Lesson 8-1
La Merc is a festival that takes place in Barcelona, Spain. P
It is held every September in honor of the Virgin of Mercy, one of the city's main saints. P
There are hundreds of free events all across the city, but three special ones should not be missed. P
Seeing a castell is the first thing you should do. P
Castells are tall towers built out of people! P
These people stand on each other's shoulders and make towers that are up to 10 people tall. P
Castells are amazing to look at but dangerous to make. P
Audiences watch nervously as small children climb to the top. P
Next, you should go watch the correfoc, also known as the fire run. P
It is a parade with fireworks, drummers, and dancers. P
People dress as devils and monsters and use special sticks to shoot fire into the air. P
If you get close, be careful! You need to protect your skin, hair, and eyes from the "fire rain"! P
Besides the correfoc for adults, there is also a safer one for children. P
Finally, the Cavalcada de la Merc is the perfect event for kids. P
People march through the crowds carrying giant figures as musicians beat drums and blow pipes. P
Other events include street theater, concerts, and dancing. P
Come and enjoy La Merc! P
Lesson 8-2
The firework master's workshop was full of activity and noise because the lantern festival was in two weeks. P
All of the fireworks had to be ready for a special show. P
Ming was given a very important job. P
Master Yi asked him to create a special firework. P
It was to be the highlight of the show. To Ming, it was a terrible burden. P
Every year, the fireworks were different from the year before. P
Even worse, the emperor had seen them all. P
Ming's firework needed to be something no one had seen before. P
That worried him a lot. Everyone watched with curiosity as Ming worked. P
He ran back and forth to the storeroom getting powders and metals. P
Then, he ground the metals down into small pieces. P
He worked late into the night after everyone else had gone home. P
The next night, Ming called everyone out into the yard behind the workshop. P
He lit a rocket as they all looked on. P
After a few seconds, it shot up into the sky. P
First, there was an explosion of red. P
From this, five fireballs flew out. P
Each one exploded into a different color. Everyone clapped and cheered. P
Master Yi smiled and put his hand on Ming's shoulder. P
The emperor would be very pleased with Ming's firework. P
Lesson 8-3
It is important to exercise so that you can stay fit. P
Two of the best kinds of exercise are walking and running. P
Walking and running are very simple, cheap, and healthy. P
You can do them alone, anywhere, at any time. P
You just need a good pair of running shoes. P
Both exercises make your heart stronger, and they're good for your bones and muscles too. P
Running helps you lose weight more quickly. P
When running, people move faster and work harder. P
That means that running burns more calories than walking. P
Also, running is better for busy people. P
To get results similar to running, people have to walk longer or more often. P
But walking can be a better choice for heavy or old people. P
Running can put a lot of stress on people's joints, so it can easily hurt these parts. P
Walking, however, causeless stress than running. P
It doesn't hurt weak hips, knees, or ankles. P
Both walking and running are great kinds of exercise. P
Either one will make you healthy, but everyone should choose the right exercise for themselves. P
So, what are you waiting for? Get moving! P
Lesson 8-4
There once was a rabbit. He loved to eat sweet clover until he was full. P
Then, he would take a long nap in the shade. There was also a wolf. P
He often came around and found the rabbit lying under a tree. P
However, the rabbit could run much faster than the wolf. P
He always escaped into the thick bushes, leaving the wolf behind licking his lips. P
As time went on, the rabbit couldn't run as fast as housed to. P
He was getting slower and slower because he washout of shape. P
Every time he saw the wolf, the rabbit decided to change. P
He wanted to stop eating so much and start being more active. P
But exercising was really difficult. P
It wasn't fun at all! Each day, the rabbit would promise to start the next day. P
The next day, he would do the same thing. P
He didn't change a bit. The wolf, on the other hand, worked hard. P
He practiced running faster and faster. P
Before too long, he could run faster than the lazy rabbit. P
Then one day, the rabbit wasn't quite fast enough, and the wolf enjoyed a delicious meal. P
Lesson 8-5
You've probably learned in science class that clouds have different names. P
Did a scientist make these names? No! It was Luke Howard, a normal man who loved to watch clouds. P
Howard was born in London in 1772. P
As a child, he was interested in the weather. P
He became a pharmacist when he grew up, but he still loved watching the weather and recording what he saw. P
In 1802, Howard presented an essay about classifying clouds. P
In it, he classified them into three categories using Latin names. P
Cirrus clouds are long and thin. Their name means "a piece of hair. P
"Cumulus clouds are big and puffy. Their name means "heap. P
"Last, stratus clouds are spread out like a blanket. Their name means "layer. P
"Howard also described clouds using combinations of these three names, P
because clouds often change between categories. P
Finally, housed the term "nimbus" to describe any kind of cloud that produces rain. P
No one had ever succeeded in classifying clouds like Howard. P
Soon, scientists in Europe began using his names. P
Howard continued his daily observations of the weather. P
He later discovered that urban areas are warmer than the countryside. P
This is now known as the "heat island effect." P
Although he wasn't a professional scientist, Luke Howard greatly influenced the science of observing the weather. P
Plus, his cloud names are still used all around the world! P
Lesson 8-6
Long ago, Our Mother chose a human to put the stars into the sky. P
She gave this human a jar full of stars. P
Coyote was very curious about this jar and wanted to look inside it. P
However, Our Mother knew that Coyote always caused trouble. P
For that reason, she told him, "Don't touch that jar!" P
Soon, the human was carefully making shapes in the sky and naming each one. P
He used three stars to make the Pot Rest Stars and seven to make the Shield Stars. P
Everyone stopped to look up at the shapes in the sky. P
They were all amazed by how beautiful the shapes were. P
At that moment, no one was watching Coyote, so he went over to the jar. P
More curious than ever, he lifted the lid just a little bit. P
In an instant, the stars burst out and flew upwards. P
They raced here! They shot there! P
They stuck in the sky with no order at all! P
And that is why only a few groups of stars have a name and a shape. P
The rest are spilled all over the sky. P
Lesson 8-7
Yawning is very common. Everyone yawns. P
Babies even yawn before they're born. P
However, scientists don't know exactly why we yawn. P
One idea is that we yawn because we need more fresh air. P
This helps us to understand why we yawn in groups. P
When many people are together, the air isn't fresh. P
Because of that, we yawn to get more fresh air. P
However, a study showed that this may not be true. P
A scientist gave people less fresh air, but they didn't yawn more. P
Another idea is that yawning shows you are bored. P
In another study, a scientist showed music videos to some students and an unchanging screen to others. P
He found that the first group yawned less. P
However, this doesn't explain why Olympic athletes sometimes yawn before they compete. P
Surely they can't be bored. The latest idea is that yawning cools down the brain. P
When we are tired or sleepy, our brains get hotter and don't work as well. P
Yawning brings in cool air. This cools down our brains and helps them work better. P
This idea might be true. A scientist put cold packs on people's foreheads. P
They yawned less often. Scientists still need to study yawning more to fully explain it. P
Which idea about yawning do you believe is true? P
Lesson 8-8
In English class, the teacher was talking about the homework. P
She wanted everyone to prepare a speech and give it in front of the class. P
Roger's eyes grew wide. He was too shy to speak in front of the whole class! P
He worried about it for the rest of the day, but he decided to try his best. P
He worked hard on preparing his speech. P
Then, he practiced it many times. P
The night before the speech, Roger couldn't sleep. P
He kept worrying about the next day. P
He read his speech overhand over. P
It was two a.m. when he finally fell asleep. P
The next day, it was Roger's turn first. P
He read the first two lines of his speech. P
Then, he yawned. He read a bit more, and he yawned again. P
Some kids in the back of theorem laughed. Even the teacher laughed. P
Roger's face turned bright red. He couldn't continue, so he sat down. P
Then, the teacher talked to Roger. She told him that he was doing fine. P
He had clearly worked hard. She wanted everyone to clap for Roger. P
Then, she asked him to continue. Roger felt better and started his speech over. P
This time, he gave a great speech. P
Lesson 8-9
Have you ever seen or played an organ? This instrument looks very similar to a piano. P
Both of them have keyboards with black and white keys. P
They also have pedals. However, the two have more differences than similarities. P
First, their sizes are different. Organs are much bigger than pianos. P
Pianos have three pedals and one keyboard, P
but organs usually have many pedals and one to five keyboards. P
Organs also have long pipes attached to them. P
Second, the way they make sound is different. P
Pianos use small hammers and metal strings to make sound. P
When you press a piano key, a hammer hits a string. P
However, organs make sound by using pipes. P
When you press an organ key, airs pushed through a pipe. P
Unlike piano pedals, each organ pedal can also make a different sound. P
Finally, how long the sound lasts is different. P
Pianos make sound for only a few seconds. P
After you press piano's keys, the sound dies away quickly. P
However, organs make sound for an indefinite amount of time. P
This sound lasts as long as you hold their keys or pedals down. P
Lesson 8-10
Pan was the Greek god of shepherds. P
He loved being in nature and having fun with the animals. P
He looked very strange though. P
Unlike most people, he had the horns, ears, legs, and tail of a goat! P
One morning, Pan was walking through a forest when he saw a beautiful nymph named Syrinx. P
Instantly, he fell in love and ran towards her. P
Of course, Syrinx ran away because Pan scared her. P
Through the woods she ran and ran until she came to a river. P
She couldn't cross it, so she stopped. P
Then, she saw Pan coming. P
She was afraid that he would catch her, so she called out, "Water nymphs, please save me!" P
As Pan reached the river, the water nymphs answered Syrinx's prayer. P
They turned her into some reeds, causing Pan to sigh in sadness. P
His sighs passed over the reeds. P
They made beautiful sounds that reminded Pan of Syrinx. P
Then, he had an idea. He cut the reeds up into different sizes and tied them together. P
In this way, he created the first panpipe. P
From then on, Pan played the panpipe everywhere he went to remember the beautiful Syrinx. P
Lesson 8-11
On most bikes, riders sit above the wheels. P
The pedals are below the seat. P
But there is a different kind of bike called sit-back bike. P
On it, riders lie back in a low chair. P
Their legs are stretched out since the pedals are in front. P
Because of these features, sit-back bikes have some advantages over normal ones. P
Sit-back bikes are more comfortable than normal bikes. P
Riders sit in a more relaxed position, so their necks and backs don't feel as sore as those of normal bike riders. P
If you use one of these bikes, you will enjoy riding it all day long! P
Riders can also go faster on sit-back bikes. P
On normal bikes, the rider's whole body faces the wind. P
But on a sit-back bike, the wind hits a smaller area of the rider's body. P
For this reason, sit-back bikes move through the wind faster. P
However, sit-back bikes have several disadvantages. P
For one thing, riders can't climb hills as easily. P
This is because they can't stand up or lean forward. P
Also, balancing is harder on sit-back bikes. P
Riders can't move their upper bodies to stay balanced. P
Luckily, these problems just take some time to get used to. P
At first, sit-back bikes look and feel strange. P
However, they have many advantages, and getting used to them is definitely fun. P
Lesson 8-12
Pietro worked for a movie theater. P
He rode his bike around the city and put-up posters. P
He then gave all the money he earned to his parents. P
One day, Petro was riding his bike and putting up a lot of posters. P
He was tired and thirsty, so he stopped and went into a store. P
When he came out, his bike was gone! P
He looked everywhere, but he couldn't find his bike. P
It had been stolen! Now Pietro couldn't do his job. P
What would his family do? He walked home sadly. P
Then, something caught his eye. P
It was a shiny red bike leaning against a wall. P
No one was around. He could take the bike and solve his problem. P
Pietro thought about it. The bike belonged to someone else. P
That person probably also needed it. P
