Passage One : The Sweet Taste of Summer During the hot summer months, people everywhere count on the sweet and creamy taste of ice cream to cool them down. Whether covered in chocolate,blended into milkshakes, or served in cones,ice cream is always a hit. But where does this popular dessert come from? Some say the Roman emperor Nero invented ice cream to satisfy his sweet tooth. He is said to have sent slaves high into the mountains to bring back snow,which chefs would mix with honey and fruit. Apparently, Nero liked the frozen sweet so much that he had special cold rooms built in his palace to store snow. Another story says that ice cream was first invented in China,almost four thousand years ago. Italian explorer Marco Polo supposedly brought it back to Europe in 1295 after a long trip to the East. There is little proof, however,for either of these explanations. What we do know is that,by the mid-1600s, English king Charles I was enjoying ice cream. Palace records show the dessert was a favorite at palace dinner parties. From the king's table,it didn't take long for ice cream to become popular worldwide. American presidents Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were both big fans of the dessert. In fact, Washington paid almost US$200 (a huge sum in his day! ) for a vanilla ( 香草） ice cream recipe. The biggest problem with ice cream was how to serve the sweet treat. Most vendors sold it in tiny glasses called "penny licks. " However, customers often broke or stole the glasses,which cost vendors a lot of money. The invention of the ice cream cone solved this problem. Many people believe ice cream cones were invented at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. There,ice cream and waffle ( 华夫饼干） vendors combined their products and served ice cream in portable waffle cones. Records show, however,that ice cream was already being served in edible containers as early as 1888. Today,ice cream is eaten from Chinese ei to Tunisia to Toronto. In most places, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla are bestsellers. In Japan, though,ice cream comes in an amazing range of flavors. Chicken wing, eel, or wasabi ice cream, anyone? 31.The purpose of the article is to ____