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7. A Two-Year Vacation
Jules Verne (1828~1905)
One dark night in March, 1860, a ship was sailing through a violent storm with huge waves. The ship was about to be broken into pieces by the wild sea.
On the deck, four boys were trying very hard to save the ship from the night storm. They were Gordon, Brian, Denipan and Moco. Gordon was fourteen, Brian and Denipan thirteen, and Moco twelve. Below the deck, there were eleven little children sleeping.
The children were all students at the Chairman School in Auckland, New Zealand. Two days earlier, when they came together on a ship for a school trip, the rope was cut by accident, and the ship washed away to sea. Unfortunately, the captain and his men had left the ship to have a drink. So the ship was in the hands of the fifteen boys!
In the early morning, Moco suddenly cried, "Land! Land!" The boys ran up to the deck to see where Moco was pointing. A few minutes later, the ship managed to land on shore. At last, they were on land!
The boys stepped on the land with great joy. It looked like a desert island, but it didn't matter to them. However, they began to worry about their uncertain future on this desert island.
"We must look for food and clothes," Brian said. "The ship may wash away to sea at any time."
"But the little children are tired and scared," Gordon said. "Let's find some place to rest first."
"Who do you think you are, Gordon? Our leader?"
"Stop it!" Moco cried.
Finally, they agreed to look for a place to rest first, and Brian soon found a mountain cave. They left the younger boys in the cave and went back to the ship.
Fortunately, all of the ship's food was dry. Inside the ship, they found some cookies, cans, ham and meat. They also found some books and clothes. They were pleased to find some guns since they had to protect themselves.
That night, all the boys slept well in the cave although they were a little uneasy and worried. Now they were on their own and had to survive on a desert island! There were unknown adventures waiting for them.
The next morning, it was sunny and clear. The boys decided to name the island "Chairman Island."
"Now, how about electing the leader?" Brian said.
"That's a good idea," said Denipan. "We need someone who can lead us."
"I think Gordon will make a fine leader," Brian said.
"So do we," other boys agreed with Brian.
"Thanks, Brian. Thank you, everybody," Gordon said. "I will do my best."
The boys were all very happy.
"First, we have to store food. Some of us need to fish, and some of us need to hunt. Younger boys can gather fruit," Gordon said.
"We can also catch wild animals to raise," Brian said. "We don't know how long we will have to stay here."
The boys managed to survive on the island for two years. Not a single ship passed the island during those two years.
One day, the boys saw a ship coming towards the island. Imagine how happy they must have been! To their disappointment, however, the ship was under the control of some bad sailors. The brave boys decided to fight them. They set free Mr. Evans, captain of the ship. With his help, they were able to take over the ship.
Finally, they were able to come back to Auckland. Two years had passed since the boys were washed away from Auckland. Yet, all 15 boys grew up to be fine young men after their adventures at sea.
8. Staying Healthy
Minsu usually skips his breakfast and eats only what he likes for lunch at school. On his way back home from school, he often goes to a fast food restaurant and has a large size hamburger, French fries, and cola. Since he usually has heavy snacks, he sometimes skips dinner and then eats something before he goes to bed.
Minsu also doesn't like to exercise. Whenever he has free time, he prefers staying home and watching TV to playing outside. While he is watching TV, he has potato chips in one hand and the remote control in the other hand. Every morning, his dad gives him a ride to school, even though the school is close to his house.
Nowadays, there are many teenagers like Minsu. They eat irregular meals. They eat the wrong food. They exercise too little.
How much do you care about your health? The following survey is about your eating and exercise habits. Knowing about your habits will help you learn where you need to make changes. Take the survey and find it out.
How smart do you eat and exercise?
1. How many meals do you eat during a day?
□ Three meals □ One or two meals
2. Do you eat at regular times during the day?
□ Almost always □ Usually □ Seldom
3. Do you eat breakfast?
□ Almost always □ Usually □ Seldom
4. How much fast food do you eat?
□ Very little □ About average □ A lot
5. Do you eat vegetables and fruit every day?
□ Yes □ No
6. Do you exercise regularly?
□ Yes □ No
7. How often do you exercise each week?
□ Three or more times □ One or two times □ Never
8. Do you exercise for 20 or more minutes at least three times a week?
□ Yes □ No
9. Do you walk to school?
□ Almost always □ Usually □ Seldom
10. Do you use the stairs instead of elevators?
□ Almost always □ Usually □ Seldom
Your Points
■ 45 or more You're very healthy. Try to look for more ways to be healthy. You can always be healthier.
