All about chocolate

PRE-READING:

Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Example: What is chocolate made from?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs with your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

All About Chocolate

Do you like chocolate? Scientists have discovered why chocolate is popular all over the world. Chocolate makes us happy because it contains about 380 chemicals. But many of these chemicals are found in other kinds of food too, so which chemicals in chocolate make us happy?

Chocolate makes the brain produce natural opiates which can stop pain and make us feel good. Some scientists think we feel good after eating chocolate because of a chemical called anandamide.

But which chocolate is the best? Well there’s more anandamide in dark chocolate than milk chocolate. So, you need to buy some dark chocolate. Then, you should follow these five tips and use all five senses.

1. Sight: good chocolate has a shine to it.

2. Smell: rub the chocolate with your finger to release the aroma. It should have a deep chocolate smell.

3. Sound: when you break a piece should snap crisply, creating a sound similar to that of a thin piece of wood being broken.

4. Touch: the chocolate should melt easily in your mouth becoming a thick liquid.

5. Taste: good chocolate should not taste too sweet or too bitter.

Time to buy some chocolate and find out.

Word count: 204

SCANNING: Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you have made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the words are combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meanings of the words without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Brain (noun): the organ in your head that you use for thinking (Não)

• Opiate (noun): a drug containing opium (Chất dùng làm thuốc giảm đau)

• Tip (noun): advice (Gợi ý)

• To have a shine to it (expression): if something “has a shine to it”, it is bright and clean (Sáng bóng)

• Deep (adjective): a “deep” smell is a strong, powerful smell (Nồng (mùi))

• To snap (verb): to break (Gãy)

• Crisply (adverb): if something breaks “crisply”, it breaks cleanly, completely and easily (một cách giòn giã)

• To melt (verb): when a solid “melts”, it becomes a liquid (Tan chảy)

• Thick (adjective): not thin (Dày)

• Sweet (adjective): with sugar (Ngọt)

• Bitter (adjective): a taste that is not sweet, and slightly unpleasant (Đắng)

Grammar:

Before you read, match the senses (1 to 5) to the parts of the body (a-e).

Answers: 1. c, 2. d, 3. e, 4. a, 5. b

Now, read the article and complete the information.

1 There are about ___________________ chemicals in chocolate.

2. Chocolate makes the human brain produce natural ________________.

3. Chocolate contains a ________________ called anandamide.

4. This chemical gives us a feeling of __________________.

Answers: 1. 380, 2. opiates, 3. chemical, 4. happiness

Discussion:

Find a study friend to ask and answer these questions and to summarize the story. Try to use the vocabulary learned in the article in speaking and writing your summary.

1. What’s your favourite brand of chocolate? Why?

2. What’s your favourite sweet or dessert?

3. How much chocolate do you eat a week?

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).