Classical Music

Classical Music

All over the world people listen to classical music. Classical music is difficult to describe. It means different things to different people. Some famous classical composers were Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, and Mozart. In their music, they did not tell a story or show strong emotion. They wanted to make a beautiful, interesting design. They wanted to write lovely sounds. Then composers started to interpret ideas.They told stories about wars, armies, and soldiers. They wrote about religion. Sometimes they composed music for holidays. They told love stories and showed strong emotion. Some of these composers were Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Wagner, and T chaikovsky. Classical music stays with people a long time. Bach wrote about 300 years ago, Beethoven wrote about 200 years ago, and T chaikovsky wrote over 100 years ago. Sometimes people close their eyes to listen to classical music. When they close their eyes, they can see the design. They can listen to the same classical music many times and enjoy it. Sometimes it is difficult to understand. The listener has to think about it. However, we can all learn to enjoy some classical music. It is very important to people.

Photo credit: Classical Music

A Vocabulary

war religion armies however
holiday soldiers around strong
classical even         composers emotion
design energy crop         both

1. Some famous classical___________________ were Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, and Mozart.
2. They wanted to make a beautiful, interesting_______________________.        
3. They wrote about ___________________.    
4. Sometimes they composed music for_________________________.
5. They told stories about____________________, ____________________, and ______________.        
6. In their music, they did not tell a story or show____________________ ____________________.
7. ______________________, we can all learn to enjoy some classical music.
8. All over the world people listen to ________________________ music.

B Vocabulary (new context)
War religion army however
holiday soldiers different strong
classical even         composers emotion
design energy crop         both

1. Ali is is Muslim. This is his__________________. Maria is a Christian.
2. We can make rubber from petroleum.________________, we cannot use it for all kinds of tires.
3. The Second World ________________ started in 1939 and ended in 1945.
4. Bob was in the______________________ for Four years. He was a __________________.
5. Some people go to sleep when they hear __________________________ music.
6. Today the school, banks, and offices are closed. No one is going to work because today is a _______________.
7. Leonard Bernstein wrote a lot of popular music. He was a famous ____________________.
8. I cannot drink this coffee because it is too__________________.
9. From the air, the city lights make a beautiful__________________________.
10. Love and hate are _____________________________.

C Vocabulary Review
truck job rubber natural
plan skin sections         palm
earth mixed evaporates freshwater
music only weighs stomach

1. Helen has a new ____________________. She will work at the university.
2. Seats in some __________________of the stadium are expensive.
3. The Jensen ________________________to go to japan next summer.
4. Pat’s hair is not really blond. The __________________color is brown.
5. The moon travels around the _____________________once every twenty four hours.
6. If you leave water our in the sun, it _________________________.
7. Food stays in your ___________________for several hours.
8. Students from different countries are ________________________together in the same class.
9. Some _______________________fish live in very cold water.
10. A hippopotamus _______________________ more than a camel.
11. You can hear ______________________ on the radio twenty-four hours a day.
12. People from different parts of the world have different color ________________.

D Questions

1. Where is classical music famous?
2. What did Bach want to do in his music?
3. Name two composers who told stories and showed strong emotion.
4. Why do people sometimes close their eyes when they listen to classical music?
5. When did Tchaikovsky write his music?
6. What kinds of stories did some composers tell in their music?
7. Is classical music always easy to understand?
8. *Why is classical music important to people?

E Comprehension
1. Bach composed his music ___________years ago.
        a. thousands of c.  about 300
        b. over 500 d. fifty
2. Vivaldi wanted to _______________.
        a. make a design c. tell a love story
        b. show strong emotion d. tell a story about war
3. The first classical composers wanted to__________.
        a. tell stories about religion c. write lovely sounds
        b. make an interesting design d. b and c
4. Tchaikovsky ______________.
        a. did not tell stories c. showed emotion
        b. wrote 200 years ago d. a and c
5. Haydn composed _____________.
        a. love stories c. classical emotion
        b. stories d. ideas
6. Some people enjoy _______________classical music.
        a. smelling c. growing
        b. listening to d. feeding
 

Guayule

Guayule

          Rubber is very important in the modern world. We use it for tires for automobiles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, and airplanes. We use large trucks and other machines to build highways. They have large rubber tires.

