When most of us hear the word chocolate, the verb that comes to mind is probably “eat”, not “drink”, and the most proper adjective would seem to be “sweet”. But for about 90 percent of chocolate’s long history, it was strictly a beverage (飲料), and sugar didn’t have anything to do with it.
The Origin of Chocolate
Many modern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older.
In the book The True History of Chocolate, authors Sophie and Michael Coe prove that the earliest linguistic (語言學(xué)的) evidence of chocolate consumption dates back three or even four thousand years.
Valuable and Fashionable Chocolate Beverage
It’s hard to discover exactly when chocolate was born, but it’s clear that it was cherished from the start. For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America, cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen, according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
Sweetened chocolate didn’t appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled (品嘗) the native cuisine. Chocolate didn’t suit the foreigners’ taste at first — one described it in his writings as “a bitter drink for pigs” — but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain. By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal functions. But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.
The Birth of Solid Chocolate
In 1828, a Dutch chemist found a way to make powdered chocolate. His product became known as “Dutch cocoa”, and it soon led to the creation of solid chocolate. In 1847, Joseph Fry created the first modern chocolate bar. By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milk chocolate hit the market a few years later.
Prosperous Chocolate Industry
In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was used instead of wages. Even now, statistics show that the humble cacao bean is still a powerful economic force. Chocolate manufacturing is a more than 4-billion-dollar industry in the United States, and the average American eats at least half a pound of the stuff per month.
小題1:The earliest chocolate was most probably _________.
A．a(chǎn) dish B．a(chǎn) drink C．a(chǎn) bar D．a(chǎn) candy
小題2: It can be inferred from the passage that ________________.
A．the history of chocolate is at most 4,000 years.
B．people around the world could buy things with chocolate.
C．chocolate was well paid attention to since it was born.
D．a(chǎn)n American at least eats a pound of chocolate per month.
小題3:Why did chocolate suit the Spanish’s taste so quickly? _________
A．Because chocolate was so tasty and bitter.
B．Because chocolate was believed to be a source of nutrition.
C．Because chocolate was sweetened with honey or cane sugar.
D．Because chocolate became a fashionable beverage.
小題4:Which one shows the correct order according to the time of their appearing? _________
A．chocolate beverage----chocolate bar----chocolate candies----milk chocolate
B．chocolate bar----chocolate beverage----chocolate candies----milk chocolate
C．chocolate bar ----chocolate candies ----milk chocolate ---- chocolate beverage
D．chocolate beverage ----chocolate candies----chocolate bar---- milk chocolate

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:C
小題4:A

試題分析：本文是說明文。講述了巧克力的簡單歷史。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)首段可知，人們普遍認(rèn)為巧克力是用來吃的，而且是很甜的，然而巧克力在發(fā)展史上大部分時間是一種苦澀的飲料。故選B
小題2:推理判斷題。根據(jù)第四段中的首句“…but it’s clear that it was cherished from the start”可知巧克力從誕生起就受到人們的珍愛。故選C
小題3:推理判斷題。由第五段的第二句“…but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain”可知巧克力飲料被混合蜂蜜或蔗糖變甜以后，就迅速受到西班牙人的歡迎。故選C
小題4:推理判斷題。由文章敘述巧克力歷史的過程可知巧克力飲料是最早的形式；再根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段中三個事件發(fā)生的事情和最后一句可知A項是按時間順序敘述巧克力的演變史。選A
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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B．too many words are of no use
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C．By recognizing different values.D．By speaking each other’ s languages.
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A．By putting red paper-cuts on windows.
B．By eating up beasts.
C．By talking to him.
D．By riding on him.
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B．Because the color red could kill Nian.
C．Because the old man like the color red.
D．Because Nian was afraid of the color red.
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A．The Origin of the Chinese New Year
B．The Old Man and the Beast Nian
C．How to Go Through the Nian safely
D．What Nian Was Like
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A．Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time.
B．Nian is a tall beast that likes to eat farm animals.
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  Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收費站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(優(yōu)惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.
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A．Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B．Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C．There should be a distance even between friends.
D．There should be fewer quarrels between friends.
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D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.
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B．Treasure Your Privacy
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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小題1: ____________knows when the custom of April Fool’s Day started．
A．OneB．AnyoneC．NobodyD．Someone
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A．phoning the zooB．placing a sign on someone’s back
C．playing cardsD．leaving a purse in the street
小題3:The purpose of playing jokes is to _____ ．
A．for funB．make people laugh
C．make fool of oneselfD．fool someone
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A．How people in the west spend their April Fool’s Day
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