听新闻学英语之八
Good to the Last Drop: Coffee Culture Is Alive
and Well in the US
音频点击：&
STEVE EMBER: I'm Steve Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in
VOA Special English. At La Colombe coffee shop in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, you can enjoy a tasty cup of coffee as you
read the newspaper or meet with friends. The shop is very busy and
The people who work there can quickly make excellent
espresso or drip coffee drinks. La Colombe is a good example
of how important coffee culture has become in the United States.
Join us as we explore the culture, history and business of one of
the world's favorite drinks.
STEVE EMBER: In the United States, the number of
specialty coffee shops has increased greatly over the years. In
nineteen ninety-five there were an estimated five thousand shops
and sellers specializing in coffee. By two thousand six, there were
almost twenty-four thousand. It is hard to walk down a street in an
American city without coming across a coffee shop. And, chances
are, that coffee shop might be a Starbucks.
BARBARA KLEIN: The Starbucks company started in the West
Coast city of Seattle, Washington, in nineteen seventy-one. Today,
there are more than twelve thousand Starbucks around the world.
Starbucks has helped make coffee culture a popular part of people's
daily lives. The stores sell all kinds of coffee. They sell special
hot and cold coffee drinks like Frappucinos and White Chocolate
STEVE EMBER: But there is much more to making and
enjoying coffee than Starbucks. In fact, many people
criticize the aggressive expansion of Starbucks and
its impersonal coffee shops. The company has made business
difficult for smaller, independent coffee shops. But these coffee
shops have a strong and loyal following. There is a certain pride
in the coffee industry among the smaller, more personal coffee
BARBARA KLEIN: The Specialty Coffee Association of
America holds a yearly competition for the people who prepare
coffee drinks, known as baristas. The best baristas from different
areas of the country gather to make three coffee drinks. A group of
coffee experts judges them. The baristas take their job very
seriously. They have fifteen minutes to make three kinds of coffee
drinks: an espresso, a cappuccino, and a specialty drink of
their own invention.
HOST: &A big round of applause for
Melanie's espressos.
The best baristas in the country then compete for the national
award. There is even a World Barista Championship. This year it
will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
STEVE EMBER: Doug Wolfe recently competed in the
Mid-Atlantic area barista competition. But to really see him work
his coffee magic, you must visit him where he works, at La
DOUG WOLF: My name is Doug Wolfe, and I am from
Philadelphia. I am with La Colombe Torrefaction. I'm going to be
making an espresso and cappuccino for you guys.
To make an espresso, Doug packs freshly ground coffee into a
filter that attaches to a shiny La San Marco espresso machine from
Italy. The machine forces heated water at high pressure through the
coffee. The resulting espresso has a strong, smooth and flavorful
taste. He makes a cappuccino by adding perfectly heated milk to an
espresso. This may sound easy. But making a perfect espresso
requires several things: the right amount of fresh coffee and
expert control of water temperature, pressure and timing. La
Colombe roasts its own special coffee mixtures at a factory
nearby. This way it can control the high quality and freshness of
its product.
BARBARA KLEIN: You might enjoy a cup of coffee at your
local coffee shop. But coffee is part of an international industry.
Research shows that as many as one-third of the people in the world
drink coffee. Some people drink coffee for its rich smell and
taste. Others like the awakening effect of caffeine, a chemical in
coffee. But not everyone may know the story of coffee and how it is
STEVE EMBER: One popular story about the discovery of
coffee long ago is about Kaldi, a keeper of goats Kaldi was taking
care of his goats in the highlands of Ethiopia where coffee trees
have grown for centuries. He noticed that his goats became very
excited and active after eating small fruits from a tree.
Kaldi reported this discovery to a group of religious workers.
When they made a drink out of the fruit, the religious workers
realized they could stay awake for long hours of prayer. This
knowledge about coffee soon spread all over the world.