Natural rubber comes from trees. Most of the world's rubber comes from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in Southeast Asia. We also make rubber from petroleum. This kind of rubber becomes hot very fast. We can use it for only some kinds of tires.

                Now scientists can make rubber form guayule. This wild plant grows in northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It doesn't need very much rain. It can grow in desert soil. Guayule rubber is nearly the same as rubber from the rubber trees.

Native Americans in Arizona plan to start guayule farms. They know a lot about farming in the desert. The farms will use poor desert land and give people jobs. The Native Americans think they can make a lot of money from guayule rubber.

Poor desert countries in Africa could grow guayule too. People could earn money on their own desert land. If they grow their own rubber, they will not have to buy it from other countries.

Photo credit: Guayule

A Vocabulary

Natural  earn         jobs         Native Americans
Guayule          tries         nearly  plan
Rubber  motorcycles trucks  highways

1. ____________________ rubber comes from trees.
2. We use it for ___________________ for automobiles, buses, ______________,_______________, and airplanes.
3. People could _____________________ money on their own desert land.
4. Now scientists can make rubber from __________________________.
5. We use large trucks and other machines to build _______________________.
6. _________________________ In Arizona ______________________ to start guayule farms.
7. Guayule rubber is _________________________ the same as rubber from the rubber tree.
8. ____________________is very important in the modern world.
9. The farms will use poor desert land and give people _______________________.

B Vocabulary (new context)

Rubber tire naturally nearly
Southwestern earn plan motorcycle
Truck job highways Native Americans

1. Antonia works for the government. She doesn’t _________________ very much money.
2. Glen drivers a _____________________. He is a truck driver.
3. It is __________________ time for dinner.
4. My car needs a new _______________________.
5. Children like to play with a ________________________ ball.
6. What do you __________________________ to study after you learn English?
7. Some students have a part-time _____________________. They earn a little money.
8. Most countries have good ____________________________ around the capital city.
9. George had a bicycle. Now he has a _____________________. Next he wants to buy a car.
10. Sea water is ___________________ salty. No one puts salt in it.
11. _______________________ live in all states of the United States of America.

C Vocabulary Review
Underline the word that does not belong.

1. orange, water hyacinth, dates , rice
2. driver, interpreter, farmer, cheaper
3. burn, enjoy, have fun, like
4. cloud, moon, star, sun
5. wood, gas, stone, oil
6. south, east, west, northern
7. sugar, date, orange, rice
8. wild, wonderful, beautiful, lovely
9. broom, machine, roof, sandals
10. leaves, flowers, fruit, insects

D Questions

1. What do we use rubber for?
2. Where does natural rubber come from?
3. What countries grow most of the world’s rubber?
4. Some rubber is made from petroleum. Why can’t we use it for all kinds of tires?
5. Where does guayule grow wild?
6. *What is the land like there?
7. Who is going to grow guayule on farms in Arizona?
8. How will the farms help the Native Americans?
9. What other countries could grow guayule?
10. Why is it good for desert countries in Africa to grow their own rubber?
11. *Why does the modern world use a lot of rubber?
12. *Rubber trees don’t grow in Europe. Why?
13. *Do Africans understand desert farming?

E Comprehension:  True/False/No Information

______ 1. Rubber grows in Sri Lanka and India.
______ 2. Bicycles have rubber tries.
______ 3. Motorcycles have rubber tires.
______ 4. All rubber comes from trees.
______ 5. Rubber trees have shiny leaves.
______ 6. Guayule is a desert plant that grow in North America.
______ 7. Guayule is a nearly the same as a water hyacinth.
______ 8. There are a lot of Native American in Arizona.
______ 9. Guayule needs rich soil and lots of water.
______10. Guayule farms could make jobs for people.

F Main Idea

1. We can get rubber from guayule instead of rubber trees.
2. Guayule grows in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
3. Rubber is important in modern life.

