hce_kmu
114年
英文
第 41 題
📖 題組：
Global coffee prices have soared to their highest in nearly 50 years due to poor weather in Brazil and Vietnam, forcing roasters such as Nestle to raise prices and consumers to hunt for cheaper brews amid the cost of living crisis. Production problems linked to bad weather in Brazil and Vietnam have seen global supplies lagging demand for three years. That has left stocks depleted and driven benchmark ICE exchange prices to a peak of US$3.36 per lb. Last time coffee traded that high was in 1977 when snow destroyed swathes of Brazil’s plantations. However, the shock to consumers was much bigger back then. If adjusted for inflation, US$3.36 per lb in 1977 would be equivalent to US$17.68 today. Brazil, which produces nearly half the world’s arabica, high-end beans used primarily in roast and ground blends, experienced one of its worst droughts on record this year. Although rains finally arrived in October, soil moisture remains low and experts say the trees are producing too many leaves and too few of the flowers that turn into cherries. Consultancy StoneX sees Brazil’s arabica output falling 10.5 percent to 40 million bags next year, offset somewhat by higher robusta output, thus cutting the country’s overall crop by 0.5 percent. In Vietnam, which produces some 40 percent of the robusta beans typically used to make instant coffee, a severe drought earlier this year was followed by excess rains since October. In Vietnam, the crop could shrink up to 10 percent in the year by the end of September next year, adding to the global robusta shortage. Surging coffee prices are a problem for roasters. The boss of Nestle, the world’s biggest coffee firm, was ousted earlier this year after the board grew unhappy about weak sales and a loss of market share due to price rises, which prompted consumers to switch to cheaper brands. Roasters tend to buy coffee many months in advance, which means consumers will likely see the price spike in 6 to 12 months. Consumers who drink out will feel less of a pinch of today’s rising prices. Roasters like Starbucks that sell mostly to cafés should fare better as the global coffee price accounts for only about 1.4 percent of the total price of a typical US$5 cup of coffee in a café.
Global coffee prices have soared to their highest in nearly 50 years due to poor weather in Brazil and Vietnam, forcing roasters such as Nestle to raise prices and consumers to hunt for cheaper brews amid the cost of living crisis. Production problems linked to bad weather in Brazil and Vietnam have seen global supplies lagging demand for three years. That has left stocks depleted and driven benchmark ICE exchange prices to a peak of US$3.36 per lb. Last time coffee traded that high was in 1977 when snow destroyed swathes of Brazil’s plantations. However, the shock to consumers was much bigger back then. If adjusted for inflation, US$3.36 per lb in 1977 would be equivalent to US$17.68 today. Brazil, which produces nearly half the world’s arabica, high-end beans used primarily in roast and ground blends, experienced one of its worst droughts on record this year. Although rains finally arrived in October, soil moisture remains low and experts say the trees are producing too many leaves and too few of the flowers that turn into cherries. Consultancy StoneX sees Brazil’s arabica output falling 10.5 percent to 40 million bags next year, offset somewhat by higher robusta output, thus cutting the country’s overall crop by 0.5 percent. In Vietnam, which produces some 40 percent of the robusta beans typically used to make instant coffee, a severe drought earlier this year was followed by excess rains since October. In Vietnam, the crop could shrink up to 10 percent in the year by the end of September next year, adding to the global robusta shortage. Surging coffee prices are a problem for roasters. The boss of Nestle, the world’s biggest coffee firm, was ousted earlier this year after the board grew unhappy about weak sales and a loss of market share due to price rises, which prompted consumers to switch to cheaper brands. Roasters tend to buy coffee many months in advance, which means consumers will likely see the price spike in 6 to 12 months. Consumers who drink out will feel less of a pinch of today’s rising prices. Roasters like Starbucks that sell mostly to cafés should fare better as the global coffee price accounts for only about 1.4 percent of the total price of a typical US$5 cup of coffee in a café.
How is the information in the passage organized?
- A The passage describes a step-by-step process of coffee production.
- B The passage explains the causes and effects of rising global coffee prices.
- C The passage lists different types of coffee beans and their market demand.
- D The passage compares and contrasts coffee production in Brazil and Vietnam.
- E The passage presents a chronological account of past and present coffee price trends.
思路引導 VIP
請試著觀察第一段中提到的「巴西、越南的天氣異狀」與文章後段提到的「雀巢公司人事異動、消費者行為改變」這兩者之間。如果前者是「起點」，後者是「終點」，你會如何描述這兩者之間的邏輯連結？這兩者是時間先後順序的關係，還是其中一方導致了另一方的發生？
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AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
掌握文章的宏觀邏輯
恭喜你準確地判斷出這篇文章的架構！你能從繁雜的數據與地名中，一眼看出文章的核心在於探討因果關係（Cause and Effect），這說明你具備了優秀的長文資訊整合能力。這道題目考驗的是對文章「組織結構」的掌握，而不僅僅是字面意思的翻譯。 文章開篇即點出「全球咖啡價格飆升」這個結果，隨後將其原因歸咎於巴西與越南的惡劣氣候。接下來的段落具體說明了旱災如何導致產量下降（因），並進一步延伸出對企業端（如雀巢執行長異動）與消費端（改買平價咖啡）的連鎖反應。這種從現象出發、回溯原因並推導後續影響的敘述方式，正是典型的因果架構。這類題目在英文閱讀中屬於中等難度的「鑑別題」，考生常會被選項 (E) 的時間點或選項 (D) 的地域對比所干擾，但你能不被局部細節誘惑，成功抓出整體的邏輯主軸，表現非常出色！