Passage 1 - Opera

Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional
content is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and
instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. By contrast, in musical theatre an actor's
dramatic performance is primary, and the music plays a lesser role. The drama in
opera is presented using the primary elements of theatre such as scenery, costumes,
and acting. However, the words of the opera, or libretto, are sung rather than spoken.
The singers are accompanied by a musical ensemble ranging from a small
instrumental ensemble to a full symphonic orchestra.

Passage 2 - Dolphins
Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them
helping drowning sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn
about dolphins, the more we realize that their society is more complex than people
previously imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for
pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we do. Some scientists
have suggested that dolphins have a language but it is much more probable that they
communicate with each other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be
more intelligent than man? Certainly the most common argument in favour of man's
superiority over them that we can kill them more easily than they can kill us is the
least satisfactory. On the contrary, the more we discover about these remarkable
creatures, the less we appear superior when we destroy them.

Passage 3 - Unsinkable Ship

Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the
passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened.
It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of
lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later,
the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so quickly that
most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no chance to save
themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139 survived. The
rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea. The
final death toll amounted to 912 souls. However, there were an unpleasant number of
questions about why the Estonia sank and why so many survivors were men in the
prime of life, while most of the dead were women, children and the elderly.

Sunset
When the air is clear, the sunset will appear yellow, because the light from the sun has
passed a long distance through air and the blue light has been scattered away. If the air
is polluted with small particles, natural or otherwise, the sunset will be more red.
Sunsets over the sea may also be orange, due to salt particles in the air. The sky
around the sun is seen reddened, as well as the light coming directly from the sun.
This is because all light is scattered relatively well through small angles, but blue light
is then more likely to be scattered twice over the greater distances, leaving the yellow,
red and orange colours.

Human Development
When early humans hunted and gathered food, they were not in control of their
environment. They could only interact with their surroundings as lower organisms did.
When humans learned to make fire, however, they became capable of altering their
environment. To provide themselves with fuel they stripped bark from trees, causing
the trees to die. Clearings were burned in forests to increase the growth of grass and to
provide a greater grazing area for the wild animals that humans fed upon. This
development led to farming and the domestication of animals. Fire also provided the
means for cooking plants which had previously been inedible. Only when the process
of meeting the basic need for food reached a certain level of sophistication was it
possible for humans to follow other pursuits such as the founding of cities.

What is Tic?
A tic is a repeated, impulsive action, reflexive in nature, which the actor feels
powerless to control or avoid. Only when the individual performs the tic, is tension
and anxiety released within the individual with a tic disorder. Tics can be triggered by
an emotional state or sensation, or can happen for no obvious reason. General types of
tics include verbal tics, facial tics, and other muscular tics. Physical and psychological
therapy and medication can cause tics to go away, often permanently. Muscular tics
look something like twitches or quick grimaces, and often affect the eyes and hands.
Muscular tics can affect multiple muscles at once. Some forms of stuttering are caused
by muscular tics in the throat, tongue, or vocal cords when speaking or preparing to
speak.

Common Cold and Flu

Scratchy throats, stuffy noses and body aches all spell misery, but being able to tell if
the cause is a cold or flu may make a difference in how long the flu lasts. That's
because the prescription drugs available for the flu need to be taken soon after the
illness sets in although the symptoms can be eased with over the counter medications.
As for colds, the sooner a person starts taking over-the-counter remedy, the sooner
relief will come. Cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose and scratchy throat
typically develop gradually, and adults and teens often do not get a fever. On the other
hand, fever is one of the characteristic features of the flu for all ages. And in general,
flu symptoms including fever and chills, sore throat and body aches come on suddenly
and are more severe than cold symptoms.

The Difference Between Men And Women

Although there is a great deal of variation within each gender, on the average, men
and women discuss a surprisingly different range of topics. According to some
studies, women and men ranging in age from seventeen to eighty described the range
of topics each discussed with friends of the same sex. Certain topics were common to
both men and women; work, movies, and television proved to be frequent topics for
both groups. The differences between men and women were more striking than the
similarities. Female friends spent much more time discussing personal and domestic
subjects, relationship problems, family, health and reproductive matters, weight, food
and clothing. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to discuss music, current
events, sports and business. Women were more likely to gossip about close friends
and family. By contrast, men spent more time gossiping about sports figures and
media personalities. These differences can lead to frustration when men and women
try to converse with one another.

Texas School Cafeteria

When schools opened in Texas this fall, some of the favorites were missing from the
cafeteria menus. Sodas and candy bars had been banned for grade schoolers, chips and
cookies were mini-size and the all time favorite, the French fry, was given just one
more year before it too would be banned. Wave of protest could be heard everywhere;
and students weren't the only one. All the staff, along with the principal complained
about being forced to act as "nutrition police". Parents and kids exchanged schoolyard
rumors about Twinkies being confiscated from lunch boxes. Nearly everyone,
addicted to the revenues that vending machines bring in, yelled that there wouldn't be
enough money for activities like band camp and choir trips. Angry e-mails poured into
the mailbox of Susan Combs, who had imposed the new rules.

My Wonderful Family
I live in a house near the mountains. I have two brothers and one sister, and I was
born last. My father teaches mathematics, and my mother is a nurse at a big
hospital. My brothers are very smart and work hard in school. My sister is a nervous
girl, but she is very kind. My grandmother also lives with us. She came from Italy
when I was two years old. She has grown old, but she is still very strong. She cooks
the best food!

My family is very important to me. We do lots of things together. My brothers and I

like to go on long walks in the mountains. My sister likes to cook with my
grandmother. On the weekends we all play board games together. We laugh and
always have a good time. I love my family very much.

Preparing food
Jack was hungry. He walked to the kitchen. He got out some eggs. He took out some
oil. He placed a skillet on the stove. Next, he turned on the heat. He poured the oil
into the skillet. He cracked the eggs into a bowl. He stirred the eggs. Then, he
poured them into the hot skillet. He waited while the eggs cooked. They cooked for
two minutes. He heard them cooking. They popped in the oil.

Next, Jack put the eggs on a plate. He placed the plate on the dining room table. Jack
loved looking at his eggs. They looked pretty on the white plate. He sat down in the
large wooden chair. He thought about the day ahead. He ate the eggs with a spoon.
They were good.

He washed the plate with dishwashing soap. Then, he washed the pan. He got a
sponge damp. Finally, he wiped down the table. Next, Jack watched TV.

Our Vacation
Every year we go to Florida. We like to go to the beach.

My favourite beach is called Emerson Beach. It is very long, with soft sand and palm
trees. It is very beautiful. I like to make sandcastles and watch the sailboats go by.
Sometimes there are dolphins and whales in the water!

Every morning we look for shells in the sand. I found fifteen big shells last year. I put
them in a special place in my room. This year I want to learn to surf. It is hard to
surf, but so much fun! My sister is a good surfer. She says that she can teach me. I
hope I can do it!