Corn (玉米) is also called Indian corn or maize (from the Spanish word "maiz").
People in Mexico first grew corn about 10,000 years ago.
As well as being eaten by the cob (玉米棒子), people also use corn in many food products like ice cream, baby food, and salad. We can also find corn in many non-food things such as paint. People use it as food for animals as well.
40% of the world's corn is from the United States, making it the biggest corn grower in the world. There is an area called the "Corn Belt (地带)"in the US. The states in this area include Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky.
In the days of the early settlers (移民) to North America, corn was so valuable that people used it as money to buy other products such as meat and clothes.
In fact, corn can be produced in different colors—black, blue, purple, green, red, white and the most common yellow.
A. There are over 3,500 different uses for it.
B. It is surely part of the grass family in the world.
C. The weather in this area is good for growing corn.
D. Don't be surprised if you see purple or black corn in the field.
E. Drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi has corn sweeteners (甜味剂).
