Online Class Notes (Mike)

Let’s face it – most of us can’t resist a cup of tea or coffee sometimes. They’re a perfect pick-me-up and comforter. But there are alternative beverages, so why have we chosen these to soothe our hectic lives? And which one is superior?

Let’s start with tea – it’s the second most consumed drink in the world. For many – especially the British – having a ‘cuppa’ is a daily ritual. The caffeine contained in it helps wake you up in the morning, and throughout the day we’ll make a brew to distract us from our work or to be sociable. And according to some scientists, habitual tea consumption can have some health benefits. Andrew Steptoe, a professor from University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, told BBC Food that drinking black tea “may speed up recovery from the daily stresses in life… but we do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for these effects on stress recovery and relaxation”.

Coffee is tea’s ‘trendier’ rival. Its popularity has grown over the years, and this is reflected in the number of coffee shops we see around – places to hang out, do business or catch up with friends. Coffee can taste great and can be served in many ways, but it’s sometimes how you have it that can be seen as a status symbol or the preserve of hipsters! Of course, it gives you a strong caffeine hit – roughly double of that contained in tea. However, too much can lead to anxiety. Sleep scientist Matt Walker told the BBC that caffeine can decrease the amount of restorative deep sleep you have.

But some scientists say drinking coffee – and green tea – can also be good for us. Researchers at Osaka University linked drinking a daily cup of coffee with a lower risk of death among both stroke survivors and healthy people, while drinking seven or more cups of green tea was associated with a lower risk of death among both heart attack and stroke survivors. So, whether we turn to coffee or tea for its taste, its image or as a lifestyle choice, it could be a lifesaver!

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is believed to be the second most consumed drink in the world?

2. Which type of tea is thought to help us recover from stress?

3. Where is a good place to hang out with friends and drink coffee?

4. In what way might drinking coffee help stroke survivors?

5. True or false? You get less restorative sleep if you consume too much caffeine.

2. Choose the best answer.

1. My morning _______ always involves having a shower.

hectic                   ritual                      anxiety                   habitual

2. Our neighbours are very _______ – they keep popping round to chat!

hipsters                relaxation               sociable                  hang out

3. Thanks for finding my smartphone – you are a _______!

lifesaver               lifesaving                saverlife                  lifesavers

4. I haven’t seen you for ages, so let’s _______ over a coffee later.

pick-me-up           catch up                 stress                     sociable

5. For _______, I go to yoga – it really helps me clear my mind.

relaxable              relaxing                  relaxation               relaxed

Vocabulary

sake:
for sb’s sake: 为某人着想，处于对某人的考虑
We moved out to the country for the children’s sake. 为了孩子着想，我们搬到了乡下

for the sake of: 出于对…的考量，为了
I said these things for the sake of my face. 

wind up = end up with 落得…下场，以…方式结尾
If you keep stealing, you will wind up in prison. 
You don’t want to wind up homeless, right?

The longer you wait, the more you will be disappointed. 

It is easier to understand than other articles.

I have some sentences not understand.
There are some some sentences that I don’t understand.

SH will go into lockdown on March 1st.

But, as Shanghai has gone into an extended lockdown, finding food seems to be all anyone can talk about.

Comedians joke about digging for vegetables in their neighborhoods, rappers craft rhymes about fighting over food, and residents scroll their social feeds for services still offering fresh vegetables.

Curious how residents were coping with their straitened circumstances

Some young people said they were living off hometown specialties — mostly meat — sent from their families outside Shanghai.

But the longer the pandemic drags on, the more people I’ve noticed embracing cooking for its own sake.

Other young people have embraced cooking as a stress reliever. It allows them to disengage from the pressures of their work or the latest depressing news and do something that they can control and find spiritually healing.

More tragically, the 98% of urban food waste that is not recycled often winds up in municipal landfills

Most of the time, these problems are easy to ignore amid the abundance of modern urban life.