Tongue twister

Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can.

" She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells.

So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells."

Not very easy, was it? What you've just read is called a tongue twister. It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more accurately.

Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to challenge people's ability to pronounce words. Although they may seem annoying. these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English accurately. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds. They also help people to pronounce words more smoothly. So if you wish to improve your pronunciation skills try picking out some tongue twister and practicing them.

* Try the next example.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?

If Peter Piper Picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Palm reading

Even people who don't believe in fortune telling, it can be fun to learn about what fortune-tellers look at on a person's palm.

To read a person's future, a fortune-teller looks at both of the person's hands. The hand that a person uses for writing will show the things the person has done in life, and the choices he or she has made. The person's other hand will show the abilities they were born with, and their fate.

In palm reading, most people know that different lines on the hand represent things about a person's life. For example, there are three major lines on everyone's hands called the head line, heart line, and life line.

The head line represents intelligence -

people with a long head line are said to

have an excellent memory while those with a short one are very intelligent, The life line represents health, and the longer it is, the healthier someone is. The heart line represents emotions and relationships-as a rule, the longer it is, the more important relationships are to that person.

* What do you think?

1. Look at your own, or friends' palm. What do the lines tell you?

Do you believe it?

2. What other methods of fortune telling do you know?                        Greenhouse effect

Have you ever seen a greenhouse? Most greenhouses look like a small glass house. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a car parked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter.

The Earth’s atmosphere is all around us. It is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and *biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up.

The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

*Bi·o·sphere ['bI-&-"sfir]. The regions of the Earth's air, water, and land, where life exists. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and materials.

* What do you think?

- Do you know the greenhouse effect? What is related with the environment?           Blog

The term "blog" came from "Web" and "log". It is interesting that more and more people have their own blogs. A blog is a lot like a diary or an online journal. Then what is so special about blogs? Think about a " normal" Web site. It usually has a home page plus many other pages. A blog is much simpler.

- A blog has only one main page.

- There is a set of articles called "entries."

- New entries go at the top, and all the older entries get pushed        down.

- A blog usually has one author.

* What do you think? Let's think and write.

1) Do you have blogs ?

If you have ones, what are advantages and

disadvantages ?

____________________________________

2) Some people are getting fame for their blogs. Do you know other

famous blogs ?

_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Internet real-name system

YES : I think that it's time to take the internet real-name system . Many cyberspace terrorists have taken advantage of anonymity. Some people think that cyberspace is different from the real world. So, they don't take seriously things they say and do through cyberspace. However, they are as serious actual crimes. Internet users' self-regulation is not enough to prevent problems.

NO : I think the internet real-name system will threaten freedom of expression and privacy. It will make us release our personal information and such as names and resident registration numbers. With the "real-name" system, it will be easier for hackers to abuse our personal information. The Internet has been a great way to express our opinions freely. Of course, I agree that we sometimes do that too freely. But if we have to release our personal information, I wonder how many people will still want to express what they think. It's like going into the past.

* Choose one side from the two opinions below and give your reasons.

Your Opinion: ___

Your reasons: ① _____________________________________.

② ________________________________________________.

Cospre

Have you ever tried to look like a character in a cartoon, movie, or video game? If so, you have already stepped into the world of Cospre, or Costume Play. Being Superman or Wonder Woman is possible in the world of Cospre. Cospre means to dress up like your favorite character. You may wonder when Cospre began. According to some records, Costume Play originated from a ritual for dead heroes and cherished their memories through this ritual. Later, it became a festival in the United States. People, especially teens, disguised themselves as characters such as Mickey Mouse, Superman, and Batman. The Japanese helped to popularize the culture of Costume Play. They even developed characters by using cartoons, animations and computer games.

Today, Costume Play has become popular in many countries including Korea. What do you need to take part in Costume Play? Don't think too much. All you need is to choose your favorite character and dress up like it.

* What do you think?

