Great Aunt Mary

       My great aunt Mary died a few years ago. My sister and I always liked to visit her because we had a good laugh together.

       Mary loved going to the cinema. She knew names of all the actors and she often saw the same film three or four times. When she was young, she wanted to be an actress but her parents said “No”.

       After she left school, Mary worked in a book shop. She was a good shop assistant because she was helpful and she knew a lot about books. One day, a young man came into the shop to buy a book by Agatha Christie. The young men’s name was George. He was a policeman and his favourite stories were crime stories. George started to visit the book shop every week. Mary and George fell in love and married three years later.

       Mary’s hobby was collecting record players. The machines were old but they worked well. Mary had a large collection of records, too. She also loved buying clothes and she had ten big boxes full of clothes, hats and shoes. We liked to look in her boxes of clothes and find big hats and long dresses to wear. We played her records and danced to them for hours. Mary often told us the story of one of her favourite films. Then Mary, George, my sister and I acted the story for Mary’s neighbours. I don’t think we were very good but they always said we were fantastic!

Taken from: Test Book_Challenges 2_Pearson Longman  

The Water Cycle

       Water covers most of our planet. It can be found in oceans, lakes, and ponds, and in the ground itself. The cycle of water from liquid to vapor to solid is called the water cycle. The water cycle is an exciting and continuous process, with no beginning or end. The water cycle is the movement of water in the environment by evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

       The warm sun causes liquid water to evaporate (to change from a liquid into a gas or vapor) and rise up into the sky. The water vapors that are formed cool during evaporation. These cooled water vapors form clouds in the sky. The transformation of the vapor into clouds (that is, from a gas into a liquid) is condensation. Clouds can be a mass of water droplets and/or ice particles. When the clouds get heavy enough, the water falls back to the ground in the form of rain, snow, or hail. This is precipitation.

taken from: http://www.abcteach.com/free/r/rc_watercycle.pdf

A Prescription

Patient: … what about the problems I've been having sleeping?

Doctor: I'm going to give you a prescription for some medicine to help you get a better night's sleep.

Patient: Thank you doctor.
Doctor: Here, you can get this prescription at any pharmacy.

Patient: How often should I take the medicine?
Doctor: Just take one pill about 30 minutes before you go to bed.

Patient: How long should I take them?
Doctor: The prescription is for thirty days. If you're not sleeping well after thirty days, I'd like you to

 come back in.

Patient: Is there anything else I can do to help me sleep at night?
Doctor: Don't worry so much about things at work. I know, I know... easier said than done.

Patient: Should I stay home from work?
Doctor: No, I don't think that's necessary. Just remember to stay calm.

taken from: http://esl.about.com/od/intermediatereading/a/d_mprescrip.htm

The Wampanoag Tribe

       The Wampanoag tribe is a community of Native Americans who, at one time, occupied much of southeastern Massachusetts, the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and western Cape Cod.

In the early 1600s, before many European settlers began colonizing the present day United States, there are estimated to have been 12,000 people belonging to this community. The Wampanoag lived in villages spread throughout the region, and hunted and farmed for their livelihoods. Fishing and whaling were also part of early Wampanoag life.

       The Wampanoag people emigrated with the seasons. During warmer months, they lived by the shore, planting food, including corn, and fishing. When the weather changed and they could no longer farm, they moved inland and set up small camps of family groups. These small groups spread out and hunted the land surrounding their camps.

       The name “Wampanoag” refers to an entire community of Native Americans, and comprised several dozen sub-tribes. The only sub-tribe of Wampanoag that is a Federally Recognized tribe is the “Wampanoag of Gay Head”. This sub-tribe has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for over 10,000 years. Other sub-tribes are known to have existed historically, and some are still trying to become Federally Recognized. Most sub-tribes have completely disappeared because every member of the tribe died or was killed.

       Wampanoag leaders were known as sachems, and the title was passed through family lines, including to women if no male could claim the title. The leaders had the respect of others in the tribe, but worked with the rest of the community and did not have special privileges attached to their title, and they did not command others. The Wampanoag tribe also had a Grand Sachem, who provided leadership for the entire tribe. When war began with the English settlers, the Grand Sachem King Phillip organized warriors from all over the region, including tribes that were not were not part of the Wampanoag people.

       From 1614-1620, diseases that arrived with early European colonists swept through the region, and some destroyed whole villages. By 1620, there were only about 5,000 Wampanoag people. Over half of them had been killed by disease.

taken from: http://www.abcteach.com/free/r/rc_native_wampanoag_upperelem.pdf

World's Largest Motorcycle

       Greg Dunham has built a big motorcycle. It is so big that when people see it for the first time, they sometimes think that they have shrunk!
       Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records say that Dunham’s motorcycle is the biggest one in the world. It took Dunham three years to build it. It is 15 feet tall and 25 feet long. It weighs about 6,500 pounds. He steers the motorcycle from a special cage below the handlebars.
       Greg Dunham built the monster motorcycle because his friends said it was impossible. He wanted to prove that he could do it. It was a giant project, but he accomplished it.
       He enjoys the way people react when they see his motorcycle. “Fifteen guys came to see it. One of the guys said, ‘Build me one!” Greg reports. “People love it!” he says.
       Dunham would like to take the motorcycle on a tour of the country so that more people can see it. However, he would need a corporate sponsor to help pay for the tour.

