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עמוד:40
Passing Fads Read the following magazine article and explain how the title is connected to the main idea of the article . A Flash in the Pan We all know that fashions come and fashions go . The dictionary defines a fad as something that is very popular for a short period of time . According to this definition , fads can be just about anything : clothes , hairdos , jewelry , music , dances — you name it . What makes something a fad ? Michael White , an expert on fads , explains that fads are usually trivial , often unusual and rarely last more than a year . They generally begin in one of two ways . "Sometimes a fad is based on an activity that was popular in the past . For example , the game of frisbee is based on a game that was originally played in Ancient Greece . " Other fads begin as original ideas . White says that fad designers first think of a product . After the product has been made , a marketing company advertises it . If the idea catches on , other products that are based on the first product are often created * . These products are called "spin-offs . " Sometimes , smaller companies produce cheap copies of the fad . They hope to make money from someone else's idea . Nobody knows why a particular fad catches on . One explanation is that fads are like viruses . Like a virus , the idea or product has to be strong and spread quickly to become a full-scale epidemic * . This happens when the idea or product is advertised and sold to the right people at the right time . Some people believe that fads began in the twentieth century . In fact , they have always existed . However , nowadays . many people have more time and more money to spend on the latest craze . They have free time on weekends . They watch TV every day and use the Internet a few times a week . From advertisements on TV and the Internet , people find out about a fad more quickly today than they did in the past . We are living in a world where fads are born , grow , live and then die . What do they leave behind them ? Perhaps , only pleasant memories and a few more wealthy people . flash n . a sudden bright light or flame . a flash in the pan expression . a sudden success that lasts for a very short time . * created — made . * epidemic —a disease that spreads quickly among many people in the same time and in the same place .
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