Question

    The story of chocolate begins with the discovery of America in 1492. Columbus was the first European to come into contact with cacao. Columbus was struck by how much value the Indians placed on them as he did not know the beans were used by currency. It is unlikely that Columbus brought any of these beans back to Spain and it was not until about 25 years later that Cortez grasped the commercial possibilities when he found the Aztecs using the beans to make the royal drink “chocolatl”.

The Spanish, in general, were not fond of the bitter drink so Cortez and his followers made it more palatable by adding sugar and later cinnamon(肉桂) and vanilla(香草) were added. Spanish monks( 僧侣) let the secret out back home and, although the Spanish hid it from their neighbors for a hundred years, finally chocolate’s popularity grew until it was their fashionable drink at the French court(宫廷) and the wise choice of customers at London meeting houses.

The cacao tree is strictly a tropical plant only in hot, rainy climates. Thus, its cultivation (培育 ) is limited to countries not more than 20 degrees north or south of the equator ( 赤 道 ). The cacao tree is very delicate and sensitive. It needs protection from the wind and requires a fair amount of shade under most conditions. This is true especially in its first two or three years of growth. A newly planted young cacao tree is often sheltered by a different type of trees. It is normal to plant food crops for shade such as bananas, or coconuts. Rubber trees( 橡胶树) and forest trees are also used for shade. Once established, however, cacao trees can grow in full sunlight, provided there are fertile soil conditions and intensive farming. With cutting and careful cultivation, the trees of strains will begin bearing fruit in the fifth year. With extreme care, some strains can be stimulated to produce good crops in the third and fourth year.

The process of turning cacao into chocolate hasn’t changed much since the late 1800s, when the Swiss learned to make fine unsweetened chocolate. Mixed with cocoa butter and other ingredients and then “purified”, the finished result is shaped, cooled, packaged by machine, distributed, sold and of course, eaten!

1.Why didn’t Columbus bring beans back to Spain at once when he found cacao?

A.Because he couldn’t afford to buy the cacao bean.

B.Because he didn’t know how to turn cacao bean into chocolate.

C.Because he was not aware of the commercial value of cacao bean then.

D.Because Spaniards then didn’t favour the chocolate that the Aztecs originally drank.

2.The underlined word “palatable” in paragraph 2 probably means _______.

A.affordable B.agreeable

C.patent D.portable

3.Which of the following is correct about cacao tree?

A.Cacao trees require hot, rainy climates and adequate sunlight.

B.Cacao trees need a lot of looking after to be used commercially.

C.Cacao trees won’t produce fruit until the fifth year.

D.Cacao trees can grow well in all continents.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。本文介绍了巧克力的历史，并介绍了可可树的相关信息。

1.

推理判断题。根据后文“it was not until about 25 years later that Cortez grasped the commercial possibilities when he found the Aztecs using the beans to make the royal drink “chocolatl”.”可知直到大约25年后，科尔特斯发现阿兹特克人用可可豆制作皇家饮料“巧克力”时，他抓住了商机。由此推断，哥伦布那时候没有意识到可可豆的商业价值，所以他并没有把可可豆带回西班牙。故选C项。

2.

词义猜测题。根据前文“The Spanish, in general, were not fond of the bitter drink”可知西班牙人一般不喜欢味道苦涩的饮料，根据后文“adding sugar and later cinnamon and vanilla were added.”可知科尔特斯和他的追随者在巧克力饮料中加入糖，之后又加入肉桂和香草。糖，肉桂和香草都可以让饮料变得不那么苦涩，所以西班牙人可以更容易接受这款饮料。由此推断画线词的意思应该是“可以接受的”，故选B项。

3.

细节理解题。根据第三段中 “The cacao tree is strictly a tropical plant only in hot, rainy climates…. the trees of strains will begin bearing fruit in the fifth year. With extreme care, some strains can be stimulated to produce good crops in the third and fourth year.”可知可可树是一种热带植物，只在炎热多雨的气候下生长。因此，它的种植仅限于赤道以北或以南不超过20度的国家。可可树非常脆弱和敏感。它需要防风保护，在大多数情况下需要大量的阴凉（来遮蔽它们），特别是在可可树成长的最初两三年。一棵新种植的可可树经常被一种不同类型的树遮蔽。所以为了遮荫，种植香蕉或椰子等粮食作物是很正常的。橡胶树和森林树也被用来（给可可树）遮荫。然而，一旦种植成功，只要有肥沃的土壤条件和密集的耕耘，可可树就可以在充足的阳光下生长。经过砍伐和精心培育，这些可可树将在第五年开始结果。如果非常小心，一些品种可以在第三年和第四年就结果。分析可知，原文中并没有提到可可树需要充足的阳光，只提到可可树需要大量的阴凉，一旦种植成功，就可以在充足的阳光下生长，故A项错误；有些品种的可可树在精心培育下第三年或第四年就可以结果，故C项错误；可可树的种植仅限于赤道以北或以南不超过20度的国家，D项错误。而B项（可可树需要大量的照顾才能用于商业用途）与原文相符，故选B项。