1. B. Cacao, the source of chocolate, originally grew in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. More than 1,500 years ago, the Classic Period Maya people began harvesting cacao seeds, crushing them, and mixing them with water to make chocolate into a frothy beverage. 

 2. C. The Aztecs developed a taste for chocolate after trading with their neighbors to the south, the Maya. By 1200 the Maya civilization was declining as the Aztec Empire grew in power. Aztec trade carried cacao from conquered peoples to Aztec rulers through trade and tribute.

 3. B. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec empire in 1521 and exported their frothy chocolate drink back home. Nearly another 100 years would pass before other European countries would catch the chocolate craze. Eventually, someone sweetened the bitter beverage with sugar (a product unavailable to the Aztec and Maya).

 4. A. Export: The Ivory Coast grows and exports the most cacao today---1.4 million tons in 2000. The majority of this cacao is sent to the Netherlands, the United States, and other countries in Europe. Import: The Netherlands both imports and grinds the most cacao in the world. Some of this cacao is made into chocolates. The remainder is processed and exported to other countries, which then make their own chocolates.

 Notes:
crush: 碾碎，压碎
frothy: 泡沫的，泡沫般的
beverage: 饮料；这个词比drink正式，且通常不包括水在内
conquer: 战胜，征服
grind: 研磨；如：ground coffee（研磨咖啡，ground为grind的过去式和过去分词）

做完测试后相信你已经是一名巧克力专家了。节日之际，让我们一起品尝香醇可口的巧克力，体味生活中的丝丝浓情，分享与家人团聚的幸福和快乐吧。