       People who see Greg Dunham's motorcycle sometimes think they've suddenly shrunk. What they're actually looking at, however, is the world's biggest motorcycle, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
       Dunham built the 15-foot high, 25-foot-long monster bike over three years. It weighs about 6,500 pounds and Dunham steers it from a cage below the handlebars.
       The beauty shop owner said he created the monster bike because his friends said it couldn't be done and he wanted to prove it could. The reaction he gets from people who see it is icing on the cake. "People love it," Dunham says. "Fifteen guys came from out of nowhere to see it. One of the guys said, 'Build me one!' People love it!"
       The Guinness Book of World Records describes the bike as the world's tallest rideable motorcycle.
Dunham would like to take his project on tour but says he needs a corporate sponsor to make that happen.


taken from: http://www.cdlponline.org /index.cfm?fuseaction=activity1&topicID=8&storyID=196

Directions to the Museum

(On the street corner)

Tourist: Excuse me, can you help me? I'm lost!
Person: Certainly, where would you like to go?

Tourist: I'd like to go to the museum, but I can't find it. Is it far?
Person: No, not really. It's about a 5 minute walk.

Tourist: Maybe I should call a taxi ...
Person: No, no. It's very easy. Really. (pointing) I can give you directions.

Tourist: Thank you. That's very kind of you.
Person: Not at all. ... Now, go along this street to the traffic lights. Do you see them?

Tourist: Yes, I can see them.
Person: Right, at the traffic lights, turn left into Queen Mary Avenue.

Tourist: Queen Mary Avenue.
Person: Right. Go straight on. Take the second left and enter Museum Drive.

Tourist: OK. Queen Mary Avenue, straight on and then the third left, Museum Drive.
Person: No, it's the SECOND left.

Tourist: Ah, right. The second street on my left.
Person: Right. Just follow Museum Drive and the museum is at the end of the road.

Tourist: Great. Thanks again for your help.
Person: Not at all.

taken from: http://esl.about.com/od/intermediatereading/a/d_museum.htm

Making a Valentine Box

Things you will need:

A box such as regular shoe box paper or paint ( you choose color)

Scissors tape glue paper doilies ( if you want to use)

Paper ribbon heart shapes artificial flowers ( if you want)

Glitter stickers YOUR IMAGINATION

       Valentine boxes have been made by students in classrooms for many years. They can be done in class or as a home project for the whole family to enjoy. You must first choose a box. Any box will do and you will need an adult to cut a slit in the top of the box to insert valentine cards.

       You can use paper to cover your box or paint the box . Choose a valentine color that you like. If you decide to paint your box, you will need to let it dry for several hours before decorating. After you have covered or painted the box, the fun begins!

       Many children like to draw their completed valentine box on paper before they begin decorating it. It gives you a plan for your box. When your plan is complete, start the decorating. Use any items you have at home to decorate the box or ask a parent to take you to a store to choose items to decorate your box. Make sure it pleases you. It is your box to use on Valentine’s Day at school. Have a great time!

taken from: http://www.abcteach.com/free/741.pdf

The First Road Trip, part I

        One morning in August 1888, Bertha Benz and her two sons, Eugen (15), and Richard (13), woke up early. They got dressed very quietly, so as not to waken the head of the family, Karl Benz. They left a note that said, “We are going to visit Grandma.” They crept out to Mr. Benz‘s workshop, opened the door, and pushed out a three-wheeled vehicle. It was the fruit of Mr. Benz’s long and hard work - the first engine car.

        Imagine it: a wooden construction more similar to a horse carriage than to the cars we have now: no roof, no hood, two wheels in the back but only one wheel in the front, a kind of handle instead of a steering wheel, leather-covered seats, and, the most important part, a 2.5 horsepower single-cylinder four-stroke engine.

        The car that Mrs. Benz and her sons rolled out of the workshop had gone through a great deal of development since its registration (no. DRP 37435) two years before, but Mr. Benz felt it needed even more work and improvement. He believed that most people would not trust such a new thing enough to be willing to buy it, and so it seemed to him that the prospects for any success on the market were not good. In contrast, his loving and energetic wife believed immensely in his abilities, and was more than certain that the fruit was ripe enough to be picked. Her plan was to make a long-distance journey in her husband’s invention, which would persuade everyone of the benefits and reliability of the new “horseless carriage”.

taken from: http://www.abcteach.com/free/i/inv_berthabenz_a.pdf

The Happy Prince

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed. "He is as beautiful as a weathercock," remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; "only not quite so useful," he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

"Why can't you be like the Happy Prince?" asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon. "The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything."

"I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy," muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

"He looks just like an angel," said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores.

"How do you know?" said the Mathematical Master, "you have never seen one."

"Ah! but we have, in our dreams," answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

taken from: http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/upper-intermediate-reading-exercise-the-happy-prince