0 Steve Jobs

Steven Paul Jobs was born on 24 February 1955 in San Francisco, California, to Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne who gave him up for adoption. He was taken in by Paul and Clara Jobs, and grew up with them in Mountain View, California.

He attended Homestead High School in Cupertino California and went to Reed College in Portland Oregon in 1972 but dropped out after only one semester, staying on to "drop in" on courses that interested him.

He took a job with video game manufacturer Atari to raise enough money for a trip to India and returned from there a Buddhist.

Back in Cupertino he returned to Atari where his old friend Steve Wozniak was still working. Wozniak was building his own computer and in 1976 Jobs pre-sold 50 of the as-yet unmade computers to a local store and managed to buy the components on credit solely on the strength of the order, enabling them to build the Apple I without any funding at all.

The Apple II followed in 1977 and the company Apple Computer was formed shortly afterwards. By the time production of the Apple II ended in 1993 it had sold over 6 million units.

In 1985 Jobs was fired from Apple and immediately founded another computer company, NeXT.
In the meantime, in 1986, Jobs bought The Computer Graphics Group from Lucasfilm. The group was responsible for making high-end computer graphics hardware but under its new name, Pixar, it began to produce innovative computer animations. Their first title under the Pixar name, Luxo Jr. (1986) won critical and popular acclaim and in 1991 Pixar signed an agreement with Disney, with whom it already had a relationship, to produce a series of feature films, beginning with Toy Story (1995).

In 1996 Apple bought NeXT and Jobs returned to Apple, becoming its CEO. In 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery in 2004. Despite the success of this operation he became increasingly ill and received a liver transplant in 2009. He returned to work after a six month break but eventually resigned his position in August 2011 after another period of medical leave which began in January 2011. He died on 5 October 2011.

0 Mahogany

Mahogany

In the natural rainforest, Mahogany is a very large canopy tree, sometimes reaching over 150 feet in height, with trunks sometimes more than 6 feet in diameter above a large basal buttress. It is a generally open-crowned tree, with gray to brownish-red fissured bark.

Mahogany is perhaps the most valuable timber tree in the whole of Latin America and has been heavily exploited for most of this century. Mahogany is becoming increasingly rare, and is already extinct in parts of its original range. It is listed as threatened in "Arboles Maderables en Peligro de Extinción en Costa Rica" and is listed in CITES Appendix III.

Mahogany varies from yellowish, reddish, pinkish, or salmon colored when freshly cut, to a deep rich red, to reddish brown as the wood matures with age. Mahogany is fine to medium texture, with uniform to interlocking grain, ranging from straight to wavy or curly. Irregularities in the grain often produce highly attractive figures such as fiddle back or mottle. Mahogany polishes to a high luster, with excellent working and finishing characteristics. It responds well to hand and machine tools, has good nailing and screwing properties, and turns and carves superbly.

Mahogany is regarded by many as the world's premier wood for fine cabinetry, high-class furniture, trimming fine boats, pianos and other musical instruments, sculpture, joinery, turnery, figured and decorative veneer, interior trim, and carving.

0 The Rising Star

The Rising Star

The success of Harry Potter movies has made Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint the centre of public attention. The three rising stars have grown up on screen and grown into his or her role as an actor. Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born in Fulham, London, 23 July 1989. His nickname is Dan. He is the only child of Alan Radcliffe and Marcia Gresham. Dan has dark brown hair and blue eyes. His height is about 168 cm. He is a loyal, shy, down-to-earth, and humorous person. He is also intelligent and somewhat mysterious. He loves football, Formula One racing and gymnastics.

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris, France, 15 April 1990. Her nickname is Emma. She is the daughter of Chris Watson and Jacqueline Luesby. She lived in Paris until the age of five before she moved with her mother and younger brother Alexander to Oxford, England. Emma has wavy brown hair. Her height is 165 cm. She is an openhanded, friendly, and determined person. She also said that she is a little bit stubborn. Emma loves dancing, singing, tennis and art.

Rupert Alexander Grint was born in Hertfordshire, England, 24 Au-gust, 1988. His nickname is Rupert. He is the oldest son of Nigel Grint and Jo Parsons. Rupert has bright red hair. His height is 180 cm. He is an active and humorous person. He is also very humble.

