陕西省宝鸡中学2020届高三上学期第一次联考英语试题


五校联考
西安市第三中学 宝鸡中学 汉中市龙岗学校
渭南高级中学 延安市新区高级中学
2020届高三第一次五校联考英语试题（卷）
命题：渭南高级中学
校题：渭南高级中学
本试卷分第I卷（选择题）和第II卷（非选择题）两部分
注意事项：
1.答题前，考生先将自己的姓名、准考证号填写清楚，将条形码或二维码准确粘贴在条形码或二维码者粘贴处。
2.答题时请按要求用笔。
3.请按照题号顺序在答题卡各题目的答题区域内作答，超出答题区域书写的答案无效，在草稿纸、试卷上答题无效。
4.作图可先使用铅笔画出，确定后必须用黑色字迹的签字笔描黑。
5.保持卡面清洁，不要折叠、不要弄破、弄皱，不准使用涂改液、修正带或刮纸刀。
第Ⅰ卷
第一部分 听力（共两节，满分30分）
做题时，先将答案标在试卷上，录音结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。
第一节 （共5小题，每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）
听下面5段对话，每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案，听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话尽读一遍。
1. What is the man going to do first?
A. Feed the dog. B. Walk the dog. C. Clean the dog house.
2. What is the woman related to Mr. Collins?
A. His secretary. B. His client. C. His manager.
3. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A. A public service. B. A restaurant. C. The man’s friend.
4. When will the man see Dr. Owen?
A. On Tuesday morning. B. On Wednesday afternoon. C. On Friday morning.
5. Where does the conversation take place?
A. In a bakery. B. In a rose garden. C. In a clothes store.
第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）
听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。
6. What does the woman think of the yellow earrings?
A. Too big. B. Expensive. C. Perfect.
7. What will the man buy for the woman?
A. The red earrings. B. The blue necklace. C. The yellow necklace.
听下面一段对话，回答第8和第9两个小题。
8. What happened to the woman?
A. She lost the cleaner. B. She damaged the fridge. C. She couldn’t get on the Internet.
9. What did the robot do for the woman?
A. It repaired the computer.
B. It cleaned the outside windows.
C. It picked up the dirt in the room.
听下面一段对话，回答第10至第12三个小题。
10. Why does the man call the woman?
A. To get some directions to her office.
B. To confirm the meeting place.
C. To ask her to pick him up.
11. How much does it cost the man by taxi?
A. About $5. B. About $20. C. About $30.
12. What time will the speakers have a meeting?
A. At 2:30. B. At 3:00. C. At 3:30.
听下面一段对话，回答第13至第16四个小题。
13. When will the man meet Tanya Dolan?
A. On Monday. B. On Tuesday. C. On Wednesday.
14. Why is the man going to Paris?
A. To conduct business. B. To meet his manager. C. To take a vacation.
15. How will the man go to Paris?
A. By train. B. By car. C. By air.
16. What do we know about the man’s flight back to LA?
A. It is a non-stop flight.
B. It will be by way of Paris.
C. It has a stopover during the journey.
听下面一段独白，回答第17至第20四个小题。
17. What did the man study in university?
A. Law. B. Medicine. C. Economics.
18. What fruit has something in common with cocoa beans?
A. Apples. B. Bananas. C. Grapes.
19. What is the most difficult part of making chocolate?
A. Melting it correctly. B. Cooling it in time. C. Testing it regularly.
20. What is the speaker’s key to success?
A. Growing high-quality cocoa beans.
B. Keeping a diary of his experiments.
C. Trying to test various chocolate.
第Ⅱ卷
第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A
Each applicant to Harvard College is considered with great care.We consider each applicant to Harvard College as a whole person, and put enormous care into evaluating every application.We hope you will explore the information in this section to understand what we lookfor in our admissions process.
How to Apply
Submit your application through the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or the Universal College Application.Each is treated equally by the Admissions Committee.Complete and submit your materials as soon as possible to ensure full and timely consideration of your application.View our Application Tips for step­by­step information.
