I‘m Anna Matteo（安娜·马特奥）.
And i'm Christopher Cruise(克里斯托弗·克鲁斯).Today on the program(今天的节目) , weexplore(探索) the history of chocolate -- a favorite
food for many people.
Researchers(研究员)have known for(知道) some time（一段时间/早晚） that chocolate is good forthe heart(心).We will report on a study that shows whythis is so(就是这样).
We also tell you about the health effects(健康影响) of dark chocolate .
The history of chocolatebegins with(开始于)a plant whose scientific name --Theobroma cacao(可可豆) -- means "food of the gods".
For centuries(几个世纪以来) , people have been enjoying the rich flavor(浓郁味道) of chocolate , a productmade from(由…制成) this plant.
Historians(历史学家) believe the Mayan(玛雅人) people ofcentral america 1st learned to farm cacao plants（中美第一次学习种植cacao植物） around 2000 years ago.
The Maya(玛雅人) took the cacao trees from therainforests ((热带)雨林) and grew them around their homes.
They cooked the cacao seeds（种子）, thencrushed(压碎) them into a softpaste(软糊状， paste粘贴/面团).
They mixed(混合的) the paste with water and flavorful spices(可口的香料) to make an unsweetened（a 未加糖的） chocolate drink.
Cacao and chocolate were an important part of Maya culture.
There are often images of cacao plants on Maya buildings and art objects(建筑和艺术品).
Ruling families(统治家族) drank chocolate at ceremonies(ceremony仪式/典礼).
And,even poorer members of Mayan society could enjoy the drink once in a while(偶尔一次).
Historians believe that cacao seeds were also used in marriage ceremonies as a sign of(标志) the union（同盟/美利坚合众国） between a husband and wife.
The Aztec(阿兹台克人) culture in current-day(当天) Mexico（墨西哥） also prized(珍贵的/珍视) chocolate .
But the cacao plant could not grow in the area where the Aztecs lived.So they traded(从事贸易/职业) to get cacao.
They even used cacao seeds as a form of money to pay taxes(作为纳税的货币形式) or give as offerings(祭品/主动提出) to the gods.
Only the very wealthy people in Aztec societies could afford to(负担的起) drink chocolate because cacao was so valuable.
The Aztec ruler(统治者/尺子) was believed to have drunk 50 cups of chocolate every day.
Some experts(专家/熟练) believe the word for chocolate came from the Aztec word "xocolatl",
which means "bitter water " (苦水)in the Nahuatl language.
Others believe the word "chocolate" was created by combining (combine 组合/兼备)Mayan and Nahuatl words.
The explorer Christopher Columbus (哥伦布)brought cacao seeds to Spain after his trip to Central America in 1502.
But it was the Spanish(西班牙) explorer Hernando Cortes who understood that chocolate would be a valuable investment(投资物) .
In 1519 , Cortes arrived in Mexico.He believed the chocolate drink would become popular with Spaniards（西班牙人）.
After the Spanish soldiers defeated (击败)the Aztec empire（帝国/集团）, they were able to seize(攻占/逮捕) the supplies of cacao and send them home.
Spain later （西班牙后来）began planting cacao in its colonies（殖民地/聚居人群） in the Americas in order to supply the large demand（需要） for chocolate.