However, he is the shyest of the three Harry Potter co-stars. Rupert is arachnophobia. It means that he is afraid of spiders. He likes all kinds of music, but his favorite is classic rock and roll. His favorite school subject is Chemistry. These Hogwarts trio have been really great associates, not only on screen but also in real life. Their secret of friendship is that they always understand each other although they have different backgrounds and personalities.

0 How To Set up Gas Stove

Things to prepare:

• a gas tube
• a gas regulator
• a stove hose
• a gas stove

Instructions:

1. Locate the gas tube in a safe place.
2. Make sure the cap is closed before removing it.
3. Attach the gas regulator to the stove hose by screwing them together.
4. Connect the regulator to the tube.
5. Make sure that there is no gas smell.
6. Turn the regulator on.
7. It is ready to turn the stove on

How To Set up Gas Stove 
Source: http://www.ehow.com

0 HERMIT

      Many years ago, there lived a hermit in a forest in Sumatra. He did not grow food but depended on the jungle fruit to survive. Soon, there was a drought, and all the plants and fruit trees in the jungle died.

      The old man had nothing to eat now, so he turned to become a beggar. He went to a nearby village trying to get food. At first, the villagers were happy to help him. However, when he came regularly, they refused to give him any more food. They told him to grow his own food.

      One day, while the hermit was sitting in his hut, sad and hungry, he began to think about growing his own food. Just then, a boatman stopped by and took a pity on the hermit.Then he gave him some “paddy” seeds.

      Before the boatman went away, he said, “These seeds will grow and give you everlasting harvest if you work very hard. If you are tired of the work, the “paddy” plants will turn into weeds.”

     The old hermit worked hard to clear the land and sowed the seeds before the rain came. Strangely, after a short period of time, the “paddy” was ready for harvesting. The old man got a lot of rice from the harvest. After each harvest, the plants grew again right away.

      When the villagers heard about the hermit and his wonderful “paddy”, they flocked to his “paddy” field and took home as much “paddy” as they could.

     One day, being very tired of harvesting the paddy,  he shouted, “Oh stop growing, you wretched thing!” As soon as he had said this, the “paddy” plants turned into weeds.

Hermit
Source: http://bos-sulap.blogspot.com

0 The Chipmunk That Ran Away

Once upon a time, there was a nervous little chipmunk. She was always afraid that something bad happened to her.
One day, she heard a little noise. It was really only an apple that fell to the ground.
But the little Chipmunk was afraid and said “The sky is falling in.” Then she ran away as fast as she could go.

Soon she met an old brother Chipmunk, who asked, “Where are you running to, little Chipmunk?”
And the little Chipmunk answered, “The sky is falling in, and I am running away.”
“The sky is falling in?” said the old brother Chipmunk. And he told the story to his brother chipmunk, until at last there were a hundred brother Chipmunks shouting, ”The sky is falling in.”
Soon the larger animals heard what the Chipmunks were saying. The Deer,the  heep, the Pig, the Camel, the Tiger, and the Elephant began to say, “The sky is falling in.”

Then the wise Lion heard all the noise and wanted to know what was happening. He stopped all the animals and asked, “What are you saying?” The brother Chipmunks said, “Oh we heard it from that little Chipmunk!” And the Lion said, “Little Chipmunk, what made you say that the sky was falling in?”
And the little Chipmunk said, “I saw it there near the tree.”

“Well,” said the Lion, “Come with me and I will show you how something”.
“Now get on my back.” The Lion took her on his back, and asked the animals to stay where they were until they returned. Then he showed the little Chipmunk that the apple had fallen to the ground. This made the noise that had made her afraid. The little Chipmunk said, “Oh, I see. The sky is not falling in.”
The Lion said, “Let’s go back and tell the other animals.”

So they went back. At last all the animals knew that the sky was not falling in.
(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

Questions

1. What did the little Chipmunk hear one day?
2. What did the little Chipmunk think the noise was?
3. What did she do then? Did she meet the older brother Chipmunk?
4. What did the little Chipmunk say?
5. Did the old brother Chipmunk believe her? How do you know?
6. Did the other animals believe her? How do you know?
7. Did the Lion believe her? How do you know?
8. What did the Lion do to show the little Chipmunk that the sky was not falling in?
9. What did the Lion ask the other animals to do?
10. What did the little Chipmunk learn at last?

