Potatoes: More Than Just Fries!
Reading (閱讀)
Did you know that the potato, a very common food today, has an exciting history? This simple vegetable is not only a tasty food but also an important part of world history.
Potatoes first came from South America, near the Andes Mountains. Hundreds of years ago, people there grew many different kinds of potatoes. For the ancient Inca people, potatoes were a very important food source.
When Spanish explorers came to South America in the 1500s, they discovered this new food. They took potatoes back to Europe. However, at first, many Europeans were afraid to eat them! They thought potatoes looked strange and might be poison.
Later, people learned that potatoes were safe and good to eat. A French scientist showed that potatoes not only tasted good but also provided great energy. Today, potatoes are one of the most popular foods in the world. We can not only boil or bake them but also make them into delicious fries and chips. It's a vegetable that truly changed the world! But remember, eating too many oily fries is not always a healthy choice.
Vocabulary (字彙)
common a. [ˋkɑmən] 常見的；普遍的
Happening often or found in many places.
Ex: The potato is a very common food today. (馬鈴薯在今日是一種非常普遍的食物。)
history n. [ˋhɪstərɪ] 歷史
The study of past events.
Ex: This simple vegetable is an important part of world history. (這個簡單的蔬菜是世界歷史重要的一部分。)
vegetable n. [ˋvɛdʒətəbl] 蔬菜
A plant or part of a plant used as food.
Ex: This simple vegetable is not only a tasty food but also an important part of world history. (這個簡單的蔬菜不僅是美味的食物，也是世界歷史重要的一部分。)
explorer n. [ɪkˋsplorɚ] 探險家
A person who travels to places where no one has ever been in order to find out what is there.
Ex: Spanish explorers came to South America in the 1500s. (西班牙探險家在1500年代來到南美洲。)
discover v. [dɪˋskʌvɚ] 發現
To find information, a place, or an object, especially for the first time.
Ex: They discovered this new food. (他們發現了這個新的食物。)
provide v. [prəˋvaɪd] 提供
To give something that is needed or wanted to someone.
Ex: ...potatoes not only tasted good but also provided great energy. (...馬鈴薯不僅好吃，也提供很棒的能量。)
delicious a. [dɪˋlɪʃəs] 美味的
Having a very pleasant taste or smell.
Ex: We can make them into delicious fries and chips. (我們可以將它們做成美味的薯條和洋芋片。)
healthy a. [ˋhɛlθɪ] 健康的
Good for your health.
Ex: Eating too many oily fries is not always a healthy choice. (吃太多油炸薯條不見得是個健康的選擇。)
Sentence (句型)
not only... but also... (不僅...而且...)
這篇文章使用了三種不同的 `not only... but also...` 句型：
1. S. + be V. + not only + Adj./N. + but also + Adj./N. (主詞是...)
Ex: `This simple vegetable is not only a tasty food but also an important part of world history.`
2. S. + V. + not only + V./N. + but also + V./N. (主詞做...)
Ex: `A French scientist showed that potatoes not only tasted good but also provided great energy.`
3. S. + Aux. V. + not only + V. + but also + V. (主詞能...)
Ex: `We can not only boil or bake them but also make them into delicious fries and chips.`
Grammar (文法)
1. 過去簡單式 (Simple Past Tense)
本文在描述馬鈴薯的歷史故事時，大量使用了過去簡單式來陳述過去發生的事件。
規則動詞變化：discovered, tasted, provided
不規則動詞變化：
- come → came
- grow → grew
- be → was / were
- take → took
- think → thought
Phrase (片語)
come from (來自): Potatoes first came from South America.
at first (起初；一開始): ...at first, many Europeans were afraid to eat them!
make into (將...做成...): ...make them into delicious fries and chips.
Countable & Uncountable Nouns
[C] (可數名詞): potato, food, history, vegetable, mountain, kind, explorer, European, scientist, fry, chip, choice
[U] (不可數名詞): poison, energy
