Question

【題目】For most caffeine(咖啡因)consumers, its chief benefit is that it helps you get more done. This is what makes it unusual, says Stephen Braun, author of Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine.

“Its appeal is that it helps us earn more money,” he adds. “What makes it different from other drugs is that it’s used as a productivity tool –– not for pleasure.”

Many of history’s creative minds have also been associated with a large amount of caffeine consumption.

According to one biographer, the French novelist and playwright Balzac drank as many as 50 cups of coffee a day. “Were it not for coffee one could not write, which is to say one could not live,” he once insisted.

For seven years, the film-maker David Lynch ate at the same Los Angeles diner every day, drinking up to seven sweetened cups of coffee “with lots of sugar” in one sitting, which he said would guarantee that “lots of ideas” arrived.

Ludwig van Beethoven was said to have painstakingly counted out exactly 60 coffee beans per cup when he brewed(煮)coffee.

Perhaps recent tales of caffeine excess featured the singer Robbie Williams, who reportedly consumed 36 cups of black coffee and 20 cans of Red Bull a day.

It is the routine task itself, as much as the stimulating(刺激的)effects of caffeine, that makes the process so important, says Mason Currey, author of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. “A lot of artists use the process of making coffee as a gateway to the creative process,” he adds. “You need to get into the right mindset to do that sort of work, and the preparation process provides a focus.”

One problem with attempting to control caffeine, says Braun, is that it affects everyone differently –– it is impossible to work out a “safe” limit that works for everyone. “Eventually, you have to become your own scientist –– there isn’t an alternative to careful self-experimentation,” he says.

【1】Stephen Braun mainly stresses caffeine’s _______.

A. creating ideas B. improving work efficiency

C. helping people to relax D. stimulating people

【2】The examples of some famous people are given to show that _______.

A. most artists like drinking coffee

B. drinking coffee helps artists make more money

C. there’s a link between drinking coffee and creating ideas

D. drinking coffee makes artists become more successful

【3】What leads to the artists’ creative process according to Mason Currey?

A. Getting a good mindset. B. Drinking the coffee.

C. Being lost in thought. D. Brewing the coffee.

【4】What does Braun advise us to do in the end?

A. To drink less coffee.

B. Never to take more coffee than you need.

C. Never to limit caffeine use.

D. To work out a safe level of caffeine use.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】D

【4】B

【解析】

試題解析：咖啡不但可以幫助人們提神和提高工作效率，而且還可以幫助藝術家們產生靈感。盡管如此，我們對咖啡的飲用應該控制在一個適度的范圍。

【1】B細節(jié)理解題。根據第二段中“What makes it different from other drugs is that it’s used as a productivity tool not for pleasure.”可知，Stephen Braun強調caffeine可以幫助我們提高生產力。故選擇B項。

【2】C主旨大意題。通過第三段中Many of history’s creative minds have also been associated with some large amount of caffeine consumption.和下文對四位名人的描述可知，他們都通過喝咖啡來獲得創(chuàng)意與靈感。故選擇C項。

【3】D細節(jié)理解題。由倒數第二段的“A lot of artists use the process of making the coffee as a gateway to the creative process,”可知，Mason Currey認為正是制作咖啡的過程幫助藝術家進入創(chuàng)作的狀態(tài)，故選擇D項。

【小題4】B推理判斷題。在文章最后一段Braun指出，就咖啡因的食用而言，我們很難制定出一個適用于所有人的安全標準，重要的是每個人成為自己的科學家。其言外之意是喝咖啡別過量，故選擇B項。