8-1 Taekwondo I
Taekwando is a martial art and a competitive sport. P
One doesn't learn Taekwondo in order to fight, P
but instead to build endurance and to strengthen control of both the body and the mind. P
Though it began as an art form, P
there are people all over the world who also learn Taekwondo as a competition sport. P
No one is sure when in history Taekwondo began, but it has been practiced for generations, P
each generation teaching the next. P
Drawings of Taekwondo practice have been found in old tombs going back as far as the Three Kingdoms Period. P
Taekwondo continued to be developed throughout the Koryo and Chosun eras, and up to the present day. P
Taekwondo has been widely practiced among the general population never since the National Liberation. P
8-2 Taekwondo II
Taekwondo technique can be divided into two different areas: P
Poomsae, or formal exercises, and Gyuhroogii, or sparring. P
Poomsae is a formalized sequence of actions using techniques of attack P
and defense together as building blocks to teach the basics of fighting. P
Through Poomsae, one person can practice without an opponent. P
Gyuhroogii is the practice in which two people compete using the techniques learned through Poomsae. P
Gyuhroogii is done by picking out specific attack and defense techniques in order to make a certain technique perfect. P
Taekwondo is a fighting sport, P
but it also trains the mind to love peace and to be considerate of other people. P
Today, there are international leagues for Taekwondo competition, P
in which many countries around the world participate. P
Korea has sent thousands of coaches to foreign countries all over the world to teach Taekwondo. P
Taekwondo has been an Olympic competition sport since the 27th Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. P
8-3 The Icicles I
I am a large snowflake. P
Ever since I was born, falling down from the sky, P
I have always wanted to become an icicle. P
The icicles that I have met have told me, P
"To become an icicle, you must land on the edge of a roof." P
As I was falling down from the sky, I was nervous that I would land on a mountain or a farm. P
But luckily, I landed on a roof. P
And I had many of my friends with me. P
We began to form a pile of snow on top of the roof. P
Soon, morning came, and the bright sun began melting us into little water droplets. P
As we melted into water, we slowly began to flow to the edge of the roof. P
We flowed slowly towards the edge of the roof, P
so that we wouldn't just drip over quickly and end up on the ground. P
As I slowly dripped over the edge of the roof, the cold wind hit and froze me solid. P
"Yes! I'm an icicle!" P
As I looked around, I saw a small glass window, and behind it, I saw a room. P
8-4 The Icicles II
Inside the room were two children playing next to a fire. P
The children were roasting marsh mallows in the fireplace. P
The older brother asked the younger sister, "Hey. Want to play riddle challenge? P
The winner gets to eat a marshmallow." P
Then, the younger sister agreed, and the older brother posed the first riddle. P
"What has a beard when you peel it?" P
The younger sister quickly said, "Haha! An ear of corn!" P
"Okay, how about this? What wears a hat when it's doing nothing, P
but takes it off when it's working?" P
"That's easy! A pen!" P
Each time the older brother asked a question, the younger sister answered it correctly, P
and this went on and on with no end in sight. P
Finally, an old woman sitting next to them said, "I have a riddle for you." P
"What gets longer as it goes down?" P
Stumped, the children weren't able to answer this riddle. P
"Do you give up? P
It's an icicle! It grows longer as it grows down from the edge of the roof!" P
The old woman laughed and smiled like a child, P
and when the children got it, they laughed with her. P
8-5 A Free Pigeon I
One day, a sparrow that was on a long journey, flew into a bird farm. P
The sparrow was hungry, so it began eating the seeds in the bird feeder. P
A Pigeon watched the sparrow quietly from the clothes rack. P
"Shoo! Get away from our food you shameless sparrow!" P
A black hen scolded in an angry voice. The sparrow was startled and flew away. P
The Indian peacock and the rooster woke up from their sleep from all the commotion. P
The black hen then said, "I can't believe that sparrow would just come in and steal our food! How rude!" P
The pigeon looked up to where the sparrow had flown away. P
8-6 A Free Pigeon II
Still looking into the sky, the pigeon said, "Sparrow, you might be hungry, P
but at least you have the vast sky to fly in." P
The pigeon had always lived in the bird farm, ever since he was little. P
He had many good days with his friends the Indian peacock, black hen, and the rooster. P
The pigeon and the other birds had always lived a very comfortable life. P
The owner would come regularly to feed them and clean their cage. P
The owner's children would often come in to play with them. P
But lately, the pigeon felt trapped in the farm. P
He always wished that he could fly in the sky with the other birds that were free. P
8-7 A Free Pigeon III
All of the birds used to be so lively, P
but now, the peacock won't even spread his beautiful tail for the children anymore. P
One lazy afternoon when everyone was gone, the pigeon was awakened by a muffled sound. P
The sparrow from before had returned again and was eating their cracker crumbs. P
The pigeon wanted to talk to the sparrow, and asked, "Hey, sparrow. P
Would you talk to me for a while?" P
The sparrow was busy eating, but turned his head to see who was talking, P
and approached the pigeon with his head tilted to one side. P
