Question

    The notion of building brand personality is promoted by Starbucks as a part of company culture to embed meaning in their products and thus attract more customers.

Starbucks literally changed the definition of “a good cup of coffee”. For Starbucks, the brand had three elements: coffee, ________ and stores. Strict control over the quality and processing of the beans ________ that the coffee would be of the highest possible quality. Outstanding store personnel were employed and trained in coffee knowledge and ________ service. Store design, atmosphere and aroma (浓香) all ________ the “Starbucks Experience”.

Almost all Starbucks stores were corporately owned and controlled. Starbucks prided itself on the “Starbucks Experience”, ________ coffee to provide a unique experience for its customers.

_____ those traditional coffee houses providing you with the grab-and-go service, Starbucks provides you with more than coffee. You get great people, first-rate music, a comfortable and upbeat meeting place, and ________ advice on brewing excellent coffee at home. At home you’re part of a family. At work you’re part of a company. And somewhere in between is a place where you can sit back and be yourself. That’s what a Starbucks store has been ________ to creating for its customers — a kind of “third place” where they can ________, reflect, read, chat or listen.

The green Starbucks logo is a mermaid that looks like the end of the double image of the sea. It was designed by Terry Heckler, who got the ________ from the wooden statue of the sea. Mermaid logo also ________ original and modern meanings: her face is very simple, but with modern abstract forms of packaging; the middle is black and white, the only color on the outside surrounded by a circle.

Starbucks makes the typical American culture gradually broken down into elements of ______: the visual warmth, hearing the way, smelling the aroma of coffee and so on. Just think, through the huge glass windows, watching the crowded streets, ________ sipping a coffee flavor, which is in line with the “Yapi”, the feeling of experience in the ________ life.

But the ________ of Starbucks is not about the coffee, although it’s great coffee. Coffee is only a carrier. Coffee consumption, to a great extent, is an emotional and cultural level of consumption.

1.A.people B.managers C.customers D.clients

2.A.assured B.promised C.ensured D.predicted

3.A.emergency B.environment C.employment D.customer

4.A.consisted of B.benefited from C.contributed to D.headed for

5.A.going beyond B.coming across C.making up D.depending on

6.A.With regard to B.In addition to C.Compared with D.In terms of

7.A.general B.reasonable C.legal D.fascinating

8.A.committed B.alerted C.subjected D.required

9.A.negotiate B.perform C.conceal D.escape

10.A.imagination B.inspiration C.patent D.philosophy

11.A.creates B.cultivates C.credits D.conveys

12.A.brand B.logo C.possession D.experience

13.A.greedily B.gently C.persistently D.indifferently

14.A.busy B.easy C.miserable D.energetic

15.A.product B.vision C.essence D.importance

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.C

5.A

6.C

7.B

8.A

9.D

10.B

11.D

12.D

13.B

14.A

15.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了虽然星巴克的咖啡很棒，但星巴克的精髓不在于咖啡，而在于它的企业文化。

1.考查名词词义辨析。句意：对于星巴克来说，这个品牌有三个要素：咖啡、人和商店。

A. people人（们）；B. managers经理；C. customers顾客；D. clients客户。上文说星巴克将打造品牌个性的理念作为企业文化的一部分，将意义嵌入产品中，从而吸引更多的顾客，由此可知，人是星巴克品牌文化的三个要素之一，故A项正确。

2.考查动词词义辨析。句意：对咖啡豆的质量和加工过程进行严格的控制，确保了咖啡的最高品质。A. assured担保；B. promised承诺；C. ensured 确保、保证；D. predicted预言。对咖啡豆的质量和加工过程进行严格的控制的目的自然是确保咖啡的最高品质，故C项正确。

3.考查名词词义辨析。句意：在咖啡知识和客户服务方面雇用和培训了优秀的店员。A. emergency紧急情况；B. environment环境；C. employment就业；D. customer客户。根据常识可知，店员上岗前要进行客户服务方面的培训，customer service表示“客户服务”，故D项正确。

