McDonald's Targets Starbucks(2/2)

Starbucks, on the other hand, has faced slower growth and increasing competition. Its stock has lost about half its value since last January.

Starbucks has about ten thousand stores in the United States. Its high-priced coffee drinks have names like Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha and Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. Lately Starbucks has added more foods, including breakfast foods, and put drive-through windows in some stores.

This week, the company replaced its chief executive officer, bringing back former C.E.O. Howard Schultz. He remains chairman of the board. He joined Starbucks in nineteen eighty-two, when it had just four stores. He is credited with building the Seattle company into an international success story.

But a year ago he warned that its fast growth had led to what he called the watering down of the Starbucks experience. Some neighborhoods have a Starbucks on every block or two. Now, Starbucks will speed up its international growth while slowing its expansion in the United States. Millions of people have a taste for Starbucks. But last year, McDonald's Premium coffee got some good press. Testers from Consumer Reports thought it tasted better than Starbucks, and it cost less.

参考译文：

另一方面，星巴克已面临缓慢的增长和加剧的竞争。从去年一月起，它的股价下跌了一半。

星巴克在美国有大约一万家店。其高价位的咖啡饮料叫做冰镇薄荷白巧克力摩卡和双重巧克力片星冰乐。最近星巴克增加了更多的食物，包括早餐食品，并在一些店面开设了驾驶通道窗。

本周，这家公司更换了首席执行官，恢复了前任CEO霍华德．舒尔茨职位。他仍是董事会主席。他于1982年加入星巴克，那时星巴克只有4家店。人们认为是他造就了这间西雅图公司在国际上的成功。

但在一年前他警告说，星巴克的快速增长已经导致了他所称的"星巴克体验的淡化"。一些相邻的地方，每一两个街区就有一家星巴克。如今，星巴克将加快其国际增长，减慢其在美国的扩张。数以百万的人都有星巴克的体验。但是去年，麦当劳的"特级香浓咖啡"取得了一些好的反响。《消费者报告》的体验者认为，它比星巴克的味道好，并且花费少。

TAG: voa,voa下载,voa慢速英语,voa英语,voa news,voa english,voa special,voa听力 ,美国之音