0 Recycling Paper

Equipment:

• Old paper, magazines, or newspapers Bleach
• Blender/food processor White glue
• Bucket Iron
• Insect screens/strainers Water
• Wire

Directions:
First, shape wires into a rectangular shape. Then, cover the wire frame with insect screens and sew it. After that, rip the paper into small pieces. And then, put the torn paper in a bucket and fill it with warm water. Add one table spoon of bleach. Soak the paper for a half an hour. Next, put a cup of soaked paper in a blender, add some bleached water and blend it. And then, pour the blended paper in a large rectangular container. e.g. sink or tray. After that, repeat step 5 and 6 until all of the soaked paper are blended. Then, add and mix two table spoon of white glue to the blended paper. After that, dip the screen frame into the blended paper. Lift and rinse the water for a minute. Then, dry the paper (with the screen frame still on) in the sun. And then, peel the papers out of the frame screens when it’s dry. Finally, iron the paper.

Adapted from: www.make-stuff.com.recycling.paper.html

1. What is the main purpose of the text in Task 20?
2. When should we blend the paper?
3. How long do we have to soak the paper?
4. Where should we put the blended paper?
5. How much glue do we have to add?
6. How do we dry the paper?

0 CD BOWLS

Materials:
Old CDs
Hair dryer/oven
Metal bowl
Glue
Small saucer/something to cover the CD hole
Directions:
First, place the CD in a metal bowl and heat it with a hair dryer. Or put it in the oven
on low heat. Then, bend the CD softly when it softens. After that, let it cool off.
Finally, glue a small plastic saucer or anything to cover the hole.
Adapted from: www.make-stuff.com


Questions

1. What do you learn from the text?
2. What do you need to make a bowl from CDs?
3. What are the steps to make a bowl from CDs?
4. What is the hair dryer for?
5. Can we use other things to heat the CD?
6. Why do we need to heat the CD? 

0 What is an Iceberg?

An iceberg is a great piece of ice floating in the sea. ‘Berg’ is the German word for ‘mountain.’ In the
coldest parts of the earth, around the North and South Poles, land and sea are both covered by layers of ice, more than 300 metres deep at the centre.

Tongues of ice, called glaciers, stretch out into the open sea. The sea water melts the bottom parts of these glaciers, then the top part moves into the water with a great noise. The great piece of ice sinks for a short time under the surface, then it rises again, and floats away as a new iceberg. Some icebergs are many miles long, and travel for thousands of miles and several years before they finally melt. The part
of an iceberg which can be seen above the water is only about one-ninth of the total size. The rest is hidden underthe waves.
One of the world’s worst disasters at sea was in 1912 when the liner ‘Titanic’ hit an iceberg and sank on her first journey, killing hundreds of passengers.
Questions

1. What is an iceberg?
2. What is ‘berg’?
3. What is ‘glaciers’?
4. Where is most part of an iceberg?
5. How does the writer describe the North andSouth Poles?
6. What is ‘liner’?
7. What happened to the Titanic?
8. Why did the author write about iceberg?
9. How is an iceberg formed?
10. Describe how an iceberg looks in your own words.

0 Goldilocks And The Three Bears

Once there were three bears that lived in a house in the woods: a papa bear, a mama bear, and a baby bear. One morning they decided to take a walk before breakfast to let their porridge cool.


A little girl named Goldilocks lived with her mother nearby. Goldilocks took a walk through the woods and found the bear’s house. She smelled the porridge in the kitchen and went inside. Goldilocks tasted the porridge in each bowl and finally ate up the porridge in the small bowl.


Then she sat on a big chair, but she didn’t like it, because it was hard.
Afterwards she sat on the small chair, and it was just right. But while she was sitting on it she broke it. After eating the porridge, Goldilocks felt full and sleepy, and then she went upstairs. There she found a small bed. She lay down on it and fell asleep.

