Few foods boast a history as rich and “sweet” as chocolate. The reading passage The Cacao: a Sweet History takes learners through 2,000 years of the cacao tree’s evolution—from serving as currency for the Aztecs to becoming a luxury treat for European elites, and ultimately a global consumer product. Studying this text helps you practice locating specific details (Matching Information), analyzing statements for accuracy (True/False/Not Given), and, crucially, mastering production processes via Flow Chart Completion. This is an ideal resource for getting familiar with cultural history and economics topics in the IELTS exam.
Reading Passage
The Cacao: a Sweet History
A Chapter 1
Most people today think of chocolate as something sweet to eat or drink that can be easily found in stores around the world. It might surprise you that chocolate was once highly treasured. The tasty secret of the cacao (Kah Kow) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The story of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican beverage into a global sweet encompasses many cultures and continents.
B Chapter 2
Historians believe the Maya people of Central America first learned to farm cacao plants around two thousand years ago. The Maya took cacao trees from the rainforests and grew them in their gardens. They cooked cacao seeds and then crushed them into a soft paste. They mixed the paste with water and flavorful spices to make an unsweetened chocolate drink. The Maya poured the chocolate drink back and forth between two containers so that the liquid would have a layer of bubbles or foam.
Cacao and chocolate were an important part of Maya culture. There are often images of cacao plants on Maya buildings and art objects. Ruling families drank chocolate at special ceremonies. And, even poorer members of society could enjoy the drink once in a while. Historians believe that cacao seeds were also used in marriage ceremonies as a sign of the union between a husband and a wife.
The Aztec culture in current-day Mexico also prized chocolate. But, cacao plants could not grow in the area where the Aztecs lived. So, they traded to get cacao. They even used cacao seeds as a form of money to pay taxes. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds and offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Only the very wealthy in Aztec societies could afford to drink chocolate because cacao was so valuable. The Aztec ruler Montezuma was believed to drink fifty cups of chocolate every day. Some experts believe the word for chocolate came from the Aztec word “xocolatl” which in the Nahuatl language means “bitter water.” Others believe the word “chocolate” was created by combining Mayan and Nahuatl words.
C Chapter 3
The explorer Christopher Columbus brought cacao seeds to Spain after his trip to Central America in 1502. But it was the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes who understood that chocolate could be a valuable investment. In 1519, Cortes arrived in current-day Mexico. He believed the chocolate drink would become popular with Spaniards. After the Spanish soldiers defeated the Aztec empire, they were able to seize the supplies of cacao and send them home. Spain later began planting cacao in its colonies in the Americas in order to satisfy the large demand for chocolate. The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened version of chocolate drink. Later, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe. The English, Dutch and French began to plant cacao trees in their own colonies. Chocolate remained a drink that only wealthy people could afford to drink until the eighteenth century. During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped make chocolate less costly to produce.
D Chapter 4
Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America. The trees grow in the shady areas of the rainforests near the Earth’s equator. But these trees can be difficult to grow. They require an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits called pods, which grow near the trunk of the tree. The seeds inside the pods are harvested to make chocolate. There are several kinds of cacao trees. Most of the world’s chocolate is made from the seed of the forastero tree. But farmers can also grow criollo or trinitario cacao plants. Cacao trees grown on farms are much more easily threatened by diseases and insects than wild trees. Growing cacao is very hard work for farmers. They sell their harvest on a futures market. This means that economic conditions beyond their control can affect the amount of money they will earn. Today, chocolate industry officials, activists, and scientists are working with farmers. They are trying to make sure that cacao can be grown in a way that is fair to the farmers and safe for the environment.
E Chapter 5
To become chocolate, cacao seeds go through a long production process in a factory. Workers must sort, clean, and cook the seeds. Then they break off the covering of the seeds so that only the inside fruit, or nibs, remain. Workers crush the nibs into a soft substance called chocolate liquor. This gets separated into cocoa solids and fat called cocoa butter. Chocolate makers have their own special recipes in which they combine chocolate liquor with exact amounts of sugar, milk and cocoa fat. They finely crush this “crumb” mixture in order to make it smooth. The mixture then goes through two more processes before it is shaped into a mold form.
Chocolate making is a big business. The market value of the yearly cacao crop around the world is more than five billion dollars. Chocolate is especially popular in Europe and the United States. For example, in 2005, the United States bought 1.4 billion dollars worth of cocoa products. Each year, Americans eat an average of more than five kilograms of chocolate per person. Speciality shops that sell costly chocolates are also very popular. Many offer chocolate lovers the chance to taste chocolates grown in different areas of the world.
Questions
Questions 1-5
Reading passage 1 has 5 chapters. Which chapter contains the following information?
