Sarr Elyse took a sip from a plastic cup. Like a practised wine taster, she swilled the dark liquid aroundin her mouth then swallowed.

"I love Coca-Cola and this is not Coca-Cola," she said with a slight grimace(鬼脸).

It certainly wasn't and that's the point of Mecca-Cola-a soft drink named after Islam's holiest land and created to protest against US foreign policy in the Middle East. Senegal is one of the first sub-Saharan African countries to put Mecca-Cola on the market,and it's an obvious choice. The population is 95 percent Muslim and opposition to the war in Iraq has been more vocal here than elsewhere in the region.

Thousands took to the streets to protest against the fighting in Iraq and now Mecca-Cola, which has sales of about five million bottles in Europe. will gives thirsty Senegalese a thought-provoking, alternative thirst reliever to the US brand.

"Being a Muslim, I was attracted by the name Mecca-Cola," said Hassane Brahim Fardoun, the businessman behind the drink's distribution in Senegal."I will do my best to penetrate the Senegalese market with this new product."

The drink's launch coincided with increasing popular opposition to US foreign policy and the first six-packs of Mecca-Cola were delivered to two shops in Senegal's capital Dakar the same week US troops stormed Baghdad. More will follow if it sells well.

He says the advertising campaign has not yet started because posters have not arrived from France, but he has high hopes for word of mouth marketing.

Elyse is one of the first to taste the new drink at a tiny shop in the city centre. Unfortunately for Fardoun, she is Catholic, and a little reserved about whole-heartedly backing the political viewpoints behind Mecca-Cola's existence.

Mecca-Cola has already found fans in Africa, as well as in Europe. The cola with a crusade (改革运动)is the brainchild of French businessman Tawfik Mathlouthi, who launched the drink last November in France as a protest against US foreign policy.

Mecca-Cola is not unique. There is a wide range of similar ideological drinks, like Muslim Up or British-based Qibla-Cola, whose website cries "Liberate your taste". Ironically, the drink that typifies the American way of life was flavoured originally with cola nuts, widely prized in West Africa as a stimulus and a dowry gift at weddings.

1.Mecca-Cola named after Islam's holiest land was produced in order to___________________________.

2.Senegal first put Mecca-Cola on the market because there were_______________to the war in Iraq.

3.As a Muslim, Hassane Brahim Fardoun said he would try his best to______________with the newsoft drink.

4.When were the first six-packs of Mecca-Cola sent to Dakar?

5.Cola nuts were very popular in West Africa of being a gift at weddings as well as______________.

答案：

1.[protest against US foreign policy in the Middle East]

[定位]根据题干中的Mecca-Cola和Islam's holiest land查找到文章第3段首句。

解析：本题询问生产麦加可乐的目的。原文中的created对应题干中的produced，created后的不定式to...表目的，to后的内容即为答案。

2.[more vocal opposition]

[定位]根据题干中的Senegal和the war in Iraq查找到第3段最后两句。

解析：空白处应该填入名词(词组)，题干是对笫3段最后两句的近义改写，对末句中and后的内容稍加概括即为本题答案。

3.[penetrate the Senegalese market]

[定位]根据题干中的Muslim,Hassane Brahim Fardoun以及try his best查找到第5段。

解析：题干中的try his best是对原文直接引语中的do my best的同义改写，the new soft drink也指代原文中的this new product，所以原文中do my best to后的penetrate the Senegalese market即为本题答案。

4.[The same week US troops stormed Bagh dad.]英语六级学习网站

[定位]根据the first six-packs of Mecca-Cola和Dakar查找到第6段首句。

解析：题干中的sent是对原文中的delivered的同义改写，所以Dakar后面的时间状语即为答案。

5.[a stimulus]

[定位]根据Cola nuts，West Africa以及gift at weddings查找到文章末句。

解析：空白处应该填人名词(词组)，very popular为原文中widely prized的同义改写，as well as又对应原文中的and，故as后面的a stimulus为答案。