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High in the hills of Yemen, a country in the Middle East, a young boy watched as his goats ate the red fruit of an unfamiliar bush. When they stopped eating, the goats began to run around and play excitedly. And they continued playing in the night. They hardly stopped to rest Kaldi, the boy, was intrigued . The next evening he brought home some of the fruit. His father boiled them and drank the liquid. That night, he did not sleep either. In fact, he fact, he felt so fresh and alert, he worked through the night News of this stimulating drink soon spread far and wide . If this story is true, it tells how coffee as a beverage was discovered.
In the years after, coffee became very popular with tourists to area. It appeared in Europe towards the end of the sixteenth century, and people, especially the rich and famous, spent a great
1. became interested or curious
2. exciting; invigorating or giving fresh fresh strength and energy
3. everywhere; extensively or over a large area
4. a prepared drink, especially if hot, how or coffee
deal of time in coffee houses. Around this time, too, the growing of coffee was introduced to other parts of the world. Today, the main coffee-growing countries are in South America and Africa. Indonesia, in Asia, grows a lot of coffee, too.
The coffee plant has shiny, dark green leaves growing in pairs. In the wild, it may grow from 2 to over 10 metres tall. However, when cultivated , it is normally kept at 3 metres. The tree needs a wet climate without great variation in temperature: the range between 17 and 23 degrees Celsius is best. It lives for twenty-five to forty years, with white flowers first appearing after five. Flowering times and picking seasons vary greatly from area to area.
The coffee fruit, or berry, contains two seeds, called beans. Coffee powder is made from these beans. They do not stay in good condition long. For a long time, people tried to find ways to give them a longer storage life. Success came in 1938, when a process was developed to dry the beans and turn them into powder. Instant coffee was then ready to be served any time
5. grown as a crop
6. storing or keeping in reserve for use in the future
7. a procedure or a method with steps that a product goes through as it is being made
8. immediate; for food and drinks, quickly and easily prepared