1-1 Reading 1
The word family may have different meanings to different people. P
We asked our readers, "How are you doing with your family?”"Here are some of their replies. P
I often ask myself whether I get along with my family members, and more often than not, I'm not sure whether I really do. P
For one thing, they bother me all the time. P
My sister comes into my room without my permission and shouts at me to wake up on Sunday mornings. P
Next, Mom asks me to walk the dog, and then Dad tells me to clean my room. P
They keep getting on my nerves until I get angry at them. P
But I always end up loving them because they have been with me at my worst, P
still stick by me now, and will continue to do so in the future. P
1-2 Reading 2
I share a room with my sister, who is two years older than me. P
When she became a teenager, her mood started changing every minute. P
She would lose her temper over nothing one moment and happily read a book or watch a film the next. P
It was difficult for me to put up with her. P
Now it's my turn to be a teenager. P
My sister is still one, but she is getting better. P
Whenever I lose my temper, she tries to support me. P
I also understand her better than before because now I know what it feels like to be a teenager. P
As we get to know each other better, we feel greater love toward each other. P
1-3 Reading 3
My older brother, who entered university this year, is the golden child. P
He is a perfect son at home and a perfect student at school. P
Needless to say, it is really stressful to have such a shining brother. P
Well, in fact, he is not perfect and is poor at one thing that I am great at. P
He has no eye for fashion, and I always help him whenever he has a hard time choosing clothes for a date. P
I feel pleased when he thanks me for my help and appreciates my fashion sense. P
It is not always difficult for me to live with the perfect brother, and I believe in "every man for his own trade." P
Kamala, Rachel, and Minsu all have their own difficulties in their family life. P
At the same time, they love their families and find special meanings in them. P
What story would you tell us about your family? P
is made of love and tears, laughter and years. P
It grows stronger with the passing of time. P
1-4 Reading 4
How old is popcorn? P
Who enjoyed the game of popping corn in the old days? P
Who popped corn to tell fortunes? P
Who tried interesting ways of popping corn during the nineteenth century? P
Don't you love the smell of freshly made popcorn? P
It is one of the most popular snacks around the world, P
and historians believe that people have enjoyed it for more than 5,000 years. P
It was in Central America that corn was originally grown, and it was in caves in New Mexico that the first popcorn was found. P
2-1 Reading 1
Native Americans not only loved eating corn but also enjoyed the game of popping corn. P
Corn seeds were thrown on hot stones over a fire. P
Then they popped and bloomed into white flowers. P
The game was to catch and enjoy the flowery snacks. P
Native Americans used popcorn for decoration as well. P
Their teenage girls used popped corn to decorate clothes. P
The Aztecs made corn decorations for the statues of the god of rain. P
They thought popcorn a symbol of good health and goodwill. P
They believed that they would be protected by popping spirits when they wore decorations made with popped corn. P
2-2 Reading 2
In addition to Native Americans, many other people around the world enjoyed this tasty snack. P
The Chinese, as well as people in Sumatra and India, made popcorn long before Columbus arrived in the West Indies. P
In ancient China, people popped corn to tell fortunes for the coming year and their daughters' future marriage. P
In the Song Dynasty, Chinese people invented large pot-shaped popping machines to pop corn, P
and these machines are still used by street poppers today. P
2-3 Reading 3
It was Americans that tried interesting ways of popping corn during the nineteenth century. P
Some threw corn seeds onto hot ashes, stirred, and then picked out the popped corn pieces. P
Others mixed corn with fat or butter and cooked it in a pan. P
They thought popping corn wonderful and exciting. P
A more popular way was cooking popcorn over an open fire in a wire box with a long wooden handle. P
The fanciest popcorn popper was invented by Charles Cretors in 1893, P
and before long many types of interesting poppers were seen in movie theaters and parks. P
Finally, an electric popcorn popper for the home was invented in 1925. P
Believe it or not, poppers were in high demand and were even made by middle school students in school clubs. P
2-4 Reading 4