■ 30 to 44 Sometimes you eat and exercise smart, but not often enough to be healthy. Change some of your eating habits and get more exercise.
■ 0 to 29 For good health, you should change your eating and exercise habits. Change them step by step.
Did you score yourself? How many points did you get?
As a teenager, you are going through a lot of changes. Your body is changing and growing. Therefore, it's time for you to care about your health. Your lifetime health depends on how much you take care of your health now.
To be healthy, it is necessary that you eat nutritious food that your body needs to grow and to be physically active. You may think that you need to make a lot of effort to be healthy. However, this is not true. Start with something small that you can do easily. You'll soon realize that you are healthier. Here are some tips.
1. Eat a healthy, low-fat breakfast such as milk, fruit, rice and soup. Don't skip breakfast. Eat regular meals.
2. Don't eat fast food too often. When eating fast food, wipe off the fat before you take the first bite. Don't order large sizes.
3. Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.
4. Eat healthy snacks.
5. Don't use a remote control when watching TV.
6. Walk to school if you can.
7. Take stairs instead of elevators.
8. Go out and take a walk. Go swimming and play with your friends. Get active!
9. Behind the Pictures
We often feel that art is difficult to understand. Indeed, we usually think that we should have special knowledge in order to enjoy a work of art. As a result, many of us feel that only a special group of people can enjoy art. This, however, is not true. One of the major functions of art is to give us pleasure. Therefore, the important thing is how we feel about a work of art and what pleasure we can find in it.
However, having some background knowledge about a painting may help us appreciate it better. The following is some background information about three famous paintings. Read and see how it helps you appreciate each work better.
The Art of Landscape
The Gleaners by Françis Millet (1814~1875)
Millet was born in Normandy, France. His father was a farmer, so he had many memories of country life. Millet believed that there was value in farmers' work. His strong interest in farmers' lives is well-expressed in his paintings. His famous painting, The Gleaners, is one good example.
What might catch your eyes in The Gleaners is the horizon. Can you guess what Millet is trying to express with the horizon? Well, to him, the horizon symbolizes mother earth where we are born, live, and die. That's why the horizon is important in Millet's paintings and why he liked to draw it in his paintings.
The Art of Still Life
Apples and Oranges by Paul Céanne (1839~1906)
Cézanne liked to paint still life pictures like the one on this page. Do you know why he painted so many still life pictures? Céanne's paintings were not well-appreciated during his lifetime. As a result, he was very disappointed, and he spent the rest of his life alone in a studio in the countryside. Still life paintings could be done easily in a studio with simple things such as apples, oranges, or vases. This is why Céanne painted so many still life paintings.
Céanne especially liked to paint apples, oranges, and vases. He thought that the lines and shapes found in them are basic ones that make up nature. So, he believed that he could express the very essence of nature by drawing simple things like apples or oranges.
The Art of Portrait
Self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh (1853~1890)
Vincent van Gogh was famous for painting portraits. He was especially good at self-portraits. In fact, he painted more than 50 self-portraits during his lifetime. He did it partly because he was too poor to use models, and partly because he liked to express his inner self through paintings.
Note that van Gogh's self-portraits often showed the left side of the painter. Why the left side, then? According to some studies, our feelings are better expressed on the left side of our faces than on the right side. Therefore, the left side of the face could look more lively than the right side. This is because feelings are controlled by the right side of the brain, which controls the left side of the body. This may explain why van Gogh painted his left side in many of his self-portraits.
Look at the painting. What do you see and feel? Do you agree?
10. Mysteries of the Pyramids
The pyramids have always caught people's imagination by their size and mysteries. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 and saw the pyramids with his own eyes, he was so impressed that he shouted, "Soldiers! From the top of these pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us."