While she was sleeping, the three bears came home. When they went into the kitchen, they got very surprised. Someone had tasted their porridge, even eaten up baby bear’s porridge, while they were taking a walk. Moreover the poor baby bear was upset when he found that his little chair broke into pieces. When they went upstairs, they found out that Goldilocks was sleeping. Baby bear cried out, “Someone has been sleeping in my bed and here she is!”

Goldilocks woke up when she saw the three bears; she jumped out of bed and ran out of the house to her home. Never again did she make herself at home in anyone else’s house.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

Questions

1. How did Goldilocks find the bears’ house?
2. What did she find in the bears’ house?
3. What did she do there?
4. What happened to the small chair?
5. What happened when Goldilocks was sleeping?
6. Why were the tree bears surprised?
7. What did Goldilocks do when she saw the three bears?
8. What would you do if you were Goldilocks? Would you come to the bear’s house again?

0 The Chipmunk That Ran Away

Once upon a time, there was a nervous little chipmunk. She was always afraid that something bad happened to her.

One day, she heard a little noise. It was really only an apple that fell to the ground.

But the little Chipmunk was afraid and said “The sky is falling in.” Then she ran away as fast as she could go.

Soon she met an old brother Chipmunk, who asked, “Where are you running to, little Chipmunk?”

And the little Chipmunk answered, “The sky is falling in, and I am running away.”

“The sky is falling in?” said the old brother Chipmunk. And he told the story to his brother chipmunk, until at last there were a hundred brother Chipmunks shouting, ”The sky is falling in.”

Soon the larger animals heard what the Chipmunks were saying. The Deer,the  heep, the Pig, the Camel, the Tiger, and the Elephant began to say, “The sky is falling in.”

Then the wise Lion heard all the noise and wanted to know what was happening. He stopped all the animals and asked, “What are you saying?” The brother Chipmunks said, “Oh we heard it from that little Chipmunk!” And the Lion said, “Little Chipmunk, what made you say that the sky was falling in?”

And the little Chipmunk said, “I saw it there near the tree.”

“Well,” said the Lion, “Come with me and I will show you how something”.

“Now get on my back.” The Lion took her on his back, and asked the animals to stay where they were until they returned. Then he showed the little Chipmunk that the apple had fallen to the ground. This made the noise that had made her afraid. The little Chipmunk said, “Oh, I see. The sky is not falling in.”

The Lion said, “Let’s go back and tell the other animals.”

So they went back. At last all the animals knew that the sky was not falling in.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

Questions

1. What did the little Chipmunk hear one day?

2. What did the little Chipmunk think the noise was?

3. What did she do then? Did she meet the older brother Chipmunk?

4. What did the little Chipmunk say?

5. Did the old brother Chipmunk believe her? How do you know?

6. Did the other animals believe her? How do you know?

7. Did the Lion believe her? How do you know?

8. What did the Lion do to show the little Chipmunk that the sky was not falling in?

9. What did the Lion ask the other animals to do?

10. What did the little Chipmunk learn at last?

0 Reading [List]

Daftar Isi Reading

• Television Show 

• Martin Luther King Jr. 

• History of Helloween 

• Valentine Day 

• April Fool's Day

• Friendship 

• English Around The World 

• Levi's Blue Jeans 

• Reading Tes 

0 Television Shows

Television Shows

Reading Text

My mother was telling me about how she and her family got their first television when she was a teenager. Of course it was black and white. She said she only watched it at night. She doesn't remember ever watching it in the morning or afternoon. When I was young we had only about 3 or 4 different channels. I think they were channel 3, 4, 6, and 9. My bothers and sisters and I would sometimes fight about which channel to watch. But we usually enjoyed the same shows.
Nowadays we can get hundreds of channels on TV. I can't believe it! There are channels with only old movies, and channels with only cooking, and channels with only fishing. It's amazing! There is a channel for everything. I wonder how much my brothers and sisters and I would fight if we had hundreds of channels when I was a child. Of course we had only one television set. These days I notice families with 2 or 3 or more television sets in their homes. I guess it stops people from arguing over which channel to choose from.

