A San Francisco self-service laundry（自助洗衣店） may be one of the world’s most unusual places to surf the Internet but a fashionable club on Moscow’s Red Square is definitely the most fashionable, according to a Yahoo survey of the globe’s best cybercafés(网吧).
The winners of the first Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards were published on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary(纪念日) of the world’s first cybercafé in London’s West End.
Among the top picks were the unusual Brain Wash in San Francisco, named as “the height of Internet café with self-service laundry” and Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog, selected as Most Stylish with its “unique combination of comfort and hi-tech”. Taking the Best UK Internet Café award was Café Curve in Brighton, southern England—“a must for anyone who likes style, comfort, typing and keeping in touch”. And the title of the world’s Most Remote Internet Café went to an internationally funded centre in Timbuktu, Mali.
The winners were chosen by a team of judges who considered travelers’ more than 1,000 nominations(提名) of cybercafés in 111 countries. The results have been collected in a Rough Guides e-book.
In the decade since London’s Café Cyberia first opened its doors in 1994, approximately 20,000 Internet cafés have sprung up in 171 countries, according to Yahoo Mail.
“Despite the fact that home and work Internet access is now commonplace, Internet cafés fulfill the same role as they did 10 years ago,” Eva Pascoe, a co-founder of Café Cyberia, said in a statement. “They are the post offices of the wired generation.”
48. The purpose of Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards is ______ .
A. to honor the 10th anniversary of Yahoo
B. to celebrate the rapid development of Internet cafés
C. to mark the 10th anniversary of London’s Café Cyberia
D. to promote the most fashionable club
49. Which is NOT the correct match of the following cybercafés?
A. Café Curve in Brighton—the Best UK Internet Café award
B. The internationally funded centre in Timbuktu — the world’s Most Remote Internet Café
C. Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog—the most fashionable
D. Brain Wash in San Francisco—combination of comfort and hi-tech
50. What does the last sentence “They are the post offices of the wired generation.” imply?
A. Internet surfers communicate with each other on Internet rather than by posting letters.
B. Internet cafes start the same service as post offices.
C. Post offices and Internet cafes are of the same importance to surfers.
D. Post offices turn to be Internet cafes in e-mail times.
