阅读回忆：
Passage1: 巧克力的历史（A BriefHistory of Chocolate）A
Whenmost of us hear the word chocolate, we picture a bar, a box of bonbons, or abunny. The verb that comes to mind is probably “eat,” not “drink,” and the mostapt adjective would seem to be “sweet.” But for about 90 percent of chocolate’slong history, it was strictly a beverage, and sugar didn’t have anything to dowith it. “I often call chocolate the best-known food that nobody knows anythingabout,” said Alexandra Leaf, a selfdescribed “chocolate educator” who runs abusiness called Chocolate Tours of New York City.
B
Theterminology can be a little confusing, but most experts these days use the term“cacao” to refer to the plant or its beans before processing, while the term “chocolate”refers to anything made from the beans, she explained. “Cocoa” generally refersto chocolate in a powdered form, although it can also be a British form of“cacao.” Etymologists trace the origin of the word “chocolate” to the Aztecword “xocoatl,” which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. TheLatin name for the cacao tree, T h e o b r o m a c a c a o , means “food of thegods.”
C
Manymodern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older. In the book TheTrue History of Chocolate, authors Sophie and Michael Coe make a case that theearliest linguistic evidence of chocolate consumption stretches back three oreven four millennia, to pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica such as theOlmec. Last November, anthropologists from the University of Pennsylvaniaannounced the discovery of cacao residue on pottery excavated in Honduras thatcould date back as far as 1400 B.C. It appears that the sweet pulp of the cacaofruit, which surrounds the beans, was fermented into an alcoholic beverage ofthe time.
D
It’shard to pin down exactly when chocolate was born, but it’s clear that it wascherished from the start. For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America,cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. One bean couldbe traded for a tamale, while 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen,according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
E
Both theMayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine,properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage anddeath. According to the book The Chocolate Connoisseur, Aztec sacrifice victimswho felt too melancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were oftengiven a gourd of chocolate (tinged with the blood of previous victims) to cheerthem up.
F
Sweetenedchocolate didn’t appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled thenative cuisine. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma welcomed theSpanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet that included drinkingchocolate, having tragically mistaken him for a reincarnated deity instead of aconquering invader. Chocolate didn’t suit the foreigners’ taste buds atfirst—one described it in his writings as “a bitter drink for pigs”—but oncemixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain.
G
By the17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed tohave nutritious, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties. But it remainedlargely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine mademass production possible in the late 1700s.
H
In 1828,a Dutch chemist found a way to make powdered chocolate by removing about halfthe natural fat (cacao butter) from chocolate liquor, pulverizing what remainedand treating the mixture with alkaline salts to cut the bitter taste. Hisproduct became known as “Dutch cocoa,” and it soon led to the creation of solidchocolate. The creation of the first modern chocolate bar is credited to JosephFry, who in 1847 discovered that he could make a moldable chocolate paste byadding melted cacao butter back into Dutch cocoa. By 1868, a little companycalled Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milkchocolate hit the market a few years later, pioneered by another name that mayring a bell—Nestle.