Vovabulary

Current Events/ News- serious shows about things that are happening today or lately
Sitcoms- comes from the words "situation comedy." Funny shows
Sports- I think you know this
Mystery Shows- shows about trying to find an answer to something we don't know
Talk Shows- shows with two or more people talking about a certain subject
Nature Shows- shows about animals or the earth
Police/ Courtroom Dramas- shows about the police or what happens in a courtroom

Check Your Understanding

Read what the people are saying. What kind of show do you think it is? 1. "He catches the ball and he runs..."

2. "Today our guest is Julia Roberts. She will introduce us to her latest movie."

3. "The tiger slowly moves through the grass..."

4. "Who killed the old lady? Was it the neighbor or the nurse?"

5. "Ha ha ha ha ha..."

0 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have you heard of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Every year on the third Monday of January, we have a holiday. It's called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a famous man. Learn more about him.

Vocabulary

races/ racial- groups of people based on looks (skin color) and background, for example- white people, Asian people, black people, etc.
to segregate/ segregation- dividing into groups, usually talking about race, for example- black people and white people didn't go to the same schools and lived in different neighborhoods
minister- leader of a church
rights- freedoms, what you are allowed to do
violence- hurting other people
to assassinate- to kill

Reading Text

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States in 1929. At that time in America, black people didn't have equal rights with white people. Black people had to sit in the back of busses. The schools were segregated and there were even separate public restrooms for black people and white people. Black people's lives were not very good.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a minister in the Baptist Church. He fought against racial segregation. He wanted equal rights for all people. But he didn't use violence in his fight. He asked people to fight peacefully. For example, he asked black people to ride in the front of the bus. More than 200,000 people went to Washington D.C. to listen to him speak and ask the government to change unfair laws.
Because of Martin Luther King, Jr., many laws began to change in the United States. But many white people disagreed with him and his ways. In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by a white man.
Every year on the third Monday of January, Americans remember Martin Luther King, Jr. They try to remember how much America has changed. And they think about how much more America should change in the future.

Questions

1. What is racial segregation?
2. What was Martin Luther King Jr.'s job?
3. How did he ask people to fight for their rights?
4. Did Martin Luther King, Jr. kill someone?
5. When do Americans celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?

0 History of Halloween

History of Halloween

Halloween falls on October 31st each year in North America and other parts of the world. What do you know about Halloween? Do you celebrate it in your country? Here is a little history about it.  

Vocabulary

to evolve (v)- to change little by little
spirit (n)- ghost, some people believe the spirit and body separate when a person dies
holy (adj)- sacred, very good, related to religion. Hallow comes from the word holy.
saint (n)- an honored, holy person
evil (adj)- very, very bad
lantern (n)- lamp or enclosed light that can be carried around
turnip (n)- a purple and white vegetable that grows in the ground

Reading Text

Like many other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.

More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1 All Saints Day (also called All Hallows.) This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween. 

Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.

The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o lanterns today.

These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and say "trick or treat." The owner of each house gives candy or something special to each trick or treater.

Check Your Understanding

True or False. Check your answers below. 1. The Celts thought the spirits of dead people returned to the earth on October 31st.
True
False
2. The Celts created All Hallows.
True
False
3. All Hallows is on October 31st.
True
False
4. The word Halloween comes from the word Hallows eve.
True
False
5. A thousand years ago Europeans wore costumes to get candy.
True
False
6. Americans still carve turnips to use as lanterns.
True
False
7. Today Halloween is especially for children.
True
False
8. Children get candy by saying "trick or treat."
True
False

0 Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

Vocabulary

ancient- very old
bow and arrow- used for shooting (like the picture on the left)
shoot- make something fly through the air (Shoot a gun. Shoot an arrow.)
character- a person (but usually not real) like a person in a book or in a movie
fall in love- begin to love another person
celebrate- do something fun (like a party or something special)
romantic- something that shows the feeling of love

Reading Text

Valentine's Day is a very old holiday. It goes back to the times of Ancient Rome. One of the characters we often see on Valentine's Day is Cupid. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. He shoots people with arrows of love. When a man and a woman are hit by his arrows, they will fall in love.
Today people celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14. Men and women who are in love give each other gifts. The most popular gifts include flowers (especially roses) and chocolates. Couples may also go to a restaurant for a very nice dinner or plan something else romantic. 

