VOA慢速英語: 相對茶來說，中國人更喜歡咖啡？

A woman orders cups of coffee at a Starbucks cafe in Beijing, China. (June 2011.)

相比茶來說，中國人更愿意喝咖啡

Asiahas long tradition of tea-drinking. And China is no exception.

亞洲飲茶的歷史悠久，中國也不例外。

However, lately more and more Chinese people are turning to a different drink. Coffee has become an increasingly popular choice of Chinese people living abroad and in the country’s huge cities. It is also a popular crop among those living in the mountains of southern Yunnan Province.

但是，近來，越累越多的中國人開始轉(zhuǎn)向另一種飲料。咖啡日漸成為無論在國外還是國內(nèi)大城市里中國人的選擇?？Х仁窃颇鲜∧喜可絽^(qū)普遍種植的作物。

In big cities such as Beijing, coffee shops seem to be on nearly every major street corner. These shops are not just selling drinks from Starbucks, the world-famous coffee company. Coffee businesses from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Britain are also operating in China.

一些大城市例如：北京，幾乎每條主要的街角都會有咖啡店。這些咖啡店不僅僅銷售世界著名咖啡公司——星巴克生產(chǎn)的咖啡。中國還有來自韓國、臺灣、香港和英國的咖啡生意。

I spoke with some Chinese women to learn if they like coffee over tea since moving to the United States.

我與一些搬到美國住的中國女性進行談話，她們是否喜歡咖啡多于喜歡茶。

Coffee or tea? Which is your favorite drink?

咖啡或者茶？哪種你最喜歡？

Tea-drinking is steeped in the culture and traditions of many Asian countries, like China and Japan. But is that changing? Are young people from Asia now choosing a cup of coffee instead of tea?

飲茶文化是亞洲很多國家文化和傳統(tǒng)的一部分。但是這種文化是否在變化？來自亞洲的年輕人是否選擇咖啡而不是茶？

BeiBei Su is from China. She has been living in the United States for the past eight years. Before that, she lived in Italy for two years. We spoke to her at a crowded Vietnamese noodle restaurant near Washington, D.C. Ms. Su says she likes tea better than coffee. But she adds that may not be true among the younger generation in China.

來自中國的蘇北北，已經(jīng)在美國待了八年多。來美國之前，她在意大利住了兩年。在華盛頓特區(qū)附近的一家擁擠的越南面館，我們跟她進行交談。蘇女士說：相比咖啡，她更喜歡茶。但她說對中國更年輕的一代來說，恐怕就不是這樣了。

Anna: “Are you a coffee drinker or tea drinker. “

安娜：“你喜歡喝咖啡還是喜歡喝茶？”

BeiBei Su: “I’m a tea drinker.

蘇北北：“我喜歡喝茶。”

Anna: “Do you think Chinese people are drinking more coffee and becoming coffee drinkers?”

安娜：“你認為中國人會不會因為喝更多的咖啡，而成為喝咖啡的人群呢？”

BeiBei Su: “I think they are definitely becoming coffee drinkers … for the younger generation they love coffee.”

蘇北北：“我認為他們肯定會成為喝咖啡的人群…因為年輕人更喜歡咖啡。”

Many young Chinese people drink coffee socially -- when meeting with friends. Yang Lin lives in the U.S. but comes from an area in China famous for growing tea. She used to only drink tea while in China. But now, she says, she drinks both and for different reasons.

許多年輕人社交——會見朋友時都會喝咖啡。楊林住在美國，但是她來自中國盛產(chǎn)茶葉的地方。在中國的時候，她只喝茶。但是現(xiàn)在因為各種原因，她既喝茶又喝咖啡。

“I would say ... I was definitely a tea drinker when I was back in China. But now, you know, with the Starbucks influence, and all the different flavors and holiday drinks … I think I like coffee and tea equally now.”

“我想說…當我回到中國，我就會變成喝茶那一類人群。但是，現(xiàn)在由于星巴克的影響，各種不同口味的咖啡和假日飲品的出現(xiàn)…我認為現(xiàn)在對于咖啡和喝茶，我兩樣都喜歡。”

Yang Lin says that drinking coffee for her is a social event. She and her co-workers like to sit in a café and talk over a cup of coffee.

