The United States has always been a country of many cultures. Before Europeans came to North America, many groups of Native Americans lived here. Different Native American groups had different cultures. The first Europeans in the United States were from England and Holland, but immigrants came from all European countries. Many people also immigrated from Asia and Africa. Sadly, many Africans were brought to the United States as slaves. Many immigrants come from Latin America too. Today, the United States has people from more cultures than ever.

In the 19th century, people spoke of the United States as a “melting pot.” People thought that all immigrates should forget their native cultures and languages and become English-speaking Americans. They felt that people should assimilate-join American culture. However, not everyone wanted to assimilate completely. Many people tried to keep parts of their cultures, such as foods, customs, and languages. However, their children often forgot their parents’ or grandparents’ language. But most Americans, even those whose families have been here a long time, can tell the countries their relatives came from. And of course, new immigrants take great pride in their curare and language.

For all of these reasons, melting pot is no longer a good way to describe the United States. Instead, people now call the United States a “salad bowl.” They say salad bowl because in a salad, you can still see all of the individual parts (lettuce, tomato, and so on), but all the different parts mixed together and begin to take on the flavor of one another.

The history of chocolate begins with a plant whose name is cacao. For centuries, people worldwide have been enjoying the rich favor of chocolate, a product made from cacao. 【小题1】 Americans eat an average of more than five kilograms of chocolate per person every year. The specialty shop shows the culture of chocolate and sells chocolates from different areas of the world.

Historians believe the Mayan people of Central America first learned to farm cacao plants around 2,000 years ago. 【小题2】 Then they grew them around their homes. They cooked the cacao seeds and pressed them into soft powder. They mixed the powder with water to make a delicious chocolate drink. There are often images of cacao plants on Maya buildings and art objects. The rulers drank chocolate at ceremonies. 【小题3】

The Aztecs also valued chocolate in the Aztec culture. But the cacao plant could not grow in the area where they lived. 【小题4】 They even used cacao seeds as a form of money to pay or give as offerings to the gods. Only the very wealthy people in Aztec societies could afford to drink chocolate because cacao was so valuable.

The explorer Christopher Columbus brought cacao seeds to Spain after his trip to Central America in 1502. The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed the chocolate drink. 【小题5】 Nowadays, the English, Dutch and French all plant cacao trees in their own countries.

For thousands of years, humans have built cities. Some of our oldest cities have managed to remain pieces of their original characteristics while others have disappeared completely.

One of these lost cities belonged to the Anasazi people who lived in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. They built houses along the river that ran through the valley. For nearly 300 years, the Chaco Canyon was the population center of many desert cities. Now nothing is left of this busy city but ruins. Scientists think that drought may have made the Anasazi suffer from starvation (饥荒) or that some kind of disease killed off many of the people. However, no one knows for sure what happened to the people of the Chaco Canyon.

Another lost city sits high atop the Andes Mountains in Peru: the city of Machu Picchu. It was once among the most powerful cities in South America. It was home to the Incan emperor. In 1527, its citizens packed up their belongings and moved for unknown reasons. Scientists guess that smallpox, a disease brought by European explorers, was the cause of Machu Picchu’s downfall. Today, tourists from all over the world climb thousands of steep stone steps to view the ruins of this once great city.

Yet another city that is no more was called Pompeii. This was one of the wealthiest cities of ancient Italy. This beautiful seaside city was a lively center of trade. However, a storm of lava (火山岩浆), smoke, and ash from Mt. Vesuvius buried the city of Pompeii, putting an end to its prosperity (繁华). Scientists have studied the ruins of Pompeii, which led to new discoveries about ancient civilizations of Europe.

Humans have always built cities as centers for trade, business, and family life. Cities that have been lost provide information about the past, helping to inform our future. By studying lost cities, we can learn how to protect our current cities.