Test One: Paper 1, Part 3 & 4

Let’s continue with the next part of the PT3 English examination. Good luck!

Part 3

Read the text below and answer questions 17 to 24.

British people drink 165 million cups of tea every day. But where did their favourite drink come from?

Legend says, the history of tea started in 2737 BC. The Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting under a tree. His servant was boiling some water when a leaf fell into the water. Shen Nung decided to try the new drink. He liked it, and so, tea was born!

Is the story true? No one really knows. But we know that tea became a popular drink in China in the 7th century – and it became China’s national drink. A writer named Lu Yu wrote a significant book about tea in the 8th century which made tea drinking even more popular.

Tea didn’t arrive in Europe until the 17th century. At this time, Holland was an important sea power and the Dutch were the first to bring tea to Europe from the island of Java in 1606. Tea became fashionable in Holland, but it was expensive, so only rich people had enough money to buy it.

Tea drinking didn’t become popular in Britain until much later. A coffee house in the City of London was the first to serve tea in 1658. A few years later, the East India Company started importing tea from China, and tea became Britain’s favourite drink – and this is still true today, hundreds of years later!

But tea is popular all over the world – people drink mint tea in North Africa, green tea in China and Japan, rooibos tea in South Africa and maté in South America. Some people drink tea with sugar, others drink it with honey, lemon or milk, and some people don’t add anything at all to their cup of tea.

There are many different kinds of tea, and many ways to enjoy it, but people all around the world agree that tea is amazing.

EAT HEALTHY WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK

THERE is a growing awareness that being overweight and obese can increase the risk of health problems, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adopting a healthy eating lifestyle is vital to keep our weight in check. With increasing demand for healthy food, it is common to see foods labelled as superfood, natural or organic. These foods carry a premium price. Studies also corroborate the fact that consumers tend to associate healthier food with higher prices.

But is healthy eating a luxury? In reality, healthy eating need not be an expensive affair. Goo Chui Hoong, a dietician who is collaborating with Beko, the home appliances brand on a mission to raise awareness on childhood obesity via the Beko #EatLikeAPro global campaign, says eating healthy is affordable. Fresh vegetables and fruits are readily available and cheap. Eggs, tofu, tempeh and beans are inexpensive sources of protein.

Organic foods tend to be priced higher than non-organic equivalents. However, there is little evidence to support the fact that it has more nutrients compared to non-organic selections. A few studies have reported that organic produce have lower levels of pesticide residue. One way to counter this problem is ensure you rinse your non-organic vegetables and fruits thoroughly. Berries, salmon, kale and acai are just a few examples of food that have garnered the “superfood” label. According to Goo, most dieticians and nutrition experts do not use the term superfood and deemed it as a marketing term. There are no set criteria for determining a food as a superfood by regulatory authorities in major consumer markets, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture or the European Food Safety Authority.

Goo says there is a variety of food in our market that is loaded with nutrients even if it doesn’t have the superfood label and this includes fruits, vegetables, grains and fish. For example, tomatoes are a good source of antioxidants and vitamins. Goo adds that the plate model is a simple guide to a healthy meal. Fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits, a quarter of your plate with grains such as brown rice, oats or barley and the other quarter filled with protein such as fish, chicken or even eggs.

Sugared drinks and sweetened drinks can be eliminated from your food budget as they do not contribute any nutrients. A healthier alternative is to drink water with a slice of lemon or cucumber to jazz up your beverage. Being health conscious and adopting a healthy eating lifestyle need not be an expensive affair. We can improve our eating habits by making smart and informed choices on food. Beko has launched an informative website to support parents in feeding their children healthy food by showing what the top FC Barcelona football players eat to play at their best. The website also features a spin and cook wheel with choices of healthy recipes. All these can be accessed at www. beko.my/eatlikeapro.