The pigeon then said, "You are so lucky, because you can go anywhere you wish." P
The sparrow was confused by this and replied, "Don't you like it here? P
You don't ever have to worry about food." P
"That is true, but I wish I could fly in the skies like you." P
8-8 A Free Pigeon IV
The sparrow stared at the pigeon and finally said, P
"That's not too difficult. You have wings, don't you? P
You just have to get out of this place." P
"Get out of the farm? Then fly with my wings?" P
The pigeon didn't understand. P
So the sparrow showed the pigeon how to get out of the cage, and also taught him how to fly. P
Soon thereafter, the sparrow flew away with a full stomach. P
Seeing how easy it was for the sparrow to get in and out of the cage, the pigeon said to himself, P
"Why haven't I thought of that before?" P
But before the pigeon left, he wanted to tell everyone else how to leave the farm as well. P
When the pigeon shared his plan with his farm family, the rooster shook his head and said, P
"You want to go to the outside world? Why on earth would you want to do that? P
Well, I don't want to leave. I'm afraid if I do, that people will try to catch me and eat me." P
8-9 A Free Pigeon V
The Indian peacock preened his feathers and said, P
"I like things just the way they are. P
I don't have to worry about dangerous animals and I don't have to work hard. P
All I have to do is exhibit my beautiful tail feathers." P
"But don't you want to fly in the sky? I do! No matter what might happen to me." P
From that moment on, the pigeon practiced flying to strengthen his wings. P
The next day, the manager came to do his daily clean up and pulled the iron ring out of the door. P
The pigeon was waiting for his chance, P
and he flew out through the opening of the door just as the sparrow had showed him. P
Then the pigeon began flapping his wings harder and harder and flew high into the sky. P
8-10 A Free Pigeon VI
The pigeon's lungs and wings started to hurt, but his heart was filled with joy at the cool, P
soft breeze blowing across his wings and embracing his body. P
He even began flying in circles, and soared as high as he could into the sky. P
The pigeon flew across the wind towards the mountainside where the sun was setting. P
He was having so much fun flying, that he didn't even realize that it was getting dark. P
Since it was his first time flying, he became very tired and fell asleep on the top of a tree. P
But the world outside the farm was not such a comfortable place. P
He looked for food when he became hungry, but it was not so easy to find. P
And he could barely get any sleep, because all the streetlights would stay on all night, P
and there were loud cars driving by all the time. P
8-11 A Free Pigeon VII
One day, the pigeon found a park. P
He ate some seeds that people offered him in front of a nearby store. P
After eating he soared up to the top of a cherry tree inside the park. P
But as he landed, his feet were caught in the string of a kite that had become stuck in the tree. P
The pigeon struggled to get out, but the more he struggled, P
the tighter the string tangled around his feet. P
For hours, the pigeon tried to get free, but he became so tired that he fell down into the street below. P
The owner of the store near the park saw him and rescued him from the street. P
If it hadn't been for her, people might have stepped on him or kicked him, P
and he would have never been able to fly again. P
The pigeon opened his eyes in the old woman's hands, and kept flapping his wings in fear. P
But the grandmother clicked her tongue to calm him as she examined the pigeon's feet. P
"Tsk, tsk! How did you do this to yourself?" P
Said old woman, and she cut the strings and applied balm to the pigeon's feet. P
8-12 A Free Pigeon VIII
"Don't you worry! You should be able to get well and fly again soon. P
I wish I had wings like you. I have no other wish but to see the sky and my hometown…" P
The old woman, whose hometown was in the North, P
treated his wounds as she stared far into the northern sky. P
The pigeon let go and cried in the old woman's caring hands. P
When the old woman put the pigeon on the grass, P
a group of other pigeons came and surrounded him and they welcomed him back to freedom. P
They rubbed his legs with their beaks, P
and asked him to go to their favorite river with them when he has recovered. P
The pigeon would sometimes remember the bird farm when he was very hungry, P
but would shake away those memories by soaring up high into the blue sky. P
8-13 I Will Walk I
One Sunday morning, Josh was letting himself sleep in, but he was awakened by a loud noise. P
Josh got up and came out to the living room to complain. P
"Mom! Why is it so noisy? What's going on?" P
"Someone is moving into the house next door today." P
Josh opened the window and looked out. P
Out in front of the house next door, there was furniture and boxes all over the lawn. P
Josh began to wonder who had moved in, and if there was a child his age in the family. P
The next morning, when he opened his window, Josh saw a girl in front of the house next door. P
As the girl was going in her house, Josh saw that she was limping. P
Josh thought, "I wonder if it hurts when she walks." P
8-14 I Will Walk II
After a few days, on his way to school, Josh met the girl. P
Josh was going to pass by and pretend that he didn't know her, but the girl spoke to him. P
"Hey! Don't you live next door?" P
"Yes, how do you know?" P
The day we moved in, I saw you looking out of your window." P
"Why were you pretending that you didn't know me just now?" P
"I guess I was just embarrassed to talk to you, because you're a girl." P