BARBARA KLEIN: Coffee trees are native to eastern Africa
and areas of the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee was first grown
and traded in the fifteenth century. Most coffee came from what is
now Yemen. Soon, coffee was in high demand all over the Middle
East. By the seventeenth century coffee had been introduced to
Europe. European traders started bringing coffee plants to other
parts of the world. The Dutch brought coffee to the islands of
Indonesia. And by the twentieth century, most of the world's
production came from Central and South America. Today, Brazil is
the largest producer of coffee in the world.
STEVE EMBER: Most people know what a coffee bean looks
like, but what about the plant? Coffee trees can grow up to nine
meters high, but they are cut short for production. These trees
have shiny dark green leaves that grow on opposite sides of each
other on a stem. The plant produces a fruit that is called a
coffee cherry.
When the coffee cherries are ripe and ready to pick, they are
bright, red and firm. Inside the fruits are the green coffee beans.
After these beans are roasted at high temperatures they are ready
to be made into a drink.
BARBARA KLEIN: The two most important kinds of coffee
plants are the arabica and the canephora, which is commonly
known as robusta. Arabica coffee makes up about seventy percent of
the world's production. These trees produce a fine and mild coffee
with a rich smell.
Robusta has a more caffeine than arabica. It is usually mixed
with other coffee beans or used for instant coffee. Most of the
world's robusta is grown in Central and Western Africa. It can also
be found in parts of Southeast Asia and Brazil. Robusta is less
costly to grow because it is more resistant to diseases than the
arabica plant. Also, robusta plants can survive in a warmer
STEVE EMBER: There may only be two main kinds of coffee
plants. But geography and climate differences have a big effect on
the many different ways coffee can taste. For example, coffee grown
in Ethiopia is known for its lively, sharp taste and its flowery
smell. Coffee from the island of Sumatra has a full body
with an earthy and intense taste. Coffee roasters combine beans
from different areas to make coffees with different tastes and
qualities.
BARBARA KLEIN: Coffee is the second most heavily traded
product in the world after oil. A coffee bean goes from a series of
producers, exporters, importers, roasters and sellers. This long
chain of production has major social and political effects. For
example, some coffee producers and drinkers are concerned about the
Fair Trade movement. The aim of this movement is to make sure that
coffee farmers around the world get a fair price for their harvest.
Poor farmers are organized into groups called cooperatives. They
are guaranteed money under this system. Even if the market
price for coffee drops, these farmers can earn enough money to
Critics of the movement say coffee farmers still do not receive
a fair amount of money for their work. And some economists argue
that Fair Trade creates too large a supply of coffee.
STEVE EMBER: There are also environmental concerns within
the coffee industry. Industrial coffee production can have a bad
effect on nature. The chemicals used on large coffee farms can hurt
soil and water sources. These large farms also cut down many trees
to make room for coffee plants. This threatens native plants and
Environmental organizations have worked to create rules for
producing coffee in environmentally friendly ways. Many coffee
drinkers buy this coffee to support their efforts.
BARBARA KLEIN: So, the next time you enjoy your morning
coffee, you can think about its rich history and wide popularity.
And you can imagine the long distances it traveled to end up in
STEVE EMBER: This program was written and produced by
Dana Demange. I'm Steve Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next
week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.