Taking it would be wrong, so he continued going home. P
The next day, Pietro went to work. P
When he got there, the owner of the theater wanted to talk to him. P
His parents had called her about his problem. P
She said that, because he was a good worker, she had bought him a new bicycle! P
Lesson 8-13
Henri Rousseau was born in France in 1844. P
As a child, he was talented at drawing and music. P
However, when he got older, Rousseau took a job at the Paris Customs Office. P
While he worked there, he painted as a hobby. P
In 1893 at the age of 49, he retired and focused on his art. P
Rousseau enjoyed painting jungle scenes, but he had never been to the jungle. P
Instead, he visited a garden and zoo in Paris to paint plants and animals. P
He also looked at animal pictures in books. P
These helped him use his imagination to make up his own jungles. P
Rousseau taught himself how to paint, so his style was unique. P
The images were flat and childlike, and the colors were bright. P
Most art critics disliked his work. P
One even said that it looked like Rousseau painted with his feet. P
However, some artists loved it. P
Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky were both fans of Rousseau's work. P
Few of Rousseau's paintings were sold while he was alive. P
After he died in 1910, however, they became very popular. P
Now his artwork is known by people around the world, and he is considered a genius. P
Lesson 8-14
My name's Helen, and I'm a teacher who loves art. P
My son Paul is a famous artist, but he's only two! P
Paul began painting very early. P
I would put paper and paints in front of him. P
He just used his hands and fingers to paint. P
His paintings showed a lot of talent. P
Of course, I thought they were what you'd expect from a little child. P
They were wild and bright with big splashes and messy lines everywhere. P
However, I soon discovered that they looked a lot like paintings by famous artists. P
I showed Paul's paintings to my friend Sarah, who's an art critic. P
She wanted to see what other people thought and posted some of his paintings on her website. P
She also gave them interesting titles and descriptions. P
Within a few days, there was a lot of excitement on the website. P
People loved Paul's artwork and wrote comments about it. P
Then, Sarah took some of Paul's paintings to an art gallery. P
The gallery owner was amazed. P
He even asked to have an exhibition of Paul's work. P
When Sarah told him how old Paul was, he was shocked. P
Paul's paintings are good, but I never thought this would happen! P
Lesson 8-15
Insects are very small. Surviving is difficult for them, so they must be very clever. P
One way they survive is by looking like something else. P
Katydids are a kind of grasshopper. P
They have green, leaf-shaped wings that are covered in veins. P
When predators are near, katydids stop moving. P
If they surround themselves with leaves and stay completely still, they look like part of the plant. P
That way, the predators can't find them easily. P
Hemeroplanestriptolemus caterpillars use a different method. P
They have two large spots that look like eyes on one end of their bodies. P
When birds approach, this end gets bigger and becomes diamond shaped. P
In this way, it looks like a snake with its eyes wide open. P
The caterpillars even move like attacking snakes, so the birds get scared away. P
Orchid mantises are another kind of interesting insect. P
They are pink and white with legs shaped like flower petals. P
That makes them look like flowers. P
Smaller insects think the mantises are real flowers, so they come over to eat some nectar. P
This makes it easier for the mantises to catch them. P
There are many other clever creatures that pretend to be something else. P
Can you think of any? P
Lesson 8-16
Long ago, Beetle lived in the forests of Brazil. P
She was small and gray. Her neighbor, Agouti, was big and brown. P
He wore a shiny fur coat. "Beetle, you aren't as pretty as me, "Agouti teased. P
"You are ugly and plain." Every day, Parrot heard Agouti teasing Beetle. P
"This isn't right," he thought. P
One day, he finally said, "Agouti! Listen up! You will race against Beetle. P
The winner can choose a coat of any color. P
" Agouti liked that idea, so the race started. P
Parrot said, "Go!" and Agouti ran as fast as he could. P
"I can run fast," Agouti thought, P
"but Beetle walks slowly. I'm going to win!" P
Soon, he saw the finish line. "I win!" he yelled. P
But wait! Beetle was already there! P
"How did you run so fast?" Agouti cried. P
"I didn't run. I flew," Beetle answered. P
"I never knew you could fly!" said a very angry Agouti. P
Parrot laughed. "You only saw Beetle's plain color. P
You didn't see her talents. Don't judge others by their looks." P
Agouti was embarrassed. P
He ran and hid in the bushes while Beetle chose a beautiful gold-and-green coat. P
Today, her bright colors still shine in the sun. P
Lesson 8-17
Mother Teresa was born in 1910. P
She grew up in a kind, religious family. P
When she was young, she felt the call of God to be a missionary. P
In 1928 when she was 18, she left home to become a nun. P
She joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. P
Then in 1929, she arrived in Calcutta, India, as a missionary to teach at a high school there. P
On the city streets, she saw many poor and sick people. P
Then she felt God call to her again. P
She knew she had to help them, so she talked to the church leaders. P
They let her leave the school to start taking care of the poor. P
Mother Teresa started her own work teaching very poor children in 1948. P
At first, her life was difficult. She did not have much money or support. P
But soon, other people began helping her. P
In 1950, she started a group called the Missionaries of Charity. P
She and some other nuns gave food, shelter, and medicine to many poor and sick people. P
For her work, Mother Teresa won many awards. P
They include the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. P
Mother Teresa died in 1997. Many people still love her though. P
Now over 5,000 nuns are in her group. P
They continue to help poor people all over the world. P
Lesson 8-18
Yesterday, a nurse came to our class. P
She told us that she cared for sick children. P
These children are fighting diseases. P
The nurse asked us to draw a picture on a wall in the hospital to cheer them up. P
Some of my classmates were worried because they weren't good at art, but she said it didn't matter. P
Today, we went to the hospital with our teacher. P
The sick children there looked unhappy. The wall in their room was dull. P
It made the whole room look sad too. P
We decided that we had to do our best to help them. P
Even the kids who weren't good at art did something important. P
They played with the sick children. Other kids had different skills. P
Harper and Mike drew a plan for the wall painting on some paper. P
Nate and I sketched it on the wall in pencil. P
Then, Michelle and Amy painted the outlines. P
We all worked together to fill in the colors. P
Our picture looked great. It made the room look happier. P
The nurse gathered all the sick kids around. P
They looked at our picture and smiled. P
Then, everyone clapped. We felt really proud of our work. P
Lesson 8-19
Did you know the size of air changes with heat or cold? P
Here's a fun trick that uses this fact. P
You can put an egg into a bottle. P
The opening of the bottle is smaller than the egg, but the egg goes in. Isn't it amazing? P
First, get the materials you need: P
an egg, some matches, and a glass bottle with a long, narrow neck. P
Make sure the opening of the bottle is a bit smaller than the egg. P
Boil the egg. Then, put it under cold water and peel it. P
Put the bottle on the table. Next, light some matches and put them in the bottle. P
Then, quickly put the egg on top of the bottle. P
Soon, it will go in! Why this happens is simple. P
The matches heat up the air in the bottle. P
The air becomes larger, and some leaves the bottle. P
Then, you close the opening with the egg. P
When the matches go out, the air cools and becomes smaller. P
This makes the pressure of the air inside the bottle lower than the pressure outside the bottle. P
The higher outside pressure then pushes the egg into the bottle. P
Lesson 8-20
My brother Etienne and I were fascinated with things that could float in the air. P
One day in November 1782, I wondered if a cloth bag could float. P
To find out, I lit a fire under it. P
Amazingly, it rose up! I wrote to Etienne right away to tell him the news. P
Together, we started to make larger bags, or balloons, and flew them outside. P
On June 4, 1783, we flew one of our hot air balloons in front of other people for the first time. P
Everyone was amazed and even a little scared by it! P
Next, we decided to put a sheep, duck, and rooster in a basket attached to a balloon to see if going up high hurt them. P
They were the world's first hot air balloon passengers. P
King Louis XVIand Queen Marie Antoinette watched this balloon fly on September 19. P
Both of them were very impressed by it. P
Later, we sent a person up in a balloon on October 15. P
However, the balloon was still tied to the ground by a rope. P
Finally, two people flew in one of our balloons on November21 without any ropes! P
Everyone watching cheered loudly and congratulated us on how far our balloon flew. P
Justa year after my first discovery, we, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, had made history. P
Lesson 8-21
Dugongs and manatees are similar marine mammals. P
Neither animal ever leaves the water, even to give birth. P
Also, the babies of both animals feed on their mothers 'milk. P
Both dugongs and manatees are unable to breathe underwater, so they must rise to the surface to get air. P
They even look alike, with large bodies and wide, flat tails. P
Both animals sometimes lift their upper bodies out of the water by "standing" on their tails. P
In the past, this behavior sometimes caused sailors to mistake them for mermaids! P
Despite these similarities, it is possible to tell the two animals apart. P
The main differences are in their tails and snouts. P
Dugongs have snouts that point downward, whereas manatees have snouts that stick straight out. P
Also, dugongs' tails are forked like a whale's. P
Manatees' tails, on the other hand, are rounded. P
Both animals live in warm, shallow water and eat sea plants all day. P
This is probably why they are nicknamed "sea cows. P
"However, manatees live in the Caribbean Sea, the Amazon River, and West Africa, P
while dugongs are usually found near East Africa, South Asia, and Australia. P
Also, dugongs only live in salt water, but some manatees only live-in fresh water. P
Other manatees move between salt water and fresh water. P
In the past, there were many manatees and dugongs in the world. P
Unfortunately, lots of them died because of human activities. P
These days, some groups are working to save them. P
If we don't keep protecting them, soon they might only exist in stories, just like mermaids. P
Lesson 8-22
One morning, the sun got caught in a tall tree. P
It couldn't rise, so the world stayed dark. P
Soon, the animals began to worry. P
They decided to go and look for the sun. P
Eventually, a little brown squirrel found the sun stuck in the tall tree's branches. P
It looked tired and weak. "Please help me get free," said the sun. P
Quickly, the squirrel began to chew away the branches. P
As he chewed, the sun got brighter and hotter. P
In the heat and light, the squirrel's fur turned black, his tail began to burn, and he started to go blind. P
However, he kept chewing. At last, the squirrel chewed through the final branch. P
The sun was free! It started to rise, and daylight came back to the earth. P
All the animals were happy again, but the squirrel was sad. P
His beautiful tail had burned up, and his fur had all turned black. P
Worst of all, he couldn't see a thing. P
The sun looked down and felt sorry for the squirrel. P
"You helped me," it said, "so I will grant you a wish." P
"Well, I always wanted to fly," the squirrel said. P
The sun nodded. "From now on, you will fly. P
You will also see and hear everything around you. P
However, you must wake up after I say goodbye to the world." P
And that is exactly what happened. At nighttime, the squirrel could see and fly. P
He became the first bat. P
Lesson 8-23
The Louvre in Paris, France, is the most famous art museum in the world. P
However, it was not always an art museum. P
At first, the Louvre was a fort. P
In the Middle Ages, Paris was one of the biggest cities in Europe. P
Its ruler, Phillip II, was afraid that his enemies might attack it. P
To protect the city, he built the Louvre outside of it in 1190. P
Over the years, the city grew beyond the Louvre, so it stopped working as a fort. P
Then, Charles V turned the Louvre into a beautiful palace. P
In 1364, he started to add new buildings, a garden, and a library. P
Later on, many kings after him built more as well. P
In 1682, Louis XIV moved to a new palace, Versailles. P
After that, the Louvre became an art gallery and school. P
Artists studied there and held exhibitions once every year or two. P
Finally, the Louvre became a public art museum. P
There was a revolution, and the royal family lost its power. P
The museum opened in 1793 and showed the royal family's art to the public. P
It grew as France got more art from around the world, and many new display rooms were added. P