How do you like your popcorn? Sweet, hot, or spicy? P
Next time you enjoy popcorn, imagine yourself as a Native American, an ancient Chinese person, or an inventor. P
With a bowl of popcorn, you can be a Native American and make pretty decorations or be an ancient Chinese person and tell fortunes. P
Or better still, why don't you be an inventor and come up with a new popper for your favorite popcorn? P
3-1 Reading 1
What makes you shop? Do you buy only what you really need? P
Read on and think about your shopping habits. P
Look at that! Wow! N-girls are wearing a brand-new jacket. P
It looks very cute. P
I have to have one just like it. P
Many teens like to do what their favorite celebrities do. P
They are more than willing to buy what the stars use. P
They want to look like their heroes. P
They think celebrity brands will make them cool, happy, and popular. P
3-2 Reading 2
Can you help me, Inho? P
Sure. What’s up? P
There’s going to be an online flash sale on new sneakers. P
Please help me grab a pair. P
Okay. I’ll click like crazy. P
When a product sells like hot cakes, P
some people often feel that they won’t be able to get it if they are not fast enough. P
They suffer from FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, when they see sale signs such as Limited Edition and Flash Sale. P
The signs make them believe that it is the last chance to grab the cool products. P
Then, getting quick-selling goods becomes more like winning a game than spending money. P
3-3 Reading 3
What a pick! P
Did you get it, Inho? P
Yeah, finally. P
This completes my collection. P
Good for you! P
Collecting popular things is one of the hottest trends among young consumers. P
The most popular collections include character stickers, baseball card sets, and goods featuring pop stars. P
Teen consumers enjoy getting more and more of these, P
because the idea of more is better makes them happy. P
3-4 Reading 4
What celebrity brands have you bought? P
What quick-selling goods have you grabbed? P
What character stickers have you collected? P
Are you happy with what you have bought, grabbed, and collected? P
If you are happy with them, that’s all right. P
If you aren’t, however, you should try to be a smarter shopper. P
4-1 Reading 1
Here are three shopping tips to live by. P
STICK TO A LIST. P
Make a shopping list and carry it around. P
Run into a store and get what you need. P
If you can’t find anything on the list, walk out empty-handed. P
You will feel incredibly light. P
COOL OFF FOR A DAY. P
When you shop online, don’t click “Buy Now." P
Instead, hit “Add To Cart” and sign out. P
After 24 hours of cooling off, come back and see if you still want it. P
FIND OLD TREASURES. P
Whenever you want to buy something new, go through your closet and see what you have. P
Find old treasures and enjoy a new appreciation for them. P
4-3 Reading 3
At the peak of your career, you started to look for ways to help others. P
Why did you decide to focus on wheelchairs? P
When I visited Morocco in 1979, I was shocked to see a woman who was crawling across a road. P
She had lost the use of her legs in an accident. P
Nobody was paying any attention to her. P
This scene often came back to me, and one day the idea of giving away wheelchairs came to mind. P
I started to look seriously into people who need wheelchairs, and I came to learn the harsh reality. P
About 100 million people in the world need a wheelchair. P
but they can’t afford one because wheelchairs are very expensive. P
4-4 Reading 4
How did you solve the problem? P
I wanted to design a wheelchair that would be light and strong. P
But more importantly, it had to be cheap and be made from easily accessible parts. P
Instead of wheels made for wheelchairs, I settled on bicycle wheels. P
For the seat, I chose a plastic lawn chair. P
It was all held together by a simple steel frame I designed myself. P
My friends thought I had gone off the deep end. P
My wife, who was supportive at first, soon got tired of my messing up our garage. P
But I kept going and finally made a better wheelchair. P
It could be built and delivered anywhere in the world for less than $80. P
5-1 Reading 1
Do you have any unforgettable stories about your wheelchair? P
Sure. I built the first one hundred wheelchairs by hand. P
One of them was given to a 16-year-old girl in India. P
She had lived her whole life in a small room. P
When she got her wheelchair, she went out by herself. P
Finding that she could get from one place to another under her own power, she burst into tears. P
What has Free Wheelchair Mission done so far? P
Working with other like-minded groups, we have distributed wheelchairs in over 90 countries for almost 20 years. P
