Unit 1

4000 ESSENTIAL ENGLISH WORDS

UNIT 1 WORD LIST aroma An aroma is a scent or smell. I love the aroma of coffee in the morning. beverage A beverage is a drink. The waiter brought our beverages first. Then he brought our food. cluster A cluster of things is a small group of them placed close together. She held a large cluster of grapes in her hand. combine To combine is to join together to make a single thing or group. Mina combined peanut butter and jelly to make a sandwich. condensed When a liquid is condensed, it is made thicker. One way to make a dessert thick and sweet is to use condensed milk. contemporary When something is contemporary, it is related to the present time. Contemporary scientists have learned quite a bit about DNA. cultivate To cultivate plants is to care for them and help them grow. A research company is cultivating new kinds of rice to aid poor countries. divine When something is divine, it is related to gods. Legends say that music was given to humans as a divine gift from the gods. humid When it is humid, there is a lot of water in the air. It is very humid inside a sauna. odor An odor is a very distinct smell. He knew there was a leak when he noticed the strong odor of natural gas.

palate The palate is the top part of the mouth. You can touch your palate with your tongue. paradise Paradise is the place or condition of happiness where things are perfect. My vacation in Hawaii was like being in paradise. plantation A plantation is a big farm that only grows certain kinds of crops. In the 1800s, there were many cotton plantations in the southern US. rapid When something is rapid, it moves or changes very quickly. His mother was surprised by her son's rapid growth. rate A rate is the speed at which something happens. Grass tends to grow at a very slow rate. soothing When something is soothing, it makes you calm or relaxed. The soothing music helped the baby fall asleep. subtle When something is subtle, it is not easy to see or notice. The handsome man has a subtle smile. texture The texture of something is the way its surface looks and feels. The texture of a rock found in the water is typically very smooth. toxic When something is toxic, it is poisonous and very dangerous. Please check the label to see if the product is toxic. vary To vary means to be different from another thing in size or amount. The heights of the people in my class vary by a large amount.

The History of Chocolate Many people believe that chocolate originally came from Europe. However, chocolate, called the "food of the gods" was first made in the Americas. The first chocolate was very different from contemporary chocolate. Wild chocolate trees can grow easily in the humid Amazon rainforest. Clusters of flowers growing on these trees turn to seeds. About 20 to 60 cacao beans can be found each seed. Cacao beans are the ingredient needed to create sweet, soothing, and delicious chocolate treats. The Mayan and Aztec cultures both thought that chocolate trees were brought from paradise by gods. The Mayans and Aztecs used the beans from this divine tree to create a special beverage with a very pleasant odor. Surprisingly, the Aztecs believed that it was toxic to women and children. In the 1500s, the Spanish explorer Cortes met the Aztecs. Cortes became quite interested in the plantations where the Aztecs cultivated chocolate trees. When he returned to Europe, he took cacao beans with him. He introduced the people of Spain to the Aztecs' chocolate beverage. Over the next 100 years or so, kings, queens, and members of the upper class enjoyed drinking chocolate. They enjoyed it even more once they learned to add sugar to the beverage! Soon, chocolate had spread all across Europe. New machines allowed chocolate makers to perfect their products and produce them at a very rapid rate. Preparing the beans in special ways brought out the aroma of chocolate. The beans were combined with condensed milk to give the chocolate a smooth texture. Today, contemporary chocolates with subtle flavors fill the shelves of chocolate shops. The different types of chocolate available today vary widely. True chocolate lovers can tell which is best, though. They will tell you that the flavor of high-quality chocolate stays on the palate long after you finish it.