The Louvre now has over 380,000 works of art. P
Two of the most famous are the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. P
Every year, millions of people visit the museum to enjoy its history and art. P
Lesson 8-24
What a tiring day! My family and I just got back from touring around the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. P
The Alhambra is a historical site with palaces, gardens, and even a fort. P
Most of it was built by the Muslims who ruled southern Spain in the 1200s and 1300s. P
If you ever go to Spain, it is definitely worth visiting. P
The Alhambra is full of beautiful architecture, but the most beautiful buildings of all are the three Nasrid Palaces. P
There are many rooms in them. P
Out of all these rooms, the largest is the Hall of the Ambassadors. P
It is decorated in an absolutely amazing way. P
Leaf patterns, Arabic writing, and lots of shapes cover every inch of its walls. P
Additionally, its square dome ceiling is made up of more than 8,000 pieces of cedar wood. P
It looks like a starry sky! Outside, the palaces have lots of open areas. P
My favorite was the Courtyard of the Lions. P
It has a stone fountain with 12 lion sculptures in the middle and124 marble columns along the edges. P
After seeing the Nasrid Palaces, we went to the Generalife, which is the Alhambra's summer palace. P
There is water everywhere in the Generalife's gardens. P
There are lots of flowers, trees, and other plants as well. P
Walking through them is very relaxing. P
Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to leave the Alhambra. P
But I already can't wait for my next visit! P
Lesson 8-25
A lot of people enjoy eating popcorn. P
It is very popular at the movies. P
Do you know how this delicious snack pops? P
Corn kernels, like other grains, have water inside. P
When you heat them up, their water becomes steam. P
Steam needs much more space than water. P
To find enough space, it must break out of the corn. P
That breaking is the"pop!" P
Popcorn will only pop right when two things are correct. P
First, around 13.5 percent of the kernel must be water. P
This amount is necessary to make enough steam. P
If there is less water, there won't be enough steam to pop the kernel. P
However, too much water will make too much steam. P
All this steam breaks the kernel too soon, which means that it doesn't get cooked. P
It just becomes hard and chewy. P
Second, the kernels must not be cracked. P
Even a small crack will let the steam escape as soon as it forms. P
The pressure won't get high enough, so the kernel won't pop. P
Can other grains pop like corn? Usually they can't because corn is special. P
It has a hard outer skin which doesn't have any holes. P
This skin holds in the steam until the kernel pops open. P
Most other grains, like rice and wheat, don't have this hard, hole-free skin. P
Only grains that have it can pop the way corn does. P
Good popcorn is light and fluffy. P
Making it is quite hard, but the result is delicious! P
Lesson 8-26
There once was a port city called Stavoren. P
Its harbor was always crowded with ships, and the merchants of the city grew rich. P
Of these, the wealthiest was the Lady of Stavoren. P
Unfortunately, she was also the greediest and most arrogant. P
More than anything, she wanted to own the most precious thing in the world. P
The lady sent one of her ship captains out to search for the world's greatest treasure. P
When he returned, she eagerly asked him, P
"What have you brought me? Silver? Gold? Jewels?" P
The captain answered, "None of those things. P
I have brought you wheat!" Indeed, the ship was full of grain. P
For a second, the lady was shocked. P
Then she angrily said, "What do you think I am, a fool? This is worthless to me. P
Drop it into the water!" The captain begged her not to do it. P
"Nothing is more precious than the grain that feeds us. P
If you throw it away, something terrible will happen!" P
But the lady laughed and did it anyway. P
A few weeks later, the captain's prediction came true. P
The wheat grew at the mouth of the harbor and trapped a lot of sand, making a huge hill of sand under the water. P
Because of this, ships could no longer enter Stavoren, and all of the merchants lost their wealth. P
Of these, the one who lost the most was the lady. P
She had to beg for bread the rest of her life. P
Lesson 8-27
A lot of people have trouble with money. P
Even though they don't have much of it, they buy things anyway. P
Saving money isn't easy, but you can learn how at a young age. P
Just follow these steps! First, set saving goals. P
These are the amounts you want to save. You may want to buy something. P
Find out the cost and decide when you want to buy it. P
Make your saving goals very specific. P
Next, add up all the money you regularly get. P
Maybe you get some from your parents. P
Or maybe you get some by helping people. P
Find the total amount of money. P
Then, you'll need to find out how much money you spend. P
Make a list of everything you spend in a week or a month. P
Afterward, see how much you can save. P
You can do this by subtracting the money you spend from the money you make. P
Maybe it isn't enough. P
In that case, check the list for things you don't need and stop buying them. P
Now you can start saving money. A good way is to open a bank account. P
Ask your parents for help. P
They can choose a good savings account and help you put your money in it. P
Soon, the bank will pay you a small amount of money for leaving it there! P
It might take some time, but it'll feel great to reach your goal. P
Lesson 8-28
There once was a miser. He hated to spend any money at all. P
Instead, he bought a big piece of gold and buried it in his garden. P
Every day, he would dig up the gold and look at it. P
This always made him very happy. P
One day, a thief saw the miser digging up his gold. He decided to steal it. P
When nighttime came, he dug up the treasure and ran away with it. P
The next day, the miser came back to look at his gold. P
However, he couldn't find anything in the place he had buried it. P
There was nothing but an empty hole. P
He cried out loudly, and one of his neighbors came over to help him. P
The miser explained to him what had happened and showed him the empty hole. P
"Did you ever spend any of it?" asked the neighbor. P
"No, "said the miser, "I would only dig it up and look at it." P
"So you just looked at it and didn't use it at all," said the neighbor. P
"From now on, why don't you put a rock in the hole and pretend that it is your gold? P
Then you can be just as happy as you were before. P
After all, it will be as useful as the gold you never spent. P
Lesson 8-29
Many people dream of living in space because floating around in low gravity looks like fun. P
However, low gravity actually makes life difficult. P
Astronauts must do everyday things in new ways. P
One problem is keeping clean. Water doesn't fall to the floor in low gravity. P
Instead, it moves around in drops. That means that astronauts can't take showers. P
They have to bathe with wet towels or small bags filled with water. P
They also use these bags to wash their hair. P
They carefully squeeze some water from the bag into their hair, P
add some special shampoo, rub it in, and then dry off with a towel. P
Exercising is very important in space. P
Because there is little gravity, astronauts don't have to work hard to move around. P
Soon, their muscles and bones get very weak. P
To stay healthy, they need to exercise about two hours a day. P
They use exercise equipment like treadmills, but they must tie themselves to it. P
If they didn't, they would just float away from it. P
Eating is done differently too. Since there is little gravity, everything floats. P
Because of that, the trays must be fastened to something that doesn't move like the wall. P
The astronauts also must be careful with their food since small pieces could float around and damage the spacecraft. P
For this reason, they usually eat wet or sticky foods that don't produce crumbs. P
They can also only use salt and pepper in liquid form. P
Lesson 8-30
At dinner, my parents told me about my birthday present. P
They had signed me up for a space camp. P
It was located in Huntsville, Alabama. P
I wasn't interested in space, so I didn't want to go. P
When we arrived at the camp, a guide told us about the program. P
Later in the week, we would learn how to fly a space shuttle. P
But that day, we were going to try out a simulator. P
It was all really boring. We walked to a large building. P
A trainer told us about the simulator. P
It was a chair hanging from several springs. P
In it, people can experience the feeling of low gravity. P
Just like on the Moon, people only weigh one sixth of their usual weight. P
The Apollo astronauts even practiced walking on the Moon with this type of simulator. P
The trainer chose me to go first. I got into the seat and pushed off lightly. P
Then, I went way up in the air! It was like I weighed nothing at all. P
There are three movements that make walking on the Moon easier. P
I tried them all. First, I hopped forward like a bunny. P
Then, I moved with large steps from side to side. P
I also slowly jogged forward. It was a lot like walking on the Moon. P
Soon, it was someone else's turn. P
I had to get off, but my heart was still racing. P
Space camp suddenly wasn't so bad after all. P
Lesson 8-31
In the 1930s, many people, including thousands of Jews, P
left Germany and Austria to get away from the Nazis, terrible acts. P
They went to other European countries, such as Czechoslovakia. P
In December 1938, Nicholas Winton, an English stockbroker, P
visited a friend in Prague, Czechoslovakia, who was helping refugees there. P
It was obvious that the Nazis would invade Prague soon, so those people were in great danger. P
Winton had heard about efforts to help Jewish children escape from Germany and Austria. P
He decided to do something similar in Czechoslovakia. P
First, he took applications from refugee parents. P
Next, he found British families willing to take care of the children. P
He also started raising money to pay for the transportation. P
On March 14, 1939, the first train carrying these children left Czechoslovakia. P
Over the next five months, seven more trains carried children to safety. P
There was a ninth train carrying 250more children, P
but World War II in Europe started on the day it was supposed to leave. P
Sadly, it was no longer possible to cross Czechoslovakia's borders. P
Despite this, Winton succeeded in rescuing a total of 669 children. P
Winton, however, was a humble hero. P
He rarely talked about what he had done for the children, so few people knew. P
It wasn't until 1988 that the world found out. P
He received many honors from the U.K. and the Czech Republic. P
Nicholas Winton died in 2015, but his brave actions will never be forgotten. P
Lesson 8-32
There was once a young boy named Abdul. P
His house was close to the railroad, so he walked home from school along the tracks. P
Every day, a train with many passengers would pass by him. P
One day, Abdul saw something shocking. P
Part of the tracks was bent. Soon, a train would come. P
Abdul knew its wheels would come off the bent tracks. P
He worried that many people would get hurt. P
Abdul looked for someone to help, but no one was around. P
He had to do something, and it had to be fast! The train was coming. P
Abdul had an idea. He grabbed a stick and tied his red scarf to it. P
Then, he ran down the tracks toward the train. P
He waved the red flag wildly above his head. P
The driver saw Abdul and the fear on the boy's face. P
He knew something was wrong and pushed hard on the brakes. P
There was a loud, terrible sound. Then, the train began to slowdown. P
It stopped just in time. Abdul had saved the lives of hundreds of people! P
The story spread throughout the country. P
People from a TV station came to his town to make a program about him. Abdul was a hero! P
Lesson 8-33
The Arctic and Antarctica are located at the north and south ends of the earth. P
They are similar in many ways. P
For example, they are both so dry that they are considered deserts. P
Plus, both places have two seasons: a cold summer and a colder winter. P
There is a big difference between them, though. P
The Arcticis made up of a frozen ocean and parts of the continents that surround it. P
Antarctica, on the other hand, is a continent. P
It is a huge, ice-covered island surrounded by oceans. P
Antarctica is also colder than the Arctic. P
There are two reasons for this. P
First of all, Antarctica is much higher and has many tall mountains. P
The higher the land, the lower the temperature. P
Also, the water of the Arctic Ocean is warmer than the ice above it. P
It keeps the Arctic's temperature from dropping too low. P
Another difference is the people that live there. P
Many native people have been living in the Arctic for thousands of years. P
However, Antarctica has never had any native people. P
Only some scientists and researchers live there today. P
Finally, there are very few plants and animals in Antarctica. P
There are no land mammals. P
There are only birds, including millions of penguins. P
There aren't any penguins in the Arctic, but many land animals live there, including reindeer and foxes. P
The best-known Arctic land animal is the polar bear. P
Lesson 8-34
We were full of excitement when we set sail in August 1914. P
There were 27 of us plus "the Boss," Ernest Shackleton, all eager to explore Antarctica. P
