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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：此部分试题请在答题卡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)
这篇文章分析了瓶装水在北美十分流行的原因。
文章开篇引题，以Iceberg Water为例，说明了瓶装水在北美的火热流行程度，为后文分析其流行的原因做好铺垫。第一段只有一句话，作者把reach谓语提前，使用倒装结构对Iceberg Water达到流行顶点这一事实进行强调，这样Iceberg Water置于句末，借以使用非限制性定语从句对这种瓶装水的来源进行描述。
第二段马上指出了瓶装水流行的原因，但这是借一位瓶装水专家之口来指出媒体普遍的观点：my dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water，含义是瓶装水明显优于自来水。
第二段的作用无疑是竖靶子以备批驳，第三段紧接着对这种观点进行了分析，并用源自泰晤士河的自来水比几种名牌瓶装水口感更佳为例进行了反驳。
在接下来的四段中，作者具体分析了瓶装水流行的真正原因。第四段有承上启下的作用，把百事和可口可乐公司作为例子，既以两家公司的瓶装水25%来源于自来水的事实继续反驳瓶装水优于自来水的观点，又以两家公司对瓶装水市场的重视引出瓶装水流行的真正原因。
第五、六段论证了售卖方式是瓶装水流行原因之一的观点，最后一段指出除售卖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，受欢迎
