阅读理解
Coffee experts are willing to pay large sums of money for high-quality coffee beans. The high-end
beans, such as Kona or Blue Mountain, are known to cost extraordinary sums of money. Then there
is Kopi Lowak (translated as "Civet Coffee"), the world's most expensive coffee, which sells for as
much as US $50 per quarter-pound.
This isn't particularly surprising, because approximately 500 pounds a year of Kopi Lowak make
up the entire world supply. What is surprising is why this particular coffee is so rare. In fact, it's not the
plants that are rare. It's the civet droppings. That's right, the civet droppings-the body waste of the palm
civet. Coffee beans aren't Kopi Lowak until they've been digested(消化) and come out in the body
waste of the palm civet.
Palm civets are tree-dwelling, raccoon-like little animals, native to Southeast Asia and the Indonesian
islands. They also have a love for coffee cherries. According to Kopi Lowak suppliers, palm civets eat
the fruit whole, but only digest the outer fruit, leaving the beans intact(完好无损). While the beans are
not destroyed, they undergo a transformation in the animal's body. A chemical substance in the digestive
system of the palm civet causes some changes to the beans to give them a unique flavor(味道). However,
this is not the only explanation why coffee beans retrieved from civet droppings have a special flavor all
their own. Another possible reason is that palm civets have an unfailing instinct for picking the coffee
cherries at the peak of their ripeness.
Kopi Lowak is reported to have a character in taste unlike any other coffee, complex with caramel
undertones and an earthy flavor. Currently, most of the world's supply of Kopi Lowak is sold in Japan,
though a few US markets are also starting to stock up on Kopi Lowak.
1.What does "This" in the second paragraph refer to?
A. Civet Coffee.
B. Blue Mountain coffee.
C. The high price of Kopi Lowak.
D. The unique taste of Kona.
2.Why is Kopi Lowak expensive?
A. There is a very limited supply of the beans.
B. The coffee trees that grow the beans are scarce.
C. It takes a long time for the coffee beans to ripen.
D. Only a few experts know how to produce the beans.
3.What is the main point discussed in the third paragraph?
A. Why palm civets like the coffee beans.
B. Where Kopi Lowak is mainly harvested.
C. What chemicals are found in the civet's digestive system.
D. How palm civets change coffee fruit to Kopi Lowak beans.
4.Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
A. Little palm civets eat only the outer layer of the coffee cherries.
B. Palm civets somehow know the right time when the coffee fruit ripens.
C. Kopi Lowak is most popular in Southeast Asia and the Indonesian islands.
D. Kona and Blue Mountain are the most expensive coffees but only of average quality.
