The Reading / Listening - Breakfast Tea - Level 2

British people are big tea drinkers. They drink it for different reasons. People have it for breakfast, to give to guests, for tea breaks at work, and even when they talk about their problems. However, new research shows that herbal, fruit and other teas are now more popular than English breakfast tea. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 tea lovers. Over half of them said their favourite tea was not the traditional "cuppa". Over a fifth of people said green tea was their favourite. Just over 20 per cent chose Earl Grey as their number one.

Sales of traditional breakfast tea have been falling. The new research shows this will continue. Three years ago, 54 per cent of Britons preferred English breakfast tea. The researchers found many other things about tea-drinking in the U.K. The biggest reason for drinking tea was to relax. A quarter of people drink up to 10 cups a day. Brits love milky and sugary tea. Around 85 per cent of them put milk in their tea. Nearly 45 per cent sweeten their tea with sugar. People with a sweet tooth put three teaspoons of sugar in their cup.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Breakfast Tea - Level 0 Breakfast Tea - Level 1   or  Breakfast Tea - Level 3

Sources
  • https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2020/11/24/how-do-british-tea-drinking-habits-compare
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/herbal-tea-english-breakfast-brew-b2324130.html
  • https://retailtimes.co.uk/over-half-of-brits-move-away-from-traditional-english-breakfast-tea-as-their-preferred-blend-research-finds/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. British people are big
  2. They drink it
  3. for tea
  4. other teas are now more
  5. more than 2,000 tea
  6. Over
  7. Over a fifth
  8. 20 per cent chose Earl Grey as
  1. of people
  2. breaks at work
  3. their number one
  4. half of them
  5. tea drinkers
  6. lovers
  7. for different reasons
  8. popular

Paragraph 2

  1. research shows
  2. The biggest reason for drinking tea
  3. people drink up
  4. Brits love milky
  5. 85 per cent of them
  6. sweeten their
  7. People with
  8. three teaspoons
  1. a sweet tooth
  2. and sugary tea
  3. this will continue
  4. of sugar
  5. to 10 cups a day
  6. was to relax
  7. tea with sugar
  8. put milk in their tea

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

British people are (1) ___________________. They drink it for different reasons. People (2) ___________________ breakfast, to give to guests, for tea (3) ___________________, and even when they talk about their problems. However, new research shows that herbal, fruit and other teas are (4) ___________________ than English breakfast tea. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 tea lovers. Over (5) ___________________ said their favourite tea was not the traditional "cuppa". Over a fifth of people said green tea was their favourite. Just over 20 per cent chose Earl Grey (6) ___________________ one.

Sales of traditional breakfast tea (7) ___________________. The new research shows this will continue. Three years ago, 54 per cent of Britons preferred English breakfast tea. The researchers found (8) ___________________ about tea-drinking in the U.K. The biggest reason for drinking tea (9) ___________________. A quarter of people drink up to 10 cups a day. Brits love (10) ___________________ tea. Around 85 per cent of them (11) ___________________ their tea. Nearly 45 per cent sweeten their tea with sugar. People with (12) ___________________ put three teaspoons of sugar in their cup.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Britishpeoplearebigteadrinkers.Theydrinkitfordifferentreasons.Peo
plehaveitforbreakfast,togivetoguests,forteabreaksatwork,andeven
whentheytalkabouttheirproblems.However,newresearchshowsthat
herbal,fruitandotherteasarenowmorepopularthanEnglishbreakfastt
ea.Researcherssurveyedmorethan2,000tealovers.Overhalfofthems
aidtheirfavouriteteawasnotthetraditional"cuppa".Overafifthofpeopl
esaidgreenteawastheirfavourite.Justover20percentchoseEarlGreya
stheirnumberone.Salesoftraditionalbreakfastteahavebeenfalling.T
henewresearchshowsthiswillcontinue.Threeyearsago,54percentofB
ritonspreferredEnglishbreakfasttea.Theresearchersfoundmanyothe
rthingsabouttea-drinkingintheU.K.Thebiggestreasonfordrinkingte
awastorelax.Aquarterofpeopledrinkupto10cupsaday.Britslovemilky
andsugarytea.Around85percentofthemputmilkintheirtea.Nearly45
percentsweetentheirteawithsugar.Peoplewithasweettoothputthreet
easpoonsofsugarintheircup.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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