Question

    Starbucks’ founder, Howard Schultz, came up with an idea for his coffee chain while drinking espresso (浓咖啡)in a bar. He took a good product, repackaged it and globalized it. But to many Italians, the coffee served by Starbucks and other branded stores is as far away from proper Italian coffee as you can get, despite the Italian-sounding offerings on their menus.

Now, I am part-Italian and like most Italians, I think that Italy represents the height of coffee culture, against the standard by which all coffee should be measured. My Italian friends and family hate the idea of adding a little sugar juice or other things to their valuable cappuccino (卡布奇诺).I have a coffee machine at home, which is to the Italian kitchen what the kettle is to the British. As far as I’m concerned, the cappuccinos, lattes (拿铁)and espressos served in branded coffee chains taste bitter, a low copy of the real thing.

You’d never ask for a latte in Italy. If you did, you’d get served a glass of milk. Coffee and espresso are the same in Italy. Then there’s the Australian “white coffee”, a halfway house between a Starbucks-style latte and a macchiato(玛奇朵). The “white coffee” has gone global so much that recently it replaced the cappuccino on Starbucks’ menu in some parts of the US.

What’s more, Italians don’t waste time around in coffee shop armchairs drinking cappuccinos while surfing the Internet. Still, when it comes to taste, Italians are trying to reclaim the ground. Part of the problem is the price of coffee. Most Italian bars will not charge more than one euro a cup, which means there isn’t the choice to purchase more high-quality coffee. Italian flavor is held back by the way the coffee is boiled.

I still think I’ll be sticking to home-made coffee from my trusted machine. And I’ll continue to drink it in the Italian way.

1.What’s the purpose of telling the story of Starbucks in Paragraph 1?

A.To introduce the topic of the passage.

B.To introduce the history of Starbucks.

C.To present the standard of good coffee.

D.To explain the key to the success of Starbucks.

2.In the author’s opinion, the coffee served in Italian branded stores __________.

A.contains too much sugar juice

B.represents the Italian coffee culture

C.is very different from that served in the US

D.cannot meet the Italian standard of good coffee

3.Italians prefer home-made coffee due to the fact that___________.

A.home-made coffee is much cheaper

B.they can produce proper Italian coffee at home

C.each family has a tradition to use the coffee machine

D.they can have access to the Internet when drinking coffee at home

4.According to the passage, we can infer that_______.

A.Starbucks coffee doesn’t agree with the Italians

B.white coffee tastes sweeter than cappuccino

C.Italian coffee culture is widely spread all over the world

D.the British like the kettle the same way as the Italians like coffee

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章以星巴克为开篇引入了文章主题——意大利的咖啡文化，作者和大多数意大利人一样，认为意大利代表着咖啡文化的高度，与所有咖啡的标准相比，意大利的咖啡应该是标准的。说明了意大利咖啡的特色以及星巴克咖啡不适合意大利人。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中But to many Italians, the coffee served by Starbucks and other branded stores is as far away from proper Italian coffee as you can get, despite the Italian-sounding offerings on their menus.可知但是对很多意大利人来说，星巴克和其他品牌的咖啡和你能买到的正宗意大利咖啡相差太远，尽管他们的菜单上有意大利风味。由此可知，第一段讲述星巴克的故事的目的是引入文章的主题。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中As far as I’m concerned, the cappuccinos, lattes and espressos served in branded coffee chains taste bitter, a low copy of the real thing.可知据我所知，品牌咖啡连锁店提供的卡布奇诺、拿铁和意式浓缩咖啡尝起来很苦，是正宗的低仿品。由此可知，在作者看来，意大利品牌店提供的咖啡无法达到意大利优质咖啡的标准。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段中I have a coffee machine at home, which is to the Italian kitchen what the kettle is to the British. As far as I’m concerned, the cappuccinos, lattes and espressos served in branded coffee chains taste bitter, a low copy of the real thing.可知我家里有一台咖啡机，它对于意大利厨房就像水壶对于英国厨房一样重要。据我所知，品牌咖啡连锁店提供的卡布奇诺、拿铁和意式浓缩咖啡尝起来很苦，是正宗的低仿品。由此可推知，意大利人更喜欢在家煮咖啡，因为他们可以在家里煮出正宗的意大利咖啡。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中What’s more, Italians don’t waste time around in coffee shop armchairs drinking cappuccinos while surfing the Internet.可知更重要的是，意大利人不会把时间浪费在咖啡店的扶手椅上，一边喝着卡布奇诺一边上网。由此可推知，星巴克咖啡不适合意大利人。故选A。