What Were the Pyramids for?
The pyramids were built for Egyptian kings and queens. The Egyptians believed that there was an afterlife. The Egyptians also believed that the pharaohs were living gods. The pyramids were designed to provide these kings with everything they would need to make a journey to another life.
Although there is clear evidence that the pyramids were built as tombs, all kinds of strange claims have been made about them. Some people have claimed that the pyramids were used to watch the moon and stars. Others have even claimed that the pyramids were built by aliens.
Why Do the Pyramids Have Secret Rooms and Mazes?
The pyramids have always been good targets for robbers, since a lot of treasures were buried in them. Robbery was such a big problem, even in ancient times, that Egyptian architects did everything to prevent it. For example, they created secret rooms and designed mazes.
However, no matter how clever the designers became, the robbers seemed to be smarter, and each of the great tombs of the Egyptian kings was robbed. When the pyramids were found again in modern times, most of them had already been robbed.
The Curse of the Pharaohs
Seven weeks after the opening of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb, Lord Carnarvon died.* Since he was one of the key people who took part in the opening of the tomb, there were rumors about a curse. People thought that Carnarvon's death could have been the result of a "pharaoh's curse." Five months after Carnarvon died, his younger brother died suddenly, and the rumor about the curse got even stronger.
The death of the pet canary of the tomb's discoverer, Howard Carter, worsened the rumor, too. The bird was swallowed by a cobra on the day the tomb was opened. This especially made people believe in the curse, since a cobra was painted on the brow of the pharaoh.
The pharaoh's curse, however, might not be true. Many of the key people who worked on the tomb lived long lives. Of the 26 people who were present at the opening of the tomb, only six died within the next 10 years.
The Biggest Pyramid
The biggest pyramid in the world is the Great Pyramid at Giza. It was built by King Khufu. It stands with two other pyramids, the pyramids of Khafra and Menkaura, and it is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Great Pyramid was 145.75 meters high when it was first built. Over the years, it has lost 10 meters from its top. It was the tallest man-made structure on Earth until the 19th century.
The structure is made up of about 2 million blocks of stone, and each stone weighs more than 2 tons. Some people say that we can build a 3-meter-high, 0.3-meter-thick wall around France with blocks from the three pyramids. According to Herodotus,* it took twenty years for 100,000 slaves to build it.
11. Cloning Max
How much do you know about cloning? Do you think it is great and exciting? Well, here is a story about a boy who wants to clone his sick dog. In the beginning, he doesn't know much about cloning and is just excited. He then realizes that he needs to learn more about it.
Ted: What's wrong with Max, Dad?
Dad: He is very sick. I don't think he will make it. We should let him die. It's time for him to leave.
Ted: But how can I? How can I forget him? He has been my best friend, and I can't imagine not having him around me.
Dr. Martin has succeeded in cloning a cat. Maybe now we won't have to part with our pets.
Ted: Did you see that, Dad? We can still keep Max alive. We can ask Dr. Martin to clone him.
Dad: Clone him? Well, I don't know whether it's a good idea.
Ted: Please, Dad. I don't want him to go away.
Dad: OK. Why don't you write a letter to Dr. Martin? Tell him that you really love Max and you want to clone him.
Dear Dr. Martin:
Hello, Dr. Martin. My name is Ted and I'm a middle school student. I am writing this letter to ask you to clone my dog, Max, who is very sick and dying. I'm an only child in my family and ever since I was very young, Max has been my best friend. We played together and we studied together. He always sat next to me while I was studying. I really love him and I can't imagine not having him around me anymore.
Yesterday I saw the report that you had succeeded in cloning a cat, and I was so happy. I heard that you were one of the best scientists working on cloning and that you had successfully cloned many animals like mice and cats. I'm sure that you can easily clone a dog, too.
I really hope that you will be able to clone Max. I love him so much, and I'll thank you a million times if you could only clone him and give him back to me.
Yours truly,
Ted Tomson
Dad: Ted, I have good news for you. Dr. Martin called me while you were at school. He told me that he would clone Max for you.
