ANALYTICAL ENGLISH 解析英語(常春藤)
Wait, Coke and Ketchup Were Once Medicine? (1/2) 那些年，可樂與番茄醬曾是藥（上）
By 常春藤解析英語 Niall Longobardi
Food has a way of reinventing itself over time. Some products that were once believed to have medicinal value are now treated as everyday snacks or drinks. Coca-Cola and ketchup are two famous examples.
Coca-Cola is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Today, most people see it as a sweet, bubbly soda often enjoyed with fast food. However, the original recipe of Coca-Cola vastly differs from the drink we know today. It was originally developed and marketed as a medicinal tonic by Dr. John S. Pemberton in the late 1800s.
Pemberton created the drink as a way to help with the severe morphine addiction he developed after getting seriously injured in the Civil War. He made a sweet syrup with ingredients like coca leaves and kola nut, hoping to offer stimulation without the need for alcohol or other drugs. Pemberton marketed the syrup as a cure-all that could be added to soda water. Advertisements claimed that the drink could treat conditions such as headaches, nerve pain, and even a low mood. At the time, such claims seemed believable because carbonated water was thought to have health benefits, while coca leaves were often recommended by doctors as a stimulant.
Photo: Ivy English 照片:常春藤解析英語
As the addictive and harmful effects of cocaine became widely recognized, Coca-Cola removed the cocaine-containing coca extract from the drink after growing public concern. The company later used processed coca leaves without cocaine while continuing to provide a mild stimulating effect through caffeine. With advancements in bottling, carbonated drinks soon became commonplace, and people gradually stopped viewing them mainly as health products. What began as a medicinal concoction was eventually transformed into a sweet and refreshing indulgence enjoyed worldwide today.
食物會隨著時間不斷改變自身定位。有些曾被認為具有藥用價值的產品，如今被視為日常零食或飲品。可口可樂與番茄醬就是兩個著名例子。
可口可樂是世界上最受歡迎的飲料之一。如今，大多數人都將它視為一種常搭配速食享用的帶有氣泡的甜味汽水。然而，可口可樂最初的配方與我們今日所熟知的這款飲料有很大差異。它最初是在1800年代晚期由約翰．彭伯頓醫師開發並作為藥用補品販售。
Photo: Ivy English 照片:常春藤解析英語
彭伯頓研發出這款飲料，來幫助改善自己在南北戰爭中受重傷後所產生的嚴重嗎啡成癮問題。他以古柯葉與可樂果等原料製成一種甜味糖漿，希望在不需依賴酒精或其他藥物的情況下，也能提供刺激作用。彭伯頓將這種糖漿作為可加入蘇打水中的萬靈藥來販售。廣告宣稱這款飲料能治療頭痛、神經痛，甚至情緒低落等症狀。在當時，這類說法看似可信，因為碳酸水（編按：蘇打水 soda water為碳酸水carbonated water的一種）被認為具有健康益處，而古柯葉也常被醫師推薦作為興奮劑。
隨著古柯鹼令人上癮且有害的影響逐漸廣為人知，在大眾憂慮日益升高後，可口可樂便將含有古柯鹼的古柯萃取物從飲料中移除。之後，公司改用不含古柯鹼的加工古柯葉，同時繼續透過咖啡因提供輕微的刺激效果。隨著瓶裝技術的進步，碳酸飲料很快變得相當普及，人們也逐漸不再主要將其視為健康產品。這種原本作為藥用調製品的飲料，最終轉變成今日風靡全球、甜而清爽的享受。
What Did You Learn?
Photo: Ivy English 照片: 常春藤解析英語
1-2 請根據選文內容，從文章中選出兩個單詞，分別填入下列句子空格，並視句型結構需要作適當的字形變化，使句子語意完整、語法正確，並符合全文文意。每格限填一個單詞（word）。（填充題）
Coca-Cola was once promoted as a medicinal drink, while tomato-based ketchup was believed to have __1__ health effects. Over time, changing beliefs and marketing strategies brought about a complete __2__ in how people viewed these products.
答案：1. beneficial 2. transformation
Photo: AdobeStock 照片：AdobeStock
Words in Use
1. vastly adv. 非常
Life in the city is vastly different from life in the countryside.
城市生活和鄉村生活非常不同。
2. severe a. 嚴重的
Daniel had a severe headache and went home early.
丹尼爾頭痛得很嚴重，所以提早回家。
3. addiction n. 成癮，上癮
Too much screen time may lead to addiction in some teens.
過多的螢幕時間可能導致一些青少年成癮。
4. injured a. 受傷的
Marcus got injured while playing soccer with his classmates.
馬可斯和同學踢足球時受傷了。
5. syrup n. 糖漿
Doris poured maple syrup over her warm pancakes.
桃樂絲把楓糖漿淋在熱鬆餅上。
Practical Phrases
1. see A as B 將A視為B
= view A as B
= think of A as B
Many people see exercise as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
許多人將運動視為健康生活的重要一環。
2. differ from. . . 與……不同
This year’s design differs from the previous one in several ways.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.