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It snowed chocolate in a Swiss town

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Swiss Chocolate - Level 4

Switzerland is famous for its quality chocolate brands. However, residents in a town near Zurich got a big surprise this week. It started snowing chocolate. Locals wondered if this was a bizarre result of climate change. The local chocolate maker said the brown "snow" was because of a minor defect in cooling systems at its factory. Cocoa dust escaped and strong winds whipped up the chocolate and sprinkled it over the town.

A thin layer of light brown dust covered the town. The company offered to pay for any cleaning because of the accident. A spokeswoman said crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said engineers were fixing the technical problem. This incident led to many jokes on social media. One wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another said: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

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Swiss Chocolate - Level 5

Switzerland is world-renowned for its quality chocolate. It has a global reputation for its premium brands. However, residents in a town near Zurich got the surprise of their lives this week. It started snowing chocolate. Locals wondered if the brown dusting was a bizarre result of climate change. All became clear after the local chocolate maker said the brown shower was because of a malfunction at its factory. The chocolate maker confirmed that a minor defect in its cooling systems allowed gusty winds to whip up chocolate dust and sprinkle it over the town.

A fine layer of light brown, milk-chocolate-flavoured dust covered the town. The company offered to pay for any cleaning services required as a result of the accident. A spokeswoman reassured people near the factory that crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said engineers are working on repairing the technical hitch. The cocoa-dust incident led to a lot of jokes on social media. A Twitter user wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another tweeter posted a comment saying: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Swiss Chocolate - Level 6

Switzerland is renowned the world over for the quality of its chocolate. The nation has earned an international reputation for its premium chocolate brands. However, residents in the Swiss town of Olten, near Zurich, got the surprise of their lives earlier this week when it started snowing chocolate. Some locals wondered if the brown dusting was a bizarre consequence of climate change. However, all became clear after the local chocolate manufacturer revealed the brown shower was the result of a malfunction at its factory. The chocolate maker Lindt confirmed that a minor defect in its cooling ventilation systems allowed gusty winds to whip up chocolate dust and sprinkle it over the town.

Many parts of the town were covered in a fine layer of light brown, milk-chocolate-flavoured dust. A representative from Lindt offered to pay for any cleaning services required as a result of the event. To date, no one has asked for help. The spokeswoman reassured people in the vicinity of the factory that crushed cocoa beans are harmless to human health and the environment. She added that factory engineers are currently working on repairing the technical hitch. The cocoa-dust incident led to a lot of banter on social media. A Twitter user wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another tweeter posted a comment saying: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson



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