参考译文：
A.大多数人听到巧克力这个词时，就会联想到一条巧克力棒、一盒奶油夹心巧克力糖，或一只巧克力兔子。进入脑海的动词则很可能是“吃”，而并非“喝”；而我们想到的最恰当的形容词大概是“甜”。然而严格说来，在巧克力发展的漫长历史中，人们在绝大部分时间里都把它当做一种饮料，而且糖跟它一点关系也没有。“我常说，巧克力是人人都知道但却对它一无所知的食品。”亚历山德拉·利夫如是说。她自诩为“巧克力教师”，还经营着一家名为“纽约巧克力之旅”的商店。
B.虽然有点儿让人无法理解，可如今的大多数专家都用“可可”这一术语指代可可树或尚未加工的可可豆，而用“巧克力”这一术语指代任何经由可可豆加工而成的食品。一般而言，“可可粉”是指粉末状的巧克力，虽然它在英国人眼里也是“可可”的一种形式。词源学家对“巧克力”一词追根溯源，认为它来自阿兹特克语中“xocoatl”一词，该词指的是一种由可可豆酿制而成的苦涩饮料。在拉丁语中，可可树被称作“Theobroma cacao”，意为“神灵的食物”。
C. 据许多现代历史学家估算，巧克力已有大约两千年的历史，但最新研究表明，它的历史可能还要更久。在《巧克力的真实历史》一书中，作者索菲和迈克尔•科以充分的证据证实，关于食用巧克力的最早文字记录可追溯至三千甚至四千年前，那是哥伦布发现新大陆之前的中美洲文明——如奥尔梅克文明——所在的年代。去年11月，宾夕法尼亚大学的人类学家宣布在从洪都拉斯出土的瓷器上发现了可可豆残渣的遗迹，其年代之久远可追溯至公元前1400年。看来，当时人们好像把包裹可可豆的甜美果肉发酵酿制成了一种含酒精的饮料。
D．我们很难确定巧克力诞生的确切年代，但有一点是很明确的，那就是自诞生之初，巧克力就一直备受珍爱。在前现代的拉丁美洲，人们在几个世纪里一直把可可豆视若珍宝，甚至把它当做货币使用。根据一份16世纪的阿兹特克文件记载，用一颗可可豆可以换来一个墨西哥玉米粉蒸肉卷，而用一百颗可可豆可以买到一只上好的母火鸡。
E. 玛雅人和阿兹特克人都认为可可豆具有神秘的甚至是神圣的特性，适合在诸如出生、结婚和死亡这些最神圣的仪式上使用。根据克洛艾·杜特-鲁塞尔的《巧克力鉴赏家》一书所述，阿兹特克的被献祭者因极度抑郁而无法参加祭祀之舞时，人们就在他们被献祭之前给他们喝下一瓢巧克力(含有少许已故祭祀品的血)，使他们振奋起来。
F. 后来，欧洲人发现了美洲大陆，并品尝了当地的菜肴，至此加糖的巧克力才出现。据传说，阿兹特克国王蒙提祖马准备了一桌以巧克力为饮料的盛宴，为西班牙探险者埃尔南多·科尔特斯接风洗尘——国王不但没有把他当做前来征战的入侵者，反而可悲地误以为他是转世神灵。起初，外国人并不能接受巧克力的味道——有人在著作中把巧克力描述为“一种给猪喝的苦涩饮品”——不过，在添加了蜂蜜或蔗糖以后，巧克力饮料立刻红遍西班牙各地
G． 到17世纪时，巧克力成了风靡整个欧洲的时髦饮品。人们认为它有营养，能入药，甚至还能催情。但它仍旧是有钱人才能享用的奢侈品，直到18世纪末蒸汽机的发明使得大规模生产成为可能以后，这种情况才得以改善。
H． 1828年，一位荷兰化学家找到了制作巧克力粉的方法：他从巧克力饮料中去除了近一半的天然脂肪(即可可脂)，然后把剩下的成分研磨成粉，并在其中添加碱盐以减轻苦涩味道。他的产品被称为“荷兰可可粉”，由此很快诞生了固态巧克力。第一条现代巧克力棒的产生应归功于约瑟夫•弗赖伊。1847年，弗赖伊发现，通过往荷兰可可粉中重新添加融化的可可脂，能够做出可塑形的糊状巧克力。到了1868年，一家名为“吉百利”的小公司开始在英国出售盒装巧克力糖果。几年以后，另一个令人耳熟的公司——雀巢——开发出的牛奶巧克力面市了。
Passage2: 植物生物学家
Passage3: 学习乐器对大脑的长期影响 Beforethe Mars Retail Group transformed its Ethel M Chocolates store at Fashion Showinto Ethel's Chocolate Lounge in September, company executives did no advanceconsumer research to study whether tourists and locals would embrace the newconcept. They merely wanted to see, on a small scale and in real-market time,how the lounge would fare in Las Vegas.
Mars executives liked the results of thechangeover: Sales inside the 1,200-square-foot store grew by double digits.
Now, based on the improved sales, Mars' testrun is leading to an entirely new business model for Ethel M Chocolates, abeloved, locally based brand that's been a Southern Nevada mainstay since thecompany's Henderson headquarters and factory opened in 1980.
In the next two months, Mars Retail Groupwill change all nine of the company's Ethel M Chocolates stores across the LasVegas Valley into Ethel's Chocolate Lounges.
The transition is under way inside stores atthe Henderson plant and at The District at Green Valley Ranch. Conversions areplanned for the remaining stores inside the California and Flamingo hotels, theMeadows Mall and McCarran International Airport.
Future stores, both locally and nationally,will carry the Ethel's Chocolate Lounge logo.
"We are calling this a chocolateevolution," said John Haugh, president of Ethel M owner Mars Retail Group,a Henderson-based division of global food giant Masterfoods USA. "We'rebuilding on the best part of our past as a regional leader in chocolate. Bytransitioning Ethel M to Ethel's, we're at the forefront of innovation."
Fans of Ethel M needn't lament the brand'sdisappearance from storefronts.
The nameplate will live on in the Ethel MClassic Collection. Consumers will be able to buy seven of the company'sbest-selling product lines, including assortments with Almond Butter Krisps,Lemon Satin Cremes and Milk Chocolate Raspberry Satin Cremes. Ethel M's ButteryPecan Brittle and Chocolate-Stribboned Pecan Brittle will also be available, aswill the Las Vegas Slot Box featuring foil-wrapped chocolate coins and theTaste of Las Vegas collection with its box cover featuring the Strip skyline.The collection's prices will range from $8 to $33.
