The price of coffee beans hits a 12 – year high today. I thought there might
be some kind of coffee – market story, like we saw with cocoa earlier this summer.
But the main driver of coffee prices right now is simpler: Colombia has had
a few years of weak coffee harvests because of too much rain, which has reduced
the global supply. And coffee drinkers keep buying coffee, even as prices rise, in
other words, demand is unchanged.
The higher price of beans – up about 40 percent since March – means higher prices for the coffee you buy by the pound. But it probably won’t affect the coffee you buy by the cup.
Smuckers, which sells Folgers and Millstone coffees, recently said it was raising its prices because of the higher cost of beans. Starbucks, however, said it would absorb the higher cost of beans without raising prices.
“You see it much more in the grocery store because the raw materials are a big factor of cost,” Jose Sette of the International Coffee Organization told me. “In a coffee shop, your big expenses are rent and labor.”
While real – world supply and demand is the big driver of the price of beans, there may be some speculative action in coffee business in the future.
But futures (期货) of the high – grade Arabica beans are traded in the US, where regulations prevent speculators (投机商) from controlling the market, hoping such things won’t happen just as in London summer market. That suggests that prices should fall when supply improves – which may happen next year.
Some experts say that farmers in third world countries won’t actually benefit from higher prices in this case. When the price difference is due to supply and demand, the profit of the seller usually doesn’t go up.
【小题1】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

Tragedy at the Circus

In yesterday’s circus（马戏团）show, a tiger suddenly attacked its trainer and had to be shot dead. As the circus packed up and left, circus officials said the show would go on, even without tigers.

However, the officials can’t simply turn a blind eye to the ethical problems left behind. Even before this tragedy(悲剧), animal rights activists protested against keeping wild animals in unnatural conditions and forcing them to suffer for the profit(利润) of circus organizers.

It is now time for us to take effective steps to make sure that circus animals are treated properly.

Circus Safe for Animals

Our circus recently suffered a most tragic event in its history. While we are thankful for the pity from the public, we are also astonished by the opinion expressed in “Tragedy at the Circus.”

First, our performing animals are not taken from the wild. As to the ethical problems. we always believe humans and animals can—and should—live together nicely. To us, the performing animals are representatives of their species(物种), and our circus is one of the only places left willing to support this special role of performing animals in the existence of the species. Those who argue that circus life is harmful to animals show little knowledge of these facts. Life in the “wild” is unsafe, but a continuous struggle for existence. To overlook these realities is the greatest fault against the animal kingdom.

This circus has proven that animals are stronger and smarter than we could imagine. Within the circus is a joyful atmosphere for both animals and humans: people are educated, and species saved.

1.What is the main purpose of the first passage?

A.To show pity for the performing animals. 

B.To express worries about animal trainers' safety. 

C.To deal with the difficult situations of the circus

D.To call for action to protect circus animals.

2.What will the circus most probably do?

A.Take no notice of the tragedy.

B.Continue its performances.

C.Use fewer wild animals.

D.Limit its profit.

3.What does the circus think of its performing animals?

A.They are as clever as human beings.

B.They struggle continuously with human beings for existence.

C.They are helpful in saving their species.

D.They have equally natural living conditions as wild animals.

4.What is the most probable relationship between the two passages?

A.A public request and a newspaper report.

B.A newspaper article and a reply to it.

C.Two parts of a newspaper article.

D.Two newspaper reports.

Holiday Inns and Mc Donald’s, both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising(特许经营).

    These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail(零售)business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.

    By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the value of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, brings into play the economies of scale (规模经济). Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.

    The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one. Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.

   Franchising may give you the idea that as a franchisor, you need only relax in the rocking chair. Franchising, however, has problems to be solved.

Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company_________.

         A. sells name-brand goods to a private investor

         B. rents proven ideas and techniques for investment

C. sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name

         D. takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors

The advantages of franchising to the parent company are all the following EXCEPT________.

         A. an immediate investment return

B. the ownership of additional retail stores

         C. the profit from the sale of supplies

         D. the possibility of profitable advertising

The passage mainly tells the reader_________.

         A. the advantages and disadvantages of franchising

B. the benefits of franchising to the franchisor

         C. the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s

         D. some regional and national business operation

What will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?

         A. More advantages of franchising.

         B. Risks of investment besides franchising.

         C. The standard of consumer acceptance.

         D. Negative aspects related to franchising

.

The profit of the company fell _______ in the first three months in the year 2009 as a result of the global economic crisis.

There is no doubt that much of the profit of a business—sometimes the whole of its success—depends upon the use of the odds and ends．The odds and ends are various small things，which are left over when the main things are produced．But they possess a real value of their own．

If a business，big or small，looked down upon these odds and ends，it would mean a big difference in the amount of the benefit of the business．Take a meat factory for instance， there are countless odds and ends—bones and hair，which can be made into glue and rope to increase its profit greatly．

Then，if we are college students，what about our odds and ends—the odd moments？ Take time for example．Every one of us has the exact same amount of it．Everyone's success or failure depends on the use of their time．But everyone uses the time more or less in the same way．However，why many great men in science or art have made huge successes for themselves in the world？Because they have made best use of their odd moments．Take Thomas A．Edison， he never allowed his odd moments to slip by．He thought，planned，and tried his inventions．He always worked twenty hours out of each twenty-four．His inventions made him famous all over the world，and provided valuable wealth for the human beings．

So, remember this axiom：very busy people always find time for everything．However，people with great spare time find time for nothing．Is it very strange？Not at all！The question is how to gather up fragments of time and make full use of them．As many big businesses have found，that the real profit is in using the odds and ends．We also must do in this way to make best use of our odd moments and manage to be successful in something that we do．

1. What are odds and ends？

2. Why should the odds and ends be made full use of ？Because  ____   ．

3.What does the word “Axiom” in the fourth paragraph mean?

4. “Fragments of time” equals  “____   ”in the above passage．