When to Apply
Date
Deadline
Date
Deadline
November 1
Early Action Deadline
March 1
Financial Aid Application deadline
November 1
Early Financial Aid Application deadline
Late March
Decision letters mailed
Mid­December
Early Auction decisions released
May 1
Reply date for Admitted Students
January 1
Regular Decision deadline
－
－
What We Look For
We seek promising students who will contribute to the Harvard community during their college years, and to society throughout their lives.
While academic accomplishment is the basic requirement, the Admission Committee considers many other factors—strong personal qualities, special talents or excellences of all kinds, perspectives formed by unusual personal circumstances, and the ability to take advantage of available resources and opportunities.
We outline everything you need to apply to Harvard.
Click https: //college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply to get detailed requirements.
21. Where can you find step­by­step information of how to apply?
A. Common Application. B. Coalition Application.
C. Universal College Application. D. Application Tips.
22. Which is the final day for Financial Aid Application?
A. November 1.　　　 B. January 1. C. March 1. D. May 1.
23. What is the basic requirement to apply for Harvard University?
A. Academic accomplishment. B. Strong personal qualities.
C. Special talents. D. Unique perspectives.
B
Literature is an important part of a total language arts program at all grade levels because of the many benefits it offers.
Literature provides pleasure to listeners and readers. It is a relaxing escape from daily problems, and it fills leisure moments. Making time for recreational reading and using high-quality literature help to develop enthusiastic readers and improve achievement. Developing a love of literature as a recreational activity is possibly the most important outcome of a literature program.
Literature builds experience. Through reading, children expand their horizons through vicarious (引起共鸣的) experiences. They visit new places, gain new experiences, and meet new people. They learn about the past as well as the present and learn about a variety of cultures, including their own. They discover the common goals and similar emotions found in people of all times and places. Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly, Giff, a hard survival story, is set in Ireland during the potato hunger of 1845, and Patricia Polacco’s The Butterfly, deals with Nazis, resistance, and Jewish persecution (迫害) during World War II.
Literature provides a language model for those who hear and read it. Good literature exposes children to correct sentence patterns, standard story structures, and varied word usage. Children for whom English is a second language can improve their English with the interesting context, and all children benefit from new vocabulary that is woven into the stories.
Literature develops thinking skills. Discussions of literature bring out reasoning related to sequence; cause and effect; character motivation; predictions; visualization of actions, characters, and settings; critical analysis of the story; and creative responses.
Literature helps children deal with their problems. By finding out about the problems of others through books, children receive insights into dealing with their own problems, a process called bibliotherapy. Children might identify with Gilly, living angrily in a foster home in Katherine Paterson’s The Great Gilly Hopkins, or with Mary Alice, a city girl forced to live with her grandma in a “hick town” in Richard Peck’s A Year Down Yonder.
24. What is likely to be the most significant consequence of a literature program?
A. The habit of reading for pleasure.
B. The lessons learned from works.
C. The achievements of language skills.
D. The ways of thinking developed by reading.
25. Why are Nory Ryan’s Song and The Butterfly mentioned in paragraph 3?
A. To introduce two great masterpieces.
B. To expand children's horizons in literature.
C. To prove literature includes a variety of cultures.
D. To give examples of books that provide such experiences.
26. From the last paragraph we know that literature can be_______.
A. educational B. practical C. changeable D. reliable
27. What could be the best title of the text?
A. Power of Books B. Ways of Reading
C. Source of Human Progress D. Benefits of Literature
C
There are billions of people on this planet, and many of us love to eat meat. Can the demand be filled in a sustainable(可持续的) and affordable way? A bunch of businessmen are not only optimistic but are working to make this happen sooner than you may think.
The environmental effects caused by meat consumption (食用)—waste, animal treatment, health problems and even the greenhouse gas effects that are potentially caused by methane gas produced by cows—have given rise to a number of startups(新兴公司)looking to develop meats in different ways.
