Reading Comprehension Tests (Term 1) form 11 (copy)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink.

The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas.

The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink.

The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular.

Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power.

For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking.

New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.