Until the 1990s coffee was rarely served in China except at luxury hotels aimed at foreigners. When Starbucks opened its first outlet there in 1999, it was far from clear that the country’s avid tea-drinkers would take to such a different-and usually more costly- source of caffeine. Starbucks tried to attract customers unused to coffee’s bitter taste by promoting milk and sugar-heavy concoctions(调和) such as Frappuccinos.
But coffee has become fashionable among the middle class in China. Starbucks now has about 3, 800 outlets in China- more than in any other country outside America. Statista, a business-intelligence portal(门户网站), says the roast coffee market in China is growing by more than10 %year. Starbucks and its rivals see big opportunities for expanding there.
So too, however, do home-grown competitors. A major new presence is Luckin Coffee, Beijing- based chain. Since its founding less than two years ago, it has opened more than 2,300 outlets. On May 17th Luckin’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq stockmarket raised more than $570m,giving it a value of about $4bn.
Luckin’s remarkable growth is sign of change. No longer do Chinese consumers see coffee as such a luxury. Most of Luckin’s outlets are merely kiosks where busy white-collar workers pick up their drinks, having ordered them online. Super-fast delivery can also be arranged through the company’s app. Independent coffee shops are springing up. The growth is striking given the country’s reputation for its tea-drinking culture where many residents like to relax in teahouses sipping tea served gracefully.
But the two markets are different. The teahouses tend to cater to older people who like to spend long hours playing mahjong and gossiping. At the coffee shops it is rare to see anyone over
40. Young people use them for socialising, but much of their interaction is online -sharing photos of their drinks and of the coffee-making equipment. An option on the Chinese rating app Dianping allows users to search for wanghong ("internet viral") coffee houses: ones with particularly photogenic decor(照片装饰) Where better to sip and We Chat?
 
28. How did Starbucks try to appeal to Chinese consumers?
A. By reducing the price slightly.       B. By introducing the benefits of coffee.
C. By making coffee taste not so bitter.  D. By promoting its products effectively.
29. What does Luckin Coffee’s growth suggest?
A. People tend to like coffee’s bitter taste.
B. People’s views on coffee-drinking have changed.
C. People in China can afford coffee now.
D. Tea is no longer part of Chinese culture.
30. What does the underlined word "kiosks in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Places where people can drink beer.
B. Restaurants where food can be taken away.
C. Shops aimed at people who like drinking coffee.
D. Small shops or stores where newspapers and drinks are sold.
31. What is the best title for the text?
A. Coffee is taking off in China.            B. Tea-drinking is not popular.
C. Coffee or tea, which do you prefer?        D. Coffee has become people’s favorite in China.
28.C 29.B 30.D 31.A