"Really? I thought you were avoiding me for some reason. P
My name is Beatrice. I have a limp because I had cancer when I was little. P
When they arrived at school, Josh went to the stairs to go to his classroom. P
8-15 I Will Walk III
Beatrice was also going up the stairs, so Josh offered to carry her backpack for her. P
"Thank you, but I can carry it upstairs on my own." P
Josh thought it was strange that she didn't want his help. P
After class, Josh saw Beatrice quarrelling with a woman. P
"Mom, just go! I can walk home alone." P
Stubbornly, Beatrice wouldn't get in the car. P
Finally, Beatrice's mother drove home alone. P
Josh then went to Beatrice and asked, "How come you didn't get in your car?" P
"Just because I limp doesn't mean I need help with everything. P
I like walking home, even though it's difficult for me." P
Josh blushed at her words. P
When Josh first saw Beatrice he wanted to avoid her, because she limped. P
Now he realizes that she's just another healthy girl who wants to live her own life. P
8-16 HanGua Story I
A long time ago, our ancestors made snacks called 'HanGua.' P
There are six kinds of HanGua, or traditional Korean cookies, including JungGua, YakGua, GanJung, DaSik, andYut. P
HanGua are all snacks that people made at home in the old days, but can now be easily bought in a store. P
To make JungGua, you boil the roots of plants and fruits, including ginseng, bellflowers and lotus root. P
You can make JungGua sweeter by boiling it with honey. That also makes it chewier. P
Not only is JungGua delicious, but it is also pretty to look at. P
Another type of snack is YakGua. You make it by kneading flour with honey and oil, and then frying it. P
After frying, you put it in honey water or grain syrup, and let it soak up the sweetness. P
Once it has soaked it all up, you just take it out and eat it. P
People used to mold it into a shape of a bird or a fish. P
To make a YakGua mold, wood is carved into the desired shape, and the dough is placed inside. P
GanJung is another type of Korean snack, which is made by kneading sticky rice with honey and wine, P
this is then cut into thin slices and laid out to dry. P
Once it is dry, it is fried, and then coated it with sesame, pine nut or bean powder. P
8-17 HanGua Story II
DaSik is made by kneading several grain powders together with grain syrup or honey. P
Then the dough is cut it into shapes with a DaSik cutter. P
Bean, sesame, or nut powders can be used to make DaSik. P
There are even DaSik that are made with pine tree pollen. P
These days, we make DaSik with grains and herbs. P
Yut is a snack made by boiling yam powder with malt. P
The grains used to make Yut are rice, sticky rice, corn, and millet, among others. P
It's even more delicious if you use walnuts, sesame seeds, or bean powder in Yut. P
In the old days, people would play YutChiGi. P
In this game, people break Yut sticks and whoever finds the biggest air-hole in their Yut stick wins. P
Now, in any market place in Korea, you can see people eating the same snacks that people enjoyed eating in the old days. P
So next time you are shopping, look around and see if you can find any other kinds of HanGua in your market. P
8-18 Emily and a Ginko Tree I
In Emily's backyard, there is a huge gingko tree. P
Her great-grandfather planted the tree, and the trunk is now so thick, P
that Emily can't hug it even when she spreads her arm as far as she can. P
This years, the gingko tree was full of fruit. P
Looking up at all the fruit on the gingko tree reminded Emily of something that had happened. P
One day Years before, there was a fruit lying around on the ground near the gingko tree, and Emily picked it up. P
The squishy peel of the fruit was cracked open, and the fruit gave off a foul smell. P
"Yuck!" P
Emily's grandfather said, "Smells bad, huh? You should go wash your hands to get rid of it." P
Emily washed her hands, and then sat by her grandfather. P
Her grandfather then picked up the fruit and threw it away. P
But before he did, he said, "Emily, look at this. A gingko nut is inside the fruit here." P
Grandfather showed her the light, yellow-colored gingko nut inside the fruit. P
8-19 Emily and a Ginko Tree II
It was round and bulgy and looked very sweet. P
"Grandfather, can you peel off this hard shell?" P
"Of course." P
As he cracked open the hard shell, a squishy gingko nut came out. P
Surprised, Emily fumbled with the slippery gingko nut. P
"Grandfather! There's another peel inside the first one." P
"Yes. That's the inner peel. To eat a gingko, you need to peel away the skin three times before you get to the edible part." P
Emily peeled off the inner peel that covers the gingko with her fingertip. P
Having peeled off the thin inner peel, a smooth, yellow skin was revealed. P
"This gingko nut was wearing a lot of clothes, huh, grandpa?" P
"Ha! You're certainly right, Emily!" P
And Grandfather and Emily looked at each other and laughed. P
8-20 Emily and a Ginko Tree III
Emily wanted to find out more about gingko trees. P
She went into her room, turned on her computer and opened the electronic encyclopedia. P
Then Emily searched for 'Gingko Trees.' P
Emily began taking notes on all she was learning about gingko trees. P
They are big, beautiful trees that produce wide areas of shade, and live very long lives. P
Its nuts, tree bark, roots, and even leaves are used to make medicines. P
Gingko tree nuts can also be eaten as food. P
While researching, Emily found out that gingko trees are very beneficial to humans. P
She had learned so many interesting facts, that she decided to share them with her friends. P