Oranges

Oranges

          Everybody loves oranges. They are sweet and juicy. They are in sections so it is easy to eat them. Some oranges do not any seeds. Some have a thick skin and some have a thin skin.

The orange tree is beautiful. It has a lot of shiny green leaves. The small white flowers smell very sweet. An orange tree has flowers and fruit at the same time.

There were orange trees twenty million years ago. The oranges were very small, not like the ones today. The orange tree probably came from China. Many different kinds of wild oranges grow there today. The Chinese started to raise orange trees around 2400 B.C. Chinese art has lovely old pictures of oranges and orange trees. 

Farmers in other parts of Asia and the Middle East learned to raise oranges from the Chinese. Then they taught Europeans. The Spanish planted orange trees in the New World (North and South America). They took them to Florida first. Oranges are a very important crop in Florida to day.

 "Orange" is both a fruit and a color. The color of oranges is so beautiful that in English we use the name of the fruit for the color.

Photo credit: Oranges

A Vocabulary

Around wild         sections         lovely
Skin         oranges         raise         smell
Seeds shiny thin         sweet

1. Chinese started to ________________________ orange trees _______________ 2400 B.C.
2. They are ___________________________ and juicy.
3. Some have a thick ______________________ and some have a __________________ skin.
4. Many different kinds of ____________________ oranges grow there today.
5. They are in ______________________ so it is easy to eat them.
6. Chinese art has ____________________ old pictures of oranges and orange trees.
7. Some oranges do not have any _____________________.
8. It has a lot of _______________________ green leaves.

B Vocabulary (new context)

orange lovely sweet wild
sections         raise         shines leaves
seeds around thin         skin

1. Japanese ______________________ fish on farms in the sea.
2. The  Syrians made ___________________ picture of date palms on stone buildings.
3. Plants grow from _____________________.
4. A bird has feathers on its _______________________. A camel has hair.
5. The polar bear and hippo are ____________________ animals.
6. There are there ______________________ of the beginning class.
7. The sun _______________________ every day in the desert.
8. Dates and oranges are _______________________.
9. Carlos is fat. Pablo is ________________________.
10. People started eating dates __________________7,000 years ago.

C Vocabulary Review

interpreter museums         become better
diseases         energy gas         grass
west         east         broom roof
even         insects sandals soil

1. Sweden is _______________________ of Norway and _____________________ of Finland.
2. Students always ___________________ very busy at the end of the semester.
3. Many kinds of _________________________ eat farmers’ crops.
4. The Whites have ________________________ all around their house. There are also flowers and trees.
5. Desert ___________________________ is very dry.
6. We can get some _______________________ from drinking dirty water.
7. Tom looked everywhere for his dictionary. He ________________________ looked in his car.
8. Roberto is an____________________. He works in Geneva.
9. Tourists usually go to art ___________________________ to see beautiful pictures.
10. Your feet feel cool when you wear _________________________.
11. Lois is a ______________________ student than Helen. Helen is not a good student.
12. The __________________________ is on the outside of the house. The ceiling is on the inside.

D Questions

1. Describe an oranges.
2. Do all oranges have seeds?
3. Describe an orange tree.
4. Where did the orange tree probably come from?
5. Who plants wild orange trees?
6. Who did Europeans learn to raise oranges?
7. How did the United States get orange trees?
8. What does “orange” mean?
9. *Why did people in Saudi Arabia eat dates instead of oranges?

E Comprehension

1. Oranges are _______________.
a. Shiny and green c. sweet and juicy
b. Old and wild d. thin and white
2. Some oranges do not heave _______________.
a. Seeds c. flowers
b. Sections d. a skin
3. Orange leaves are _____________.
a. Shiny c. sweet
b. Thick d. wild
4. There are many ____________ orange trees in China today.
a. Shiny c. wild
b. Florida d. thick
5. Europeans learned to plant orange trees from farmers in ______________.
a. The Middle East and Asia c. wild
b. Florida d. Spain
6. *Oranges do not grow in __________.
a. India c. Mexico
b. Sweden d. North Africa

F Main Idea

1. Oranges are sweet and juicy with seeds and a skin.
2. Orange trees went from Asia to the Middle East to Europe to the New World.
3. Oranges probably came from China, and today people all over the world like them because they are sweet and juicy.

