At the Coal Mine

By Julie Haydon

A mine is a hole in the earth; people dig mines to

look for rocks, such as coal. Some mines have
tunnels that go deep under the ground. A miner is
a person who works in a mine. Some coal miners
work in dark tunnels, deep under the ground. A
mine is a dangerous place. Miners wear special
clothing to keep safe. Once, coal mining was done
by hand. Miners worked in the dark for many
hours. They dug the coal out with hand tools. Today, mining is done with
machines. There are important safety rules in mines.
Rule 1: Miners must be able to breathe fresh air.
Rule 2: Strong beams hold up the mine roof so that it will not fall on the
miners.
After the coal is cut, it is taken out of the mine. A moving belt carries the
coal out of the mine. Not all coal miners work under the ground. The miners
dig for coal that is close to the ground. First, the soil is removed from the
ground. Then, big machines scoop the coal out of the ground. At the power
station, the crush coal is burnt. The burning coal heats water and makes it
boil. Boiling water makes steam. The steam turns a generator. This makes
electricity.

Answer each question.

1. What is a mine and where do the miners work?

2. How did the miners work in the past?

3. What are the safety rules of mines?

4. What is the modern tool of mining?

5. What does happen after the coal is cut? 6. How does the electricity make
the coal?
 The Astronaut’s Diary

We were exhausted from all the work. We slept in shifts.

One of us had to be awake all the time. Finally, we got to
our destination. We had reached the space station. We
had so much to do every day on our ship. Now there
would be more people to help us. We would be on a
collaborative team. When we moved into the space
station, I felt great. There was so much more space. We
would have real beds to sleep in. We would have better
food.
The six astronauts on the space station were happy to see us. They said,
“We have been waiting for you.” We were glad to see them, too. That
first night on the space station was great. We had good food. We had a
good dinner. Then we were going to sleep. But one of the astronauts
said, “We need to give you a job. Each person has to take turns staying
awake. Here is the schedule.” I saw I was first. I would have to stay
awake tonight. I had been awake and working for 20 hours. I became
an astronaut so that I could travel in space. Now I’m here. It is hard
work. It’s even more challenging than I expected.

Answer the Questions.

1. What’s the name of their destination?

2. Why did he feel great?

3. How many astronauts were on the space station?

4. How did they enjoy the space station?

5. What did one of the astronauts say?

6. How long had he been working?

 THE WIND AND THE SUN
By James Baldwin

Once the Wind and the Sun had a

dispute as to which was the stronger of
the two. "Do you see that traveler
plodding along the road?" said the
Wind. "Let us both try our strength on
him, and let the one who can first strip
him of his cloak be the winner."
"Agreed," said the Sun. The Wind began first. He blew a blast which sent the
leaves flying through air; he raised clouds of dust in the road, bent the tops of
the trees to the ground, and even tore up one sturdy oak by the roots. But
the traveler only drew his cloak the more tightly around his shoulders, and
kept on his way. Then the Sun began. He burst out from behind a black cloud,
and, little by little, darted his sultry beams upon the traveler's head and back.
The man did not notice this much at first, but soon the heat was so great that
he stopped to wipe the sweat from his face. "Ah!" he said, "I cannot stand
this. It is so hot that one might as well be in an oven!" Then he threw off his
cloak, and carried it under his arm; and when he came to a tree by the
roadside he sat down under its shade to cool himself. After that, the Wind
never claimed to be stronger than the Sun.

Answer each question.

1. What had the dispute been between the Wind and the Sun?

2. What did the Wind say to the Sun?

3. What did the Wind do then?

4. How did Sun try its strength?

5. What did the Wind never claim again?