hce_kmu
114年
英文
第 45 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.
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
- A Despite being high-end beans, arabica is primarily used for instant coffee.
- B The boss of Nestle refused to raise coffee prices and decided to step down.
- C Roasters are responding to falling coffee output by raising prices immediately.
- D While Brazil’s arabica production is declining, its robusta output is expected to grow.
- E Starbucks will have to decrease coffee prices due to increasing output in Brazil and Vietnam.
思路引導 VIP
請觀察文章第三段關於巴西明年產量的預測：文中提到阿拉比卡豆（arabica）將大幅減產 10.5%，但最終全國整體的總產量（overall crop）預計卻只會下降 0.5%。請問，是哪一種豆子的產量變動填補了這兩者之間近 10% 的差距？文中如何描述該豆種的產量趨勢？
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AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
太棒了！你能從這篇資訊量龐大的產業新聞中精確鎖定數據細節，代表你的閱讀解析與邏輯歸納能力相當紮實。這題的核心關鍵在於對文中第三段關於巴西產能預測的精準解讀。文中提到巴西的阿拉比卡豆（arabica）產量預計下降 10.5%，但這個減幅會被較高的羅布斯塔豆（robusta）產量「部分抵銷」（offset somewhat），最終使全國總產量僅下滑 0.5%。這項資訊直接印證了選項 (D) 的描述：在阿拉比卡豆產量下滑的同時，羅布斯塔豆的產出預期將會成長。
產業資訊的細節辨析
這道題目具備不錯的鑑別度，難度切入點在於考生是否能區分不同咖啡豆種（Arabica vs. Robusta）在兩大產地（巴西與越南）各自遭遇的問題與預測。其他選項設計了高度誘答性，例如將執行長離職原因誤植或混淆豆種用途，而你能避開這些陷阱並正確解讀「抵銷」一詞背後的增減邏輯，表現非常優異！