At last in 2017, the one-millionth wheelchair was delivered. P
Each one represents a life changed. P
Someone can now go to school or to work. P
5-2 Reading 2
Please tell our readers a little about your future plans. P
We’re going to deliver our next million wheelchairs by 2025. P
It’s going to take half the time it took to give out the first million. P
We’ll never slow down. P
2001 FWM started to give away wheelchairs. P
2017 FWM delivered its one-millionth wheelchair. P
2025 FWM is going to deliver its two-millionth wheelchair. P
Dr. Don Schoendorfer is a biomedical engineer who lives in Santa Ana, California. P
He has achieved a great deal in the field of biomedical technology. P
In 2001, he founded Free Wheelchair Mission, a non-profit organization, and started to give away wheelchairs to people in need. P
He has received several awards for the work that Free Wheelchair Mission has done around the world. P
5-3 Reading 3
THE SECRET OF THE SWEET SPOT. P
Have you heard of the sweet spot? P
The term is widely used among athletes, and it comes from sports like baseball, tennis, and golf. P
Baseball players know that hitting the ball exactly on the sweet spot feels the best and leads to a more powerful hit. P
Now you may be wondering how to find the sweet spot. P
Follow the steps below, which show you how to test it for yourself. P
5-4 Reading 4
WHAT DO YOU NEED? P
You only need a bat, a hammer, and a friend. P
You can do the test by yourself, although it’s easier and more fun to do it with a friend. P
HOW DO YOU FIND IT? P
First, you hold the bat loosely between your thumb and pointer finger so that it is hanging down toward the ground. P
Then, have a friend tap the bat gently with a hammer, starting at the fat end and moving toward the handle. P
You should feel vibrations in your fingers whenever the bat is struck. P
However, when the sweet spot is hit, you’ll feel nothing. P
You may also notice a slightly different sound when this spot is struck. P
6-1 Reading 1
WHAT’S GOING ON? P
When you hit a ball and feel no vibrations, it means you’ve hit it on the sweet spot of the bat. P
Whenever a bat is struck, it vibrates in response. P
These vibrations travel in waves along the bat. P
At one spot, the waves cancel out, and little of the bat’s energy is lost to vibrations. P
If I hit the ball exactly on that spot, I don't feel any shaking in my hands. P
The less energy the bat loses, the more energy the ball gets. P
As a result, the ball flies farther. P
6-2 Reading 2
When I hit the middle of the bat with a hammer, I didn’t feel any vibrations. P
However, I did feel vibrations when I hit other spots of the bat. P
It was pretty interesting. P
When my hammer hit the sweet spot, I did not feel any vibrations. P
I felt like I was going to hit a home run. P
In the last baseball game, I hit an over-the-fence home run! P
I think I’ve finally found the SWEET spot! P
6-3 Reading 3
Do you have a baseball and a bat around you? P
Why don’t you try to find the sweet spot when you swing the bat? P
Keep trying until you are able to strike the spot whenever you want to. P
Sooner or later you will enjoy hitting balls farther and maybe even seeing them fly far enough for home runs. P
What’s your next step? You can find sweet spots not only on a bat but also on a tennis racket and a golf club. P
Wouldn’t it be fun to find all of them and become an all-around great player? P
6-4 Reading 4
Chat with Your Pet. P
Brooke had a dog, Kayla, who was suffering from awful separation anxiety. P
The dog became very upset and depressed whenever she was left alone. P
So Brooke wanted to find a way to connect with her pet dog while she was away. P
Necessity is the mother of invention! P
One day Brooke was video chatting with her friends, and an idea flashed across her mind. P
“Why not do the same thing with Kayla? P
Wouldn’t it be great to video chat with her and deliver a snack while I am away from home?” she said to herself. P
7-1 Reading 1
Brooke suggested the idea at Startup Weekend, where people put forward ideas for products and develop them together. P
She was fortunate enough to work with a team of designers to develop the product concept, and finally invented a device for lonely dogs left at home. P
Brooke said that she found genuine satisfaction in being part of the solution. P
Put some snacks in the device. P
Attach a tablet computer to it. P
Use an application on your smartphone to make a video call and deliver a snack to your pet. P
7-2 Reading 2
An All-in-One Shampoo Ball. P
Plastic products are everywhere. P
They are in our homes, offices, and schools, and end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. P
