2013年11月北京成人學位英語考試真題及答案解析
Coffee is a powerful drink.On a personal level，it helps keep us awake and active.(80)0n a much general level,it has helped shape our history and continues to shape our history and continues to shape our culture.
coffee plants grow wild in parts of Africa and were probably used by仃avelling tribes(部落) for tllousands of years，but it wasn’t until the l400s that people figWed out they could roast its seeds·“Then it really took off，"said historian Mark Pendergrast--author of Uncommon Grounds： the History 0f Coffee and How It Transformed Our World.By the 1500s，the drink had spread to coneehouses across the Arab world.Within another 150 years，it took Europe by storm.“It actual— ly had a maJ0¨mpact on the rise of business，”Pendergrast says.Coffeehouses became a spot not just to enjoy a cup but to exchange ideas.
The msurance industry was founded hundreds of years ago in one of London’s 2,000 coffee. nouSes·Llterature，newspapers and even the works of great composers like Bach and Beethoven were also inspired in coffeehouses.
It i8 0ften said that after the Boston Tea Party of 1773，when American colonists(殖民者)at tacked British tea ships and threw large boxes of tea into the harbor，Americans everywhere switched over to drinking coffee.“There’S a lot of truth to the story，I found，”Pendergrast says. He mentions a letter John Adams wrote to his wife，Abigail，in which the Founding Father declares his love of tea but says he will have to learn to accept coffee instead，because drinking tea had be— come unpatriotic(不愛國的).
For all the upsides coffee has brought the modem world，it also brought its fair share of down— sides，t00.Europeans carried coffee with them as they colonized various parts of the world，and this frequently meant they made people into slaves in order to grow it.
第11題 According to the passage，which of the following has nothing to do with coffee?
A.Literature. B.Newspapers. C.The insurance industry. D.The oil industry.
答案：D
第12題 According to the passage，which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A.The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773.
B.Europeans figured out ways to use coffee during the 1670s.
C.During the 1770s，more and more Americans began to drink coffee.
D.Coffee is a refreshing drink.
答案：B
第13題 The author of the book believes that__________.
A.drinking coffee was unpatriotic
B.2000 insurance companies were set up hundreds of years ago
C.Europeans were responsible for the existence of slavery
D.coffee actually influenced the rise of business
答案：D
第14題 The phrase“took off”in the second paragraph means“__________”.
A.dropped to the ground B.became very successful
C.removed its coat D.went away suddenly
答案：B
第15題 Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
A.When Coffee Became Popular B.Coffee Is a Powerful Drink
C.How Coffee Influenced the Course of History D.What Impact Coffee Has on Human Behavior
答案：C