4.考查动词短语辨析。句意：店内的设计、氛围和香气都为星巴克体验做出了贡献。A. consisted of由……组成；B. benefited from从……中受益；C. contributed to有助于、为……做贡献；D. headed for前往。根据常识可知，咖啡店的设计、氛围和浓郁的香气都为顾客的星巴克体验做出了贡献，故C项正确。

5.考查动词短语辨析。句意：星巴克以“星巴克体验”为荣，其服务超出了咖啡，为顾客提供独特的体验。A. going beyond超出；B. coming across遇到；C. making up弥补；D. depending on在……上花费。下文说星巴克为您提供的不仅仅是咖啡，由此可知，“星巴克体验”超出了咖啡，为顾客提供独特的体验，故A项正确。

6.考查介词短语辨析。句意：与传统的咖啡店为您提供的服务相比，星巴克为您提供的不仅仅是咖啡。With regard to至于；B. In addition to除……之外（还）；C. Compared with与……相比；D. In terms of在……方面。空后提到了传统咖啡店的服务，因此是星巴克与传统咖啡店的对比，故C项正确。

7.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：这里有很棒的人，一流的音乐，舒适、积极的会议场所，以及在家里煮优质咖啡的合理建议。A. general一般的；B. reasonable合理的；C. legal合法的；D. fascinating迷人的。根据常食可知，星巴克自然会为顾客提供在家煮一杯好咖啡的合理建议，故B项正确。

8.考查动词词义辨析。句意：这就是星巴克致力于为顾客创造的一种“第三空间”，在那里他们可以远离（喧嚣）、思考、阅读、聊天或倾听。A. committed承诺、投身；B. alerted警告；C. subjected 臣服；D. required要求。be committed to表示“致力于”，故A项正确。

9.考查动词词义辨析。句意同上。A. negotiate谈判；B. perform执行； C. conceal隐藏；D. escape远离、避开。根据空后的“reflect, read, chat or listen”可知，在星巴克创造的“第三空间”里，人们可以远离（喧嚣）、旨在突出星巴克创造的安静环境，故D项正确。

10.考查名词词义辨析。句意：它是由特里·赫克勒设计的，他从木制的海洋雕像中得到灵感。

A. imagination想象；B. inspiration灵感；C. patent专利权；D. philosophy哲理。上文说绿色星巴克标识是一个美人鱼，这个设计灵感是特里·赫克勒从木制的海洋雕像中获得的，故B项正确。

11.考查动词词义辨析。句意：美人鱼标识还传达了原始和现代的含义。A. creates创造；B. cultivates培养；C. credits赞颂；D. conveys传达。根据常识可知，一个品牌的标识自然会传达某种含义，故D项正确。

12.考查名词词义辨析。句意：星巴克将典型的美国文化逐渐分解为体验元素：视觉上的温暖，听觉上煮咖啡的声音，嗅觉上的咖啡香气等等。A. brand品牌；B. logo标识；C. possession财产；D. experience体验。根据冒号后的内容可知此处指“体验元素”，故D项正确。

13.考查副词词义辨析。句意：试想，透过巨大的玻璃窗，望着拥挤的街道，轻轻地啜一口咖啡香，这正符合“雅痞”，在忙碌的生活中体验的感觉。A. greedily贪婪地；B. gently轻轻地；C. persistently固执地；D. indifferently冷淡地。根据常识可知，刚煮好的咖啡是非常热的，要一小口一小口轻轻地啜着喝，故B项正确。

14.考查形容词词义辨析。句意同上。A. busy忙碌的；B. easy简单的； C. miserable悲惨的；D. energetic精力充沛的。根据上文说的拥挤的街道可知，平时的生活节奏是很快的，因此此处指的是“忙碌的生活”，故A项正确。

15.考查名词词义辨析。句意：但星巴克的精髓不在于咖啡，尽管它是很棒的咖啡。A. product产品；B. vision视力；C. essence精髓、精华；D. importance重要性。空后说咖啡只是一种载体，咖啡消费在很大程度上是一种情感和文化层面的消费，因此此处是说星巴克的精髓不在于咖啡，而在于它的文化，故C项正确。