Question

Questions are based on the following passage.

1.

A. She bumped into a coffee table.

B. She chatted with the cafe owner.

C. She talked with someone she knew.

D. She was listening to a lively debate.

2.

A. Newspapers were given out to customers.

B. An entrance fee was charged for getting in.

C. It was the meeting place for debating clubs.

D. It was first started in Oxford in the 16th century.

3.

A. Partly right. B. Extremely interesting.

C. Very unfair. D. A bit unreasonable.

4.

A. By providing free laptops for use.

B. By making sofas comfortable to sit on.

C. By engaging them in stimulating conversation.

D. By transporting customers to various destinations.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.B

【解析】

W: Here’s your cup of coffee, Bob.

M: Thanks! But what took you so long, Catherine?

W: Sorry, Bob. I bumped into somebody I knew in the cafe and stopped for a chat.

M: OK, well. Catherine, did you know that coffee houses were originally a meeting place for lively debates and intellectual discussions?

W: Really? I didn’t know that, Bob. So how long ago was this debating society formed?

M: The first coffee house was set up in Oxford in 1650. But they quickly became popular and soon they were all over London too. You paid a penny to get in, and this included access to newspapers—and stimulating conversation!

W: But I have to say, while I was getting our coffees earlier, there was nobody else in the cafe talking except me and my friend. Everybody was sitting on their own, tapping away on their laptops. So the spirit of those 17th century coffee houses has disappeared then? No more lively debates and intellectual discussions?

M: It seems so. As Douglas Fraser, BBC Business and Economy Editor says, the coffee shop’s free Wi-Fi is transporting its customers to different destinations far from the person beside them. As you can see, so many people sit along plugged into their laptops—and they’re all doing different things—working, writing, messing about on social media.

W: I think the cafe owners should turn off the free Wi-Fi. I don’t think people should be allowed to sit all day using the Internet—occupying tables—and not talking to anybody! Especially when some of them don’t even buy a coffee!

M: That’s a bit extreme, Catherine. Cafe owners need customers—and they encourage people to stay by having comfortable sofas and newspapers to read and the free Wi-Fi!

W: I suppose you’re right.

Questions:

Why did it take Catherine a long time to bring back the coffee?

What can be learned about the earlier coffee house from this conversation?

What does Bob think of the idea of turning off the Wi-Fi?

How do the cafe owners attract customers?

1.此题为听力题，解析略。

2.此题为听力题，解析略。

3.此题为听力题，解析略。

4.此题为听力题，解析略。