waves get close to shore. The sea becomes shallower.

The water is not so deep

anymore. The tsunami waves have no room to carry their energy and cannot travel as
quickly. So they begin to pile up. They start to get on top of each other. There is no
more distance between the waves. The waves get steeper and taller until they reach
huge heights. A typical tsunami wave on shore is 30 m high. All the energy is now
inside this huge wave. When it crashes on land, it carries great power and destroys
everything in its path.
The biggest tsunami in the history of the world happened on December 26, 2004. It hit
South East Asia. 230,000 people were killed, 168,000 in Indonesia alone. There were
millions of dollars worth in damage. Scientists have analyzed this tsunami. They are
trying to figure out new methods to track down tsunamis. One way to discover a
tsunami is to use a tsunameter. This device is put deep into the ocean near Subduction
zones. It senses when an earthquake happens. Then it sends signals to a nearby
computer. The computer generates a tsunami model. Scientists read the computer
model and can send early warnings to people in danger.

Notes:
tsunamis(n) : sóngthần
harbor(n) : cảng
expect(v) : mongđợi
wave(n) : sóng
earthquake (n) : độngđất
zones (n) : nhữngkhuvực
divided into (v) : phân chia vàotrong
slide one over the other : nằmchồnglênnhau
gently (adv) : nhẹnhàng
collide (v) : vachạm
generated (v) : sinhra
energy (n) : nănglượng
distance(n) : khoảngcách
get close to shore : tiếngầnvàobờbiển
steeper(adj) : sâuhơn
worth(n) : đánggiá
damage (adj) : bịpháhủy
analyzed(v) : phântích
methods(n) : nhữngphươngpháp
figureout (v) : tìmra
signals(n) : nhữngdấuhiệu
model (n) : mẫu
2.

The Dolphin
Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can’t talk with words, but they talk with sounds. They
show their feelings with sounds. Dolphins travel in a group. We call a group of fish
“school.” They don’t study, but they travel together. Dolphins are mammals, not fish,
but they swim together in a school.
Dolphin talk to the other dolphins in the school. They give information. They tell when
they are happy or sad or afraid. They say “Welcome” when a dolphin come back to the
school. They talk when they play.
They make a few sounds above water. They make many more sounds under water.
People cannot hear these sounds because the sounds are very, very high. Scientists
make tapes of the sounds and study them. Sometimes people catch dolphins for a large
aquarium. (An aquarium is a zoo for fish.)
People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don’t like to be away from their
school in an aquarium. They are sad and lonely. There are many stories about
dolphins. They help people. Sometimes they save somebody’s life. Dolphin meat is
good, but people don’t like to kill them. They say that dolphins bring good luck. Many
people believe this.

Notes:
Mammals (n) :loàiđộngvậtcóvú
Dolphins (n) :cáheo
Afraid (adj) :sợhãi
Scientists (n) :nhữngnhàkhoahọc
Aquarium (n) :bểnuôicá
3.

The water hyacinth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqi63NJDmJY
The water hyacinth grows in tropical countries. It has beautiful purple-blue flowers,
but everybody hates it. Why?
Millions and millions of these plants grow in rivers and lakes. Sometimes the plants
become so thick that people can walk on them. People cannot travel in boats on the
water, and they cannot fish in it. The plants stop the water from moving. Then the
water carries diseases. Farmers cannot use the water on their land.
Now scientists think that water hyacinths can be useful. The plants are really a tree
crop. No one has to take care of them. They just grow and grow and grow. What can
farmers use them for?
Some fish like to eat them. Farmers can grow these fish in the lakes and rivers.
Workers can collect and cut the plants with machines. Then they can make fertilizer to
make their crops grow better. They can also make feed for their farm animals. Maybe
it will be possible to make methane gas for energy. (We burn gas from petroleum for
energy. Methane gas comes from plants.)
Then poor tropical countries will not have to buy so much expensive petroleum.
Maybe in the future people will love the water hyacinth instead of hating it.

Notes:
hyacinth(n) : câylanhọdương
tropical (adj) : nhiệtđới
diseases (n) : bệnhtật
take care of : chămsóc
machines (n) : máymóc
fertilizer(n) : phânbón
methane(n) : metan (chấthóahọc)
petroleum(n) : dầumỏ
instead of : thayvì
4.

The polar bear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcdkUuemDjM
The polar bear is very big white bear. We call it the polar bear because it lives inside
the Artic Circle near the North Pole. There are no polar bears at the South Pole.
The polar bear lives in the snow and ice. At the North Pole, there is only snow, ice,
and water. There is not any land. People cannot see the polar bear in the snow very
well because its coat is yellow-white. It has a very warm coat because the weather is
cold north of the Artic Circle.
This bear is three meters long, and it weighs 450 kilos (Kilograms). It can stand up on
its back legs because it has very wide feet. It can use its front legs like arms. The polar
bear can swim very well. It can swim 120 kilometers out into the water. It catches fish
and sea animals for food. It goes into the sea when it is afraid.
Some people want to kill the polar bear for its beautiful white coat. The governments
of the United States and Russia say that no one can kill polar bears now. They do not
want all of these beautiful animals to die.

Notes:

bear (n) : gấu

polar(adj) : cực
stand up (v) : đứngthẳnglên
catches(n) : ngườibắt
governments (n) : chínhphủ