A：Have you ever read Laoshe's drama Teahouse？
B：Sure。I've been there too。
A：Is there a real one？
B：Laoshe Teahouse，also a live tea museum that is named after modern Chinese novel writer，Laoshe，has always been a hot place for Beijing tourists who love to enjoy Chinese tea culture。
A：Wow，that's awesome。What's a teahouse like？
B：A typical Chinese teahouse is described as a sprawling，high-roofed building without walls，set on the banks of a mossy lake；the teahouse is bordered by bowed willows and on the roof，the old clay tiles are green with age。With 50 people it feels empty。They are mostly older，in their 60s and 70s-tables of old men who have brought their pet birds for a morning at the teahouse。The birds sit in bamboo cages hanging from the willow branches。
A：Besides savoring tea，what else do people do in a teahouse？
B：The old men talk-slowly，lazily，the way old men everywhere talk，whether in Chinese teahouses or American barbershops。The birds in the cages chirp quietly，the sound nearly lost in the featherlike branches of the willow trees。People play chess，play cards，and sometimes enjoy the performances in the teahouse。
A：Why do you think people like to go to teahouses？
B：While no one can refuse sitting back and enjoying a fragrant tea at home，people also love to go to teahouses。At teahouses，you can not only enjoy tea but also the companionship of others，combined with a bit of fun。Over time，teahouses have become part of the life and culture of many places across China。Beijing alone is host to over five hundred teahouses of various styles。
A：Sounds great。I would like to go to Laoshe teahouse someday。
A：你读过老舍的戏剧《茶馆》吗？
B：当然，我还去过呢！
A：真的有这么一个茶馆？
B：老舍茶馆，也是以中国当代作家老舍的名字命名的茶博物馆，很多来北京的游客都会去那品味中国茶文化。
A：那里很不错吧？茶馆是什么样的呢？
B：有人这样描述一个典型的中国茶馆：茶馆迤迤逦逦，屋顶高挑，四周无墙，坐落在苔湖的湖畔，垂柳环绕，屋瓦年久，青苔满布。50名茶客让茶馆觉得空荡荡的。来者多数年纪较大，上了六七十岁；一桌桌都是带鸟来茶馆打发早上的老年人；鸟在竹笼里，鸟笼挂在柳枝上。
A：除了品茶，人们在茶馆里还干些什么呢？
B：老年人聊天说话儿，慢条斯理的，懒洋洋的；各地的老年人，不论是在中国茶馆或是美国理发店，说话都是这个调调儿。笼中众鸟啁啾，恬静不嘈杂，柳枝如绒羽，鸟声几乎不可闻。人们下棋，玩牌，有时候茶馆里还有表演看。
A：你觉得为什么人们喜欢去茶馆呢？
B：因为没有人会不喜欢在家里喝茶，他们也自然喜欢去茶馆喝。在茶馆里，你不仅可以品茶，而且可以享受交到朋友的乐趣。随着时间的推移，茶馆已经成为中国许多地方人们生活和文化的一部分了，仅北京就有500多种不同风格的茶馆呢。
A：听起来不错。我哪天也想去老舍茶馆坐坐。
Mossy adj。长满苔藓的
Bowed willow 垂柳
Clay n。黏土，泥土
Tile n。瓦，瓷砖