But trouble came on our way there. P
In January 1915, our ship, the Endurance, became trapped in the ice. P
Eventually, the moving ice began to crush the ship. P
In October, we had to abandon the Endurance. P
We took our food and lifeboats and camped on the frozen ocean. P
When it melted enough, we sailed for land. P
In mid-April 1916, we reached Elephant Island, a freezing, deserted place where no ships traveled. P
To get help, the Boss decided to go to South Georgia Island, 1,300 kilometers away. P
There, he knew he could find sailors hunting whales. P
About a week later, he took five of us with him in one of the lifeboats. P
For over two weeks, we thought the stormy waves would sink us, but we finally landed on South Georgia in May. P
However, the sailors lived on the other side of the island's mountains. P
We risked freezing to death as we climbed for 36 hours. P
Finally, we found help. On August 30, 1916, we returned to Elephant Island. P
Our crewmates were there on the beach! "Are you all well?" shouted the Boss. P
"All safe, all well," one of them answered. P
It was the happiest moment of our lives! P
Soon, everyone was safely aboard the ship, ready to go home. P
Lesson 8-35
Some people might think paintings should show something special. P
For them, paintings of soup cans wouldn't be "art. P
"But for an artist named Andy Warhol, they were. P
He found his own way to make art that showed ordinary things. P
Warhol's interest in art developed early in his life. P
He was very sick as a child, so he spent a lot of time in bed drawing pictures. P
He had a lot of talent and decided to study art at college. P
As a young adult, Warhol began a career as a commercial artist. P
He made advertisements for magazines. P
Later, Warhol began to exhibit paintings in art galleries. P
However, he didn't paint special or unusual things. P
He painted what people saw every day like Campbell's soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles. P
He also painted famous people such as Marilyn Monroe. P
For him, these familiar images were just as important as traditional art. P
Warhol also started his own art studio called "The Factory." P
Here, teams of people made copies of his paintings. P
Each copy looked the same. P
Now his art was mass-produced, just like a soup can or soda bottle. P
Many people paid attention to Warhol's work. P
It had a strong effect on what they called "art. P
"Now many people see beauty in ordinary or even mass-produced things. P
Art is all-around us, even at the grocery store. P
Lesson 8-36
There once was an artist. He painted portraits for a living. P
He earned a great deal of money and was very famous. P
The secret of his success was simple. P
He didn't paint people as they really looked. P
He painted them as they wanted to look. P
For the old men, he painted pictures that made them look a little younger. P
For the fat women, he painted ones that made them look a little thinner. P
People were always pleased with their paintings, and the painter always had a lot of customers. P
One day, an unusual customer visited the painter's studio. P
He was the ugliest man the painter had ever seen. P
His face was covered in dark hair, and he had tiny eyes and horrible, long teeth. P
Amazingly, this ugly man wanted a portrait of himself. P
He paid his money and sat down. An hour later, the portrait was done. P
The artist nervously turned it around for the customer to see. P
Within seconds, the man became upset because the portrait looked nothing like him. P
He demanded his money back. Just then, the artist's cleaning lady came in. P
She looked at the portrait and said how handsome the man looked in it. P
Suddenly, the customer looked much happier. P
"Yes, thank you," he said with a smile. P
"It's a perfect likeness. "Then, he took his painting under his arm and left. P
Lesson 8-37
Spider webs are amazing. They are very complex, so spiders build them in several steps. P
The spider starts with the most important part: the first thread. P
The spider fastens one end of the thread to something solid and then releases it into the wind. P
With some luck, the other end catches on another object. P
Then, the spider makes the thread stronger with more threads. P
Next, the spider makes another thread beneath the first one and attaches it to the same two places. P
Because it is loose, it makes a V-shape. P
The spider then adds a new thread to the bottom of the V-shape, changing it into a Y-shape. P
After it makes edges around the Y, it adds many straight threads from the center of the Y to them. P
That way, it can cross from one side to another. P
The spider then creates a spiral of threads from the web's center to its edges. P
These are not sticky, so the spider can easily walk around on them. P
After that, it replaces the non-sticky spiral with a sticky spiral that can catch insects. P
It starts on the edges of the web and moves toward the center. P
Finally, the web is finished. The spider sits in the center and waits for insects. P
Eventually, the web will become less sticky. P
When that happens, the spider must weave a new one. P
Lesson 8-38
Turtle and Spider were friends. P
One day, Turtle happened to visit Spider at dinnertime. P
It was polite to serve a visitor at mealtime, but Spider was greedy. P
He didn't want to share his food. P
Spider told Turtle that in his country, it was rude to eat with dirty feet. P
Then, he sent Turtle to the stream to wash his feet. P
Turtle came back a few minutes later. P
To his surprise, half the meal had already been eaten. P
To make matters worse, his feet were dirty again from the muddy path! P
Spider told him to go and wash them again. P
This time, Turtle walked on the grass to keep his feet clean. P
Unfortunately, when he got back, the meal was all finished. Turtle was angry. P
He decided to pay Spider back for what Spider had done to him. P
The next month, Turtle politely invited Spider for dinner. P
Turtle's home was underwater at the bottom of a river. P
However, Spider's arms and legs were too light, so he couldn't sink under the water. P
Cleverly, he filled his coat pockets with rocks to make himself heavier. P
He quickly sank to the bottom and happily sat down to eat. P
Then, Turtle said that in his country, it was rude to wear your coat at the dinner table. P
Spider took off the coat, but this made him float back to the surface. P
He didn't eat a single bite! Without his jacket, he couldn't stay for dinner. P
Lesson 8-39
A baseball player swings his bat and hits the ball. P
How far will it go? Will it be a home run? P
That depends on many different things, but one of them is air density. P
What is air density? Air is made up of tiny particles. P
When these particles are close together, the air has a higher density. P
When they are far apart, the air has a lower density. P
As a baseball moves through the air, it hits these particles like a person trying to walk through a crowded room. P
This is called air resistance, and it slows the ball down. P
So when the air density is high, the ball doesn't travel as far. P
In high places, the air has a lower density. P
Higher temperatures also make the air less dense. P
Lower air density means the air particles are more spread out. P
When flying through them, the baseball encounters less air resistance, allowing it to travel farther. P
That's why there are generally more home runs at baseball stadiums in high areas and on hot days. P
High humidity also makes the air have a slightly lower density. P
Humidity is the amount of water in the air. P
However, baseballs don't actually travel farther on humid days. P
This is because the water makes the ball heavier, which slows it down. P
Lesson 8-40
The boys on the St. Andrew's soccer team were excited. P
They were going to play the first game of the season against their rivals, St. David's. P
But right from the beginning, things started to go wrong. P
First, they didn't leave ontime. Before they left, the coach counted everyone on the bus. P
Their goal keeper was missing. P
Eventually, he showed up, but they were already 25 minutes late. P
At the game, they had to play without warming up enough. P
Usually, they stretched before the game. They also did some running exercises with the ball. P
But that day, they arrived too late. P
There was only enough time to change into their uniforms. P
Then, they had to start playing right away. During the game, something was clearly wrong. P
No one ran fast enough to keep up with the St. David's players. P
A few players also got terrible pains in their legs. P
The coach knew why. They hadn't warmed up. P
There was nothing the team could do about it. P
St. David's controlled the ball, and they took lots of shots at the goal. P
In the end, St. Andrew's lost five to nothing. P
On the bus after the game, the coach had a long talk with everyone. P
He said it was crucial to be on time. P
And he looked right at the goal keeper when he said it. P
Lesson 8-41
We all live in communities. P
There are many different kinds of communities in the world - families, schools, neighborhoods, clubs and cities. P
This shows that we can be a member of many communities at the same time. P
A community is a place where people live, work and play together. P
People share things and help each other in the community. P
People need some things to live, for example, food, clothing and a home. P
Can you obtain all these things by yourself? Maybe it is hard. P
If you are not alone and belong to a community, the people in the community will help you get them. P
This is why people live in communities. P
Nowadays, a new kind of community has appeared. It's the online community. P
The development of the Internet made online communities possible. P
You can meet others, make new friends, and share information in an online space. P
Lesson 8-42
Mother's Day is a day to honor mothers. P
On this day, children give cards, gifts and flowers to their mothers. P
Mother's Day is celebrated on different days around the world. P
In the United Kingdom, it is in March. P
It was called Mothering Sunday before. P
In the 1700s, there used to be child servants working in rich people's houses. P
On Mothering Sunday, they could go home and make a special fruit cake for their mothers. P
In the United States, Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday of May. P
A woman named Anna Jarvis worked hard to make Mother's Day a holiday. P
Making a special day for mothers was her mother's wish. P
Anna succeeded in 1914, when Mother's Day became a national holiday. P
What is the best Mother's Day gift? P
First of all, you have to appreciate everything that your mother has done for you. P
Hug your mother and say, "Thank you, Mom!" P
Lesson 8-43
You can easily find plastic bottles anywhere. P
Plastic is commonly used because it is light and strong. P
But many used plastic bottles are buried in landfills. P
Do you know how long it takes for a plastic bottle to decay? P
It takes 1,000 years! For this reason, most communities try to recycle them. P
Here are a few tips on recycling plastic bottles. P
First, wash them out with water. P
You don't need to use dish soap. P
This is just to remove any remaining liquid. P
Second, take the caps off the bottles. P
Caps are made from a different kind of plastic. P
They can't be recycled with the bottles. P
And third, step on the bottles to make them flat. P
This way, recycling trucks can carry more bottles at once. P
Follow these tips, and you will become a better recycler. But don't stop there. P
Find out how to properly recycle glass, cans and paper, too! P
Lesson 8-44
In Ethan's home, everyone does chores. P
Ethan does the dishes and keeps his room clean. P
His dad takes out the garbage and washes the car. P
Ethan often complains about doing chores. So does his dad. P
One Sunday, Ethan's mom didn't get out of bed. P
"I'm very sick," she said weakly. P
"Could you two do all of the housework? Just for today?" she asked. P
"Sure. No problem," said Ethan and his dad. But it was not easy. P
They had to clean the house, make lunch, do the laundry, and iron clothes instead of Ethan's mom. P
The chores were endless! By evening, Ethan and his dad were tired. P
"Mom, I didn't know you did so much work! From now on, I'll do more chores," said Ethan. P
Ethan's dad nodded along. Ethan's mom smiled and said, "Hmm. P
It's a miracle! Suddenly, I'm all well!" She got up and made dinner with her son and husband. P
Lesson 8-45
If you travel to Australia, you will probably see two unique Australian animals - koalas and kangaroos. P
They are very popular all over the world. P
Kangaroos have strong hind legs with long feet. P
They can hop on their hind legs. P
Kangaroos live in groups of ten or more. P
They manly eat grass and leaves. P
Koalas have strong thumbs that help them climb trees. P
They live in eucalyptus trees and eat only their leaves. P
Koalas live alone and sleep 18 to 20 hours a day. P
Kangaroos and koalas have something special in common: both females have pouches. P
As soon as their babies, called "joeys," are born, they crawl into their mothers' pouches. P
The newborn babies are only two centimeters long. P
They drink their mothers' milk and grow there for months. P
One thing is a little different, though. P
A kangaroo's pouch opens upwards, but a koala's pouch opens towards their hind legs. P
Lesson 8-46
There is a big tree. A little boy comes to the tree every day. P
He likes to climb it. He often picks and eats the tree's fruit. P