For example, San Francisco-based Memphis Meats is developing cell-based meats in its labs without requiring any animals. Israel’s Future Meat Technologies is doing the same by producing fat and muscle cells that are being tested by chefs in Jerusalem. All of these companies use special processes to harvest cells from animals and grow them in a lab.
But don’t worry if you’re not a meat lover. Startups such as Jet Eat, which is also based in Israel, are working on food products grown in labs that are plant-based and replicate (复制) meats using natural elements while still keeping flavor, consistency and the “overall sensory experience”, according to a report on NoCamels. Jet Eat, which was founded in early 2018, aims to 3D-print their lab-grown products by 2020.
As you can imagine, there are plenty of barriers facing the industry. Educating the public is a big one. Another controversial issue is the labeling of the products. Recently both the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) announced that they will begin jointly controlling the new “cell-based meat” category.
Many of us have concerns about the challenges facing future generations as our global population increases and the earth’s natural resources decreases. The good news is that there are plenty of businessmen around the world—like those producing lab-grown meats—who are working to solve some of these problems and make a little money in the process. Nothing wrong with that.
28. Why do some companies begin to develop new kinds of meats?
A. To analyses the causes of air pollution.
B. To stress the importance of protecting wild animals.
C. To make people less interested in eating meat and more healthy.
D. To meet people’s demand for meat in environmentally friendly ways.
29. What’s special about the lab-grown meats of Jet Eat?
A. They cost less. B. They are plant-based.
C. They are more delicious. D. They are available on the market now.
30. Which of the following is a barrier lab-grown meat industries must deal with?
A. How to let people accept the meat.
B. How to give the meat an elegant name.
C. How to produce the meat in large amounts.
D. How to reduce the cost of making the meat.
31. What’s the author’s attitude towards lab-grown meats?
A. Supportive. B. Opposing. C. Ambiguous. D. Cautious.
D
Jim McGee was once an Air Force pilot in Vietnam. In 2017, he was seriously ill because his kidneys(肾)were gone.
Jim immediately started dialysis(透析)，but a person of his age on dialysis usually lives only about four years. Transplants are a long-shot alternative. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that 13 people die every day while waiting for a donor with the right blood and tissue types. Jim’s wife, Shirley McGee, and some family friends offered but weren’t a match.
Desperate, Shirley had T-shirts made that said “I’m in need of a donor.” Her husband would wear one whenever he went to downtown Sarasota. No luck.
In early 2018, Jim didn’t feel like attending a reunion of some Air Force buddies in Monterey, California. "I said, ‘Is it really worth going to Monterey to sit in dialysis for two days?’”Jim recalls. "And my wife said, ‘ Yeah，come on. You really want to see your friends.’And I am glad I made that decision.”
In California, Jim reunited with six fellow airmen, including one he hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years: Doug Coffman. The two had met when they both were learning Vietnamese before they went overseas. Jim told Doug and his other comrades about his predicament(困境).
Doug, then 70, happened to have the right blood type and immediately decided to help. But could he? Shirley’s guess was that doctors would tell Doug what they had told her: You’re too old. He immediately had his doctor send his medical records to Georgetown Medical Center, where Jim was being treated.
Within a month, Doug was cleared for major testing. The testing revealed not only that Doug’s tissue type matched Jim’s but also that he had the kidneys of a 35-year-old. When the doctors gave him the OK to donate, Doug immediately called Jim, and asked for the first surgery date available. On September 18，2018，Doug went into surgery at 7:30 a. m.; Jim followed at 9:30 a. m. By noon, they were both in the recovery room. The transplant was a success.
