Sneakers

A walk through the history of these favorite shoes

The first sneaker I ever wore was an all-white shoe that was perfect for tennis, physical education classes and many other activities. While the shoe might have been practical, it was certainly not a fashion item. But sneakers have come a long way since then!

Sneakers march through time
In 1916, Keds, a comfortable shoe with a simple canvas top and rubber bottom, were the very first sneaker to be mass produced. Soon after, American shoe manufacturer Marquis Converse decided basketball players needed comfort and function, so he designed high-top sneakers that provided better ankle support.

Jump ahead to the 1970s, and high-top shoes became a must-have fashion accessory when the hip-hop community matched boldly-colored sneakers and laces with their clothes.

Sneakers reached the status symbol level in 1985 when basketball star Michael Jordan wore Nike's red, white and black high-tops. It wasn't long before these shoes were nicknamed "Air Jordans."

This fascination with high-tops created a "sneaker culture," where "sneakerheads" search for and collect out-of-production, unique and rare styles of sneakers.

The simple canvas shoe of 1916 has evolved into sneakers with different styles and colors to fit every personality and activity.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Regionalism in American English (英文的地區差異性)
在美國不同地區的人, 其實講英文有很大的差異,
例如: 球鞋
美國東北地區的人會說球鞋是sneakers,
但美國其他地方的人會說 tennis shoes,
就像中文也有人會說布鞋,

發音的部份也有些字因地區有不同,
例如: aunt
東北地區的人會讀 /ˈɑːnt/
美國其他地區的人讀 /ˈænt/

文法上的不同有: 排隊
大多數的人會說 stand in line
但紐約人會說 stand on line

Grammar Gym
"High-top shoes became a must-have fashion accessory..."
1. must-have: something that is necessary to have or get
2. adjective, always used before a noun
- must-have jacket
- must-read book
- must-see movie
n.
- High-top shoes are a must-have.
- a must-read
- a must-see

Language Lab
sneaker n.
a type of light soft shoe with a rubber
- The shoelaces on Josh's sneakers are a shocking green.
- Those street dancers designed their sneakers themselves.

canvas n.
[uncountable] strong cloth used to make bags, tents, shoes etc:
- Sandra did an oil painting on canvas.
[countable] a painting done with oil paints, or the piece of cloth it is painted on:
- The painter's canvases will be exhibited in this museum next month.
canvas adj. 帆布的
- canvas bags
- canvas shoes

fascination n.
the state of being very interested in something, so that you want to look at it, learn about it etc [ obsession]
- Bubbles hold a fascination for most young children.
in fascination 非常入迷的, 非常喜愛的
- My son always listens in fascination to electronic music.
fascinate v.
if someone or something fascinates you, you are attracted to them and think they are extremely interesting:
- Frank was fascinated by the girl's charm.

evolve v.
to develop and change gradually over a long period of time:
- This theory evolved from a very simple math concept.
evolve into
- From this article, you can see how simple country songs evolved into a specific pop-music genre.

genre n.
/ˈʒɑːnrə/
a particular type or category of literature or art


mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20140904baa69a2954acbcb39c43c6317349b5a27a879cc9d4a333abd29885b1458e7026d26.wma