He sometimes sleeps in its cool shade. P
Trees are very important to both people and animals. P
Some animals make their nests in trees. P
People and animals eat fruits and seeds from trees. P
Trees provide cool shade for them. P
Also, trees produce oxygen and help keep air clean. P
People breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. P
On the other hand, trees take in carbon dioxide from the air and give out oxygen. P
Trees are helpful to people in other ways, too. P
Wood is a good material for building houses and making furniture or paper. P
It can be also used as fuel. But many trees are cut down each year. P
Do you worry about this? Then let's plant trees together on Arbor Day! P
Lesson 8-47
Chameleons are famous for changing colors. P
Mostly they are green or brown, but they can change into various colors. P
If you watch a chameleon at the right time, you can actually see it change colors. P
Many people think that a chameleon changes colors to match its surroundings, but there are other reasons. P
Sometimes, it has to do with light. P
How does a brown chameleon change in the sun? P
It turns green because a lighter color reflects more sunlight. P
Sometimes, it has to do with temperature. P
How does a cold chameleon change? It turns a darker color to take in more heat. P
A chameleon's mood is very important to color change. P
Is a chameleon turning red and yellow? Then you had better watch out. It is angry! P
Is a chameleon showing bright colors? P
Then say "Go, chameleon!" It is trying to find a mate! P
Lesson 8-48
Day 1 Today I started to grow some kidney bean plants. P
I put three beans on some cotton in a plastic dish. P
I poured water on the cotton and made it soggy. P
Day 3 My little kidney beans are bigger. P
They were dark red at first; now they are light pink. P
One of them has started to sprout. P
The sprout is white and looks like a tail. It's very fascinating. P
Day 5 All three beans have sprouted. P
I planted the sprouted beans in a small pot. I covered them with soil. P
Then I put the pot by the window in the sunshine. P
Let's meet again in a few days. P
Day 10 I am worried about my kidney beans. P
I watered them every other day, but they won't spring up. P
Are you okay in there, little beans? I can't wait to see you. P
Day 12 I noticed something green in the pot. P
At last, the very young plants have come out of the soil. P
They were seed leaves. Good to see you again, little beans! P
Lesson 8-49
Water covers about 70% of the earth's surface. P
The salty oceans hold 97% of this water. P
The remaining 3% is fresh water. P
But most of that is in the form of ice at the poles. P
Only 1% of all the water on the earth is available for us to drink. P
This fresh water is found in rivers, lakes and groundwater. P
The earth's water moves in a cycle. P
It moves from the oceans to the air and to the land, then back to the oceans. P
This is called the water cycle. P
The sun heats up water on the earth and turns it into vapor. P
The water vapor rises into the air. P
As the air cools, this vapor forms clouds. P
The clouds get heavy and water falls to the earth's surface as rain or snow. P
It flows into lakes and rivers. P
The lakes and rivers take it back to the sea. P
The cycle begins over and over again. P
Lesson 8-50
Take a look outside. What's the weather like today? P
That may be a simple question to answer. P
Then, what is the weather usually like throughout the year? P
Climate is a place's usual weather throughout the year. P
It shows how hot or cold the temperature is. P
It also shows how much rain or snow falls in that place. P
Different places in the world have different climates. P
A particular place's climate is most influenced by its location on the earth. P
Sunlight hits the earth most directly at the equator. P
Therefore, places near the equator are much warmer than places near the poles. P
Other influences on climate include the oceans, wind and mountains. P
Meanwhile, climate affects an area's vegetation; that is, its plant life. P
Some plants need lots of sun and water to grow. Other plants need less. P
Fruits like pineapples and bananas grow well in hot climates. P
Grains like corn and wheat, however, do just fine in cooler climates. P
Lesson 8-51
We use electricity every minute of every day. P
Can you name all the things that need electricity at home? P
There are lights, computers, TV sets, refrigerators and washing machines. P
Maybe you can name more things. P
Electricity is energy. We make electricity using energy sources. P
Energy sources are divided into two forms: renewable and nonrenewable. P
Renewable energy is made from the sun, water and wind. It can never be used up. P
But non-renewable energy can only be used once and cannot be replaced. P
We can obtain this energy from oil, coal and natural gas. P
These are called fossil fuels because they formed over millions of years. P
More people use renewable energy nowadays. P
Some people use solar energy to heat their homes. P
Some cars run on fuel from corn or soybeans. P
Future cars might run on corn juice, not oil or natural gas! P
Lesson 8-52
"Wait," said Bill. "These curved lines mean a stream. Is there a stream nearby?" P
"No," said Julie. "And that's a railroad symbol behind the stream. P
There's no railroad around here, either." P
Suddenly, an image flashed across Julie's mind. P
She grabbed Bill's hand and led him back to their classroom. P
She pointed to a picture of their school on the wall. P
It looked just like the map! They looked at the back of the picture. P
Behind the playground on it, they found a golden chocolate bar! P
At lunch time, Mr.Hill gave treasure maps to all his students and said, P
"Go to the X and you will find a treat!" P
Bill and Julie studied their maps. P
"This S symbol stands for school. And these are fence symbols," said Bill. P
"Right," said Julie. "And this swing stands for a playground. The X is here!" P
Bill and Julie rushed out to the playground. P
But they found nothing there. P
Lesson 8-53
On January 27th, 1756, a musical genius was born in Salzburg, Austria. P
His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. P
Mozart played the harpsichord when he was just three years old. P
He could hear music once and play it right back. P
At age four, he began to compose his own works and he composed his first symphony at age eight! P
He could even compose music in his head. P
Mozart went to Munich and Vienna on his first musical tour when he was six. P
He spent much of his youth touring Europe. P
During his trips, Mozart composed many works. P
Mozart died in Vienna in 1791. He was only 35 years old. P
Mozart left over 600 works. P
He wrote almost every kind of music from symphonies and operas to popular music like dances. P
His most famous operas include The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. P
More than 200 years after Mozart's death, his music is still well-loved. P
Lesson 8-54
There are men and women by the seaside. When the gun goes off, they sprint to the water and swim. P
As they finish swimming, they sprint to their bikes. P
After biking, they change into running shoes. P
This is a triathlon race. A triathlon is an endurance sport. P
It consists of three different stages swimming, cycling and running. P
The race is continuous, with no stops between the three stages. P
The most famous triathlon event is the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. P
In this race, participants must swim 3.8 kilometers, cycle 180 kilometers, and then run 42.2 kilometers. P
If you get through the race within 17 hours, you can be an "Ironman." P
It's very hard to train for a triathlon because you have to cover three different sports. P
Each sport makes use of different muscles in your body, so you need to exercise to strengthen all your major muscles. P
Lesson 8-55
Dressed-up performers sit on stage. They begin to play classical music. P
The audience quietly listens. P
Classical concerts are more formal than other concerts. P
Are you worried about how to act at a classical concert? P
Here is a guide to good concert manners. P
Be on time. You will not be allowed inside after the performance starts. P
Sit quietly. People want to listen and fall into the music. P
Performers need to focus on their music. P
Don't do anything to distract the performers. P
Don't talk or make any loud noises. P
No eating or taking pictures, either! P
Applaud at the end of the entire piece. P
You may be confused about when to clap. P
In other kinds of music, the audience claps whenever the music stops. P
But in classical music, one piece may have several parts, each with its own ending. P
Clapping after each part is not good manners. P
Lesson 8-56
Tommy, Jim and Matt are players on a soccer team. P
Tommy is the goalie, Jim is a midfielder, and Matt is a striker. P
Matt stood out among the strikers. Their team won game after game. P
After every game, Matt showed off a lot. P
"Did you see my goal?" "I'm the best striker!" Tommy and Jim said nothing. P
'They must be jealous,' thought Matt. P
One day, Tommy and Jim missed a game because they were both sick. P
Matt tried several times to make a goal, but he couldn't. P
The opponent team made three goals. P
He thought, 'Jim always passed me the ball. P
And Tommy always blocked the other team's shots. P
'The next day, Matt met Tommy and Jim. P
"I'm sorry for bragging, you guys. P
I'm not great by myself. We are a team of great players," he said. P
"But you're the greatest, right?" said Tommy. P
"Well … yeah," said Matt. They all laughed. P
Lesson 8-57
Here is a riddle: If there isn't anything, this number appears. P
If there is something, it doesn't appear. P
What is this magic number? The answer is zero. P
Zero is used as a symbol for nothing. Zero is a very strange number. P
If you add zero to or subtract zero from any number, that number stays the same. P
If you multiply any number by zero, you get zero. P
You cannot divide a number by zero. P
Zero is also a great number. Here is the number 1. Let's write 0 right behind 1. P
What number is made? Of course, it is 10. P
If you write two 0's or three 0's, it becomes 100 or 1,000. P
Thanks to zero, you can easily express not only millions and billions but also boundlessly large numbers. P
If the ancient people hadn't invented the symbol "0" for zero, what symbol would we be using now? P
Lesson 8-58
You need to measure the length of something. P
You probably look for a ruler or a measuring tape. P
But you can't find one. What do you do? P
Why don't you use your hand or arm? P
Before measuring tools* were invented, people used their body parts to measure. P
One popular unit was the cubit. P
A cubit is the length from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger. P
A person's cubit is usually around 43~56 centimeters. P
The pyramids of Egypt were built in cubits. So was Noah's Ark! P
Other body parts such as palms and feet were used to measure, too. P
The unit foot was based on the length of a man's foot! P
Farmers walked around and measured their land with their feet. P
Using body parts to measure was easy, but everyone's cubits, palms and feet were different lengths. P
And so, standard units of measurement were developed. P
Lesson 8-59
What is your favorite shape? Is it a square, a circle or a triangle? P
All shapes are special, but one is known to be perfect. P
That is the circle. Let's put a dot in the center of a circle. P
Now draw a line that connects two opposite points on the circle and passes through the dot. P
This line is called a diameter. You can fold a circle along any of its diameters. P
Its two halves are exactly the same. A circle is symmetrical all around. P
Because of its symmetry, the circle is considered to be the perfect shape. P
Look around and you can see many circular things: cups and plates, manholes, coins, and so on. P
Why are manholes round? Other shapes have edges, but a circle does not. P
So, you can put a manhole cover in any direction and it still fits the hole. P
Other shapes could get stuck in the hole. P
Lesson 8-60
Brian, in the fifth grade, enjoys math. P
Right now, he is learning to divide fractions. P
His teacher says, "Keep in mind KFC." P
"Kentucky Fried Chicken?" asks a student. P
"Yes, but also Keep the first fraction, Flip the last fraction, and Change the sign to multiply. P
One-third divided by one-sixth? Turn it into one-third times six!" "Ah!" says the class. P
Every year, Brian's school has a math contest. P
This year, Brian takes part in the contest and becomes one of the last two competitors. P
"We will now have a speed quiz," says the host teacher. P
Brian and his opponent both answer the first two questions correctly. P
"Now the last question: what is three-fourths divided by one-twelfth?" The other student frowns. P
But Brian quickly thinks, "KFC. P
Three-fourths and twelve, multiplied. P
"Brian's hand shoots up."Nine!" he says. P
Brian is the math champion! P
The next day, Brian brings nine buckets of KFC chicken for his classmates. P
Lesson 8-61
People are throwing tomatoes at one another. P
It looks like a fight, but everyone is laughing. What is going on? P
You can see this exciting scene during La Tomatina, a tomato fight festival in Bunol, Spain. P
This festival is held every year on the last Wednesday of August. P
Back in the 1940s, some friends got in a fight on the streets. P
They took fruit from a nearby food stand and threw it at one another. P
Passers-by joined in their fight. P
