One day around 850 CE, a goatherd observed that his goats started acting abnormally after nibbling on some berries. The herder tried them himself, and soon enough, he was just as hyper. As the story goes, this was humanity’s first run-in with coffee. So, how did coffee go from humble plant to one of the world’s most consumed beverages? 

 

 

 

There are 15 mistakes in the passage below. Find and correct them.

 

(…) When exact people begun consuming cofee is unclear – but at some point before the 1400s, in what’s now Ethiopia, people begin foraging for wild coffee in the forest undergrowth. The reason coffee plants are equiped with lots of caffeine might be because it make them unattractive to herbivores or more attractive to pollinators. But neither way, peaple catched on to coffee’s advanteges and began making tea from its leaves; combining its berries with butter and salt for a sustaining snack; and drying, toasting, and simmering its cherries into a energizing elixir. Coffee rode trade routes into the Middle East, and its widespread popularship began brewing in earnest in the 1450s. Upon returning from a visit to Ethiopia, a Sufi leader recommend that worshippers in Yemen use coffee during ritual chants and dances. Son enough, people within the Ottoman Empire began roast and grind the beans to yield a darker, bolder beverage. Much gathered in guesthouses and outside mosques to partake in coffee’s comforts. (…)

 

Now watch the video and check your answers:

Key: 

(…) When exactly people began consuming coffee is unclear – but at some point before the 1400s, in what’s now Ethiopia, people began foraging for wild coffee in the forest undergrowth. The reason coffee plants are equipped with lots of caffeine might be because it makes them unattractive to herbivores or more attractive to pollinators. But neither way, people  catched caught on to coffee’s advantages and began making tea from its leaves; combining its berries with butter and salt for a sustaining snack; and drying, toasting, and simmering its cherries into an energizing elixir. Coffee rode trade routes into the Middle East, and its widespread popularshipity began brewing in earnest in the 1450s. Upon returning from a visit to Ethiopia, a Sufi leader recommended that worshippers in Yemen use coffee during ritual chants and dances. Soon enough, people within the Ottoman Empire began roasting and grinding the beans to yield a darker, bolder beverage. Much Many gathered in guesthouses and outside mosques to partake in coffee’s comforts. (…)

 

Glossary

 

• to nibble – to eat something by taking a lot of small bites
• hyper – excited and nervous; having too much nervous energy
• to forage – to wander in search of forage (=food for animals) or food
• to simmer –  to cook sth by keeping it at boiling point or just below boiling point
• to yield – to supply or produce something positive such as a profit, an amount of food or information
• to partake – join in (an activity)
• to deem – to come to think or judge; to consider
• to take root – if an idea, belief, or custom takes root, it becomes established among a group of people
• hotbed (of something) – a place where a lot of a particular activity, especially something bad or violent, is happening
• ​to propel (something) – to move, drive or push something forward or in a particular direction

 

Practice makes perfect

Fill in the gaps in the article extract with the words in bold below:

 

random              sluggish              rolled out          uncertainty

set (sth) apart                 idly                      upcharges                        stints

 

In a relatively short amount of time, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has 1. ……… a number of changes to the coffee chain. Those changes include eliminating 2. ……….. for non-dairy milk add-ins, simplifying the menu, (…), and pausing price increases overall. He’s also focused on fixing the ordering experience both in the mobile app and in stores. (…)

”My hope is we can get you a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds.” (…)

It’s obviously too early to know whether these changes can solve Starbucks’s 3. ……….. performance, but no one should doubt that Niccol has ideas. (…)

The idea is to focus on “what has always 4. ……… Starbucks ………..” The problem has been that previous CEOs seemed to think that it was the coffee that set Starbucks apart from its competition. That was a mistake.

That includes former CEO Howard Schultz, who led the company for over 20 years across several 5. …….. in the top job. (…)

The thing is, I’m not sure it has ever been the coffee that sets Starbucks apart. I mean, I like Starbucks coffee, but—according to Niccol—the thing that sets Starbucks apart is the experience. (…) If you’re going to pay the prices Starbucks charges, the experience has to be worth it.

A big part of that experience is the time it takes to actually get your cup of coffee. (…) that goal—of getting people a brewed cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds—is about more than just a 6. ………. number. There’s actually science behind the rule. (…) We (…) overestimate the amount of time that passes when we experience 7. ………… . If you’re waiting for something and you have no idea how long it will take, the experience feels even worse. (…). (…) if Starbucks can consistently get that time to 30 seconds or less, it can eliminate the amount of time a customer stands around 8. …….. waiting for their drink. (…) I don’t think it takes a customer experience genius to know that no one wants to wait five minutes for a cup of coffee.

In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/starbucks-ceo-thinks-the-30-second-rule-is-the-key-to-success-science-agrees

 

Key: 1. rolled out; 2. upcharges; 3. sluggish; 4. set (Starbucks ) apart; 5. stints; 6. random; 7. uncertainty; 8. idly

 

Match the words 1-6 to their definitions a-f below:

 

1. idly

2. sluggish

3. to roll out

4. stint

5. upcharge

6. to set (sth) apart

 

a) to introduce

b) to make one/sth different from the others in a noticeable way

c) economically inactive or slow

d) a period of time which you spend doing a particular job or activity or working in a particular place

e) without any particular purpose

f) an additional charge

 

Key: 1e; 2c; 3a; 4d; 5f; 6b

Watch and revise!

 

How Coffee Took Root in Our Lives

https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/eB9YxLHHQKJKeQa

 

 

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