A. Read the title and look at the pictures. What do you think the article is about?

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What makes a FAD?

A fad is something that becomes very popular among a large number of people, but only for a short time. When it is no longer “cool,” a fad goes away. Anything can become a fad—fashion, food, entertainment, technology, or even language.

In the late 1970s, a Hungarian professor, Erno Rubik, invented a six-color plastic object called the Rubik's Cube. The challenge was to get each side of the cube to show one color. At the toy’s sudden peak of popularity in 1982, everyone had one. Then, suddenly the craze ended. By 1983, people were not interested anymore, perhaps because so many people already had one Rubik’s Cube in their homes.

In 2012, a South Korean musician, Psy, released a song called “Gangnam Style.” In six months, it became the first YouTube video ever to reach a billion views. Six months later, it went on to reach two billion views. “Gangnam Style” had a huge influence on world popular culture, similar to the “Macarena” dance fad from the 1990s. Although “Gangnam Style” faded in popularity, the “Korean Wave" of culture remains internationally popular.