In the United States, Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. Children make special Valentine's cards for their classmates. Families and friends may give candy or other small gifts to each other. It can be a fun day.

Questions and Answers

1. Who is Cupid's mother?
a. Sarah, goddess of love
b. Venus, goddess of music
c. Venus, goddess of love

2. What does Cupid use to shoot people?
a. a gun
b. a bow and arrow
c. a baseball

3. What day is Valentine's Day celebrated?
a. February 13.
b. December 25
c. February 14

4. What are the most popular flowers for Valentine's Day?
a. Roses
b. Tulips
c. Sunflowers

5. What do school children in the United States do on Valentine's Day?
a. Kiss their friends
b. Make cards for their friends
c. Have a romantic dinner with their friends

0 April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day

Vocabulary

a fool- someone who doesn't understand what is happening
to tease- laugh at, make fun of someone, joke about something
to play a joke (on someone)- to do something funny that another person doesn't know about or suspect at first
container- something that holds something else, like a box, a bottle, or a jar
to play a trick (on someone)- same as play a joke
in the spirit of fun- with an atmosphere of fun, just for fun, lighthearted 

Reading Text

April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1st. Then a new calendar was introduced called the Gregorian calendar. January 1st became the first day of the year, but many people did not know about it. So those who continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1st were teased. They were called fools.

Nowadays we play jokes on people on April 1st. For example, someone might put salt in the sugar container so another person could "accidentally" put it in their coffee. Or someone might change the time on another person's alarm clock so that person would unknowingly wake up earlier or later than planned. Or maybe a person would tell a lie to make someone else shocked.

After we play the trick, we say "April Fool." Then the poor person realizes he was fooled. It is generally done in the spirit of fun and doesn't cause any real harm to anyone. Do you have any great jokes to play on anyone today? Try it out. Just don't forget to say "April Fool" when the other person begins looking a little confused.

Check Your Understanding

Choose True or False. Check your answers by clicking the arrow below.1. April Fool's Day started in 1908. True False 2. A long time ago, New Year's Eve was celebrated on April 1st. True False 3. Some people didn't realize that New Year's Day had changed. True False 4. People who celebrated New Year's Day on January 1st were teased. True False 5. People like to play jokes on January 1st. True False 6. Sometimes on April Fool's Day people lie to shock someone. True False 7. After you play a joke on someone, you should say "April Fools!" True False

0 Friendship

Friendship

Vocabulary

spouse- husband or wife
bond- connection, something that makes two things stick together
twin spirit- someone very similar to you
stranger- someone you don't know at all
acquaintance- someone you don't know very well
right away- immediately
in common- things that you like or dislike are the same

Reading Text

Quotes about friendship:

Friendship is one mind in two bodies.
Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Some friends come into our lives for just a short time. Others come and stay forever. Think about your closest friends. How long have you known each other? Some people say that their spouse or family member is their best friend. Others say they have known their closest friends for many years. And some great friends haven't known each other all that long, but knew right away that there was a connection, or bond, between them. Could it be that there is a twin spirit out there for each of us? 

What turns a stranger or acquaintance into a friend? Do you know right away if you are going to like someone? Some people think that any stranger can become a friend if they spend enough time together. That may be true for some people. But one thing most of us agree on is that true friendships seem to happen when people have something in common. Perhaps we see a part of ourselves in our friends. Maybe seeing the good in them helps us to see the good in us as well.

Check Your Understanding

True or False Check your answers by clicking on the arrow below.According to the article...
1. Your husband or wife cannot be your best friend.
True
False
2. Many friends feel a connection when they first meet.
True
False
3. Every person definitely has a twin spirit.
True
False
4. A stranger is the same as an acquaintance.
True
False
5. A stranger is the same as a friend.
True
False
6. Most friends have similar likes and dislikes.
True
False

0 English Around the World

English Around the World

Vocabulary

travel bug (idiom)- strong desire to travel to be bitten by the travel bug (idiom)- kind of a cute way to say when someone begins to want to travel. After the "bug" bites you, you will really want to travel. to wander- to go from one place to another without any definite plans to be in the comfort of (one's) own home- to be at home, in a familiar or comfortable place to explore- to look around and find out new things exotic (adjective)- strange, mysterious, exciting, unknown mystery- something unknown, something that needs to be found out to flock- large amounts of people go to the same place at the same time vast (adjective)- very large perspective- view, way of seeing things accomplishment- feeling like you have done something important and good 

Reading Text

Have you ever had the desire to wander the world and see what was out there? While some people prefer to stay in the comfort of their own home, others have been bitten by the travel bug and can't wait to explore the world. Exotic places call to them. "Come visit me and I will show you my mysteries," they say.

