The History of Chocolate

Reading: The History of Chocolate One of the most popular foods of all time is chocolate. People nowadays eat chocolate in many different forms. We eat chocolate candy, and we drink hot and cold chocolate drinks. The chocolate we eat today is made from a lot of different ingredients, but the most important ingredient is cacao bean. The story of cacao bean and its long journey to stores and supermarkets all over the world started hundreds of years ago in Mexico. Cacao trees need hot and humid weather, and they originally grew in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Maya were the first people to eat cacao beans. They picked cacao beans from wild trees and cleared land to cultivate their own trees. They made a drink from cacao beans and exchanged the beans for other goods. They also used cacao beans for religious ceremonies. Mayan merchants traveled north and introduced cacao beans to the Aztec people. Soon the cacao bean was part of the Aztecs ́ lives. They used it as a drink, as part of religious ceremonies and even as money. With 10 beans, you could buy a rabbit. With 100 beans, you could buy a slave. The Aztecs could not grow cacao trees because of the dry climate. When the Aztecs conquered the Maya, they asked for cacao beans as a tribute. 1. The underlined word "merchants" means _______. a. Farmers b. traders c. citizens d. fighters 2. The Aztecs could not grow cacao trees because they need humid climate. a. true b. false 3. Aztecs used cacao beans for _________. a. drinks only. b. religious and death ceremonies c. drinks, buying & selling, and religious ceremonies d. marriage ceremonies 3. The underlined pronoun "they" refers to ________. a. Mayan people. b. goods c. cacao beans d. wild trees 5. After losing the war, the Maya gave the Aztecs cacao beans _________. a. as a loan. b. as a price for the slaves c. as a tribute d. in a religious ceremony Grammar: 1. I lost my keys so I ________ climb in through the window. a. must. b. could. c. had to. d. don’t have to 2. Last week, I was invited to a party at Amal’s. I had never _______to go there before. a. been asked b. asked c. asking d. ask. 3. My neighbour speaks two languages very ______, but he isn’t very good at mathematics. a. Good. b. better. c. well. d. bad 4. If she _______ up early, she would catch the bus. a. gets b. can get. c. won’t get d. got 5. A: How much homework has your daughter got to do? B: ___________. a. A few. b. A little c. many. d. lot Vocabulary: 1. Whoever stole my snack is in a lot of _______. a. mistake. b. trouble. c. problem. d. fault 2. The little child was suffering from a _______ cold and could hardly speak or play. a. huge b. sneezing. c. coughing. d. heavy 3. Many of the illnesses that are killing people these days are caused by ______ in our environment. a. pollution b. homelessness. c. poverty. d. danger 4. By becoming a/ an _______, he gained the right to vote for the parliament. a. colleague. b. acquaintance. c. citizen. d. stranger 5. She has always had a great deal of _______for the work of your friend . a. embarrassment. b. admiration. c. surprise d. weakness