay out at night because she’s very conservative.

no signal – cannot use phone
i.e. My phone does not have any signal right now.

countryside – outside of the city
i.e. I want to live in the countryside.

raise – yang dong wu
i.e. I want to raise chickens.

dynasty – chao dai
i.e. Nanjing is the capital of 6 dynasties.

per capita – measuring unit
i.e. The UK is the richest country per capita.

trend – something popular, chao liu
i.e. The trend for makeup right now is red lipstick.

prevent – avoid yu fang
i.e. Green tea can prevent cancer.

consume – 喝，饮用
i.e. I always consume coffee instead of tea.

slurp – 咕嘟咕嘟地喝
i.e. Don’t slurp while eating.

sip – 小口喝，抿
i.e. I only want a tiny sip of the wine.

glug – 大口喝
i.e. I glugged my water because I was super thirsty.

pour – 倒
i.e. let me pour you a cup of water.

pot – 壶
i.e. I made myself a pot of tea.

infused – 泡（茶）
i.e. My tea is infused in my cup.

brewed – 冲泡
i.e. I prefer my tea brewed.

premium – 高级的，优质的
i.e. I like to shop for premium brands.

microscopic – 微量的
i.e. The dust is so microscopic that we can’t see it.

microplastics – 微塑料
i.e. There are lots of microplastics in the water.

particle – 物质
i.e. This plastic particle is not healthy.

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.

Read the following paragraph and write down your reflection

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.