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Dragon, Dragon by John Gardner
Quiz by Christine King
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What do an ancient Greek philosopher and a 19th century Quaker have in common with Nobel Prize-winning scientists? Although they are separated over 2,400 years of history, each of them contributed to answering the eternal question: what is stuff made of? It was around 440 BCE that Democritus first proposed that everything in the world was made up of tiny particles surrounded by empty space. And he even speculated that they vary in size and shape depending on the substance they compose. He called these particles "atomos," Greek for indivisible. His ideas were opposed by the more popular philosophers of his day. Aristotle, for instance, disagreed completely, stating instead that matter was made of four elements: earth, wind, water and fire, and most later scientists followed suit. Atoms would remain all but forgotten until 1808, when a Quaker teacher named John Dalton sought to challenge Aristotelian theory. Whereas Democritus's atomism had been purely theoretical, Dalton showed that common substances always broke down into the same elements in the same proportions. He concluded that the various compounds were combinations of atoms of different elements, each of a particular size and mass that could neither be created nor destroyed. Though he received many honors for his work, as a Quaker, Dalton lived modestly until the end of his days. Atomic theory was now accepted by the scientific community, but the next major advancement would not come until nearly a century later with the physicist J.J. Thompson's 1897 discovery of the electron. In what we might call the chocolate chip cookie model of the atom, he showed atoms as uniformly packed spheres of positive matter filled with negatively charged electrons. Thompson won a Nobel Prize in 1906 for his electron discovery, but his model of the atom didn't stick around long. This was because he happened to have some pretty smart students, including a certain Ernest Rutherford, who would become known as the father of the nuclear age. While studying the effects of X-rays on gases, Rutherford decided to investigate atoms more closely by shooting small, positively charged alpha particles at a sheet of gold foil. Under Thompson's model, the atom's thinly dispersed positive charge would not be enough to deflect the particles in any one place. The effect would have been like a bunch of tennis balls punching through a thin paper screen. But while most of the particles did pass through, some bounced right back, suggesting that the foil was more like a thick net with a very large mesh. Rutherford concluded that atoms consisted largely of empty space with just a few electrons, while most of the mass was concentrated in the center, which he termed the nucleus. The alpha particles passed through the gaps but bounced back from the dense, positively charged nucleus. But the atomic theory wasn't complete just yet. In 1913, another of Thompson's students by the name of Niels Bohr expanded on Rutherford's nuclear model. Drawing on earlier work by Max Planck and Albert Einstein he stipulated that electrons orbit the nucleus at fixed energies and distances, able to jump from one level to another, but not to exist in the space between. Bohr's planetary model took center stage, but soon, it too encountered some complications. Experiments had shown that rather than simply being discrete particles, electrons simultaneously behaved like waves, not being confined to a particular point in space. And in formulating his famous uncertainty principle, Werner Heisenberg showed it was impossible to determine both the exact position and speed of electrons as they moved around an atom. The idea that electrons cannot be pinpointed but exist within a range of possible locations gave rise to the current quantum model of the atom, a fascinating theory with a whole new set of complexities whose implications have yet to be fully grasped. Even though our understanding of atoms keeps changing, the basic fact of atoms remains, so let's celebrate the triumph of atomic theory with some fireworks. As electrons circling an atom shift between energy levels, they absorb or release energy in the form of specific wavelengths of light, resulting in all the marvelous colors we see. And we can imagine Democritus watching from somewhere, satisfied that over two millennia later, he turned out to have been right all along.DuÄn wÇ jiĂ©. In ancient times, there was a great poet called Qu Yuan. He couldn't bear the anguish when his mother land was invaded so he drowned himself in the river. Local residents rode boats to salvage him and drop the rice balls into the river to distract the fishesâ attention from Quâs body. Later, people memorialized Quâs patriotism by rowing and making tombs on the Dragon Boat Festival or duan wu jie. That's how the tradition of dragon boat racing and eating Zongzi was started. An ancient practice on Duan wu jie is to put wormwood on the front door to repel evil things. In some places people drink realgar wine and children wear sachets. Now the family gets together on Duan wu jie. Nowadays people have a variety of other activities to celebrate this traditional festival. All About Kites Introduction. A kite is one of the oldest toys. And it's very simple to make. Kites come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Did you know that kites can be both toys and tools? History of Kites. Kites were named after the kite bird. The kite bird has wide wings and easily floats high in the sky. No one knows who made the first kite. But one famous Chinese story about a kite was written over 2,000 years ago. The story is about a man who used a kite to attack a fort. He couldn't find a way to get inside the fort. So he tied himself to a huge kite. He flew over the wall of the fort and scared the soldiers! The inventor Ben Franklin had the idea that lightning was made of electricity. He wanted to prove his idea. One day when it was stormy, he tied a metal key to a kite string. Then he flew the kite up into the storm clouds. Lightning from the storm hit his kite. The electricity ran down the wet string to the metal key. When he reached for the key, he got a surprise. The electricity jumped from the key and gave him a shock! Do not try this yourself. It's not safe to do. When Ben Franklin tried to do it again, he was hurt badly. Many Uses for Kites. Some people have used kites for fishing. They put a fishhook and bait on the long kite tail. The kite tail dragged in the water. When a fish saw it, it bit the bait and was caught on the hook. Then the