EigoPro 準2級プラス読解 — The Surprising History of Chocolate

The Surprising History of Chocolate Today, chocolate is one of the most popular sweets in the world. But its history is long and surprising — and for most of that history, chocolate was not sweet at all. A Bitter Beginning Chocolate comes from the seeds of the cacao tree, which grows in Central and South America. More than three thousand years ago, ancient peoples there made a drink from these seeds. Unlike the chocolate we know, this drink was bitter and spicy, often mixed with chili peppers. It was so valuable that cacao seeds were even used as money. Crossing the Ocean In the sixteenth century, European explorers brought cacao back to Europe. At first, Europeans also drank it bitter, but they soon began adding sugar and honey to suit their taste. For a long time, this sweet chocolate drink was a luxury that only the rich could afford. Ordinary people had never even tasted it. The Chocolate Bar The chocolate we eat today did not appear until the nineteenth century. New machines made it possible to produce chocolate cheaply and in large amounts. Around the same time, inventors discovered how to mix chocolate with milk, creating the smooth, sweet milk chocolate that is now sold everywhere. For the first time, chocolate became something almost everyone could enjoy. More Than a Treat Chocolate is still changing. Today, some people worry about how cacao is grown, and about the workers who farm it. As a result, more shoppers now look for chocolate that is produced fairly. From a bitter ancient drink to a modern symbol of comfort, chocolate has come a remarkably long way.

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この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

準2級プラス · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What is surprising about chocolate's history?

It was invented only a few years ago.
It was always exactly the same as today.
For most of its history, chocolate was not sweet at all.
It has never been popular until now.

Phrase

chocolate was not sweet at all

チョコは全く甘くなかった

準2級プラス読解文化歴史記事意外な事実

⚡ひとことで

「For most of its history, chocolate was not sweet at all.」を表す読解フレーズ。歴史の意外性の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「For most of its history, chocolate was not sweet at all.」

正解

本文 "its history is long and surprising — and for most of that history, chocolate was not sweet at all" より、意外な事実 = 歴史の大半でチョコは全く甘くなかった。for most of ~ = 「〜の大半の間」、not ... at all = 「全く〜ない」(強調)。

「It has always been exactly the same as it is today.」
= 常に今と同じ ━ 大きく変化 ━ 不変ではない。
「It was invented only a few years ago in a factory.」
= 数年前に発明 ━ 3000年以上前 ━ 古い。
「It has never been a popular drink until quite recently.」
= 今まで人気がなかった ━ 古代から珍重 ━ 矛盾。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
for most of ~	〜の大半	for most of that history
not ... at all	全く〜ない	not sweet at all
come from ~	〜に由来する	chocolate comes from cacao seeds
more than ~ years ago	〜年以上前	more than three thousand years ago
be valuable	貴重である	It was so valuable

❝例文

For most of its history, chocolate was bitter.
歴史の大半でチョコは苦かった。
It was not sweet at all.
全く甘くなかった。
Its history is long and surprising.
その歴史は長く意外だ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

意外な事実設問の鉄則 ―― 導入の "surprising — and for most of that history, ..." のダッシュ後が意外な核心。for most of ~、not ... at all は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『今と同じ』『数年前発明』など本文の歴史記述と矛盾で誘導。

問 2

How did ancient peoples use cacao seeds besides making a drink?

They threw them away as waste.
They used them as money.
They used them as medicine only.
They used them to build houses.

Phrase

cacao seeds used as money

カカオ豆が貨幣に

準2級プラス読解文化歴史記事古代の用途

⚡ひとことで

「They used them as money.」を表す読解フレーズ。カカオの意外な用途の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They used them as money.」

正解

A Bitter Beginning "It was so valuable that cacao seeds were even used as money" より、用途 = カカオ豆を貨幣として使った。so ... that ~ = 「とても〜なので〜」、use A as B = 「AをBとして使う」、even = 「〜さえ」(意外性)。

「They used them to build houses.」
= 家を建てるのに使った ━ 建材の記述無し。
「They used them as medicine only.」
= 薬としてのみ ━ 貨幣として ━ 薬の記述無し。
「They threw them away as waste.」
= ゴミとして捨てた ━ 貴重品 ━ 廃棄とは逆。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
so ... that ~	とても〜なので〜	so valuable that ... used as money
use A as B	AをBとして使う	used as money
even	〜さえ	even used as money
make a drink from ~	〜から飲み物を作る	made a drink from these seeds
be mixed with ~	〜と混ぜられる	mixed with chili peppers

❝例文

Cacao seeds were used as money.
カカオ豆は貨幣に使われた。
They were so valuable.
それほど貴重だった。
Ancient peoples made a bitter drink from them.
古代人は苦い飲み物を作った。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

用途設問の鉄則 ―― "so valuable that cacao seeds were even used as money" の so...that 構造 + even (意外性) に注目。use A as B = 「AをBとして使う」は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『家を建てる』『薬のみ』『廃棄』など本文にない/逆の用途で誘導。

問 3

What did Europeans do to the chocolate drink?

They began adding sugar and honey to suit their taste.
They made it even more bitter and spicy.
They refused to drink it at all.
They mixed it with chili peppers.

Phrase

adding sugar and honey

砂糖と蜂蜜を加える

準2級プラス読解文化歴史記事ヨーロッパでの変化

⚡ひとことで

「They began adding sugar and honey to suit their taste.」を表す読解フレーズ。ヨーロッパでの改変の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They began adding sugar and honey to suit their taste.」

正解

Crossing the Ocean "At first, Europeans also drank it bitter, but they soon began adding sugar and honey to suit their taste" より、変化 = 自分の好みに合わせ砂糖と蜂蜜を加え始めた。begin + 動名詞 = 「〜し始める」、suit one's taste = 「好みに合う」。

「They made it even more bitter and much spicier.」
= さらに苦く辛く ━ 甘くした ━ 苦くするとは逆。
「They refused to drink any of it at all at first.」
= 全く飲まなかった ━ 飲んだ ━ 拒否ではない。
「They mixed it with chili peppers and other spices.」
= 唐辛子と混ぜた ━ 唐辛子は古代の飲み方 ━ ヨーロッパではない。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
begin + 動名詞	〜し始める	began adding sugar
suit one's taste	好みに合う	to suit their taste
at first	最初は	At first, Europeans drank it bitter
a luxury	贅沢品	a luxury that only the rich could afford
afford ~	〜を買う余裕がある	only the rich could afford

❝例文

Europeans began adding sugar and honey.
ヨーロッパ人は砂糖と蜂蜜を加え始めた。
They did it to suit their taste.
好みに合わせるためだ。
It was a luxury only the rich could afford.
金持ちだけが買える贅沢品だった。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

変化設問の鉄則 ―― "At first ... but they soon began ..." の but 以降の変化 を拾う。begin + 動名詞、suit one's taste = 「好みに合う」は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『唐辛子と混ぜた (古代の飲み方)』など時代を取り違えて誘導。

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EigoPro 準2級プラス 読解 — The Surprising History of Chocolate

この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

chocolate was not sweet at all

cacao seeds used as money

adding sugar and honey

EigoPro 準2級プラス読解 — The Surprising History of Chocolate