People often see animals suffering from plastic waste that is produced every day. P
Benjamin was especially concerned about plastic bottles that people use every day, and he wanted to cut down on them. P
What first caught his attention were the shampoo bottles in his bathroom. P
He kept asking himself, “How can I take a shower without using shampoo from a plastic bottle?” P
Then, one day he saw his mom using a laundry tablet and got the idea for an all-in-one shampoo ball. P
7-3 Reading 3
Benjamin showed his idea to chemistry experts, and they liked it. P
He received a lot of help from them and finally invented the world’s first eco-friendly shampoo balls. P
“Recycling reduces waste, but shampoo balls don’t make any waste at all,” he said. P
Grab one ball before showering. P
Rub it gently under water to bring out the shampoo. P
Wash your hair with it! P
8-1 Reading 1
What problems do you see around you? Think of possible ways to solve them, and ask for help from others, if necessary. P
Indeed, the best solution cannot be found without creative thinking and hard work. P
As the famous saying goes, follow your dreams, but more importantly, make them happen! P
“Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. P
Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. P
8-2 Reading 2
“Could you please teach me to make a pot someday?” begged Tree-ear. P
“No, I will never do that,” said Potter Min. P
“Why won’t you teach me?” Tree-ear cried out. P
“The potter’s trade passes from father to son. P
If you were my son, I would teach you, but ...” P
Tree-ear was a boy without parents. He loved to watch Potter Min make pots and vases. P
The potter’s work was the finest in Julpo, perhaps even in the whole country. P
Tree-ear dreamed of making beautiful vases like Potter Min. P
But how could he become a potter without learning from the master? P
8-3 Reading 3
Even though Potter Min did not teach him, Tree-ear helped Potter Min every day, digging clay near the river and cutting wood on the mountain. P
One day, a royal officer came to Julpo to choose a potter to make pottery for the king. P
All of the famous potters presented their best pottery. P
Potter Min’s work was excellent, but the officer wanted something special: P
black and white inlay designs in the pottery. P
He told Potter Min, “I’m now returning to Songdo. P
Produce something creative using the new inlay style, and bring it to me. P
If it is fine enough, you will have a chance to work for the king. P
8-4 Reading 4
Potter Min worked for months and finally made a pair of beautiful vases with inlay designs. P
He was so old that he couldn’t travel to Songdo, so Tree-ear volunteered to go. P
Potter Min put the vases carefully in the jige on Tree-ear’s back for the long journey. P
Tree-ear walked for days passing through towns, crossing rivers, and climbing over mountains. P
On the day before he got to Songdo, he came to a cliff. P
Just then, two robbers attacked him, looking for food and money. P
They were disappointed to find only vases. P
So they threw them over the cliff and ran away. P
8-5 Reading 5
Tree-ear ran quickly to the bottom of the cliff only to find that both vases were completely broken. P
“If I had one unbroken vase, I could take it to Songdo. P
But now, how can I return to the master?” Tree-ear thought. P
Suddenly, he found a shard that was the size of his palm. P
It still had part of an inlaid flower with its leaves. P
“There is still a chance,” he said to himself. P
Then Tree-ear took the shard and continued on his journey. P
Hungry and tired, Tree-ear arrived at the palace in Songdo and showed the shard to the royal officer. P
“It is but a single shard. And yet, it shows the skill of my master,” said Tree-ear. P
A smile spread over the officer’s face. P
He said, “I have never seen this kind of inlay work! It’s just wonderful. P
Tell your master that he can work for the king. P
8-6 Reading 6
Tree-ear came back to Julpo with the good news. P
Potter Min was so glad to hear the news but even more pleased to see Tree-ear. P
He felt like he was seeing his dead son Hyeong-gu again. P
“Get some logs as big as a man’s body,” said Potter Min. P
“Why so big?” Tree-ear asked. P
“How are you going to make your pottery without a potter’s wheel of your own?” P
“My own wheel?” And I will call you Hyeong-pil from now on.” P
Tree-ear was so surprised that he couldn’t believe his ears. P
Now, he had a name that shared a character with Potter Min’s dead son Hyeong-gu! P
Hyeong-pil started to push the cart up the mountain path. P
As he watched a crane in the distance, he dreamed of the beautiful vase that he would make. P