32. Which of the following can best describe Shirley?
A. Knowledgeable and talkative . B. Reasonable and energetic.
C. Outgoing and thankful. D. Helpful and considerate.
33. How did Jim feel about his illness just before going to Monterey?
A. Discouraged. B. Satisfied. C. Ashamed. D. Nervous.
34. Why did Jim McGee decide to go to Monterey?
A. To seek help. B. To practice Vietnamese.
C. To meet his fellow airmen. D. To have a thorough examination there.
35. What can we know about Doug Coffman?
A. He was too old to help. B. He acted without delay in helping Jim.
C.He seldom visited his doctor. D. He was 35 years younger than his age.
第二节 （共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Being Left-handed in a Right-handed World
The world is designed for right-handed people, but why does a tenth of the population prefer the left? 36
The answer to it remains a bit of a mystery. Since scientists have noticed that left-handedness tends to run in families, it's assumed that left-handedness has a genetic(基因的) component to it 37 In fact, identical twins, who share the same genes, can sometimes prefer to use different hands. There are also plenty of theories on what else might determine which hand you write with, but many experts believe that it's kind of random.
Historically, the left side and left-handedness have been considered a negative thing by many cultures. 38 In some areas, the left hand became known as the "unclean" hand. In many religions, the right hand of God is the favored hand. For example, Jesus sits at God's right side. God's left hand, however, is the hand of judgment. Various activities and experiences become rude or even signs of bad luck when the left hand becomes involved. In some parts of Scotland, it is considered bad luck to meet a left-handed person at the start of a journey. 39 A person giving directions will put their left hand behind them and even physically try to point with their right hand if necessary. In some Asian countries, eating with the left hand is considered impolite.
40 People come to realize that left-handedness is natural. People even noticed that many famous people are left-handed, including Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Charlie Chaplin. Some researchers find out that lefties are more creative and can deal with abstract thinking better. The left-handedness is more easily adaptable to the right-handed world as well. Being left-handed is no longer a sad story now; instead, it is a wonderful gift or maybe it is something you should take pride in.
A. In other words, left-handers are born that way.
B. Left-handedness used to be regarded as a disability.
C. The unfavorable associations of the use of the left hand among cultures are varied.
D. Why do they prefer to use their left hand rather than their right hand for routine activities?
E. Why do some parents force their left-handed children to become right-handed when writing?
F. In Ghana, pointing, gesturing, giving or receiving items with the left hand is considered rude.
G. Fortunately, nowadays most societies and cultures no longer reject left-handedness like before.
第三部分 语言知识运用（共两节，满分45分）
第一节（共20小题：每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family 41 an ant farm at home. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we brought some ants from the backyard and placed them into the 42 home.
Shortly after the new 43 were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew 44 what to do. After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had assigned jobs. With my mom ' s help, I kept a diary of what happened each day and 45 the ants. My favorite was the biggest , Cinderella. I drew a picture of her in my diary, which I still have .
      One day a tragedy 46 the ant farm.While I was observing the ants , I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally 47 it over. Unfortunately, my carelessness caused all the tunnels to 48 . Although the ants 49 their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was 50 as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were actually dying of "frustration"--- the feeling annoyed and disappointed as they couldn’t control the situation . They simply could not 51 the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed. Cinderella was the last to die ---she did so while carrying a dead ant on her back .
       Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, 52 it taught me much more. 53 the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of 54 . Working together, they were able to create a(an) 55 world for themselves. I also learned that they should be 56 for their hard work. Day in and day out, each labored at their task. The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key 57 for success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not 58 until recently: Disaster is a natural part of life, and must be 59 . Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face 60 . Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in , we just have to build another.