Everyone had so much fun that it became a yearly festival. P
On the morning of the festival, people begin to gather at the town's main plaza. P
At 11 o'clock, tons of tomatoes arrive and are poured out onto the crowd. P
Tomatoes start flying everywhere and soon everything is covered in red tomato juice. P
People shout and have great fun. P
Two hours later, the fight ends and everyone helps to clean up. P
In a few hours, the streets are clean again. until next year! P
Lesson 8-62
We usually use a fork or chopsticks to pick up food. P
How were these two eating utensils developed? P
Forks are rooted in Western culture. P
In the West, people raised cows and sheep. P
Naturally, they lived on meat. P
They would cut the meat with a knife, then just eat it. P
Ancient Greeks first used a fork with two points to hold the meat while cutting. P
This was later developed into forks for eating at the table. P
More points were added to pick up smaller bits of food. P
Chopsticks are a part of Eastern culture. P
In the East, people raised mostly crops and ate grains and vegetables. P
Food was boiled or steamed in large pots. P
Two tree branches were used to turn the food while cooking. P
The first chopsticks were used by the Chinese 5,000 years ago. P
The Chinese learned that smaller bits of food cooked quicker. P
Chopsticks were developed to pick up these food bits. P
Others soon began eating with chopsticks, too P
Lesson 8-63
In 2007, a quiet, chubby man appeared on a British talent show. P
"I am here to sing opera," he said nervously to the judges. P
Sing opera? The judges looked very doubtful. P
Then his sweet voice rang out in a beautiful aria. P
The judges and the crowd were stunned. P
This is the true story of Paul Potts. P
Paul loved to sing from childhood and wanted to be an opera singer. P
But he became a salesman. He wasn't happy with his job. P
Instead of being a professional singer, he kept singing in an amateur opera group. P
But in 2003, he had health problems and underwent surgery. P
He also had a terrible bike accident and could neither work nor sing for many months. P
He entered the talent show to give his singing dream one last chance. P
One of the judges called Paul "a little lump of coal that is going to turn into a diamond. P
"And that is what he did. Paul is now an international star. P
If you work hard enough, your dreams can come true. P
So never give up on your dreams! P
Lesson 8-64
On a spring day, the Sahids received a party invitation. It said 'BYO food' on it. P
"That means Bring Your Own food," explained Mrs. Sahid to her daughter Alka. P
"Each guest takes a dish to share. This is called a potluck party." P
Mrs. Sahid and Alka decided to make chappatis for the party. P
Mrs. Sahid made dough out of flour, water and salt. P
Alka helped her make little balls of dough. P
They flattened the dough and baked it in a hot pan. P
Then they piled up the chappatis in a basket. P
The Sahids arrived at the party. P
Many neighbors were already there with their food. P
The Sahids tried many different dishes. P
Mrs. Sahid also offered chappatis to her neighbors. P
She explained, "These are chappatis, a common Indian food." P
The neighbors tried it and loved it. P
Sharing food made Alka feel much closer to her neighbors. P
On the way home, Alka said to her mom, P
"It was a great party! I can't wait till the next potluck party. P
Lesson 8-65
Seeds are great travelers. They can travel far away from their homes. P
There are different ways that seeds travel. Some seeds travel by wind. P
These seeds are usually light or wing-shaped. P
Dandelion seeds have light, fine hairs that catch the wind. P
Maple seeds have flat wings that twirl in the wind. P
Seeds like coconut seeds travel by water. P
Coconut seeds are covered in a thick layer of fiber. P
The fiber allows the coconut seeds to float on water. P
Some seeds are carried away by animals. P
Some like mistletoe seeds are very sticky. P
Others have sharp hooks. These seeds cling to animal fur. P
They will later drop off at a distant place. P
Humans can carry seeds on their clothes and shoes, too. P
Also, when animals eat fruit, the fruit seeds come out later in their droppings. P
Some plants don't wait for the seeds to fall off. They spit them out instead! P
The fruit of a squirting cucumber will open up and spit seeds out into the air. P
Lesson 8-66
Look at the frog sitting by a pond. P
It underwent many changes to become a full-grown frog. P
Egg: A female frog lays a mass of eggs in the water. P
The eggs are usually covered with a jelly-like material which holds them together. P
Tadpole: Soon, a tadpole hatches from one of the eggs. P
At this point, the tadpole consists of gills, a mouth, and a tail, so it is similar to a little fish. P
It breathes with its gills. It doesn't have any legs. P
It swims around with its long tail. P
Tadpole with Legs: The tadpole starts to change. P
The two hind legs first grow, and then the front legs pop out. P
It begins to eat insects and plants. P
Froglet: A froglet looks like a small adult frog. P
Its tail keeps shrinking. It loses its gills and breathes with lungs. P
It will leave the water soon. P
Adult Frog: The tail is completely gone. P
It will now live on dry land and in water. P
When it meets its mate and has eggs, the whole cycle will begin once again. P
Lesson 8-67
Trees and tall plants block out the sun. The land is covered in water. P
There are things moving underwater. P
Sounds creepy? Most swamps are like this. P
Swamps are low lands that are underwater for most of the year. P
The water comes from nearby lakes, rivers and streams. P
Swamps may not be everybody's favorite place, but they are very important. P
For one thing, swamps prevent flooding. P
In a storm, swamps absorb water like a sponge. P
They release the water again in dry weather. P
Swamps are also important to migrating birds like ducks, geese and swans. P
Swamps provide a resting place for them during their long journey. P
Swamps are also home to various animals. P
Animals like crayfish and shrimp live in the water. P
Crocodiles and beavers live at the surface of the water. P
Birds and insects live above the water. P
And raccoons and snakes live on the spongy land near swamps. P
Lesson 8-68
Emily was excited. It was the day of her submarine trip. P
She would travel thousands of meters below the sea. P
It was pitch-black underneath the water. P
Suddenly there was a flash of light. P
It was coming from a strange-looking fish. P
It had an enormous mouth and a very long tail. P
"That is a gulper eel," said the captain. P
"The tip of its tail lights up to attract prey. P
Its jaws are loose so its mouth can open wide. P
It can eat prey much larger than itself. P
Its stomach stretches, too. So it just swallows its prey in one gulp." P
Just then, Emily saw the gulper eel turn its way. P
"Can it eat something as big as this submarine?" asked Emily. P
"No," said the captain. But the gulper eel was now coming towards them. P
"Hurry! Let's get away!" cried Emily and closed her eyes. P
After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. P
The gulper eel had eaten a nearby fish. P
Embarrassed, she smiled weakly at the captain. P
Lesson 8-69
Take a soda can and shake it well. P
What happens next? Soda bubbles build up inside. P
When you open it, the soda spills out and makes a mess. P
It looks like an erupting volcano. P
How do volcanoes form? Underneath the earth's surface flows hot liquid rock called magma. P
There are also lots of gases, steam and dust. P
These sometimes build up and burst out of the earth's surface. P
Hot liquid called lava and sand-like rock spill out. P
These harden and become volcanoes. P
When volcanoes erupt, they can cause a lot of damage. P
Earthquakes often occur before and after volcanoes erupt. P
Hot lava flows over land and destroys it. P
Plants and animals that lived on the land die, too. P
Harmful gases also burst out into the air. P
Volcanoes, though, can be useful in some ways. P
Volcanic heat can be used to run a power plant. P
We can also use the various minerals melted in the lava. P
Volcanic sites are good for sightseeing and can create wonderful spas. P
Lesson 8-70
A polar bear at the zoo is hugging a big chunk of ice. P
He dreams about floating on an iceberg and hunting for seals. P
Polar bears live on icebergs in the Arctic. P
How did icebergs first form? Thousands of years ago, snow piled up on land near the poles. P
The snow froze into layers of ice. These are called glaciers. P
Due to water movements, wind and temperature, parts of glaciers near the sea melt and break free. P
These are icebergs. Icebergs are made of fresh water that is not salty. P
They appear white because they are full of air bubbles. P
They float thousands of kilometers down the sea until they melt away. P
Because the world's temperature keeps going up, more and more icebergs are breaking free. P
And these icebergs are melting too quickly. P
This means animals such as polar bears and seals are losing their habitats. P
Scientists say that they could be extinct in the near future. P
We must work to protect these familiar animals. P
Lesson 8-71
On a clear sunny day, look up, and you can see the blue sky. P
Why is the sky blue? Why is it not yellow or green? P
It has to do with light from the sun and the earth's atmosphere. P
Light from the sun looks white, but is actually made up of all colors of the rainbow. P
When sunlight passes through the air, the light bumps into gas molecules and dust in the air. P
When the light hits a gas molecule, it gets scattered in different directions. P
Some colors of light, like red and orange, pass straight through the air. P
But blue light bounces off in all directions: forward, sideways, and backwards. P
This blue light eventually reaches your eyes from all over the sky. P
This makes the sky look blue. P
How about in space? In space, there is no air. P
This means that there is nothing for light to bounce off. P
The light just passes through. P
As none of the light gets scattered, the sky looks black. P
Lesson 8-72
Jason's dad took him along on a trip to Dubai. P
As the plane flew lower, Jason saw something on the southern coast. P
It looked like a huge sand drawing. P
"What is that, Dad?" asked Jason. P
"That's Palm Jumeirah. It's an island built by people. P
See how it is shaped like a palm tree?" said Dad. P
"Yes, I see!" cried Jason with excitement. P
The airport was very busy. Jason felt more excited. P
He couldn't wait to look around the city. P
They got in a taxi and headed towards the coast. P
Jason saw skyscrapers everywhere. P
They were the tallest buildings he had ever seen. P
"Dubai used to be a small fishing village fifty years ago," explained the driver. P
Now look at it. P
We've turned this desert area into one of the most popular tourist cities in the world. P
Jason pointed up ahead and cried, P
Look, Dad. Palm Jumeirah! It's even more amazing up close. P
The driver proudly smiled and said, "Welcome to Dubai, little one." P
Lesson 8-73
A long time ago, people often exchanged goods. P
Let's say one man had a lot of potatoes and another had a lot of peas. P
If they both wanted the other's goods, a trade would take place. P
This kind of trade is called bartering. P
But there was a problem with bartering: it was hard to carry around goods to trade. P
Besides, the goods went bad easily. P
So people began to use cowry shells to purchase goods, instead. P
Cowry shells were widely used as money throughout history. P
Around 1000 B.C, the Chinese made metal money shaped like cowries, knives and spades. P
This early metal money developed into round coins. P
Ancient Chinese coins were made of base metals. P
They had holes so they could be put together on a chain. P
Outside of China, the first coins were created in Lydia - modern western Turkey - around 700 B.C. P
These were made of precious metals such as gold, silver and bronze. P
Gradually, coins became common all over the world. P
Lesson 8-74
On a store shelf, there is a big bar of milk chocolate. P
Have you ever wondered how it got there? P
Chocolate is made from the seeds of cacao trees. P
Cacao trees only grow in warm places near the equator. P
Farmers pick cacao pods and take out the seeds inside of them. P
They ferment the seeds then dry them in the sun. These are now cacao beans. P
They send the beans to chocolate factories around the world. P
At the factory, cacao beans are first roasted. This brings out their flavor. P
Then a machine separates the meat from the shell. P
The meat part is ground into liquid chocolate. P
This pure chocolate is very bitter! P
Sugar and milk are mixed with the chocolate for days. P
Then it's heated and cooled many times to make it smooth. P
Now it's ready to be poured into molds and hardened into chocolate bars. P
When the chocolate is hardened, it's wrapped and sent to stores. P
And so, that is how that chocolate bar came to be there. P
Lesson 8-75
Once there were several trade routes. P
They stretched thousands of kilometers from China to the Mediterranean Sea. P
At first, people traveled across them to trade silk. P
Together, they were called the Silk Road. P
The Silk Road began around the second century in China. P
People rode wagons and sold silk all across the land. P
They traveled farther and farther. P
Soon, they traded across China, Central Asia, India, Africa and all the way to Rome. P
The Silk Road brought together the East and the West. P
As it developed, other goods besides silk were traded. P
