Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
Long before chocolatechocolate (noun)A sweet food made from cacao beans.≈ Synonym: cacao product🇺🇿UZ: shokolad🇷🇺RU: шоколад became a sweet treat found in shops around the world, it began as a bitterbitter (adj)Having a sharp, unpleasant taste; not sweet.≈ Synonym: sharp-tasting🇺🇿UZ: achchiq🇷🇺RU: горький, spiced drink consumed by ancientancient (adj)Belonging to a period long ago in history.≈ Synonym: age-old🇺🇿UZ: qadimiy🇷🇺RU: древний civilisations in Central America. The cacaocacao (noun)The tree or bean from which chocolate is made.≈ Synonym: cocoa🇺🇿UZ: kakao🇷🇺RU: какао tree, from which chocolate is made, was first cultivatedcultivate (verb)Grown and looked after as a crop.≈ Synonym: grown🇺🇿UZ: yetishtirilgan🇷🇺RU: культивировался by the Olmec people more than 3,000 years ago, and later held great culturalcultural (adj)Relating to the arts and customs of a society.≈ Synonym: artistic🇺🇿UZ: madaniy🇷🇺RU: культурный and religiousreligious (adj)Relating to religion or belief in a god.≈ Synonym: spiritual🇺🇿UZ: diniy🇷🇺RU: религиозный significance for both the Maya and Aztec civilisations.
For the Aztecs in particular, cacao beansbean (noun)The seeds of certain plants, including cacao.≈ Synonym: seeds🇺🇿UZ: donlar (loviya)🇷🇺RU: бобы were considered so valuablevaluable (adj)Worth a great deal of money.≈ Synonym: precious🇺🇿UZ: qimmatbaho🇷🇺RU: ценный that they were sometimes used as a form of currencycurrency (noun)A system of money used for exchange.≈ Synonym: money🇺🇿UZ: valyuta🇷🇺RU: валюта. The chocolate drink itself, often mixed with chilli, vanillavanilla (noun)A flavouring made from the pods of an orchid.≈ Synonym: vanilla flavouring🇺🇿UZ: vanil🇷🇺RU: ваниль, or other spices, was reserved mainly for warriorswarrior (noun)People who fight in battles, especially historically.≈ Synonym: fighters🇺🇿UZ: jangchilar🇷🇺RU: воины, priestspriest (noun)Religious officials who perform ceremonies.≈ Synonym: clergy🇺🇿UZ: ruhoniylar🇷🇺RU: жрецы, and nobility, and was believed to provide energy and even spiritual powerpower (noun)The ability to control or influence.≈ Synonym: strength🇺🇿UZ: kuch🇷🇺RU: сила (власть). It was, notably, nothing like the sweet chocolate familiar today — early versions were unsweetened and often quite spicyspicy (adj)Having a strong, hot flavour from spices.≈ Synonym: hot-flavoured🇺🇿UZ: achchiq (ziravorli)🇷🇺RU: острый.
Chocolate arrived in Europe in the 16th century, brought back by Spanish explorersexplorer (noun)People who travel to discover unknown places.≈ Synonym: adventurers🇺🇿UZ: sayohatchilar🇷🇺RU: исследователи who had encountered it in the Americas. Once in Europe, recipes gradually changedchange (verb)Became different.≈ Synonym: altered🇺🇿UZ: o'zgardi🇷🇺RU: изменились: sugar was added, and the drink became popularpopular (adj)Liked or used by many people.≈ Synonym: widespread🇺🇿UZ: ommabop🇷🇺RU: популярный among European aristocracyaristocracy (noun)The highest social class, often with inherited titles.≈ Synonym: nobility🇺🇿UZ: aristokratiya🇷🇺RU: аристократия, who could afford this expensive imported ingredientingredient (noun)A component used to make something, especially food.≈ Synonym: component🇺🇿UZ: tarkibiy qism🇷🇺RU: ингредиент. For centuries, chocolate remained a luxury drink enjoyed almost exclusively by the wealthy.
The chocolate most people recognise today — solid, sweet, and eaten rather than drunk — only became possible after several key inventionsinvention (noun)Things created or designed for the first time.≈ Synonym: creations🇺🇿UZ: ixtirolar🇷🇺RU: изобретения in the 19th century. New techniquestechnique (noun)Particular ways of carrying out a task.≈ Synonym: methods🇺🇿UZ: usullar🇷🇺RU: методы allowed manufacturers to separate cacao butter from cacao solids and later combine it with sugar and milk to create smooth, solid chocolate bars. These developments, combined with new industrial productionproduction (noun)The process of manufacturing goods.≈ Synonym: manufacturing🇺🇿UZ: ishlab chiqarish🇷🇺RU: производство methods, made chocolate dramatically cheaper and more accessibleaccessible (adj)Able to be obtained or used easily.≈ Synonym: obtainable🇺🇿UZ: qulay (yetkazish oson)🇷🇺RU: доступный to ordinary people for the first time.
Today, chocolate is one of the most widelywidely (adverb)Over a large range or area.≈ Synonym: extensively🇺🇿UZ: keng ko'lamda🇷🇺RU: широко consumedconsume (verb)Eaten, drunk, or used up.≈ Synonym: eaten🇺🇿UZ: iste'mol qilinadigan🇷🇺RU: потребляемый foods on the planet, supporting a massive global industryindustry (noun)A particular branch of economic activity.≈ Synonym: sector🇺🇿UZ: sanoat tarmog'i🇷🇺RU: отрасль. However, this popularitypopularity (noun)The state of being liked by many people.≈ Synonym: widespread appeal🇺🇿UZ: mashhurlik🇷🇺RU: популярность has also created serious ethical concerns, particularly around the working conditions of cacao farmers, many of whom earn very little despite the enormous profitsprofit (noun)Financial gain from business activity.≈ Synonym: earnings🇺🇿UZ: foyda🇷🇺RU: прибыль generated by the chocolate trade. Increasingly, consumersconsumer (noun)People who buy goods or services.≈ Synonym: buyers🇺🇿UZ: iste'molchilar🇷🇺RU: потребители are being encouraged to consider these issues when choosing which chocolate to buy.