Rice

Rice

People all over the world eat rice. Millions of people in Asia, Africa, and South America eat it every day of their lives. Some people eat almost nothing but rice.

Rice is a kind of grass. There are more than seven thousand (7,000) kinds of rice. Most kinds are water plants. Farmers grow rice in many countries, even in the southern part of the United States and in eastern Australia.

No one really knows where rice came from. Some scientists think it started to grow in two places. They think that one kind of rice grew in southern Asia thousands of years ago. Someone in China wrote about it almost five thousand (5,000) years ago.

Another kind probably grew in West Africa. Other scientists think rice came from India, and Indian travelers took it to other parts of the world.

There are two main ways to grow rice. Upland rice grows in dry soil. Most rice grows in wet soil. People in many countries do all of the work by hand. This is the same way farmers worked hundreds of years ago. In some countries now use machines on their rice farmers. The farmers all use fertilizer. Some insects are enemies of rice. Farmers poison them.

People use every part of the rice plant. They make animal feed and rice oil from it. They also make baskets, brooms, rugs, sandals, and roofs for their houses. They burn dry rice plants for cooking.

Photo credit:  Rice

A             Vocabulary

brooms                  grass                      probably              West

rice                        rugs                       eastern                  soil

sandals                  even                       roofs                     insects

1.       They also make baskets, ____________________, ___________________, _____________, and _____________________ for their houses.

2.       Rice is a kind of __________________.

3.       People all over the world eat _____________________.

4.       Farmers grow rice in many countries, _____________________in the southern part of the United States and in ____________________ Australia.

5.       Some _______________________ are enemies of rice.

6.       Another kind ________________________ grew in __________________ Africa.

7.       Upload rice grows in dry ________________________.

B             Vocabulary (new context)

even                       probably              rice                        eastern

rug                        sandals                 grass                      insects

roof                       soil                       West                      broom

1.         In the summer people like to wear _____________ instead of shoes.

2.         Chicken, _____________________, and salad make a good dinner.

3.         Frank is two years old. He wants to play basketball, but he can’t __________________ pick up the ball.

4.         We can have our picnic on the ___________________ under that rice.

5.         Paul cleaned the garage floor with a ______________________.

6.         The rain comes through the ___________________ of the old house.

7.         Korea is in the ____________________________ part of Asia.

8.         Some ___________________live together in a group.

9.         Lebanon is in _____________________ Asia.

10.     There are a lot of black clouds in the sky. It will _________________ rain.

11.     Plants must have sun, water, and good _______________________.

12.     Mr. and Mrs. Cook have a beautiful new ______________________for the living room floor.

C             Vocabulary Review

Match the words that mean the opposite.

Column A

1.       already ________________

2.       large _________________

3.       toward ________________

4.       enemy ________________

5.       difficult _______________

6.       hate __________________

7.       cheap ________________

8.       collect ________________

9.       heat __________________

10.     southern _______________

Column B

a.       easy

b.      cold

c.       not yet

d.      northern

e.      small

f.        friend

g.       each other

h.      away from

i.         pass out

j.        wood

k.       expensive

l.         love

D             Questions

1.       *Why do some people eat almost nothing but rice?

2.       *In what countries is rice an important food?

3.       What kind of plant is rice?

4.       How many kinds of rice are there?

5.       Scientists have two ideas about where rice came from. What are they?

6.       *What does “upland” mean?

7.       *Why do rice farmers use fertilizer?

8.       *Why do most farmers grow rice by hand?