Every year millions of people pack their suitcases or put on backpacks and flock to visit the seven continents of the world. They wander through the castles and museums of Europe, and the cities and natural wonders of North and South America. Some visit the vast exotic cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The great outback of Australia is a wonderland for those who go there. And a few lucky people even make to the most mysterious continent on the earth- Antarctica. 

Why do people want to explore the world? It gives them a better perspective about the earth and the people living on it. It opens their minds, it gives them a feeling of accomplishment, and it makes them feel alive. So save some money, get your passport ready, and see the world. It will change your life forever.

Questions and Answers

Choose True or False. Check your answers at the bottom of the page by clicking on the arrow.

1. To be bitten by the travel bug means you like to stay home.
True
False
2. People bitten by the travel bug like to visit new places.
True
False
3. The great outback is in Europe.
True
False
4. Antarctica is in Africa.
True
False
5. Asia is vast.
True
False
6. Traveling opens your mind.
True
False
7. Traveling makes you feel alive.
True
False
8. Traveling helps you see things in a new way.
True
False

0 Levi's Blue Jeans

Levi's Blue Jeans 

Vocabulary

emigrate- (v) to move permanently from one's country to another.
dry goods- (n) clothing, fabric, and other items to sell
miner- (n) a person who searches for gold, diamonds, etc.
durable- (adj) last a long time
fabric- (n) material for clothing, curtains, etc.
tailor- (n) a person who sews clothing
rivet- (n) (v) a metal piece that holds 2 thing together. (You can see the metal on Levi's jeans)
patent- (n) (v) an inventor's right to be the only one making or selling a product
think it over- (v) think about it, decide

Do you enjoy wearing Levi's blue jeans? Blue jeans have become popular all over the world, but do you know how they got started? Read on to find out...

Reading Text

Levi Strauss was born in Germany in the mid 1800's and emigrated to the United States as a young man. He lived in New York City and learned the dry-goods business for several years. In 1853 he took his knowledge and his dreams to San Francisco (California., USA.) His dream to succeed came true over the next 20 years as he became a very successful businessman.

Many of Levi Strauss' customers were cowboys and miners. They needed clothing that was strong and durable. Strauss found a special fabric from France that was comfortable and lasted a long time. It was called "serge de Nimes," which was later shortened to the word denim. 

Another man named Jacob Davis bought large amounts of the denim fabric from Levi Strauss. He was a tailor who made pants for hard-working men. One of his customers was continually tearing the pockets off his pants. So Jacob Davis decided to put rivets on certain parts of the pants to make them stronger. The customer loved the new pants so much that he told all his friends, and soon Jacob Davis was busy making lots of pants with rivets.

Jacob Davis soon realized that using rivets was a great business idea, and he didn't want anybody to steal that idea. He decided that he would need to get a patent. But being a poor tailor, he didn't have enough money to pay for the patent. After thinking it over, he went to the businessman Levi Strauss and told him his idea. He said, "If you agree to pay for the patent, we will share the profits from the riveted pants." Levi Strauss did agree, and the new riveted pant business was called Levi Strauss and Company. Today Levi's jeans are more popular than ever, and Levi's name continues to live on.

Check Your Understanding

True or False. Check your answers below.  

1. Levi Strauss was born in 1853.
True
False
2. Levi Strauss wanted to become a great businessman.
True
False
3. Levi Strauss sewed pants in his business.
True
False
4. Jacob Davis sewed pants in his business.
True
False
5. Jacob David used denim to make pants.
True
False
6. Jacob Davis put rivets in pants because they looked good.
True
False
7. Levi Strauss didn't want to pay for Jacob Davis' patent.
True
False
8. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis became business partners.
True
False