Question

【题目】 Until the 1990s coffee was rarely served in China except at luxury hotels aimed at foreigners. When Starbucks opened its first outlet there in 1999, it was far from clear that the country’s avid tea-drinkers would take to such a different-and usually more costly- source of caffeine. Starbucks tried to attract customers unused to coffee’s bitter taste by promoting milk and sugar-heavy concoctions(调和) such as Frappuccinos.

But coffee has become fashionable among the middle class in China. Starbucks now has about 3, 800 outlets in China- more than in any other country outside America. Statista, a business-intelligence portal(门户网站), says the roast coffee market in China is growing by more than 10 % a year. Starbucks and its rivals see big opportunities for expanding there.

So too, however, do home-grown competitors. A major new presence is Luckin Coffee, Beijing- based chain. Since its founding less than two years ago, it has opened more than 2,300 outlets. On May 17th Luckin’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq stockmarket raised more than $570m, giving it a value of about $4bn.

Luckin’s remarkable growth is sign of change. No longer do Chinese consumers see coffee as such a luxury. Most of Luckin’s outlets are merely kiosks where busy white-collar workers pick up their drinks, having ordered them online. Super-fast delivery can also be arranged through the company’s app. Independent coffee shops are springing up. The growth is striking given the country’s reputation for its tea-drinking culture where many residents like to relax in teahouses sipping tea served gracefully.

But the two markets are different. The teahouses tend to cater to older people who like to spend long hours playing mahjong and gossiping. At the coffee shops it is rare to see anyone over 40. Young people use them for socialising, but much of their interaction is online -sharing photos of their drinks and of the coffee-making equipment. An option on the Chinese rating app Dianping allows users to search for wanghong ("internet viral") coffee houses: ones with particularly photogenic decor(照片装饰) where better to sip and We Chat?

【1】How did Starbucks try to appeal to Chinese consumers?

A.By reducing the price slightly.B.By introducing the benefits of coffee.

C.By making coffee taste not so bitter.D.By promoting its products effectively.

【2】What does Luckin Coffee’s growth suggest?

A.People tend to like coffee’s bitter taste.

B.People’s views on coffee-drinking have changed.

C.People in China can afford coffee now.

D.Tea is no longer part of Chinese culture.

【3】What does the underlined word “kiosks” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.Places where people can drink beer.

B.Restaurants where food can be taken away.

C.Shops aimed at people who like drinking coffee.

D.Small shops or stores where newspapers and drinks are sold.

【4】What is the best title for the text?

A.Coffee is taking off in China.

B.Tea-drinking is not popular.

C.Coffee or tea, which do you prefer?

D.Coffee has become people’s favorite in China.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了咖啡进入中国市场的历史以及现状。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句 Starbucks tried to attract customers unused to coffee’s bitter taste by promoting milk and sugar-heavy concoctions可知，星巴克通过加牛奶和多糖调和物的方式吸引更多顾客来尝试这种不习惯的咖啡的苦味。也就是说他们试图让咖啡不是那么苦。故选C。

【2】推理判断题。根据第四段第一和第二句可知瑞幸咖啡的快速增长是一个改变的标志，意味着中国消费者不再把咖啡当做是奢侈品。也就是说中国人对咖啡的看法发生了改变，故选B。

【3】词句猜测题。根据第四段该词后内容可知，在这个地方忙碌的白领员工能拿他们之前网上定好的咖啡。并且由下文中的“Independent coffee shops are springing up.（独立的咖啡店正在兴起）”可知，划线单词意味着不是独立的咖啡店，那可以推测就是像书报亭一样的地方。故选D。

【4】主旨大意题。本文从1999年星巴克入住中国，到中国本土的瑞幸咖啡的兴起，从中国人不习惯咖啡的苦味道到态度的转变，主要讲述了咖啡在中国的兴起。故选A。

猜测词义题在高考中有三种考查形式：生词猜测词义或熟词生义、猜测一句话的意思、指代关系猜词（代词或者名词）。从近三年考查形势看，三种考查方式同等重要。本文中考查的是生词猜测词义。这种题型的解法主要是在生词后找到其释义句。但除了释义句我们还可以利用篇章结构找到其对应词语帮助我们解题。例如本文主要可以通过现在的kiosks与正在兴起的Independent coffee shops的对比关系，确定kiosks不是独立的咖啡店。再根据其后的定语从句确定它应该是路边小店。故选D。