9.       How do farmers kill insects?

10.     People eat rice. Tell other ways people use the rice plant.

E              Comprehension: True/False/No Information

_______ 1. Rice is a kind of grass.

_______ 2. Rice grows on dry land and in wet soil.

_______ 3. Scientists know that rice came from India.

_______ 4. Rice grows in the United States.

_______ 5. There are more than 7,000 kinds of rice.

_______ 6. Maybe Chinese travelers took rice to India.

_______ 7. More people grow rice with machines than by hand.

_______ 8. Farmers use fertilizer to kill insects.

_______ 9. Chinese farms need more fertilizer than Indian farms.

_______ 10. People use every part of the rice plant.

F              Main Idea

1.       Rice is a very important crop, but nobody knows where it came from.

2.       People grow rice in many countries.

3.       Today rice farmers use machines, fertilizer, and poisons.

The Water Hyacinth

The Water Hyacinth

The water hyacinth grow 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 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 free 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 (CH₄) 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.

Photo credit: The Water Hyacinth

A Vocabulary

feed         machines         energy hates
water hyacinth diseases         crop         millions
so         just         lakes methane gas
become        better fertilizer         petroleum

1. Workers can collect and cut the plants with__________________.
2. Then they can make ___________________ to make their crops grow ________________.
3. Maybe it will be possible to make ____________________ (CH4) for _________________.
4. It has beautiful purple-blue flowers, but everybody _______________ it.
5. The plants are really a free ________________________.
6. Sometimes the plants __________________ _______________ thick that people can walk on them.
7. The _____________________ grows in tropical countries.
8. They ____________________ grow and grow and grow.

B Vocabulary (new context)

just hate tropical disease
better petroleum become lakes
travel feed fertilizer energy
machines crop so flowers

1. Rice is an important ______________________is Asia.
2. Tom became very sick with a ___________________. He died.
3. A grade of 90% is ________________________ than 60%.
4. I am ____________________ tried that I can’t study.
5. Patty is ____________________________a baby. She cannot walk
6. Farm __________________make the work easier.
7. Many farmers in China make their own ______________________.
8. Some students________________________ to study. They just want to have a good time.
9. Mary wants to_______________________ an engineer.
10. We use gas and oil for __________________.
 
C Vocabulary Review
Match the words that mean the same.

Column A 
1. Also
2. Different
3. Modern
4. Both
5. Enjoy
6. Toward
7. Hearing-impaired
8. Expensive
9. Percent
10. group

Column B
a. two
b. can’t hear well
c. not cheap
d. not easy
e. %
f. Leaves
g. Like
h. Too
i. New
j. Own
k. To
l. several

D Questions

1. Where does the water hyacinth grow?
2. Why do people hate this plant? Tell three reasons.
3. Water hyacinths are a free crop. What does this mean?
4. How can people use water hyacinths? Tell four ways.
5. What is the difference between methane gas and other gas?
6. *Cheap energy is very important for poor countries. Why?

E Comprehension

_______1. Water hyacinths grow very thick on some tropical lakes and rivers.
_______2. Sometime the water under the plants cannot move.
_______3. Water hyacinths help make water clean.
_______4. Maybe farmers can use water hyacinths.
_______5. *Water hyacinths grow in parts of Asia and Africa.
_______6. Some kinds of fish like to eat water hyacinths.
_______7. Water hyacinths can make petroleum.
_______8. These plants can give farmers more money.

F Main Idea

Match the details with the main ideas. Write the letter under the correct main idea. Two details do not belong under a main idea.

1. People hate water hyacinths. 2. Water hyacinths can be useful.

a. Some fish like to eat them.
b. The plants stop the water from moving.
c. People cannot travel on the water.
d. People can make fertilizer out of them.
e. Maybe people can make methane gas.
f. They have beautiful flowers.
g. People can feed them to animals.
h. We burn gas from petroleum for energy.
i. The water carries diseases.

The Date Palm

The Date Palm

The date palm is a wonderful tree. People eat dates. They feed them to their animals. They use the leaves and wood to build houses. They use the wood to build boats. They make baskets from the leaves. They burn the other parts of the tree so they can cook food.

