1. The Origins of Chocolate
Chocolate is a treat known around the globe toady. However, 2,000 years ago, it came from trees that grew only in what region of the world?
A. Western Europe
B. Central and South America
C. West Africa
2. Chocolate Spreads as Tribute and Trade
Chocolate was such a popular drink during the Classic Maya Period that its reputation rapidly spread. Which culture learned of this treasured treat after the Maya?
A. Anasazi
B. Inca
C. Aztec
3. Europe Welcomes Chocolate
Chocolate remained a local Central and South American favorite drink until the early 1500s. Then which country claimed the drink for its own and introduced the chocolate craze to wealthy Europeans?
A. France
B. Spain
C. The Netherlands
4. Chocolate, A Global Product
After chocolate became a mass-produced family favorite, nations around the world began to get involved in the cacao business. Which countries export and import the most cacao today?
A. Export: Ivory Coast---Import: Netherlands
B. Export: Indonesia---Import: United States
C. Export: Mexico---Import: Germany
Notes:
treat: 这里作名词，意思是招待，乐事（一种特别的欣喜或乐趣来源），如:万圣节小孩子们常说的“Trick-or-treat” （不给糖就捣蛋）
tribute: 礼物，贡物
craze: 风尚，狂热；和fashion相比有热过头，盲从的意味；如：Real estate craze（房地产热）；The craze swept the country.（这一风尚曾风靡全国。）
mass-produce: 大量生产，批量生产1. B. Cacao, the source of chocolate, originally grew in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. More than 1,500 years ago, the Classic Period Maya people began harvesting cacao seeds, crushing them, and mixing them with water to make chocolate into a frothy beverage.
2. C. The Aztecs developed a taste for chocolate after trading with their neighbors to the south, the Maya. By 1200 the Maya civilization was declining as the Aztec Empire grew in power. Aztec trade carried cacao from conquered peoples to Aztec rulers through trade and tribute.
3. B. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec empire in 1521 and exported their frothy chocolate drink back home. Nearly another 100 years would pass before other European countries would catch the chocolate craze. Eventually, someone sweetened the bitter beverage with sugar (a product unavailable to the Aztec and Maya).
4. A. Export: The Ivory Coast grows and exports the most cacao today---1.4 million tons in 2000. The majority of this cacao is sent to the Netherlands, the United States, and other countries in Europe. Import: The Netherlands both imports and grinds the most cacao in the world. Some of this cacao is made into chocolates. The remainder is processed and exported to other countries, which then make their own chocolates.
Notes:
crush: 碾碎，压碎
frothy: 泡沫的，泡沫般的
beverage: 饮料；这个词比drink正式，且通常不包括水在内
conquer: 战胜，征服
grind: 研磨；如：ground coffee（研磨咖啡，ground为grind的过去式和过去分词）
做完测试后相信你已经是一名巧克力专家了。节日之际，让我们一起品尝香醇可口的巧克力，体味生活中的丝丝浓情，分享与家人团聚的幸福和快乐吧。