Spices (香料) are global now. But once they were restricted to certain regions, were highly costly and even more valuable than gold! Spices have come a long way since then. They are now used for varieties of purposes.
Spices are mainly found in tropical (热带的) areas. Spices were more commonly used in warmer climates as a way to treat infectious diseases in ancient times. They are commonly found in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and east Africa.
The written record of spices dates back to the ancient India, China, and Egypt 3,500 years ago. In the 6th century BC, spices were introduced to Europe from Southeast Asia.
In Europe, the most common spices in the middle age were cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and black pepper. These were among the most expensive products at that time. No wonder they were popular among noble people in Europe. King of Aragon wanted to put them in wine.
During these times, the spices were fundamentally imported from plantations (种植园) in Africa and Asia. This was the main reason why they were expensive. The Republic of Venice established a monopoly (垄断) on the trade of spices from the 8th to 15th century with the Middle East. This made the region very rich. About 1,000 tons of spices were imported every year into Western Europe.
Considering the high prices of spices, Portugal and Spain were increasingly getting interested in finding new trade routes for spices from Asia. This was the main reason that drove Portuguese navigator (航海家) Vasco da Gama to sail to India. He found that pepper was at much lower prices than those of Venice. During this time only, Columbus came back from the New World. He told about the new spices available there to the investors.
Portuguese were able to control the sea routes to India with the help of their military force. This enabled Portuguese to trade directly with the Maluku Islands, China, and Siam.
12. What was spice once used as in warm areas?
A.Medicine. | B.Food. | C.Money. | D.Decoration. |
13. Why did Portugal and Spain explore new Asian spice trade routes?
A.To promote spices. | B.To make a profit. |
C.To explore the new world | D.To control the world trade. |
14. How is the text mainly developed?
A.In time order | B.By analyzing reasons |
C.By citing historical documents. | D.According to the change of locations. |
15. What is mainly talked about in this text?
A.The spice trade. | B.The origin of spices. | C.The history of spices. | D.Legends about spices. |