节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-05-28
难易度:High
关键字:popularize, ubiquitous, frigid, patent
Welcome back, everybody.
We are eating our way through six tasty treats, finding out how old they are,
where they come from and how they got their names.
Our next fun snack is the popsicle starting on line 12.
(Music).
Where Did Those Tasty Treats Come From?
Popsicles.
An absent-minded 11-year-old boy is responsible for this favorite frozen treat.
One cold night in 1905, Frank Epperson accidentally left a stick in a cup of
flavored water outside on his back porch.
The drink froze solid during the night.
The next day Epperson found the water frozen onto the stick and called it the
"Epsicle." His friends loved his frigid treat, and in later years, his kids did
too.
They asked for "Pop's sicle." In 1923, Epperson applied for a patent and later
sold the rights to the brand name "popsicle" to a New York company.
(Music).
All right. So we've taken a look at Kaylah's favorite tasty treat.
Now let's learn about another one that is very common all around the world -
popsicles.
Popsicles.
Well, these are fun summer tasty treat to enjoy.
Well, these actually came from a child.
That's right.
An absent-minded 11-year-old boy is responsible for this favorite frozen treat.
And we see here he is absent minded.
What does it mean if you're absent minded?
If you are absent minded, that means you're not really thinking all the time.
Often you forget things, and you're not focused on all the correct things at the
right time.
I am a very absent-minded person.
OK. Now I think I can be absent minded a lot too, actually.
Um, for right now we're looking at this favorite frozen treat.
Some of you might wonder what is a popsicle.
You can see a picture of them on page 48.
And these are frozen.
They're a very sweet treat on a stick.
So we're going to see how they got made.
Well, one cold night in 1905, Frank Epperson accidentally left a stick in a cup
of flavored water outside on his back porch.
So 1905, these have been around for a long time.
That's true.
And this little boy, Frank, he was 11 years old.
He left this stick in a cup of sweet flavored water.
Now I think maybe he was just drinking the water.
And that was good enough for him.
But after he left it outside on a cold night, something happened to it.
That's right. He left it on the back porch.
Now a back porch is actually the part of a house that is open to the outside.
It's not... does not have walls.
So the air is whatever the outside temperature is.
And that's important because it's cold outside, which means the drink froze
solid during the night.
Yeah. So it got cold enough in the night for the drink to turn solid, to turn to
ice.
And so he came back in the next day, he found the water frozen onto the stick
that he left in it, and he decided to call it the Epsicle.
The Epsicle.
Now why would he call it an Epsicle?
Well, "Ep-" Epperson is his last name.
And "sicle," when we talk about an "icicle," that is what is hanging from a roof
or a doorway where water has dripped and has frozen.
And so those are "icicles." And so it's kind of that idea of being a frozen
strip.
And so he put his name and the end of this word together to create a word.
Exactly. I think it's very creative.
He just decided to add his name to the word "icicle." But of course, they're
called "popsicles" today.
So let's find out how the name changed.
Well, his friends loved his frigid treat, and in later years, his kids did too.
So he shared this with his friends, and they really liked it.
Yeah, they liked the frigid treat.
Now the word "frigid" means that something is extremely cool.
Obviously, popsicles... and the "Epsicle" is a frozen treat.
So it's extremely cold.
That's right.
It is a cold treat, something we enjoy in the summer.
Well, his friends really liked it.
And then later, when he was a father, his kids enjoyed it as well.
They would often ask for Pop's sicle.
Oh, OK. See, now this is looking more familiar.
Now the word "Pop" is another word we can use for dad or father.
A child might call his father, "hey, Pop." And so he... he asked for Pop's
sicle.
That's right. Now we used "Pop" more often.
And later, like much older, we don't often call our fathers "Pop" anymore.
We call them Dad.
But it is a name to refer to your dad.
So this was "Pop's" as in it belonged to him.
And it was... still his sicle, like an icicle.
So there's the name.
Exactly. So now we see how popsicles they were formed.
Now we know how they got their name.
But there's still more to it.
In 1923, Epperson applied for a patent and later sold the rights to the brand
name "popsicle" to a New York company.
That's right.
So when you get a patent... we say he applied for and got a patent.
A "patent" is an official legal right to make or sell an invention.
Or in this case, this name, both the "popsicle" name as well as the creation
itself.
Exactly. So basically, a patent is a document.
It tells... it told him that he is able to make these "popsicles" and sell them
and make money off of them.
And it became a company, a very large company that is now all over the world
selling these tasty treats.
That's right.
So here two tasty treats we've talked about - french fries and popsicles.
So don't forget where your favorite tasty treats come from.
We'll talk about more of those later.
But for now, let's see today's skit.
Today we're talking about tasty treats: french fries, ice cream cones and
donuts. Mmm.
Mmm. Hooray! I love tasty treats.
But I have a question.
Where did these popular treats come from?
Oh, good question.
Let's find out.
Uh, take french fries...
OK, thanks! I'd love to.
Now, where do french fries come from?
Ooh, ooh. I know!
French fries come from France.
Actually, both France and Belgium claim the invention of the ubiquitous french
fry.
Oh. Well, maybe we should call them belgium fries.
Or maybe they should call them American fries?
American fries? That's silly.
It is silly.
Americans did not invent the potato creation.
But they did perfect it and popularize it.
Oh. And they did a great job.
Everyone around the world loves french fries.
Yes! And now the treat that everybody loves is the popsicle.
Oh... I have a question.
Yes.
Where did popsicles come from?
Well, one cold night in 1905, a young boy accidentally left a cup of flavored
water outside.
And it froze solid like an icicle?
Yes. His friends loved the frozen treat, and in later years, his children loved
it too.
And I love it "three." It's the popular popsicle.
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And time really flies.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more Language Tips.
Thank you, Michelle.
We appreciate those tips.
Now friends, visit the Studio Classroom English Corner and let us know what your
favorite snack is and why.
More tasty treats coming up tomorrow.
Until then, I hope all of you have a great Monday.