-  Have you seen Costume play? How was your feeling?

___________________________________________________

Singing the wrong tune

Should celebrity singers be allowed to perform by simply mouthing their words in tune to the music? Many fans don't think so. Many people criticized pop singer Ashlee Simpson, the

younger sister of singer Jessica Simpson. She was

caught lip-synching on a telecast. Other pop stars

have been caught in the act, too.

Lip-synching is mouthing words or singing along

to a recording. Some performers sing to a prerecorded track to make their voices stronger. A computer glitch was to blame for Simpson's mix-up. She was caught lip-synching when the words to the wrong song began playing.

Some music industry officials defend the practice. They say it's nearly impossible to sound good and sing on cue with all the multitasking a performer has to do on a stage. A performer might have to dance, twirl, jump, or even do a cartwheel while singing. The need to sing and the need to give a great performance clash.

Critics argue that difficult dance moves are not an excuse for lip-synching. They want to hear the stars sing live.

* Which statement is what you prefer the most? Let's think and talk.

- I like to hear pop stars sing in person and with their own voices. ( )

- I like to see a good show with good dancing.

I don't care about live voices. ( )

Phat new words

You squiggle in your seat with your sharpest pencil. You think you might be ready to take your  spelling test. The first word is bludge, then phat, then oy. You think, "Wait a minute!" Are those words for real?

Believe it or not they are! Those words are among the 10,000 new entries in the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

How do new words make it into the dictionary? Editors spend lots of time word hunting. They read fanzines, listen to the radio, and watch sitcoms to find new words. How phat(excellent) is that?

Each new word is entered into a computer. Once every 10 years, the dictionary is updated from cover to cover. Don't bludge(good off)! Go and learn some new words.

* Let's think and write.

- What are some new words that you

learned recently?

Make a list below.

______________________________

_______________________________________________________

A Liger  (Blended words)

(Blended words are words formed by combined parts of two or more other words.)

What do you get when you cross a lion with a tiger? A liger, of course!

There are not a lot of ligers in the world, but one named Hercules made a big splash recently at Miami's Parrot Jungle Island. How did Hercules, who weighs almost half a ton, come to be? Three years ago, his father, a lion, and his mother, a tiger, spotted each other at Antle's South Carolina Animal Preserve.

It was love at first roar.

Ligers are rare because tigers and lions usually clash. Normally the lion will kill the tiger. So, to capture this unusual sight, get your camcorder and head to Miami where you can visit Hercules at the new liger exhibit.

+

* Let's think and fill in the blank!

- situation + comedy : _________________

- camcorder : ________ + _____________

- breakfast + lunch : __________________

- heliport : __________ + ______________

Give your bones a break!

Bones give your body its shape. As an adult you will have   about 200 of them. They make up your skeleton and         protect your organs. Bones are usually hard and sturdy, but they can still break. Recently, a study found that kids break their bones more today than kids did 30 years ago.

Why are kids breaking their bones more often? Scientists think there may ne many reasons for the increase in broken bones. Those reasons include playing high-risk sports, being overweight, and not getting enough calcium. Calcium is a mineral found in some foods and is necessary for healthy bones.

You are in charge of keeping your bones strong! Experts say exercising and eating healthful foods, especially those with calcium and other important minerals, are the best ways to have strong bones.

* Let's write and talk !

- Have you ever had a broken bone?

Yes (　)  No (  )

If you check Yes, which one: ________________________________

- What are some ways to keep healthy bones?

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Phobia

A phobia is a strong, irrational fear of certain situations, objects or people. It is an unreasonable desire to avoid what you words ending with phobia, and thus could be categorized as a disorder.

Many phobias are usually caused by a traumatic experience at an early age. Heredity and brain chemistry are also believed to contribute greatly to the development of phobias.