                The date palm came from the Middle East. Seven thousand (7,000) years ago, people in Syria and Egypt ate dates. They made pictures of date palms on their stone buildings. Today date palms grow in the Middle East, parts of Asia and Africa, southern Europe, and other warm parts of the world.

There are more than twenty-seven hundred (2,700) kinds of palm trees. Most of them cannot grow in the Middle East because it is too dry. The date palm grows there very well.

                Hundreds of years ago people in southern Europe and Arab countries made pictures of palm trees and palm flowers on some of their buildings. Today we can see these pictures in art museums. People think that the palm tree is beautiful. People thought the same thing a long time ago. 

Photo credit: The Date Palm

A Vocabulary

Burn date palm southern         art

Leaves grow wood museums

Ago         buildings baskets stone

1. Today we can see these pictures in _______________ _________________.

2. They use the ________________ and ____________________ to build houses.

3. Today date palms grow in the Middle East, parts of Asia Africa, __________________ Europe, and other warm parts of the world.

4. The ___________________is a wonderful tree.

5. They ___________________the other parts of the tree so they can cook food.

6. Seven thousand years __________________, people in Syria and Egypt ate dates.

7. They make ________________from the leaves.

8. They made pictures of date palms on  their _____________________buildings.

B Vocabulary (new context)

Southern palm burn         leaves

Museum wood basket art

Think ago         dates stone

1. Some trees have very large green ______________________.

2. Argentina is in the ____________________part of south America.

3. Marie started to study English five years ______________________.

4. Stone cannot ____________________. Wood can.

5. People burn ____________________to make a fire.

6. A science ______________________is a very interesting place.

7. There is a _____________________of fruit on the table.

8. Pam has a small __________________in her shoe. It hurts.

9. One kind of ______________________tree gives oil. People make soap from it.

10. People dry ____________________and keep them for a long time. 

11. Michelangelo was an artist. His ____________________is very famous.

 

C Vocabulary Review

Both         stars         difficult        so

Hearing-impaired each other idea                whole

Sign         interpreter dance         heat

Weigh stomach         believe         could

1. An ___________________speaks two languages.

2. Do you __________________that there are farms in the sea?

3. There are a lot of ___________________out tonight. The sky is beautiful.

4. They __________________not come to the party last night. They were too busy.

5. How tall are you and how much do you __________________?

6. Palm trees like the ___________________but not the cold.

7. The __________________says “Please use other door.”

8. A piano is a thing. Love is an______________________.

9. The students usually talk to _____________________between classes.

10. Bill cleaned his ___________________apartment on Saturday.

11. The hippo has a very long _____________________.

12. Do you like to __________________________?

D Question

1. How do people use the palm tree?

2. *What is the name of the fruit of the palm tree?

3. Where did the date palm come from?

4. When did Syrians and Egyptians start to eat dates?

5. How many kinds of palm trees are there?

6. Why can’t most of them grow in the Middle East?

7. Where can we see beautiful old pictures of palm trees?

8. *Why did Syrians and Egyptians make pictures of palm trees?

9. *Why do date palms grow in the Middle East?

E Comprehension

1. People make boats from the ________ of palm trees.

        a. leaves c. dates

        b. wood d. flowers

2. They make baskets from the _________.

        a. leaves c. dates

        b. wood d. flowers

3. They ________part of the tree to make a fire.

        a. enjoy c. burn

        b. dance d. grow

4. The date palm came from _________.

        a. California c. southern Europe

        b. Africa d. the Middle East

5. People started to grow date palms about ___________years ago.

        a. a few hundred c. 5,000

        b. 100 d. 7,000

6. Date palms grow __________.

        a. in the land of the polar bear c. where kiwis live

        b. in hot or warm places d. in cool places

7. There are more than _______kinds of palm trees.

        a. a few hundred c. 2,000

        b. 100 d. 7,000

8. People use ______palm tree.

        a. the whole c. almost all of the

        b. the leaves and wood of the d. the fruit and leaves of the

F Main Idea

1. The date palm grows in the Middle East.

2. The date palm is beautiful, and people use all of it.

3. People made pictures of the date palm, and these pictures are in art museums now.