(9-11)A Surprise in a Capsule You put in some coins, turn the machine handle, and wait for the sound which means that a capsule isready to be collected. Now comes the fun part—finding out what gashapon you’ve just bought.Gashapon are toys sold in plastic capsules, but the name also means the machines that sell them. Theword is a combination of two sounds: gasha, the noise made when the machine handle is turned, and pon,the sound of the capsule falling onto the collection tray.Gashapon first appeared in the 1960s, when a Tokyo businessman received a coin vending machinefrom America. He saw that the candy and toys inside were kept together and got the idea to separate eachitem on its own. He then set up a machine full of toys outside his store, and the gashapon was born.At first, people thought of gashapon as nothing more than cheap playthings, but this changed in theearly 1980s. Toy maker Bandai began improving their product quality and selling them for five times theprice that other companies charged.Gashapon are now a ¥30 billion business in Japan, and they are found almost everywhere in thecountry. Loved by young and old, male and female, they can be bought in different designs, colors, andmodels. This variety and the fact that you never know what you’ll get from the machine are what havemade gashapon so popular.The popularity of gashapon will continue to grow as new models and series come out. The onlysurprise is guessing what beautiful, funny, or strange toy will be inside the capsule when you open it.
9. According to the reading, what is gashapon?
(A) A kind of candy.
(B) A noise made when a handle is turned.
(C) A sound of a capsule falling onto the tray.
(D) A toy that is sold in a capsule container.