Silk, fur and ceramic goods traveled from east to west. P
Ivory, precious stones and spices traveled from west to east. P
As people traveled back and forth, they picked up one another's cultures. P
China's four greatest inventions - papermaking, gunpowder, the compass and printing were all introduced along the Silk Road. P
Buddhism also spread from India to China. P
The Silk Road acted as an important cultural bridge for many centuries. P
Lesson 8-76
One day, Brad's dad brought home a big piggy bank. P
"Let's put our change in here," he said. P
Every night, Brad's parents put their coins in the piggy bank. P
Brad began to follow their lead. P
Soon, the big piggy bank was full. P
Brad wanted to spend the money. P
But his dad proposed, "How about putting it in the bank for a while?" P
Brad agreed, so they put their money in a bank account. P
Brad's family kept saving and their account grew bigger. P
Around Christmas, Brad and his dad went to the bank and checked their account. P
There was some extra money in it! P
Brad's dad said, "That's called interest. Interest is money paid to savers by the bank. P
Now how do you want to spend our money?" P
Brad answered, "Well, I'll think about it." P
At that very moment a bell rang. P
Brad turned around to the sound of the bell and saw a charity kettle. P
"Dad, I want to spend our money meaningfully. P
I'd like to put it in that charity kettle. Is that okay?" P
His dad hugged Brad and said, "That sounds wonderful. P
Lesson 8-77
Do you like donuts or pizza? Be careful - they might have trans fats in them! P
What are trans fats? Trans fats are artificial fats. P
They are created in the process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. P
Trans fats can be found in many foods - especially in fast food. P
Many food companies and restaurants like to use trans fats P
because they're easy and inexpensive to use, and they last for a long time. P
They usually use margarine and shortening when they make fried foods like French fries and donuts. P
But trans fats are bad for your health. P
Trans fats are often called 'the silent killer'. P
They slowly build up in your blood and around your stomach. P
In addition, they make other fats stay in your body. P
Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart diseases and diabetes. P
To keep your health, stay away from trans fats. P
Before choosing foods, first read the nutrition facts on food labels and make sure that your food does not contain them. P
Lesson 8-78
A caterpillar will go inside a cocoon. P
After a period of change, it will turn into a beautiful butterfly. P
Whether you are a boy or a girl, you will also go through a period of change. P
This period is called puberty. Puberty starts at a different age for everyone. P
It can start as early as age 8, or as late as age 15. P
When you go into puberty, a part of your brain sends out hormones. P
These hormones will make your body develop in many ways. P
Your arms, legs and feet will grow quickly. P
If you are a boy, your shoulders will grow wider. P
Your voice will crack then grow deeper. P
If you are a girl, your body will become curvier. P
During puberty, you may feel angry and confused. This is very normal. P
Your mind and your body are just adjusting to the changes. P
Try to think of puberty as an adventure. P
Waiting at the end is a new you. P
Lesson 8-79
There is a picture of a pyramid with colorful vertical lines. P
There is a stairway on its left. A figure is running up the stairs. P
What does this symbol mean? This is a food pyramid. P
To stay healthy, we must eat a balanced diet. P
There are five main food groups. P
The vertical lines represent each one. P
Orange is for grains like rice and bread. P
Green is for vegetables, and red is for fruits. P
Blue is for milk, yogurt and other dairy products. P
Purple is for meat, fish and nuts. P
And yellow is for fats and oils - we need a little of them in our diet, too. P
Some lines are thicker than the others. P
We should eat more foods from those groups. P
As for the running figure, it means that exercise is important, too. P
We should eat well, but we should also get plenty of exercise. P
Doing both is not always a piece of cake. P
But like the figure, take it one step at a time. P
Lesson 8-80
One day, Jessica's classmate Amanda started wearing glasses. P
Jessica thought Amanda looked cool. P
That night, Jessica took her mom's glasses. P
She went to the mirror and tried them on. P
"What are you doing?" asked her mom. P
"Do you need glasses?" "Uh… maybe," she lied. P
She wanted to be like Amanda. P
The next day, Jessica went to the eye doctor with her mom. P
She read letters from an eye chart. P
"Well, Jessica. You need glasses," said the doctor. P
Jessica was surprised! "Do I really need glasses?" P
"Your eyesight isn't too bad, but don't watch TV or read books too closely," he said. P
"When you use the computer, take a break every twenty minutes. P
Look far away and slowly move your eyes sideways. P
Eat lots of carrots and spinach, too." P
That night, Jessica wore her glasses and looked in the mirror. P
She liked herself with glasses on, but she was worried a little bit. P
'I must take better care of my eyes,' she thought. P
Her image nodded in the mirror. P
Lesson 8-81
Many people build homes according to their environment. P
In Coober Pedy, Australia, around 4,000 people live in underground homes. P
The cool earth protects them from the 50ºC summer heat. P
In Papua New Guinea, people build wooden houses on stilts. P
The stilts protect the houses from floods. P
In places with a lot of water, people may choose to live on houseboats. P
Houseboats come in many shapes and sizes. P
Some of the simplest houseboats can be found on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. P
They are made of wood and palm leaves. P
Houseboats in Britain are very narrow. P
This lets them travel along thin canals. P
Despite their small size, they contain a kitchen, bedroom, shower and living room. P
The beds and sofas usually fold up to save space. P
Houseboats in Australia and America can be much larger. P
This is because they are kept on wide rivers and lakes rather than canals. P
Some of the biggest houseboats are called floating mansions. P
They can contain fireplaces, bathtubs and swimming pools! P
They serve as dwellings as well as vacation homes. P
Would you like to live on a houseboat, or would you prefer another kind of special home? P
Lesson 8-82
Do you spend your allowance slowly and carefully? P
Or do you run out of money every week? P
If you answered yes to the second question, then it's time to make a budget. P
A budget is a record of how much money you will receive (your income) P
and how much money you plan to spend (your expenses). P
Here is an example: As you can see above, Lindsey's allowance is $15. P
She also walks her neighbor's dog, and earns $10 per week. P
So her weekly income is $25. P
This week she plans to spend $7 on transportation, $5 on snacks, and $2 on swimming. P
So her expenses will be $14. P
By making a budget, Lindsey knows she will have $11 left over to either save or spend. P
Make a budget at the beginning of each week. P
You should plan your spending carefully. P
Do not forget to include things like a birthday card for your mom or a trip to the movies. P
Lesson 8-83
At the Miteme School in Malawi, children take classes under a tree. P
There are no books, only a blackboard. P
There are not even enough teachers. P
Worse , there is no clean water, so children cannot drink anything. P
As a result, most children simply stay home. P
Of the 500 students, about 100 come to school each day. P
However, UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) offers hope to schools like this. P
Since 2005, UNICEF's Schools for Africa campaign has built or improved around 600 African schools. P
It has given clean drinking water to 151 schools and toilets to 439 schools. P
Nearly every school has been given desks, pencils and books. P
In total, around 3 million students have been helped by the campaign. P
Now UNICEF plans to help the Miteme School. P
"We will improve this school so that children will want to stay here and learn ," explained one UNICEF worker. P
Of course, UNICEF cannot do this alone . P
It needs funding from people like you. P
You can be a part of the campaign by raising money with your classmates. P
With your help, even more African students can have a brighter future. P
Lesson 8-84
As part of his school's "Job Week," Daniel spent a day with a movie director. P
Read about his experience. P
09:30 I arrived at the studio to meet the director, Sophie Yang. P
She was shooting the final scene of her latest movie, A Love Story. P
I was excited to see so many people there, especially movie stars. P
10:00 Sophie began directing the scene. P
She had to guide the actors, control the lighting, and direct the camera people. P
It took a long time. It can take hours to film a five-minute scene in the studio. P
14:00 Finally, we ate lunch. Then Sophie and I went to the editing room. P
There, the editor used a computer to put the scene together. P
First he cut out all the mistakes and then Sophie chose the parts with the best acting. P
She also chose music. "I think Ne-Yo's new song will fit this scene," she said. P
17:00 I went home, but Sophie stayed. P
She said, "Sometimes I work 20-hour days. But I love my job. P
I can turn my ideas into beautiful movies that touch people's hearts. P
Lesson 8-85
A star is a huge shining ball of gas that gives off heat and light. P
Stars fall into various groups according to their size, temperature and lifespan. P
The three main groups are red stars, yellow stars and blue stars. P
Red stars are the smallest. They can be hundreds of times smaller than the Sun. P
They burn their fuel very slowly, so they can live for trillions of years. P
Yellow stars, like the Sun, are medium -sized stars with a medium temperature. P
They can live for about 10 billion years. Blue stars are extremely large. P
They burn their fuel quickly. This makes them very hot. P
These stars only live for about 10,000 to 100,000 years. P
What kind of stars do we see when we look up at the night sky? P
Interestingly, red stars are the most common type of star. P
However, it is difficult to see them because they make very little light. P
Blue stars, on the other hand, are very bright. P
They are rare, but they are the kind of star we see the most. P
Lesson 8-86
In the old television series The Six Million Dollar Man, an astronaut is seriously injured in a crash. P
So, he has an operation that costs $6 million. P
An arm, an eye and both his legs are replaced with machines. P
This gives him super powers, making him a bionic man. P
But did you know that something similar can happen in real life? P
These days, artificial body parts are fairly common. P
For example, a person with an unhealthy heart can be kept alive with an artificial one. P
Or, if someone loses an arm or a leg in an accident, it can be replaced with a robotic one. P
There has even been a man with a bionic brain! P
After an injury to his neck, Matthew Nagle was unable to move his body. P
But doctors placed electronic parts in his brain. P
This allowed him to move a computer cursor just by thinking about it. P
In the future, there will probably be even more uses for bionic body parts. P
Imagine if you had bionic eyes that could see for kilometers or bionic legs that allowed you to jump over buildings. P
What would you do with your new powers? P
Lesson 8-87
The ocean's water levels are constantly changing. At high tide, they rise up. P
During low tide, they sink back down. P
Why does this happen? One reason is gravity. P
Gravity is the invisible force that pulls everything toward the center of the Earth. P
The Moon has gravity, too. P
As it circles the Earth, the Moon's gravity gently pulls everything toward it. P
This pull does not affect the Earth's solid land. P
Water, however, is not so strong. P
The Moon's gravity causes it to bulge out slightly on one side of the planet. P
This is one of the factors that creates tides. P
The Sun's gravity also plays a role. P
The Sun, Moon and Earth form a straight line during the full moon and the new moon. P
This makes the pull of gravity even stronger. P
High tides are higher and low tides are lower. P
These are known as spring tides, although they have nothing to do with the season. P
Without the Earth's gravity, our oceans would float away into space. P
Without the gravity of the Sun and the Moon, we would not have tides. P
Lesson 8-88
Today is my first visit to my friend Alvin's house. P
I am really looking forward to it because Alvin lives under the sea in the Ocean Apartments. P
To go inside, I must take an elevator. P
I press the number of Alvin's apartment. P
Whoosh! The elevator quickly takes me down to more than 100 meters below ground level. P
In front of me is Alvin's front door. I ring the doorbell, and Alvin lets me in. P
His living room windows look out over a beautiful sea garden of colorful coral, rocks and seaweed. P
Eels swim around the rocks. Colorful clownfish and striped angelfish swim through the coral. P
Crabs walk slowly along the bottom. P
"Look, a sea turtle!" I say, as one swims slowly in front of the window. P
Alvin says, "Yesterday some dolphins swam past!" P
After watching for a while, we get hungry. P
Alvin makes a small robot go to the underwater grocery store. P
The robot is a small submarine with space inside. P