41.A. created B. bought C. ran D. laid
42.A. empty B. new C. strange D. distant
43.A. guests B. settlers C. friends D. members
44.A. probably B. roughly C. exactly D. normally
45.A. named B. trained C. compared D. measured
46.A. affected B. struck C. kicked D. beat
47.A. split B. took C. tipped D. handed
48.A. rush out B. break in C. drop out D. cave in
49.A. experienced B. predicted C. faced D. survived
50.A. annoyed B. astonished C. moved D. thrilled
51.A. reflect B. ignore C. confirm D.stand
52.A.and B. but C. so D. or
53.A. In B. For C. From D. Over
54.A. teamwork B. devotion C. responsibility D. organization
55.A. relaxing B. amusing C. moving D. amazing
56.A. supported B. inspired C. admired D. admitted
57.A. conclusions B. solutions C. recipes D. circumstances
58.A. give B. realize C. take D. adopt
59.A. accepted B. suffered C. escaped D. managed
60.A. challenges B. barriers C. pressure D. disappointment
第二节 语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
It is expected 61 over 100,000 people will take part in a massive parade at Beijing’s Tian’an men Square on the morning of Oct 1, National Day, 62 (celebrate) the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“ 63 (participate) from all walks of life and ethnic groups will attend 64 ceremony, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots(同胞), overseas Chinese and foreigners 65 (include)”, said Du Feijin, head of the publicity department of the Beijing Committee of the Communist Party of China. “Tian’anmen Square will feature red decorations representing the 66 (glory) history of the Party as it led the Chinese revolution to victory”, he said, 67 (add) that 70 red lanterns would be hung parallel 68 the east and west sides of the square. Starting next month, a series of activities like raising the national flag, singing the national anthem and commemorating revolutionary martyrs(烈士) will be held nationwide to let 69 (many) people take part in celebrating the birthday of the motherland. Besides, a documentary which features highlights during the 70-year journey 70 (broadcast) on TV.
第四部分 写作（共两节，满分35分）
第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
A recent survey shows most students communicate with their parents regularly, and there are still some who think it embarrassed to share their feelings with their parents. Actually, everyone should attach important to family communication, because not only does it strengthen the bond of the family but also bridge the gap between parents and children. In addition to, sharing your personal problems and emotions will great help reduce the pressure on you. As a result, our confidence will be built up. As for my family, we have special dinner together every Saturday evening, over that everyone present takes turns to sharing one problem and the others try to offer solutions. In this way the whole family can enjoy every single bit of life.
第二节 书面表达（满分25分）
假如你是李华，最近你所在城市设立了“汉字书写日”。你的美国笔友John 对此很感兴趣，写信向你询问，请你给他写一封信。内容包括：
1、 设立原因：人们提笔忘字，写汉字的机会减少；
2、 日期：9月28日，孔子（Confucius）诞辰；
3、 活动：书法（calligraphy）竞赛及展览等。
注意：1、字数100左右；2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3、开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear John,
I’m writing to tell you something about Chinese Character Writing Day in our city.


Yours,
Li Hua
2020届高三第一次五校联考英语试题答案
1～5CABCA 6～10ABCBA 11～15BBBCA 16～20CACAB
阅读理解：
21-23 DCA 24-27 ADBD 28--31. D B AA 32-35 DACB
七选五：36-40 DACFG
完形填空：
41-45 ABBCA 46-50 BCDDB 51-55 DBDAD
56-60 CCBAD
语法填空：
61. that 62. to celebrate 63. Participants
64. the 65. included 66. glorious
67. adding 68. to 69. more
70. will be broadcast
短文改错：
(1) 将and改为but；
(2)将embarrassed改为embarrassing；
(3)将important改为importance；
(4)将bridge改为bridges；
(5)将to去掉；
(6)将great改为greatly；
(7)将our改为your；
(8) 在have和special之间加a
(9)将that改为which；
(10)将sharing改为share；


原文
Text 1
M: Before feeding the dog, I’m going to clear up its house.
W: It’s about time. Look at the mess! It smells terrible.
Text 2
M: Make one copy of this document for me and twenty for other managers.
W: OK, Mr. Collins. As soon as I send the e-mail to the important client, I will go to deal with this.
Text 3
M: The food in this restaurant is pretty good. And they also give the best service.
W: That’s right. Have you been here before?
M: No, but my friend Bob often comes here.
Text 4
M: I’d like to make an appointment to see Dr. Owen on Tuesday morning.
W: But he’s not free then. What about Wednesday afternoon or Friday morning?
