英語美文精選：濃情巧克力
摘要：大多數人都知道巧克力由可可製成，它起源於中南美洲。幾個世紀以來，當地的居民把可可看作神的恩賜。但巧克力是怎樣從神的食品變成了愛情食品的呢?
For the Love of Chocolate濃情巧克力
Most people know that chocolate is made from cocoa and that the origins of chocolate can be traced back to Central and South America. For centuries, the natives there regarded cocoa as a gift from the gods. But how did chocolate go from being the food of the gods to being the food of love?
大多數人都知道巧克力由可可製成，它起源於中南美洲。幾個世紀以來，當地的居民把可可看作神的恩賜。但巧克力是怎樣從神的食品變成了愛情食品的呢?
濃情巧克力
Around A.D. 600, the Mayas were the main aboriginal group in Central America. They established the first cocoa plantations and used the cocoa bean as the main ingredient in a dark, bitter drink that we would call “chocolate.” The Mayas believed that chocolate had mystical properties---but cocoa also had commercial value. In fact, cocoa beans were used as a form of currency that was worth its weight in gold!
公元600年左右，瑪雅人是中美洲主要的土著居民。他們建立了第一座可可種植園，並用可可豆爲主要原料，製成了一種又黑又苦的飲料，我們叫“巧克力”。瑪雅人相信巧克力具有神祕的特性，也具有商業價值。實際上，可可豆曾經被當作一種與金子等值的貨幣形式!
Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European explorer to realize cocoa's commercial possibilities. When he arrived in the New World in 1519, he soon established his own cocoa plantation. In 1529, Cortez returned to Spain and introduced chocolate---as a drink mixed with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon---to European society.
西班牙征服者赫爾南多•科蒂斯是第一位瞭解可可的商業潛力的歐洲探險家。他1519年抵達新大陸，不久就建立了自己的可可種植園。1529年，赫爾南多•科蒂斯回到西班牙，他將巧克力——一種混合糖、香草及肉桂的飲料引入歐洲社會。
It caught on---especially with the nobility, who fancied hot chocolate as an aphrodisiac. As its popularity spread, people found new ways to make and use chocolate. These days, chocolate is enjoyed as both a tasty treat and a romantic indulgence. Whether it is in delectable desserts or crunchy candy, people the world over are still in love with chocolate.
巧克力倍受貴族們的親睞，他們視熱巧克力爲一種春藥。隨着巧克力廣爲普及，人們發現了一些製造和使用巧克力的新方法。現在，巧克力被人們當作一種可口的美食和浪漫的享受。無論是在美味的甜點裏，還是在酥脆的糖果中，世界各地的人們依舊對巧克力迷戀不已。
相關閱讀：巧克力碎塊的英文怎麼說
巧克力碎塊的英文：
chocolate crumbs
chocolate是什麼意思：
n. 巧克力;巧克力色;巧克力糖;巧克力飲料
adj. 巧克力口味的;巧克力色的
Have another chocolate.
再吃一塊巧克力糖。
I bought a chocolate carpet.
我買了一塊巧克力色的地毯。
Break up a chocolate bar.
把一塊長條巧克力弄碎。
Chocolate always disagrees with me.
巧克力糖不合我的胃口。
The sundae was topped with chocolate and a wafer.
這個聖代冰淇淋頂部覆蓋着巧克力和威化餅乾。
crumbs是什麼意思：
n. 麪包屑;碎屑
v. 弄碎
He crumbed the egg.
他把雞蛋捏碎了。
The maid brushed the crumbs from the table.
女傭拂去桌上的麪包屑。
a bit; a little; a crumb; a fraction; a grain; an inch
一點兒
She crumbed the bread before feeding it to the birds.
她把麪包弄碎，然後餵給鳥吃。
At last Andrew gave them a crumb of information.
最後，安德魯向他們透露了一點信息。
