Question

The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971 in downtown Seattle, Washington，in the United States. It was a small coffee shop that roasted its own coffee beans. The coffee shop’s business did well, and by 1981 there were three more Starbucks stores in Seattle.

Things really began to change for the company in 1981. That year, Howard Schultz met the three men who ran Starbucks. Schultz worked in New York for a company that made kitchen equipment. He noticed that Starbucks ordered a large number of special coffee makers, and he was curious about the company. Schultz went to Seattle to see what Starbucks did, and he liked what he saw. He wanted to become part of the company. In 1982, the original（原先的）Starbucks owners hired Schultz as the company’s head of marketing.

In 1983, Schultz travelled to Italy. The unique atmosphere of the coffee bars there caught his eye. To Schultz, it seemed that Italians spent their daily lives in three places; home, work, and coffee bars. His experience in Italy gave Schultz a new idea for Starbucks back in Seattle.

Schultz created an atmosphere for Starbucks coffee shops that was comfortable, and customers everywhere seemed to like it. Between 1987 and 1992, Starbucks opened 150 new stores—and that was only the beginning. In fact, by the year 2000, three new Starbucks stores opened somewhere around the world every day!

Today, Starbucks has thousands of stores, including stores in twenty-six countries. One thing that helps make Starbucks succeed in cities outside the United States is the way Starbucks works with local stores and restaurants. By working together with a store already in the city, Starbucks gets an understanding of customers in the city. This understanding helps Starbucks open stores in the right locations for their customers.

1.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. How Starbucks has grown    B. What Starbucks makes

C. Starbucks’ customers    D. How Starbucks makes its coffee

2.Which is true about Starbucks’ first ten years of business?

A. It grew very quickly    B. It was a small company

C. It made special coffee makers    D. It was run by Howard Schultz

3.About how many new Starbucks opened in 1999?

A. 3    B. 150    C. 300    D. more than 1000

4.What helps Starbucks succeed in places outside the United States?

A. Opening restaurants in just a few locations each year

B. Only selling locally produced coffee beans

C. working with other major coffee-making companies

D. Learning about local customers

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.D

【解析】本文叙述了Starbucks在1971年开业，前面的十年这个咖啡馆是一个很小的公司，后来销售总监Schultz去意大利旅行，给他一启发，了解了当地的顾客的情况后，很快咖啡馆在世界各地开了起来。

1.主旨大意题。短文叙述了星巴克咖啡馆的的发展历史。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据It was a small coffee shop that roasted its own coffee beans.可知，星巴克咖啡馆的前十年是很小的一个公司。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据In fact, by the year 2000, three new Starbucks stores opened somewhere around the world every day! Today, Starbucks has thousands of stores可知，开了上千家咖啡馆。故选D。

4.细节理解题。根据Starbucks gets an understanding of customers in the city. This understanding helps Starbucks open stores in the right locations for their customers.对顾客的了解使他把咖啡馆做的那么的成功。故选D。

点睛：主旨大意题型旨在考查考生通过快速阅读获取语篇的中心思想的能力，以及辨别主要信息和次要信息的能力。要求考生运用逻辑概括能力，从文章的字里行间获取文章中的代表性观点和中心论点。主旨大意题是考生容易出错的题型之一，错误主要表现为：概括文章中心时以偏概全（只见树木不见森林），概括性不够，或者概括过度，超出了文本的内容，缺乏针对性。如1题选项BCD概括就不够。