Starbuck’s 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(卡布基诺). 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 Starbucks and other 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
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod(棒) to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
1.Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
A.Cruel. B.Serious. C.Cold. D.Strict.
2.What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” in Paragraph 4 imply?
A.Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B.The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C.Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D.What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.
3.When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.
A.they felt sorry for what they had done before
B.they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C.they were astonished to find the author’s progress
D.they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
4.The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is that ______.
A.the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep
B.the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own
C.Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph
D.in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How does NASA measure temperatures?
A.It has its own research stations.
B.It uses special ocean devices.
C.It looks up records available to everyone.
2.Which month had the hottest recorded temperatures?
A.October 2016. B.October 2015. C.October 2000.
3.What does NASA consider to be the most important?
A.Correcting all mistakes.
B.Reading the monthly reports carefully.
C.Observing long-term temperature changes.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does Jason want to try on first?
A.A jacket. B.A tie. C.A suit.
2.Where is Jason going?
A.To a restaurant. B.To the airport. C.To a job interview.
3.What might Jason have in common with the woman’s father?
A.They work in the same field.
B.They both like wearing ties.
C.They are never on time.
4.What’s the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Father and daughter.
B.Boyfriend and girlfriend.
C.Customer and salesman.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What was the man doing at the beginning of the conversation?
A.Reading a book. B.Looking at his phone. C.Talking to his classmates.
2.Who might the woman be?
A.A teacher. B.A doctor. C.A librarian.
3.What will the man do next?
A.Go to see a doctor. B.Give the lesson. C.Call a taxi.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the cat usually like?
A.Very calm. B.Quite wild. C.A little angry.
2.What does the man ask the woman to do?
A.Take out the cat.
B.Give the cat some medicine.
C.Open the door of the carrying case.
3.What does the man suggest the woman do?
A.Keep her pets in different places for now.
B.Introduce the pets to each other quickly.
C.Get another pet.
