星巴克从1999年踏入中国市场以来，常年稳居咖啡界C位。但从2018年开始，星巴克却遭遇了中国市场的“滑铁卢”——第三季度财报显示，星巴克中国区同店销售额下降2%，这是九年来星巴克在中国出现的首次下滑。而撬动了老牌王者“小绿杯”市场份额的挑战者，正是新晋网红“小蓝杯”——瑞幸。
作为中国咖啡文化发展的领头羊，瑞幸咖啡从去年1月1日试运行开始，就明确表态，要以速度、高性价比和便利打破现有的咖啡市场格局，并直指星巴克。经过一年的运营，瑞幸咖啡已在全国22个城市开店2073家，积累消费客户数量1254万。在提前完成2018年开店2000家的目标后，瑞幸咖啡又为自己定下了新目标——2019年再开2500家门店，总门店数量将超过4500家，从而成为中国最大的连锁咖啡品牌，在门店和杯量上全面超过星巴克。
但是瑞幸咖啡的崛起并不轻松。2018年年底，有市场传言称，瑞幸咖啡亏损8亿元。对此，瑞幸咖啡联合创始人兼 CMO 杨飞回应称：“亏损符合我们的预期，我们也说过全年的亏损会大于8亿这个数。通过补贴快速获取客户是我们的既定战略，用适度补贴，获取这一年的市场规模和速度，是非常值得的。”
本篇课程首发于2019年1月8日，选自 CNN
This coffee company thinks it can beat Starbucks in China
① After barely a year in business, Luckin Coffee is challenging Starbucks in one of the US coffee giant's top markets.
② About 2,000 Luckin outlets have sprung up across China over the last year. That includes a store in Beijing's Forbidden City, the historic cultural site from which Starbucks was famously evicted more than a decade ago.
③ Luckin plans to have 4,500 outlets by the end of 2019, which would take it ahead of Starbucks to become China's biggest coffee chain. It's luring customers with cheap prices and savvy use of technology, which is forcing Starbucks to up its game.
④ In August, Starbucks teamed up with Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce company, to launch home delivery services. A month later, Luckin announced its own tie-up with another major Chinese internet company, Tencent.
⑤ The rapid ascent of Luckin to challenge the US chain shows how Chinese upstarts are increasingly rivaling Western brands in one of the world's top consumer markets.
▍生词好句
beat /biːt/: vt. 打败；战胜 adj. 疲惫的；精疲力尽的
barely /ˈbeəli, ˈberli/: adv. 刚刚；差点儿不够
in business: 经营，运营；在商界
outlet /ˈaʊtlet/: n. 门店；零售店
spring up: 兴起；如雨后春笋般涌现
evict /ɪˈvɪkt/: vt. 驱逐
take sb. ahead of: 让某人领先……
lure /lʊə, ljʊə, lʊr/: vt. 引诱
savvy /ˈsævi/: adj. 聪明的；能应对实际情况的
up one's game: 升级竞争
up: vt. 升级
game: n. 玩儿法，招儿；比赛；游戏
team up with: 跟……合作
tie-up with: 和……的合作
ascent /əˈsent/: n. (地位等的) 提升
upstart /ˈʌpstɑːt, ˈʌpstɑːrt/: n. 新出现的竞争者；新贵
▍词汇拓展
1. beat: vt. 打败；战胜 adj. 疲惫的；精疲力尽的
vt. 打败；战胜
He beat me at chess.
他下棋赢了我。
I finally beat her in that match.
我在那场比赛中最后打败了她。
adj. 疲惫的；精疲力尽的
· 近义词 tired/exhausted
I'm beat.
我累坏了。
Come over and sit down – you must be dead beat.
快过来坐下吧，你肯定累坏了。
beat around/about the bush 拐弯抹角
Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.
别绕来绕去了，有话直说。
2. barely: adv. 刚刚；差点儿不够
The girl looked barely 10 years old.
那个女孩看起来也就刚刚满10岁。
3. in business: 经营，运营；在商界
You can't stay in business without cash.
没有现金，你无法运营。
In business, it's every man for himself.
在商言商，人各为己。
put someone out of business 让某人无法经营/关店歇业
4. outlet: n. 门店；零售店
Outlets n. 奥特莱斯
奥特莱斯最早诞生于美国，是英文 Outlets 的中文音译，其英文原意是“出口、出路、排出口”的意思，在零售商业中专指由销售名牌过季、下架、断码商品的商店组成的购物中心，因此也称为“品牌直销购物中心”。
5. spring up: 兴起；如雨后春笋般涌现
I don't know why such new gifted people have sprung up in my life.
我不知道怎么回事，在我的周围一下子涌现了那么多有才华的新人。
6. evict: vt. 驱逐
They were unable to pay the rent, and were evicted from their home.
他们付不起房租，所以被赶出了门。
They refused to leave and were evicted by force.
他们拒绝离开，结果被强行赶走。
7. lure: vt. 引诱
· attract 是“吸引注意力”，但 lure 更强调“诱惑性”
8. savvy: adj. 聪明的；能应对实际情况的
· having common sense and good judgement
9. up one's game: 升级竞争
· up: vt. 升级
· game: n. 玩儿法，招儿；比赛；游戏
You got game? 你有招儿吗？
10. team up with: 跟……合作
I just want to team up with people who share my value.
我只想跟三观一致的人合作。