Using a remote control, Alvin inputs the food we want, and the robot brings it to us. P
After we eat, it is time for me to go home. P
At home, I remember the beautiful view from Alvin's window. P
Lesson 8-89
Claude Monet was a famous French painter. P
He is best known as an "impressionist. P
" Impressionism is a style of painting that uses quick brushstrokes and bright colors. P
The paintings show the artist's impression of a scene rather than realistic details. P
The word "impressionism" comes from one of Monet's paintings, Impression, Sunrise. P
Impressionists generally painted scenes of nature. P
Like other impressionists, Monet preferred to work outdoors instead of in a studio. P
He was very interested in showing the effects of natural light in his paintings. P
Monet would often paint the same subject several times. P
He would show how it appeared at different points of the day. P
As the sun changed its position, the light on his subject would also change. P
The painting above is named The White Water Lilies. P
It shows a scene from the gardens surrounding Monet's house in Giverny, France. P
It was painted in 1899 on canvas using oil paints. P
This painting is from a series of paintings that Monet made later in his life. P
Despite troubles with his eyes, Monet continued to paint until his death in 1926. P
Lesson 8-90
You want to make beautiful music, but you do not own a violin or a piano. P
Don't worry! You can make your own musical instruments from everyday things in your house. P
Singing Glasses: First, find eight or nine drinking glasses. P
Then fill them with different amounts of water. P
Now, wet your fingertip and gently slide it around the rim of each glass. P
Each one should make a slightly different sound. P
Bottle Rattle: Clean out an empty plastic bottle. P
Now place several small, hard objects inside of it. P
They can be almost anything-buttons, beads, small rocks etc. P
Now, replace the cap. To play your rattle, just shake it! P
Toilet Paper Kazoo: Place a piece of foil over one end of a cardboard toilet paper tube. P
Attach it tightly with a rubber band. P
Now make a small hole in the cardboard just below the rubber band. P
By humming or singing into the open end of the tube, you can make funny sounds. P
If you use your imagination, there are a lot of fun and creative ways to make music at home. P
Now get together with your friends and start your own band! P
Lesson 8-91
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy in 1678. P
Throughout his life he wrote more than 500 concertos. P
He is often called the best Italian composer of all time. P
His most famous work is The Four Seasons. P
It is a dramatic piece that captures the mood of each season. P
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos, one for each season. P
The violin always plays the main solo. P
It is accompanied by other violins, violas, cellos and sometimes a harpsichord. P
Each of the four concertos relates to a season. P
The spring concerto is lively and joyful like the arrival of spring flowers and new life. P
The summer concerto expresses a fierce thunderstorm, with dramatic bass notes* on the cello. P
The autumn concerto is a celebration of the harvest and sounds like the festive songs of peasants. P
The winter concerto brings to mind icy rain with sharp, high notes on the violin. P
Vivaldi composed The Four Seasons nearly 300 years ago. P
However, it is still used today for advertisements, cell phone ring tones and movie soundtracks. P
As a result, you have probably heard a part of The Four Seasons without realizing it! P
Lesson 8-92
"Yuck!" I said. "Look at all those cookie wrappers!" P
My friends and I stared sadly at the pile of trash in the school yard. P
"Why don't students use the trash cans?" asked James. P
"Our school doesn't seem like a cheerful place anymore," said my friend Lucy. P
"Let's do something about it!" We talked about the problem. P
Suddenly we thought of a wonderful idea: to paint a big mural on the outside wall of the gymnasium. P
It would show students how to make our school clean and beautiful. P
First, we explained our idea to the principal. P
"What a great idea!" she said. P
She helped us get materials such as paints, brushes and work gloves. P
The next day, we designed our mural on a piece of paper. P
Then, we started painting it with our classmates. P
It wasn't easy because the wall was so big, but it was fun. P
We were very proud after we finished it. P
The mural shows students picking up trash. P
They are being helped by birds, butterflies and cute squirrels. P
Each day, it reminds students to pick up their trash. P
Now our school yard is cleaner, more beautiful and completely unique! P
Lesson 8-93
Tourists from around the world travel to Pisa, Italy to take photographs of the city's bell tower. P
There are many bell towers in Italy. P
But the Tower of Pisa* is special because it leans at an angle of nearly four degrees! P
The Tower of Pisa was not built this way on purpose. P
When construction began in 1173, there were two big problems. P
First, its foundation was too small. P
Second, the ground it was built on was too soft. P
Before the tower could be finished, it began to lean dangerously to the southeast. P
Construction stopped for nearly 100 years. P
This allowed the ground beneath the tower to harden. P
Later, when builders added more stories to the tower, it began to lean in the other direction! P
The Italian government began to worry that the tower would eventually fall over. P
So they tried many things to stop it from leaning further. P
Finally, it was closed to the public in 1990, and dirt was removed from beneath one side. P
This straightened the tower just enough. P
It was declared to be safe for at least 200 years. P
In 2001, the tower was finally reopened. P
Lesson 8-94
In the 1950s, African Americans began to organize marches and protests. P
They wanted to be treated equally. This was called the civil rights movement. P
One of its greatest leaders was Martin Luther King, Jr. P
King was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. P
He encouraged people of all colors to stand up against racism in a peaceful way. P
In 1955, he led a protest against racist laws in Montgomery, Alabama. P
One law made African Americans sit in the back of public buses. P
So, they refused to ride the buses for more than a year. P
Eventually, King and the other protesters were able to change the law. P
He is best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech. P
It was given in Washington, DC in 1963 after the March for Jobs and Freedom. P
In 1964, he became the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize. P
Sadly, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed in 1968. P
But the civil rights movement continued on stronger than ever. P
He is remembered each January with a national holiday. P
Lesson 8-95
People first started wearing clothes somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 years ago. P
It is believed that they needed clothes because they started to lose their warm body hair. P
Early clothes were made from animal skin, fur, grasses and leaves. P
People simply tied them around their bodies. P
Then, around 30,000 years ago, people made needles from animal bones. P
They used these to sew leather and fur to make their clothing. P
Around 500 AD, the spinning wheel was invented in Asia. P
This enabled people to spin cotton into thread. P
The thread was woven into comfortable, well-fitting clothes. P
However, spinning and weaving were hard work, so these clothes were rather expensive. P
Only rich people such as kings and queens could afford to own several sets of clothes. P
In the 1800s, the way clothes were made changed completely. P
Thanks to new machines, factories could make clothes quickly and easily. P
Then in the 1930s, cheap materials like nylon and polyester were invented. P
Cheap factory-made clothing flooded the market. P
For the first time, ordinary people could afford to own numerous sets of clothes in various styles. P
Lesson 8-96
Hoyee! My name is Segep. Welcome to our Yurok village. P
Yurok means "downriver people." We live near the beautiful Klamath River in California. P
Every day we catch delicious salmon and mussels. P
Welcome inside our home. It is made from redwood trees. P
Here, have some dried seaweed and acorns. P
Mom will make us some tea from berries. P
Do you see the three lines tattooed on her chin? They are a sign of beauty. P
The tattoos on Dad's arm are a sign of wealth. P
Dad is a canoe maker. He teaches me to fish in his canoe. P
He also teaches me to hunt deer and rabbits with a bow and arrow. P
Mom teaches my sister, Ninowo, to weave baskets from thin branches. P
In our free time, Yurok children play together outside. P
Boys play an energetic game called "tossle." P
Players use a wooden stick to hit a leather ball into a goal. P
We wrestle one another to take the ball. P
My sister plays dice games with her friends using mussel shells. P
Ninowo is 16, so she will get married soon. I'm glad I'm not old enough to marry. P
I would rather play tossle. Come on. Let's play. P
Lesson 8-97
Good afternoon, everybody. Last week a friend asked me an interesting question. P
The question was, "What would you do if you won the lottery?" P
Of course, I immediately thought about all the things I could buy: P
a brand new computer, a trip to Disneyland and so on. P
But later that day I saw something that changed my mind. P
On my way home from school, I passed Clover Street Hospital. P
I was born there 12 years ago. Actually, I was born with a heart problem and nearly died. P
But the amazing doctors and nurses looked after me, and I survived. P
However, the hospital now has a sign outside it. P
The sign says the hospital may close because it does not have enough money. P
At that moment, I knew what I would do if I won the lottery. P
I would give money to the hospital and start a charity to keep it open. P
Of course, I may never win the lottery. P
But I can make the other part of my dream come true: P
I can start a charity for Clover Street Hospital. P
I will hold several charity events here at school this year. P
So, please support me with your help and donations. P
Lesson 8-98
Dear Dayna, I have a little brother who is just four years old. P
He is so cute that everybody adores him. P
And that's the problem! My parents seem to love him the most. P
It makes me jealous. Even worse, they sometimes make me take care of him when they go out. P
Instead of doing my homework or chatting with my friends online, I have to give him all my attention. P
It's not fair! I'm even starting to resent my little brother for it. P
How can I make my parents love me again? Sincerely, Jealous Sister P
Of course your parents love you! P
If they didn't love and trust you, they wouldn't ask you to babysit your brother. P
You shouldn't feel annoyed with your younger sibling. P
Instead, you should feel proud of how responsible you are. P
Remember, he will always look up to you. P
Of course, you can tell your parents that you sometimes feel left out. P
Just because you're not a delightful baby anymore doesn't mean YOU don't need their attention, too. P
Lesson 8-99
Darren is walking through a dark house. Suddenly, he sees something. P
He quickly shoots his gun several times. P
He counts the bodies, and smiles to see that he has killed three people. P
Then his mom yells, "Dinner time!" P
He puts down his computer game controller and runs to eat dinner with his family. P
The Effect of Watching Violence P
Darren is a nice, normal eleven-year-old American boy. P
Yet experts say that by the time he reaches 18 years old, P
he will have seen 40,000 killings on television. P
Furthermore, he will have seen thousands more in computer games. P
According to research, he is more likely to be violent in real life after experiencing violence on screen. P
The effect is the same whether it is a television show, a movie or a computer game. P
Preventing a Violent Future P
TV, movies and games can make violence seem exciting and necessary. P
Worse, computer games offer children higher scores for killing more enemies. P
To prevent a violent society in the future, we must take responsibility. P
Young people can do this by spending less time in front of a screen. P
Also, they can choose TV shows, movies and games which are peaceful, not violent. P
Lesson 8-100
One day, the god Apollo teased tiny Cupid about his size and strength. P
In revenge, Cupid shot Apollo with one of his special love arrows. P
Soon after, Apollo saw a beautiful nymph and instantly fell in love. P
The nymph was Daphne, the daughter of the river god. She was not interested in love. P
She just wanted to spend her days hunting in the woods. P
When Apollo told Daphne how he felt, she ran away. P
Apollo chased after her. Daphne knew she could not outrun a god. P
So, she called out to her father for help. P
Apollo saw Daphne stop running, so he reached out to grab her in his arms. P
But something strange began to happen. P
Her soft skin slowly changed to rough bark, and her long hair became leaves. P
To protect his daughter, the river god had turned Daphne into a laurel tree! P
All that was left was her great beauty. P
With tears in his eyes, Apollo made a crown from her branches. P
"You will never be my wife," he sadly said, P
"but I will wear this crown upon my head to remember you always." P
Daphne, now a laurel tree, shook her branches to show that she was pleased. P