1.If you ask a grocer for some coffee，he will give you a dark-brown powder which has a strong，pleasant smell.From this powder we can make one of the nicest of all drinks-a cup of coffee.
2.It is made very easily.Rinse out your coffee-pot with boiling water.Put into the pot a heaped-up tablespoonful of the coffee，and pour on it one pint of boiling water.In five minutes the water will have drawn out all the strength of the coffee，and then you may pour it off and drink it with milk and sugar.
3.But how does the grocer get the brown powder which we call coffee？If you ask him，he will tell you that he buys sacks of hard green or yellow seeds-coffee-beans，as they are called.
4.He roasts these seeds in a pan，till they become dark brown，and then he grinds them to powder in a little mill，and sells this brown powder to you as “coffee.”
5.Where did the seeds come from？We must go to hot countries like Arabia①or Brazil②to see the coffee plant growing.It is a small evergreen tree，not more than ten or twelve feet high，①Arabia，a country of Asia.
②Brazil，a country of South America.
with leaves somewhat like those of the laurel①，and pretty white flowers that smell very sweetly.
6.When the flowers drop off，red berries about the size of a cherrycome in their place.Inside each coffee-berry there are two seeds or “beans，”which grow close together.Each bean has a flat side，where the other lies close to it.When the coffee-berries are ripe，they areeither picked or shaken offthe tree into cloths spreadout below.
BRANCH OF COFFEE-TREE
（咖啡树的树枝）
7.The berries are then dried in the sun until the soft outside pulp②becomes dry and hard.This dry husk③is removed④by rolling the berries in a machine.The seeds or “coffee-beans”are then sorted into different sizes，and are sent to Great Britain and other countries.
8.Have you ever noticed these words on the bag or tin of coffee which you have bought：“This is sold as a mixture of coffee and chicory”？
9.Chicory is a brown powder some what like coffee，but it is got from a very different plant.The chicory plant grows in this country.
It has a flower like that of the dandelion，and a thick root.The root is dried and roasted，and is then ground into a brown powder.
10.Chicory is much cheaper than coffee.Itmakes the coffee very dark in colour，and givesit a slightly bitter taste，which many people like.
FLOWER OF CHICORY
（菊苣的花）
①Laurel，an evergreen shrub，with whitish flowers and purple berries.
②Pulp，soft or fleshy part.
③Husk，the outer covering of some kinds of fruits and seeds.
④Removed，taken away.
11.Be sure to add plenty of hot milk to your coffee before you drink it.The mixture of coffee and milk is a good food，and will nourish①your body.Do not drink strong coffee just before goingto bed.If you do，it will keep you awake for some time.
12.Coffee has been used in our country for more than two hundred years.The first coffee-house was opened in London，in the year 1652.Coffee was then very dear，but it can now be bought for one shilling a pound.
SUMMARY
