[LIFE ★]
SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT COCA-COLA
(P1) It’s easy to jump on the “down with big soda” train, seeing as more and more evidence links Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and their thousands upon thousands of products with obesity, aggression, and health problems GALORE.
(P2) But did you know that back in the day, Coca-Cola was in fact produced and marketed as a HEALTH TONIC?
(P3) Because we obviously can’t get enough of soda, we took A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE to discover just how America’s sugary drink of choice came to be. Coca-Cola, which was first served in 1886 (as a fountain syrup; it was first bottled in 1891), today has more than 40 percent of the MARKET SHARE of sodas.
(P4) But the drink has a long, TWISTING road as to how it came to be.
(P5) We got a PEEK at Mark Pendergast’s the third edition of the book For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It, that gives an IN-DEPTH picture of the cultural and societal factors that made Coca-Cola into what it is today.
(P6) “Coca-Cola is the world’s most widely distributed single product, available (legally) in every country in the world except North Korea and Cuba,” said Pendergast in a Q&A. “It is the second best-known word on Earth, after ‘OK.’ In the VAST SWEEP of human history, Coca-Cola has not been around that long, and no one can predict far into the future. But I do not FORESEE another brand becoming as ICONIC any time soon.” We’d have to agree.
(P7) We learned more than we ever thought we could about Coca-Cola’s REIGN over the world.
(P8) 1. It was invented as a medicine.
(P9) When Coca-Cola first appeared on the market in the 1880s, it was marketed as a “nerve tonic,” made to help ease the WOES of modern civilization. More and more people were displaying signs of what was called “neurasthenia,” or NEUROTIC and PSYCHOSOMATIC symptoms. Coca-Cola would change all that.
(P10) 2. Available in over 200 countries.
(P11) Coke is the world’s most widely distributed product, and is sold in more than 200 countries — that’s more countries than there are in the United Nations.
(P12) 3. It was even prescribed to “cure” addiction.
(P13) Coca-Cola, at the time, was said to cure opium and morphine addiction — and even Sigmund Freud was a believer. Freud was excited by Coca-Cola because he said it cured him of periodic depression and gave him a sex drive. That explains a lot.
(P14) 4. The name is actually pretty nutty.
(P15) Ever wondered where the “cola” part of the name came from? The kola nut, it turns out. The kola nut, found in Africa, where it had been an INTEGRAL part of life for centuries, was said to have lots of medicinal effects.
WORDS: 460
SOURCE: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/08/14/surprising-facts-about-coca-cola/
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Most cola drinkers have a strong preference for either Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola. Which is your favorite?
- Do you drink a lot of SOFT DRINKS, or do you try to avoid them because of the sugar?
- There is actually no “cola” and almost no “coca” in today’s Coca-Cola; the flavor is really a blend of vanilla, CINNAMON and NUTMEG, and citrus. Can you DETECT any of these flavors?
- Besides Coca-Cola, what are the most popular sodas in your country?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- A trip down memory lane
- Market share
- In-depth
- Soft drink
