The hamburger is the most eaten food in the whole world. The first hamburgers were made and sold in Connecticut in 1895 by an American called Louis Lassen. Louis called them hamburgers because he was given the recipe by sailors from Hamburg in Germany.

Hamburgers became a favourite meal in America in the early part of the twentieth century. Their popularity grew even more after the Second World War, when they were bought in large quantities by teenagers who preferred fast food to family meals. In 1948 two brothers Dick and Mac Donald opened a drive-in hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California.

Since then over 25,000 McDonald’s restaurants have been opened worldwide and now 35 million MacDonald’s hamburgers are eaten every day in 115 countries from India to the Arctic Circle.

Exercise :  Put the verbs into the correct tense, active or passive.

The first hamburgers______________ (make) in 1895. Louis Lassen ____________(call) them hamburgers because he ______________(give) the recipe by sailors.  Hamburgers  ____________ (become) his favourite meal. Their popularity _____________(grow) even more when they _______________(buy) in large quantities by teenagers who ____________(prefer) fast food.  Dick and Mac MacDonald_____________  (open) a drive-in hamburger restaurant. 25,000 McDonald’s restaurants ____________(open) worldwide. More than 35 million hamburgers ____________(eat) every day.

Answer:
The first hamburgers were made(make) in 1895. Louis Lassen called(call) them hamburgers
because he was given(give) the recipe by sailors. Hamburgers became(become) his favourite meal.
Their popularitygrew(grow) even more when they were bought(buy) in large quantities by teenagers who preferred(prefer) fast food. Dick and Mac MacDonald opened(open) a drive-in hamburger restaurant. 25,000 McDonald’s restaurants have been opened(open) worldwide. More than 35 million hamburgers are eaten(eat) every day.