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). 

1.Where do people often eat popcorn in America?

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2.What do people often put on the top of the popcorn to make it more delicious?

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3.When did people start to see popcorn carts on American Streets?

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4.Can people make popcorn at home in America?

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5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

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I’m glad it’s Sunday again. I can stay in bed   36 I like, drinking tea and   37   those thick newspapers that are brought  38  the newsboy through the letterbox at 8:30. In this way, I can catch up with all the   39  I haven’t got time to read during my work time.

When I   40  the papers, I then prepare my bath. The Sunday morning bath is   41  of the week. There’s no need to hurry because there’s no bus to   42  and my friends are told not to call me up before noon on Sundays, so there is no danger of   43    by the telephone.

  44 spend the afternoon after lunch is always a bit of problem. In summer I can go to the park and sit in a chair   45  boys playing football, while in winter I sit in front of the fire and   46   when reading a book, sometimes I turn on the television and sleep through an old film.  

Then there’s the   47 ahead of me. Perhaps I’ll call on some friends or go to the cinema   48   a new film I want to see or to town for a concert. Oh, there are   49   pleasant ways of passing Sunday evenings. The only sad thing is that Monday morning is getting    50 .

I’m glad it’s Sunday again. I can stay in bed   36 I like, drinking tea and   37   those thick newspapers that are brought  38  the newsboy through the letterbox at 8:30. In this way, I can catch up with all the   39  I haven’t got time to read during my work time.
When I   40  the papers, I then prepare my bath. The Sunday morning bath is   41  of the week. There’s no need to hurry because there’s no bus to   42  and my friends are told not to call me up before noon on Sundays, so there is no danger of   43    by the telephone.
  44 spend the afternoon after lunch is always a bit of problem. In summer I can go to the park and sit in a chair   45  boys playing football, while in winter I sit in front of the fire and   46   when reading a book, sometimes I turn on the television and sleep through an old film.  
Then there’s the   47 ahead of me. Perhaps I’ll call on some friends or go to the cinema   48   a new film I want to see or to town for a concert. Oh, there are   49   pleasant ways of passing Sunday evenings. The only sad thing is that Monday morning is getting    50 .