評論
打印
Passage One
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
Reaching new peaks of popularity in North America is Iceberg Water, which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Arthur von Wiesenberger, who carries the title Water Master, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water,” He says.
But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact, New York’s municipal water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly, a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive.
Nevertheless, soft-drink companies view bottled water as the next battle-ground for market share—this despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water: PepsiCo’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water.
As diners thirst for leading brands, bottlers and restaurateurs salivate (垂涎) over the profits. A restaurant’s typical mark-up on wine is 100 to 150 percent, whereas on bottled water it’s often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine, and many of the fancier brands aren’t available in stores, most diners don’t notice or care.
As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless tactics include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices, and pouring bottled water without even asking the diners if they want it.
Regardless of how it’s sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health, our wish to appear cultivated, and even a longing for lost purity.
注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。
57. What do we know about Iceberg Water from the passage?
A) It is a kind of iced water.
B) It is just plain tap water.
C) It is a kind of bottled water.
D) It is a kind of mineral water.(C)
58. By saying “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water” (Line 4 Para. 2), von Wiesenberger wants to convey the message that ________.
A) plain tap water is certainly unfit for drinking
B) bottled water is clearly superior to tap water
C) bottled water often appeals more to dogs taste
D) dogs can usually detect a fine difference in taste(B)
59. The “fancier brands” (Line 3 Para. 5) refers to ________.
A) tap water from the Thames River
B) famous wines not sold in ordinary stores
C) PepsiCo’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani
D) expensive bottled water with impressive names(D)
60. Why are some restaurants turning up the pressure to sell bottled water?
A) Bottled water brings in huge profits.
B) Competition from the wine industry is intense.
C) Most diners find bottled water affordable.
D) Bottled water satisfied diners’ desire to fashionable.(A)
61. According to passage, why is bottled water so popular?
A) It is much cheaper than wine.
B) It is considered healthier.
C) It appeals to more cultivated people.
D) It is more widely promoted in the market.(B)
這篇文章分析了瓶裝水在北美十分流行的原因。
文章開篇引題，以Iceberg Water為例，說明了瓶裝水在北美的火熱流行程度，為后文分析其流行的原因做好鋪墊。第一段只有一句話，作者把reach謂語提前，使用倒裝結構對Iceberg Water達到流行頂點這一事實進行強調，這樣Iceberg Water置于句末，借以使用非限制性定語從句對這種瓶裝水的來源進行描述。
第二段馬上指出了瓶裝水流行的原因，但這是借一位瓶裝水專家之口來指出媒體普遍的觀點：my dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water，含義是瓶裝水明顯優于自來水。
第二段的作用無疑是豎靶子以備批駁，第三段緊接著對這種觀點進行了分析，并用源自泰晤士河的自來水比幾種名牌瓶裝水口感更佳為例進行了反駁。
在接下來的四段中，作者具體分析了瓶裝水流行的真正原因。第四段有承上啟下的作用，把百事和可口可樂公司作為例子，既以兩家公司的瓶裝水25%來源于自來水的事實繼續反駁瓶裝水優于自來水的觀點，又以兩家公司對瓶裝水市場的重視引出瓶裝水流行的真正原因。
第五、六段論證了售賣方式是瓶裝水流行原因之一的觀點，最后一段指出除售賣方式之外的其他原因(our desire for better health, our wish to appear cultivated, and even a longing for lost purity)。
n. 普及，流行，名望，受歡迎
