Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. refrigeration
    • ex. Good refrigeration is essential in restaurants to prevent food from going bad.
  2. a vendor
    • ex. A street vendor sells hot sausages and drinks outside the train station every morning.
  3. a patent
    • ex. The company has a patent for the new software, so no one else can sell it without permission.
  4. edible
    • ex. The flowers on top of the birthday cake are completely edible.
  5. pastry
    • ex. The baker uses fresh pastry to make pies.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Ice cream was a rare and expensive treat for centuries because keeping ice was difficult. In the 1800s, mechanical refrigeration made ice cream cheaper and more common. At first, vendors served ice cream in reusable glass cups. They rarely washed these cups properly, raising health concerns. So, London banned selling ice cream in these glass cups in 1898.

In 1902, Italian immigrant Antonio Valvona received a U.S. patent for a device that made an edible cup shaped like a waffle. But it was the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair that made the cone famous. There, Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian immigrant, turned his crispy, fried pastry into cone shapes called “cornucopias” when a nearby ice cream vendor ran out of paper cups.

The new edible design quickly became popular. By 1910, people were using the shorter word “cone” instead of “cornucopia,” and Hamwi started a cone company. Machines later made cones faster, and lighter cake cones appeared in the early 1940s. Today, Americans eat less ice cream than in the past, but it remains a popular summer treat.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Ice Cream Cups and Cones

  • Before ice cream cones were made, people ate ice cream out of reusable glass cups. Which do you prefer: eating ice cream in a cone or in a cup? Discuss.
  • The ice cream cone started when a vendor turned his simple fried pastry into a container. What local bread or pastry do you think would make a great ice cream container (ex. "shokupan," brownies)? Discuss.
  • Over time, vendors changed how they served ice cream to make it easier to eat. How is ice cream usually served or eaten in your country today? Discuss.

Ice Cream Culture

  • According to the article, ice cream remains a popular summer treat. Would you say that it is indeed a popular summer treat in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In the past, vendors sold ice cream at big public fairs. Where do people in your country usually go to buy and enjoy ice cream? Discuss.
  • If you could create a new and unique ice cream flavor that represents your culture, what would it be and why? Discuss.