kite was pulled in. Weather kites carried scientific gauges into the sky. The gauges measured how fast the wind was blowing and how cool the air was. Years ago, some armies used kites with cameras to spy on enemy troops. Kites were also used as flying targets. The kites trained soldiers to aim better. Soldiers shot at the kites. The moving kites were hard to hit with bullets. Different shapes of kites fly in different ways. Flat, diamond-shaped kites fly easily. Box-shaped kites can hang still in the air for a long time. Stunt kites twist and twirl on many strings. Large parafoil kites act almost like parachutes. Giant dragon kites flutter. Fighting kites can be used to cut other kites' strings. On a breezy day, take your kite to a flat, open area. Be sure that there are no power lines or big trees. Look at the ground around you. Is there anything you could trip over? Hold your kite up by the bridle and run into the wind. Let go of the kite and slowly let out some string. Then let out a little more until your kite is high in the sky. Happy flying!Phrasal Verb Quiz Instructions: Choose the best meaning for the bold phrasal verb in each sentence. She looked up a word in the dictionary. A) To stare at something B) To find information in a book or online C) To write a new word She looked up at the sky. A) To raise your eyes to see something above B) To search for a specific star C) To feel happy He always tries to get out of doing his chores. A) To leave the house B) To finish work quickly C) To avoid doing something you don't want to do Why didnât you call me back last night? A) To shout at someone B) To return a phone call C) To remember a name She was bored at the party, so she took off. A) To start dancing B) To leave suddenly C) To remove her coat I canât figure out the answer to this question. A) To understand or solve something B) To draw a picture C) To forget a fact I am free on Sunday. Do you want to come over? A) To go to a store B) To visit someoneâs house C) To call someone on the phone He had to make up a story about a dragon and a princess. A) To read a book aloud B) To invent or create a story C) To fix a mistake After three years in college, she suddenly dropped out. A) To graduate with honors B) To stop attending school before finishing C) To fall down the stairs My manager handed out the reports during the meeting. A) To give something to many people in a group B) To throw something away C) To write a report by hand I had to fill out a form. A) To complete a document by writing information B) To make something bigger C) To throw a paper in the trash I ran into some old friends yesterday. A) To race against someone B) To meet someone by chance (unexpectedly) C) To call someone on purpose We will pick up our parents from the airport tonight. A) To lift something heavy B) To collect someone in a car C) To say goodbye When are you going to give up smoking? A) To start a new habit B) To stop doing something C) To buy something expensive My teacher crossed out my mistakes with a red pen. A) To draw a line through something B) To highlight something important C) To give a good grade I should go over my notes before my presentation. A) To lose your papers B) To review or check something carefully C) To write new notesThe Four Dragons by UnknownNATURE SHOWS HOW DRAGONS MIGHT BREATHE FIRE by Bethany BrookshireThe Boy Who Cried Wolf Long ago a shepherd boy sat on a hilltop watching the village sheep. He was not fond of his job. He didn't like it one bit. He would have liked something wonderful to happen, but nothing remarkable ever did. The shepherd boy watched the clouds move softly by to stay busy. He saw horses, dogs, and dragons in the sky. He made up stories with these things as characters. Then one day he had a better idea! He took a deep breath and cried out, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" The villagers ran up the hill to help the boy. When they got there, they saw no harmful wolf. The boy laughed. "Shepherd boy! Don't cry 'wolf!' unless there really is a wolf!" said the villagers. They went back down the hill. That afternoon the boy again cried out, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" The villagers ran to help the boy again. They saw no wolf. The villagers were angry. "Don't cry 'wolf!' when there is NO WOLF!" they said. The shepherd boy just smiled. The villagers went quickly down the hill again. That afternoon the boy saw a REAL wolf. He did not want the wolf to grab any of the sheep! The boy thought the wolf would snatch one of them for a delicious, tasty meal. A sheep would be a big feast for a wolf. He quickly jumped to his feet and cried, "WOLF! WOLF!" The villagers thought he was tricking them again, so they did not come. That night the shepherd boy did not return with their sheep. The villagers found the boy weeping real tears. "There really was a wolf here!" he said. "The flock ran away! When I cried out, 'Wolf! Wolf!' no one came. Why didn't you come?" A kind man talked to the boy as they walked slowly back to the village. "In the morning, we'll help you look for the sheep," he said. "You have just learned one of life's important lessons. This is something you need to know. Nobody believes a person who tells lies. It is always better to tell the truth!"Southeast Asian architecture, buildings of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Most of Southeast Asiaâs great temples were built by the 13th century. The Indian royal temple, which dominated Southeast Asian culture, typically stood on a terraced plinth, upon which towered shrines could multiply. Construction was ideally of stone but could be brick sculpted with stucco. Exteriors displayed carved rhythmic moldings and figures. In about 770 the Javanese Shailendra dynasty began its series of superb stonecut monuments, culminating in the huge Mahayana Buddhist Borobudur and the Hindu Lara Jonggrang (c. 900â930). About 800 the Cambodian king Jayavarman II built a brick mountain for a temple group. This plan was furthered when foundations were laid for Angkor, a scheme based on a grid of reservoirs and canals. Successive kings built more temple mountains there, culminating in Angkor Wat. Among Southeast Asiaâs most impressive sites is the city of Pagan in Myanmar, with many brick and stucco Buddhist temples and stupas built 1056â1287. Burmese stupas (e.g., Shwe Dagon Pagoda) typically have a spreading, bell-shaped base topped by a dome and pointed spire. The many monasteries of Myanmar and Thailand, like those of Laos and Vietnam, have been repeatedly enlarged and rebuilt. The architecture of the modified Hinduism of Bali is vigorously fantastical, with gilt paint and coloured glass.