楊林說喝咖啡是一種社交活動。她和同事會坐在咖啡館，談談天，喝喝咖啡。

Tea, she says, is more about family memories. She grew up in Fujian province -- an area known for its tea. Ms. Yang says that as a child, her family would gather together in the evening and talk about the day’s events over a steaming pot of tea. So now, even the smell of Fujian tea brings back these warm family memories.

她說：喝茶更多的是關于家庭的記憶。她在福建省長大，福建盛產(chǎn)茶葉。楊女士說她小時候，晚上，全家人會坐在一起，喝著茶談論當天發(fā)生的事。因此，現(xiàn)在福建的茶香把人帶回到溫暖的家庭記憶中去。

Voyo is another Chinese woman who now lives in Washington, D.C. She says that after moving to the U.S. her tastes changed. We would call her a coffee convert,someone who now chooses to drink coffee.

Voyo是另一位住在華盛頓特區(qū)的中國女性。她說自從來到美國，她的品味就改變了。我們稱之為咖啡轉(zhuǎn)變——現(xiàn)在選擇和咖啡。

“I used to be a tea drinker before I came to the United States. But now I am a coffee drinker and actually getting to be a very heavy coffee drinker. Like I go (went) from one cup a day to three cups a day and if I stop one day I will have(a) headache.”

“來美國之前，我經(jīng)常喝茶；但是現(xiàn)在我喜歡和咖啡，而且變成一個非常喜歡咖啡的人。剛開始我只喝一杯咖啡，后來喝三杯咖啡，假如哪一天停止喝咖啡我會頭疼的。”

On average a person in China drinks about five cups of coffee a year. This information comes from the China Coffee Association Beijing.

中國人平均一年喝五杯咖啡。這個結(jié)果來自北京咖啡協(xié)會的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)。

That amount is far below the world average of 240 cups a year. But the association says the amount of coffee that Chinese drink is growing by about15 percent every year.

這一數(shù)量遠低于世界一年平均240杯的數(shù)量。但是咖啡協(xié)會稱中國人喝咖啡的數(shù)量每年增長15%。

Coffee in tealand

茶葉生產(chǎn)國里的咖啡

On any given day, Groove Café - a South Korean coffee chain - is busy with activity and coffee drinkers in Beijing. A chain is a group of stores or businesses that are usually under the same ownership.

一家韓國Groove Café咖啡連鎖店正忙于北京的活動。連鎖店是同一品牌領導下經(jīng)營的商店或生意。

With more people drinking coffee, many see an economic opportunity for Chinese-grown beans. China-grown coffee could be a money-maker even if most of the coffee on sale in China is imported.

隨著越來越多的人喝咖啡，很多人看到在中國種植咖啡豆的商機。盡管在中國銷售的咖啡都是進口的，但是在中國種植咖啡仍然會賺錢。

Most of China’s coffee is grown in the southern province of Yunnan. A French missionary brought plants to the area over a century ago. But the roots of growing coffee did not take hold until more recently.

中國大部分的咖啡在云南省的南部種植。100多年前，一位法國傳教士將咖啡作物帶到這一地區(qū)。但是直到最近才開始種植咖啡。

I’m Anna Matteo.

我是安娜·馬特奧。

What about you? Are you a coffee drinker or tea drinker? Or both? Tell us about the coffee culture or tea culture where you’re from in the comments section.

你呢？你是喝咖啡還是喝茶？或者兩種都喝？在評論部分告訴我們你所在地方的咖啡文化或者茶文化。

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Words in This Story

steep – v. to soak in a liquid at a temperature under the boiling point as you do with tea; also means to cover a subject thoroughly. Often used with “tradition” or “culture” as in “steeped in tradition” or “steeped in culture.”

convert – v. to change from one form or use to another; n. a person who has changed to a different religion, belief, political party, etc.

missionary – n. a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work(such as to convince people to join a religion or to help people who are sick,poor, etc.)