雅思口语话题解析——Coffee? Tea? Or me?

人海中浮沉这么多年，还没有被问过这个问题。如果有人这么问我，我一定爽快地说：橙汁儿!!!

——By 陆哲

各位烤鸭们最近在雅思口语考试中，就经常被问到关于咖啡与茶的话题。当然，真正的考试中并没有第三选项。其实这个话题算是一个良心话题，因为的的确确是非常生活化的问题。通常而言，这个话题包括如下几个子问题方向。

01

先来问问喝什么?

Do Chinese like drinking tea or coffee?

Do you prefer drinking tea or coffee?

What is your favorite tea or coffee?

这几个问题，乍一看都差不太多，其实其中暗藏玄机。第一个问题，问的是第三人称。在考试中这类的问题非常好回答，随便给几个例子就可以了。请参考如下答案：

Well, generally speaking, yes. From my perspective, in my country elderly people certainly like drinking our traditional drink, tea, whereas younger generations are usually inclined to some western-style drinks like coffee.

在这个第三人称问题询问之后，紧接着又来了一个第二人称。相比前者，在part one考试中第二人称(也就是问“你”)的问题数量上更多一些。对于这个问题考生可以根据自身情况做答。如下答案供大家参考。

Like most young students in my country, I am a coffee drinker too. Especially when we have some morning classes, we all like to have a cup of Espresso. Without it, I will not be myself for the whole day.

当然了，你也可以喝茶。请参考如下答案。

To be frank, I am a coffee drinker. However, if I really have enough time, I prefer tea to coffee. It is unfortunate that I am quite busy with my study almost every day, which implies I do not have enough spare time to sit down for enjoying a cup of tea. Drinking tea belongs to those who have a slow-paced lifestyle but not college students like me.

紧接着，考官会对咖啡或茶再追问点细节。请参考下文。

如果你喜欢喝咖啡。

As I said, if I need a cup of drink that can refresh myself easily, I without any doubt will choose a cup of Espresso. Nevertheless, if I just have a talk with some friends in a café, what I like to drink will be a cup of Americano, from which I can enjoy the pure taste of coffee beans.

As a tea drinker, I will choose to drink different sorts of tea in different seasons. For example, in spring I like to drink some flower tea, and in summer green tea will be what most people in my country like to drink. Besides, when the weather becomes cold, tea drinkers’ preference will turn to be black tea. I was told many years ago all these can be explained by some traditional Chinese regimens, but unluckily I do not know too much about that.

02

喝的频率?什么时候喝?

How often do you drink tea or coffee?

When do you usually drink that?

这种how often和when的问题，在考试中已经变得不能再常见了。相信各位烤鸭对此早有对策。

Almost every day. As I said, a cup of Espresso is my favorite pick-me-up. Therefore, once I have a morning class, I have to buy a cup of that although it is not cheap. But, anyway I need to be active and energetic for my study.

这里解释一下pick-me-up，大家看到这个词是不是会第一想起那条锦鲤啊。其实，英语中这个词通常指一些含有酒精的提神的酒。但是，现代语境中可以泛指任何使你提神的东西，已经不仅仅是饮品了。

03

方便买吗?

Is it convenient to buy a cup of tea or coffee where you live?

Sure. There are quite a few convenience stores in my neighborhood, and they all sell coffee. If people want to enjoy some high-end coffee, they can choose to buy one is Starbucks two blocks away. Coffee there is obviously better and the price is higher correspondingly. However, buying a cup of tea is not that easy where I live. We can only choose some bottled tea in supermarkets. In fact, bottled tea is so-called tea, and it is not real tea. It is a kind of soft drink with a lot of artificial sweeteners. I seldom buy that since I think it can be detrimental to my health.

其实买咖啡还是很容易，这里提及了便利店和一些咖啡店。除此之外，还有coffee machine(咖啡自动贩卖机)可以使买咖啡成为非常容易的事情。相反，想买一杯真正的茶却不是那么简单了。当然，一些瓶装的所谓的茶还是很容易买到的。

04

招待客人喝吗?

Will you serve tea or coffee when there are some guests?

家里来了客人，然后你吩咐一声：看茶……。莫名地觉得这非常的old school。

Not really. In most cases, I like to serve them with a bottle of water, which is acceptable for everyone. Offering them a cup of tea or coffee is too complex for me, and I do not know how to make coffee or tea.

当然了，你也可以传统点，以茶待客。

Usually, I will make tea for guests since it is a part of our culture. And on that kind of occasion, tea is the most sensible and safest choice for the reason that almost everyone in my country drinks tea, but only a few people are coffee drinkers.

05

应该喝吗?

Do you think people should drink more tea or coffee?

问了半天，考官还得问问，这些软饮到底该喝不该喝。

In my mind, it does not matter. Either coffee or tea is just a sort of soft drink. What I mean is that if people like drinking it, they just drink it. And they do not need to worry about whether it is good or bad for our health. Thinking too much about that kind of things will make our lives complex and boring. If a cup of coffee can make you happy, just open your arms to it.

大家仔细阅读这个答案不难发现，这个答案在逻辑上其实与“三，方便买吗?”下面的答案有逻辑冲突。所以，只是供给大家参考，大家不能一味地背诵。灵活应用才是根本。