The local changeover to Ethel's ChocolateLounges follows a 10-store rollout in Chicago in 2005 and 2006.
Unlike the Las Vegas debut, the Chicagolaunch involved extensive consumer research. The company's studies "saidthere was a space for us to go after a more contemporary lounge environment andmore everyday premium chocolates," Haugh said.
With Ethel's Chocolate Lounges, Marsofficials want consumers to enjoy chocolate beyond key holidays such asValentine's Day, Easter and Christmas. In addition to splurging on big candypurchases for special occasions, consumers could also frequent theirneighborhood chocolate lounge for regular, smaller indulgences in gourmetconfections.
Inside Ethel's Chocolate Lounges, patronscan buy 10 chocolates and hot cocoa for two for $18. Chocolate fondue for two,with dipping items such as strawberries, bananas, marshmallows or pound cake,costs $18 to $25.
The chocolate flavors in the Ethel's linealso depart from the standard butter-cream fare of more conventional lines.Truffles come in espresso, honey and pi a colada varieties, while the CocktailCollection serves up chocolates with hints of spiced rum, brandy, champagne andmixed drinks such as mojitos and margaritas.
The American Pop Collection offers PeanutButter and Jelly, Cinna-Swirl and Apple Pie varieties.
The confections feature custom touches suchas hand-squeezed juices for the Fruit Collection and individually painted ortransferred art on candies in the Cocktail Collection.
Candies sold through Ethel's have commandedabout a third more in price than Ethel M chocolates. A 1-pound, 1-ounce box ofEthel M Creamy Milk Chocolates, for example, contains 40 pieces and sells for$29. A 24-piece box of Ethel's chocolates retails for $24.
Food-industry experts say Mars RetailGroup's brand makeover is a wise one given the trend toward trading up -- thenotion that middle-class consumers are seeking small-scale luxuries they canrelish every day.
Steve Lalich, president of theIllinois-based food-marketing firm Lalich Resources, said the proliferation of"higher-quality food" in recent decades means more consumers candistinguish between upscale and mid-market products. That ability to taste adifference makes many consumers more keen on investing in gourmet delicacies,Lalich said.
People have also shown a greater willingnessto spend on occasional goodies.
"When it comes to a small treat orpiece of candy -- something where you're not buying a month's worth of food tofeed a family -- you're usually consuming in smaller quantities, so you cankind of justify the higher expense," Lalich said.
Ryan Montague, president of Gourmet BusinessSolutions in New Orleans, said other major chocolate makers are going high-end,such as Hershey's with its new Cacao Reserve line.
"A lot of companies are entering theupscale market," Montague said. "Larger companies have seen theenormous growth in the gourmet-food segment, so they're trying to get a pieceof that growth."
Mars plans to expand Ethel's locally andnationally. By the end of 2007, "a couple more" Ethel's ChocolateLounges should have opened in Las Vegas, Haugh said. The company is eyeing newlocations near Boca Park at Rampart and Charleston boulevards and Town Square,which is under construction at Sunset Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Executives are preparing for nationwideexpansion in 2008. Mars officials haven't solidified entry into specific citiesyet, though Haugh said the emphasis would be on markets with diversedemographics and high concentrations of gourmands.
"We're talking about the usual suspects-- L.A., Dallas, Atlanta," Haugh said. "We're looking for premium'foodie' markets."
The company will also make capitalinvestments in its Henderson factory as the plant switches more of its outputto Ethel's products, though Haugh didn't disclose the price of theimprovements.
Haugh said the company doesn't plan to letworkers go or hire new staffers to accommodate the brand swap. Mars RetailGroup employs about 450 workers in the Las Vegas area.
Food marketers said expansion could bring evensweeter success to Mars Retail Group.
"If you look at Starbucks, going for acup of coffee there is kind of the 'in' thing to do," Montague said."It's become a status symbol. The chocolate lounge could follow in similarfootsteps. It may not be as large an industry as coffee, because so manyconsumers are drinking coffee. But a chocolate lounge could be the next hitdate thing. Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee, people might go to the newchocolate lounge and have a couple of gourmet chocolates. It's possibly one ofthe great, new, emerging trends."
Agreed Lalich: "I don't see a slowdownin gourmet trends in the near future. I just see the gourmet market ascontinually moving up. I think there's a market for (Ethel's)."
题型：配对+判断+填空
配对
14. D
15. E
16. D
17. C
18. B
判断
19. FALSE
20. NOT GIVEN
21. NOT GIVEN
22. TRUE
23. TRUE
填空
24. covering
25. Chocolate liquor
26. Cocoa
27. Mold
Passage2：生物学家研究植物
Passage3：学乐器对大脑的长期影响
