Lights, cameras, action! It’s movie night with your friends. And you’re looking for something to snack on during the movie. What better snack to choose than popcorn? In American culture, popcorn and movies are closely tied together. It is one of the most popular snacks offered at a movie theater. Popcorn is a popular treat made out of corn kernels that have been ‘popped’ by heat. Often times, the popped corn is covered with melted butter and salt to give the snack more flavor.
Popcorn has a history that goes back about 5,000 years ago to the American Indians. Corn was a major part of their diet, so they had many different ways of preparing it. They made popcorn by tossing prepared corn kernels onto a bed of hot stones over a fire. As the popcorn shot out in various directions, people made a game to see who could catch the most popcorn. Naturally, the prize was being able to enjoy this delicious snack. In fact, people loved the snack so much that they began to serve it with cream and sugar for breakfast.
In the late 19
th century, popcorn carts began appearing on almost every American street corner. These carts were big hits at fairs, carnivals, and expositions. Later on, home version of popcorn poppers became available, and the snack became even more popular. Not to mention, this was also around the time when popcorn was introduced to the movie theaters.
One of the biggest innovations for popcorn was microwaveable popcorn. For people who did not want to go through the trouble of making popcorn at home, microwaveable popcorn was nice alternative. Today, there are many variations for eating popcorn. There’s the classic buttered popcorn, the sweet alternative of caramel corn (where the popcorn is covered in a light coat of molasses), and others such as cheesy popcorn (popcorn covered in a layer of cheese dust).
小題1:Where do people often eat popcorn in America?
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小題2:What do people often put on the top of the popcorn to make it more delicious?
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小題3:When did people start to see popcorn carts on American Streets?
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小題4:Can people make popcorn at home in America?
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小題5:What’s the main idea of the passage?
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