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
1. the part of cacao trees used to produce chocolate
2. average chocolate consumption by people in the US per person per year
3. risks faced by farmers in the cacao business
4. where the first sweetened chocolate drink appeared
5. how ancient American civilizations obtained cacao
Questions 6-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
6. use cacao and chocolate in ceremonies were restricted Maya royal families
7. The Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes invested in chocolate and chocolate drinks.
8. The forastero tree produces the best chocolate.
9. some parts in cacao seed are get rid of during the chocolate process
10. Chocolate is welcomed more in some countries or continents than other parts around the world.
Questions 11-14
The flow chart below shows the steps in chocolate making.
Complete the flow chart using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each blank.
Cacao seeds
↓ sorting, cleaning and cooking ridding seeds of their 11
Nibs
↓ crushing
12
↓ Add sugar, milk and 13
Crumb mixture
↓ Crush finely then come into a shape in a 14
chocolate
Complete Translation of the Reading Passage
[Chapter 1]
Most people today think of chocolate as a sweet food or drink. You might be surprised to learn that chocolate was once highly treasured. The secret of the cacao tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The story of how chocolate evolved from a local beverage into a global sweet spans many cultures.
[Chapter 2]
The Maya were the first people to learn how to farm cacao. They crushed the seeds into a paste, mixed it with water and spices to create an unsweetened, frothy drink. Cacao played a vital role in Maya culture, from art to marriage ceremonies. In Mexico, the Aztecs also revered chocolate. Because they could not grow cacao locally, they traded for it and even used cacao seeds as currency to pay taxes. Only the very wealthy could afford to enjoy this beverage.
[Chapter 3]
Christopher Columbus brought cacao seeds back to Spain in 1502, but Hernando Cortes was the one who recognized its investment value. After defeating the Aztec empire, the Spanish seized cacao supplies. This drink was initially enjoyed sweetened in Spain before spreading across Europe. Chocolate remained a luxury item until the Industrial Revolution, when technology helped reduce production costs.
[Chapter 4]
Cacao trees grow in shady areas near the equator. They are difficult to cultivate, requiring precise levels of water, warmth, and soil. After five years, the trees bear fruit (pods) containing the seeds used to make chocolate. Farm-grown trees are more vulnerable to pests and diseases than wild ones. Farmers face hardships as prices depend on futures markets outside their control.
[Chapter 5]
The production process includes sorting, cleaning, cooking, and removing the outer shell to obtain the nibs. The nibs are crushed into chocolate liquor, which is then separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Manufacturers blend chocolate liquor with sugar, milk, and cocoa fat according to their own recipes, grind it finely, and mold it. This industry generates over $5 billion annually and is especially popular in Europe and the US.
Academic Vocabulary Summary
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Highly treasured (adj): Highly valued, deeply appreciated.
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Encompass (v): To include, to cover comprehensively.
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Soft paste (n): A smooth, soft mixture.
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Seize (v): To take hold of forcibly, to capture.
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Industrial Revolution (n): The period of major industrialization in the 18th-19th centuries.
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Futures market (n): A marketplace where commodities are traded for future delivery.
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Chocolate liquor (n): Pure cocoa mass in liquid form obtained from crushed nibs.
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Crumb mixture (n): The finely ground blend of chocolate ingredients.
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Mold form (n): A container used to shape liquid chocolate as it cools.
Answer Key and Detailed Explanations
1. D: Passage D states: “The seeds inside the pods are harvested to make chocolate.”
2. E: Passage E states: “Americans eat an average of more than five kilograms of chocolate per person.”
3. D: Passage D mentions diseases and economic conditions beyond farmers’ control as risks.
4. C: Passage C states: “The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened version of chocolate drink.”
5. B: Passage B describes the Maya growing cacao in gardens, and Passage B/C notes the Aztecs trading for it.
6. FALSE: Passage B affirms that “even poorer members of society could enjoy the drink once in a while,” so it was not restricted solely to royalty.
7. NOT GIVEN: The text only notes that Cortes understood it as a “valuable investment,” but does not confirm whether he personally invested capital.
8. NOT GIVEN: The text states that forastero provides the majority of the world’s production, but does not claim it is the “best.”
9. TRUE: Passage E describes breaking off the covering of the seeds to leave only the nibs.
10. TRUE: Passage E states: “Chocolate is especially popular in Europe and the United States.”
11. Covering: Passage E: “…break off the covering of the seeds.”
12. Chocolate liquor: Passage E: “…crush the nibs into a soft substance called chocolate liquor.”
13. Cocoa fat: Passage E: “…combine chocolate liquor with… cocoa fat.”
14. Mold (form): Passage E: “…before it is shaped into a mold form.”
The history of cacao is not only the story of a sweet treat, but also a journey of cultural adaptation and technological progress. Completing this reading passage helps you reinforce your information-mapping skills and familiarize yourself with complex production processes through flowcharts. The market and manufacturing vocabulary found here will serve as an effective tool for handling socio-economic topics in your actual exam. Wishing you highly effective preparation and a breakthrough in your IELTS Reading band score!
Khai giảng Khóa học Hè cực HOT.
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