将时尚和美食进行到底

李红娟

COVA是一家源自意大利的餐廳，借着意大利闻名于世的独特设计品位及高品质的手作工艺，COVA用浓浓的艺术气息制作着每一份精良的食物。

主题语境：美食与时尚篇幅：352词建议用时：7分钟

1 Hu Xiaoyu， 37， is a big fan of the French luxury brand，Louis Vuitton. She is fascinated by everything related to it. So，when she learned that an Italian dessert restaurant namedCOVA Beijing near her workplace is owned by Louis Vuitton，she was thrilled.

2“ I went there with my friend for afternoon tea. I ordered atiramisu and a cup of cappuccino. The tiramisu impressed me. Itmelted in my mouth immediately，” said Hu. What impressed Humost was the quiet and comfortable dining environment.“ Thewalls of the store are made of glass and display their dessert products， such as chocolateand fancy tableware. All of them looked fancy，” she said.“ Eating there made me feel thatthe distance between me and Louis Vuitton is not a luxury bag， but an afternoon tea.”

3 Hu is not the only one purchasing luxury food in China. A lot of Chinese foodies arefollowing suit. Many other luxury brands， such as Gucci， Prada and Hermes， have brokeninto the Chinese food industry in recent years， and the trend is growing.

4 Patrizio Sacchetto， director of operations at COVA Beijing， said many luxury brandschose to break into the food business due to its popularization. Luxury brands can use theirhigh quality food， service and international vision to attract consumers.

5 For Sacchetto， breaking into the food business can add variety and competition to theluxury brand sector as well as give access to the roughly 80 percent of people who wouldnot normally be able to buy luxury goods.“ China is an important market for us. Chineseyoung people are our target because they are open'minded and willing to try new things，”said Sacchetto. To broaden its consumer base in China， COVA Beijing opened a social mediaaccount on Weibo and built a website.

6“ Now， our customers are able to buy our products online，” said Sacchetto.“ We areplanning to open more restaurants in Chengdu， Sichuan Province and Shenzhen， GuangdongProvince in the future， and we will hire local people who know much more aboutChina and Chinese.”

ReadingCheck

1. What impressed Hu Xiaoyu most at COVA Beijing？

A. The glass walls displaying dessert products.

B. The high quality food and service.

C. The comfortable dining environment.

D. The popularization of luxury brands.

2. What made many luxury brands choose to break into the food business？

A. The popularization of the food business.

B. The competition of luxury brands.

C. The desire for luxury goods for normal people.

D. The failure of some luxury brands.

3. Why did COVA Beijing open a social media account on Weibo？

A. To attract more Chinese artists.

B. To compete with other luxury brands.

C. To promote its international vision.

D. To expand its consumer base.

4. What is Sacchetto's attitude towards the Chinese market？

A. Indifferent.

B. Optimistic.

C. Cautious.

D. Skeptical.

LanguageStudy

Ⅰ. 日積月累

thrilled adj. 非常兴奋的

purchase v. 购买

luxury brand 奢侈品牌

be related to 与……有关

follow suit 跟着做

break into 成功参与；顺利打入

luxury goods 奢侈品

be willing to do 愿意做……

Ⅱ. 语法填空

This text mainly discusses the 1._____（grow） trend of luxury brands entering thefood industry in China. It highlights the case of COVA Beijing， an Italian dessert restaurantthat is owned 2. _____the luxury brand， Louis Vuitton. The story begins by 3. _____（introduce） Hu Xiaoyu， a fan of Louis Vuitton， 4. _____was excited to know aboutCOVA Beijing's association with the brand. She 5. _____ （visit） the restaurant and wasimpressed by the delicious tiramisu and the 6. _____ （comfort） dining environment，7. _____ made her feel closer to the luxury experience.COVA Beijing is not the only luxury brand 8. _____ （break） into the food businessin China. Brands like Gucci， Prada and Hermes 9. _____ （enter） this industry recently，too. Patrizio Sacchetto， director of operations at COVA Beijing， believes that luxurybrands are attracted to the food business due 10. _____ its popularity and the opportunityto attract a wider consumer base.