Who hasn’t enjoyed eating peanuts? Did you know that although peanuts look like nuts and taste like nuts, they aren’t nuts at all? They belong to the pea family, so they are called peanuts. The peanut grows flowers above ground, but its “fruit” grows underground. It grows in more countries than most other “nuts”.
The peanut is a native South American plant. Scientists believe that it grew wild in Brazil long ago. They think that for several thousand years the early peoples of South America made it a part of their diet. These peoples were nomads who moved on when a natural food could no longer be found in one area. Along the way they probably let fall some peanuts, which got into the ground and grew. This is believed to be the way the plant reached the place where the Incas（印加人）lived. The Incas, from about 1100 to 1532, thought highly of peanuts. The peanuts were eaten in several forms and used as sacrificial offerings（祭品）to the Incan Sun God. Later in the 16th century, European soldiers had brought peanuts to other parts of the world, including North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Pacific Islands.
Although peanuts were found native in South America, they are now grown in almost every country that has warm weather. India produces the most peanuts. China’s production is next, followed by the United States.
The peanut is special in more ways than one. It can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried. Hundreds of widely different products have been made from it. Carver, an American scientist, set himself the task of discovering new uses for eating and for many other products.
Peanuts are very highly nutritious and are also high in protein （蛋白质）. Americans use about seven-tenths of their protein in the form of meat. In India, where the poor can’t pay for meat or milk, peanut meal and peanut milk have been produced. These have been a great help to the poor.
New products are continually being made from peanuts, among them peanut cheese and a powder that becomes peanut butter when water is added. The fact is that peanuts are so healthy that they were used by astronauts. The unusual nut that isn’t a nut is one of nature’s most amazing gifts.
小题1: Although we like eating peanuts, many of us don’t know peanuts belong to _______ family.
| A．the pea | B．the nut | C．both the pea and the nut | D．neither the pea nor the nut |
小题2: Which paragraph（段落）mainly talks about the history of the peanut?
| A．Paragraph Four | B．Paragraph Three |
| C．Paragraph Two | D．Paragraph One |
小题3:What does the underlined word nutritious mean?
| A．Helpful for staying healthy. | B．Helpful to the poor. |
| C．Delicious and tasty. | D．Rich in fat and oil. |
小题4: Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Nomads always stayed in the same place. |
| B．The peanut was first found in South America. |
| C．Astronauts ate lots of peanuts to keep healthy. |
| D．China grows fewer peanuts than the US. |
小题5:What is the purpose of the article?
| A．To show that peanuts belong to the pea family. |
| B．To advise us to use more peanut products. |
| C．To tell us some new uses of peanuts. |
| D．To let us know more about peanuts. |