M: I can’t come any afternoon. I suppose I’ll have to have the morning appointment then.
Text 5
W: Can I help you?
M: Yes, I’d like to buy a birthday cake for my mother.
W: We have three sizes, small, medium and large with different styles. Which would you prefer?
M: The size doesn’t matter. But I want something special. Do you have one in the shape of a rose?
Text 6
M: Oh, look at those earrings, Maria. They’re perfect for you.
W: These red ones? Red isn’t a good color for me.
M: No, ⑥the yellow ones.
W: ⑥Oh, these? Hmm, it’s too big for me.
M: Well, ⑦that necklace looks nice.
W: Which one?
M: ⑦That blue one right there. How much is it?
W: It’s $1, 200. That’s too expensive.
M: ⑦Hey, let me get it for you. It’s your birthday present.
Text 7
W: What a day! First, I forgot to put the chicken into the fridge.
M: What happened?
W: I found it went bad when I prepared for my lunch. ⑧Then I tried to use my computer, but I couldn’t get a Wi-Fi signal.
M: Oh, no!
W: After that, I tried to use the cleaner.
M: Let me guess. It didn’t pick up the dirt.
W: Worse! It spread dirt around the room instead of picking it up.
M: Did you have your robot help?
W: Of course. ⑨It helped me clean the outside windows.
M: That’s really amazing!
Text 8
M: Hi, Cathy. How are you doing?
W: I’m well, thanks Paul. How are you?
M: I’m fine. (10)I’m just calling to get some directions from the airport for when I come to meet you next week.
W: OK, well … when you arrive, there is a taxi stand straight outside. It is probably your best choice in terms of getting to my office from the airport. There is a bus as well which costs you only $5.
M: OK, (11)but you’d recommend a taxi, would you?
W: (11)Yeah.
M: (11)OK, and how much do you think that would cost?
W: About $20. And it should take you more than 30 minutes to get to the office.
M: (12)So I will have plenty of time to make our three o’clock meeting, then.
W: Oh, yes.
M: Great! Thanks very much. Bye!
W: No worries. Look forward to seeing you.
Text 9
W: When are you going to Europe? Next week?
M: Yes. (13)I’m leaving Los Angeles on Monday. Then I’ll work with Tanya Dolan in the London office the next day. I’m meeting my manager Sue Redman on Wednesday, and then I’m going to Paris.
W: Really? (14)Why are you going to Paris? On business?
M: No. (14)I’m taking a break. I’m having two days off.
W: Good idea. So, (15)how are you traveling to Paris? Are you driving?
M: No, (15)I’m taking a train.
W: Oh, right.
M: Then I’m staying in Paris for two nights.
W: Great. So how will you go back to LA from Paris?
M: I’m going back to London on the train first. Then I’m flying home on Saturday afternoon.
W: OK.
M: I’m arriving in LA at midnight.
W: So is it a non-stop flight between LA and London?
M: No, I’m not flying direct. I’m by way of LA, New York, and London. Then, (16)on the flight home, I’m changing in Chicago.
Text 10
M: Hi, my name’s Sam Conti and my job is making and selling chocolate. People often ask how I got into this business. Well, my parents wanted me to study medicine or economics at university, (17)but at the time I thought law might open more doors, so that’s what I did. But life doesn’t always work out the way you plan it. After college, I spent one year in South America, where I fell in love with growing cocoa beans. It is not an easy job, because cocoa beans can be easily affected by weather—much more than other fruit like apples or bananas. (18)In fact, the beans are more like grapes, so each year’s crop is of a different quality.
When I came home, I decided to open a small shop making and selling my own chocolate. That was hard work I can tell you, because so much can go wrong with chocolate. (19)The hardest bit is melting it in the right way, but cooling it correctly isn’t easy either. To learn the trade, I set about testing all the chocolate I could find. (20)Another thing I like to do is write up my experiments. I keep a diary for this. It’s the key to my success.