&附译文：仅供参考。
滴滴香醇：闻名而率性的美国咖啡文化
史蒂夫&恩伯：我是史蒂夫&恩伯。
芭芭拉&克莱因：我是芭芭拉&克莱因，这里是美国之音特别英语《探索先锋》节目。在宾夕法尼亚州的费城，La
Colombe咖啡馆生意红火，在那里，你可以一边享受香醇的咖啡，一边看看报纸或是约见你的朋友。
那里的工作人员很快就能调制出上好的特浓咖啡或是咖啡饮品。La
Colombe咖啡馆是咖啡文化的典范，从这里你可以看到咖啡文化在美国的地位。本期节目我们将探索这个全世界最受欢迎的饮料之一的文化、历史及其商业运作，加入我们吧。
史蒂夫&恩伯：近几年，美国的专业咖啡店数量大幅度增长。据统计，到1995年为止，美国有五千家咖啡馆及销售咖啡产品的商店。到2006年已经增长到两万四千家了。在美国的城市漫步，你很难会走到一个没有咖啡馆的街道。而且，很有可能你就看到了&星巴克&咖啡店。
芭芭拉&克莱因：&星巴克&连锁咖啡店始创于1971年，美国的西海岸城市华盛顿的西雅图。今天，&星巴克&遍布全球，总数超过一万两千家。&星巴克&使咖啡文化成了许多人日常生活中的一部分。
这家咖啡馆里有各种各样的咖啡，有专门的热咖啡，也有冰咖啡，像&星冰乐&和白巧克力摩卡咖啡
史蒂夫&恩伯：但是，咖啡文化远远超过&星巴克&所带给大家的，无论是咖啡的调制还是咖啡的享受。事实上，很多人批评&星巴克&太具有侵略性，店里没有多少人情味的氛围也为人诟病。它的经营模式让很多小型的独立的咖啡馆很难立足。但是，这些咖啡馆有一些忠实的顾客，这一点让那些小型的但人情味很浓的咖啡馆感到骄傲。
芭芭拉&克莱因：美国专业咖啡协会每年都举行咖啡调制比赛，人们称之为咖啡师大赛。从美国的不同地方选举出来的最佳咖啡师聚在一起调制出三种咖啡，有一组咖啡专家为他们评审。他们的工作做的很仔细。他们一共花了十五分钟时间做出了三种咖啡：特浓咖啡、卡布奇诺热牛奶咖啡和一种他们自己发明的特别的品种。
主持人：梅勒妮的特浓咖啡赢得了大家的掌声。
国家最佳咖啡师接下来将角逐国家奖。甚至还有咖啡师世界锦标赛，今年的比赛将放在日本的东京举行。
史蒂夫&恩伯：道格&伍尔夫最近参加了大西洋中部地区的咖啡师比赛。但是，要想真正领略他的咖啡魔术，你还得去他工作的地方La
Colombe咖啡馆看看。
道格&伍尔夫：我叫道格&伍尔夫，我来自费城。我在La
Colombe烘焙店工作。我打算为大家献上特浓咖啡和卡布奇诺。
为调制特浓咖啡，道格把新鲜的咖啡倒进一个过滤器里，过滤器连着光亮的意大利产的细研磨机。这个机器使得热水在高压下渗过咖啡，这样调出来的特浓咖啡的味道浓滑可口，回味无穷。在浓咖啡里加点上等热牛奶就成了另一种美味的咖啡&&卡布奇诺。整个工序听起来很容易。但是，要调制一杯完美的特浓咖啡需要几件事情：一定量的新鲜咖啡和对水温、压强以及时间的熟练控制。La
Colombe在附近的一家工厂烘烤的它那别具一格的咖啡制品，这样就可以控制产品的质量，还能保证产品的新鲜。
芭芭拉&克莱因：你也许会在当地的咖啡店里享受一杯咖啡。但是咖啡是一个国际产业的一部分。研究发现，喝咖啡的人占世界总人口的三分之一之多。有些人喝咖啡是因为它香浓的味道。也有些人喜欢咖啡因的提神作用，咖啡因是咖啡里的一种化学成分。但并不是每个人都知道咖啡的故事及它的制作方法。
史蒂夫&恩伯：关于咖啡最早是怎么被人发现的有这么一个广为流传的故事。有一位叫卡尔迪的牧羊人在埃塞俄比亚的高原上牧放他的羊群，那里几个世纪以来都生长着咖啡树。他发现他的羊在吃了咖啡树上的果子之后变得兴奋活跃。