There are many terms containing the suffix phobia. Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or people from other countries, which is caused by deep-seated prejudice. Agoraphobia is the fear of open places. Claustrophobia, on the other hand, is the fear of confined spaces. Acrophobia is the fear of heights. Anthrophobia is the fear of people or society, while monophobia is the fear of being alone. Conditions such as agoraphobia can ruin the patient's social life and thus require medical attention.

* Let's talk!

- Do you have any phobia?

If you have one, explain it more.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Missing 1,000 won

Three ladies went shopping for groceries. They decided to purchase a box of potatoes and split it. The shopkeeper told them that the price per box was 30,000 won, so they each paid 10,000 won. They carried the box out to the parking lot and began to split the potatoes equally. A few minutes later, the shopkeeper remembered that potatoes were on sale and it was 25,000 won per box. She sent over a clerk to give them back the mistakenly overcharged 5,000 won. However, the clerk thought, 'There are three of them, and so they will have a hard time trying to divide it.' He took 2,000 won himself and returned only 3,000 won to the ladies who were still busy counting the potatoes. As a result, each of them paid 9,000 won in total. Now, we know the clerk pocketed 2,000 won. If you add to that the 27,000 won the three ladies ended up spending, you have only 29,000 won. How can that be when they originally handed over 30,000 won?

* Let's think!

- What is a right counting?

Can you guess the answer?

Caffeine

Have you noticed that you tend to talk faster, laugh louder and sometimes even jump around after drinking cola? It is because cola contains caffeine, a chemical that leaved you hyperactive. Coffee, chocolate and tea are also full of it. That's why many adults reach for a cup of coffee in the morning for a boost of energy.

Caffeine has been generally considered bad, especially for growing kids. It can make  you feel stressed, raise your heart rate and blood pressure, and prevent you from getting a sound sleep. All these can lead to more serious health problems. Besides, kids as well as adults can become addicted to the chemical if they consume it habitually. Those addicted may seem to react more quickly and perform better after taking caffeine, but are bound to show symptoms of withdrawal such as headache and sleepiness. In conclusion, try to stay away from it.

* Let's think and talk!

- Is caffeine necessary for us ? And why ?

- What are the side effects of caffeine ?

Red devil

When you hear the term " World Cup," you might think of " Red Devils." As we all know, it is the supporting group for Korea's national soccer team.

Where does the name "Red Devils" come from? The story dates back to 1983, when Mexico hosted the Youth World Cup. Most people didn't expect Korea's big success, but Korea went on to the semi-finals. At that time foreign reporters said, " The Korean players wore red uniforms, so they looked like red furies." Other countries were so surprised at Korean soccer players' terrific performance, and they also started to call the Korean team "Red Furies." It later became "Red Devils," because for Koreans, the word "devils" was easier to pronounce than "furies."

In 1998, "Red Devils" officially became the name of the supporting group for Korea's national soccer team. Today, it has become one of Korea's cultural icons. Most countries envy such passionate supporters, because there are no systematic supporting groups like "Red Devils" in any other country.

* Let's think ! !

- Do you know "Red Devils" ? And do you want to join them?

Who are you

Sean is 7 years old. One day, he and his dad were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, Sean fell and hurt himself. "AAAHHHHHHH!!!" he screamed. To his surprise, he heard someone else repeat after him. The voice came from somewhere in the mountains. "AAAHHHHHHH!!!" he yelled again, and the voice copied him. "Who are you?" He shouted out loud. The voice then replied, "Who are you?" He screamed at the voice again, "Stop it! I hate you!"  "Stop it! I hate you!" said the voice.

He got annoyed and looked at his dad,"What's going on, Dad?" His dad smiled and said, "Son, pay attention." Then he screamed, "You are a champion!" The voice answered, "You are a champion!" Sean was surprised but didn't understand at all.

Sean's dad said, "It's called an echo. What you say comes back to you in the form of an echo. An echo is similar to life. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. A person who truly helps others can get help when he or she needs it."

* Let's think!

- Is there any proverb that is related with this ?

What do you think the main point is ?