情人節巧克力知識小測試
1. The Origins of Chocolate
Chocolate is a treat known around the globe today. 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 chocolatecraze 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: 這裡作名詞，意思是招待，樂事(一種特別的欣喜或樂趣來源)，如:萬聖節小孩子們常說的“Trick-or-treat” (不給糖就搗蛋)
tribute: 禮物，貢物
craze: 風尚，狂熱;和fashion相比有熱過頭，盲從的意味;如：Real estate craze(房地產熱);The craze swept the country.(這一風尚曾風靡全國。)
mass-produce: 大量生產，批次生產
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. 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，壓碎
frothy: 泡沫的'，泡沫般的
beverage: 飲料;這個詞比drink正式，且通常不包括水在內
conquer: 戰勝，征服
grind: 研磨;如：ground coffee(研磨咖啡，ground為grind的過去式和過去分詞)
做完測試後相信你已經是一名巧克力專家了。節日之際，讓我們一起品嚐香醇可口的巧克力，體味生活中的絲絲濃情，分享與家人團聚的幸福和快樂吧。