問題詳情

An American StapleThe origins of corn date back to roughly 1000 to 2000 B.C.E. in Mexico. Corn, which is actually a memberof the grass family, was grown by Native Americans centuries before the first Europeans ever stepped foot in theNew World. The cultivation of corn spread among the Native American peoples throughout most of what is nowthe U.S. and large parts of South America. The importance of corn to the Native Americans was reflected in thenumerous religious ceremonies and myths surrounding it. Corn, and by extension cornbread, was also important tothe early American colonists, since corn was more available than wheat at that time.The colonists learned how to cultivate and prepare corn for food from the Native Americans. Later, thepioneer women that made the long trek across the nascent country added their own cooking techniques.Cornbread was of particular importance to travelers, because it kept well and provided nourishment during thelong journeys on foot or by horseback through virgin territory. Cornbread even became known as journey cake atthis time. Journey cake became johnnycake, the name by which cornbread is still known to this day by manypeople on the east coast. Early settlers also made cornmeal, which is basically flour ground from dried corn. It is acommon staple food even now. Cornmeal is very versatile, and the kinds of bread that have been and can be made【共 11 頁，第 9 頁】from cornmeal are virtually endless.In the past, production of corn was very individual, with most southern farmers growing just enough corn tofeed their livestock and themselves. When the farmers needed cornmeal, they visited their local mills. These mills,which used large stone wheels to grind the corn, were located near rivers and other sources of water, because thewheels were initially powered by water. Hydropower was later replaced by gasoline or electricity. The farmerspaid the miller for the use of his mill by giving him a percentage of the cornmeal produced, which in turn, themiller sold to the local townspeople. As the production of cornmeal became increasingly industrialized, the millsgradually became obsolete. Today, most cornmeal is produced in factories, where it is also bolted and fortifiedwith vitamins and minerals, like most refined flours.Interestingly, each part of the country developed its own regional specialties and exhibited a bias for acertain type of cornmeal. Northerners preferred yellow cornmeal, using flint yellow corn meal in their cornbread.Alternatively, southerners liked to use white cornmeal to make their cornbread. Each region also differed in itspreparation of cornbread. Northerners like a sweeter version of cornbread, adding molasses to the batter, whilesoutherners preferred the savory version that resulted when the cornbread was fried in cracklings. The steel groundyellow cornmeal commonly found in the northern part of the U.S. is produced by almost completely stripping thehusk and germ from the mature maize kernel and grinding what remains of the kernel. The resulting product willkeep almost indefinitely if sealed tightly and stored in a cool dry place, because it no longer contains the naturaloils that will oxidize and become rancid.Cornbread is much more consumed in the South, owing to the fact that wheat did not grow as well in thewarmer climate of the southern states. In addition to these natural forces, the use of cornmeal in the South waslikely given further impetus during the Civil War, when it became impossible to procure wheat supplies from theNorth. Hence, cornbread became popular during the Civil War because it was very cheap and could be made inmany different sizes and forms. It was also a common lunch for poor children as late as in the mid 20th century. Itis still a common side dish, often served with homemade butter, chunks of onion or scallions. Sometimes,cornbread is crumbled and served with cold milk similar to cold cereal in the South. Sometimes, cornbread takeson a distinct local flavor. For example, in Texas, the Mexican influence has spawned a hearty cornbread made withfresh or creamed corn kernels, jalapeño peppers and topped with shredded cheese.
72. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the cultivation of corn?
(A) It is very labor intensive
(B) It can be done with very simple tools.
(C) It is a major source of income for American farmers.
(D) It had not been practiced by Europeans before they came to the New World.

參考答案

答案：D
難度：適中0.466667
統計：A(2),B(6),C(8),D(14),E(0)

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