卡尔迪把这个发现告诉了一群教职人员。当他们用这种果实制作饮料并饮用之后，这些教职人员发现他们可以清醒地连着祈祷好几个小时。这一发现很快就传遍了世界各地。
芭芭拉&克莱因：咖啡树原产于东非和阿拉伯半岛境内。到十五世纪，人们开始种植并买卖咖啡。大部分咖啡出自现在叫做也门的地方。不久以后，整个中东地区对咖啡的需求量就达到很高的程度。到十七世纪，咖啡传到了欧洲。欧洲的经销商们开始把咖啡树带到世界上的其他地方。荷兰商人把咖啡带到印度尼西亚岛上。到二十世纪，世界上大部分的咖啡产品来自中南美洲。今天，巴西是世界上最大的咖啡制造商。
史蒂夫&恩伯：大部分人知道咖啡豆的样子，但咖啡树是什么样的呢？咖啡树可以长到九公尺的高度，但因为产品的需要都修剪的比较矮。这些树的叶子是深绿色的，且富有光泽，叶子沿着树干两边对称生长。树上长出来的果实叫咖啡果。
当咖啡果成熟至可以采摘的时候，它们的颜色是红色，果实坚硬光亮。绿色的咖啡豆就藏在咖啡果里面。等到咖啡豆用高温烘焙之后，它们就可以拿来做咖啡了。
芭芭拉&克莱因：两种最重要的咖啡树是阿拉伯咖啡树和卡尼福拉咖啡树，后者普遍被叫为罗伯斯特咖啡树。阿拉伯咖啡树出产的咖啡占世界咖啡总产量的百分之七十。这种树出产上乘的咖啡豆，味道香浓。
罗伯斯特咖啡的咖啡因含量要高过阿拉伯咖啡。它通常会混合着其他品种的咖啡豆一起或是用来制作速溶咖啡。大部分的罗伯斯特咖啡树产自非洲的中部和西部地区，也有一些长在东南亚和巴西。罗伯斯特咖啡树的种植成本较低，因为和阿拉伯咖啡相比它更能抵抗各种病虫害。而且，罗伯斯特咖啡树在温暖的气候中也能存活。
史蒂夫&恩伯：咖啡树的主要种类大概只有两种。但是不同的地理和气候会在很大程度上影响到咖啡的味道。打个比方，埃塞俄比亚出产的咖啡以它们新鲜浓郁的味道而为人所知，这种咖啡还带有花香。苏门答腊岛的咖啡则颗粒饱满，味道朴素而强烈。烘焙咖啡的人会组合不同地区产的咖啡豆以烘出不同的味道和质地。
芭芭拉&克莱因：咖啡是世界上第二大产品，仅次于石油。咖啡豆要转经好几手之后才能最后成为咖啡送到人们的嘴边，其中包括生产商、出口商、进口商，烘制商和销售商。这一连串的产品工序有着重大的社会和政治效应。举个例子，一些咖啡制造商和咖啡的顾客会关注&公平贸易&运动。这个运动旨在确保全世界的咖啡种植民能为他们的收成赢得公平的卖价。贫穷的农民组织成一个协会。在这个系统下他们会得到咖啡种植的保证金。即使咖啡的市场价下降，这些农民也能挣到足够的钱来养家糊口。
&公平贸易&
运动的相关评论称咖啡种植者仍然没有收到与他们的工作量对等的报酬。而一些经济学家则认为&公平贸易&引发了过多的咖啡供应量。
史蒂夫&恩伯：咖啡产业也引起了人们对环境问题的关注。咖啡制造产业对大自然有很严重的负面效应。大面积的咖啡种植园要用到的化学药肥会破坏土质和水源。这些大面积的种植园还得砍伐大量的树木以开发种植园。这样以来就威胁到了当地的植物和鸟类。
环境组织正为咖啡的友好制作制定相关条约。很多咖啡顾客买这种咖啡以支持他们的努力。
芭芭拉&克莱因：所以，下一个清晨，当你享受咖啡时，你可以想想它丰富的历史和它的声望。你也可以想象一下它是怎样辗转一段漫长的路途才到你手中的。
史蒂夫&恩伯：本节目由达纳&德曼格撰写制作。我是史蒂夫&恩伯。
芭芭拉&克莱因：我是芭芭拉&克莱因。欢迎下次继续收听我们的节目，美国之音特别英语《探索先锋》节目为您报道。
已投稿到：
以上网友发言只代表其个人观点，不代表新浪网的观点或立场。