Ted: Really? That's wonderful, Dad. I'm really happy.
Dad: Me, too.
Ted: Now I don't need to say goodbye to Max. Maybe I can have him forever. If the clone gets sick again, I can ask Dr. Martin to make another clone for me. Isn't this great, Dad? I really like cloning.
Dad: Well, I don't know. I'm happy that we can clone Max, but there are serious issues we have to think about with cloning.
Ted: Serious issues? Like what?
Dad: Now we are cloning only animals, but soon we will be able to clone a human being. Maybe they can clone you. Would you like that, Ted?
Ted: Why not? If I have my clone, I can make him do all the things I don't want to do, like studying and cleaning my room, and I can have all the fun. That'll be really cool.
Dad: No, it's not that simple. Well, I think you need to learn more about cloning. Why don't you read about cloning and think about some of the issues people are worried about?
Ted: OK, Dad. But I still don't know what can possibly be wrong with it. Good night, Dad.
Ted: What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at school now.
Clone: Well, I don't want to go to school anymore. I want to stay at home and play computer games. I want to have fun, too.
Ted: That's impossible. You are my clone. You must do what I told you to do. You are a clone.
Clone: Who says so? No one will tell us apart. We look the same. And I know everything you know. They have put your memory into me.
Ted: You can't do this to me. Now I don't need you. Go away.
Clone: Go away? I don't want to. I like it here. This is my home. If you don't like it here, you leave.
Ted: Oh, no. This is a nightmare. What should I do?
I shouldn't have made a clone.
Dad: What's wrong, Ted? A nightmare?
Ted: Yes, Dad. A real nightmare. I think I need to learn more about cloning.
Dad: Good for you. Let's talk about it tomorrow.
12. Now and Then
Have you ever wondered what life used to be like about thirty years ago when your parents went to school? Some of you may hear your parents talk about their school days and many other things that were different from now. They often say that they were much poorer than now, and that life then was much more uncomfortable. However, listening to their stories, you often realize how much they cherish the memories of those old days and miss them. The following reading will allow you to share some of the unforgettable memories that your parents have about their past.
The Classroom in Winter
If you ask your parents to tell you about some of the things that they l never forget about their school lives, most of them will probably say that they had a tin lunch box and a coal stove in the center of the classroom. When your mom and dad went to school, almost every student used a tin lunch box. Inside the lunch box, there was another small box for side dishes.
In those days, there was no electric stove in the classroom. Therefore, every morning in winter, students had to carry a bucket of coal to the class and make a fire for heat. Then, all the students put their lunch boxes on the stove to keep them warm. Since the stove was usually very hot, the rice and side dishes on the bottoms of the lunch boxes were sometimes burnt. The classroom used to be filled with bad smells. Your parents may miss those smells from their school days.
From Empty Fields to High-rise Buildings
Have you ever been to the area near Samseong subway station in Seoul? If you go down along the road near the station, you'll see many high-rise buildings. Many of the buildings are being used by information technology companies, banks, etc. There is also a big department store and a hotel in the area. The place is now one of the busiest areas in Seoul. But, have you ever imagined what the area was like about 30 years ago?
Look at the picture below. It is a picture of the area taken about 30 years ago. The picture shows that there used to be only small houses and empty fields. It was a very quiet and undeveloped area, and not many people lived there.
Telephones and Televisions in the Old Days
Nowadays, if you find a house with no telephone, you'll be very surprised. However, about thirty years ago, there weren't many houses with telephones. In some cases, there was only one house with a telephone in a small village. At that time, it wasn't easy to buy a telephone because telephones were very expensive. Therefore, only rich people could buy them. Unlike the colorful telephones nowadays, the telephones used then were black in color and a lot bigger in size. Also, only a few houses in a neighborhood had televisions because of the high price. Therefore, when there was an interesting or important program, such as a boxing match, neighbors came to the houses, gathered around the television set, and enjoyed watching the show together. In those days, most televisions were black and white.
How many telephones and television sets are there in your house? Some of you may already have your own cell phones, and some of you may have your own television set in your room. Do you think that life nowadays is much better than life back then, due to these conveniences?