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1.Unit 1Springfield’s Heroic DogsThe City of Springfield’s Search and Rescue Team Website Training a Search and Rescue (SAR) DogSearch and Rescue (SAR) dogs are specially trained to find and save missing or injured people, but how is it done? To train SAR dogs, people pretend to be “lost” so the dogs can“find” them. Friends of Springfield’s SAR Team often find themselves going into the woods and staying there until a trainee dog finds them. As people walk along, up to 10,000 tiny bits of material containing their own particular smell are left behind every minute. SAR dogs can easily detect these bits of scent. The trainer just gives them an item of clothing from the lost person and the dog can simply follow its nose to find the person.In the five years between 2003 and 2008 the Springfield SAR Team responded to 122 calls for help. Of these 122 calls, SAR dogs were able to help almost 40 percent of the time. Here are a few of our more unusual success stories:A Surprising HeroElementary school teacher Carolyn Rubin has been a trainer with the Springfield SAR Team for four years. She was out for her usual run one sunny Sunday morning in the spring of 2002. Her own SAR dog, Lucy, was with her. As Rubin followed a jogging path into a wooded area, she suddenly realized that a shadowy shape ahead of her was a large black bear — and it was coming directly towards her! Luckily, Lucy immediately started barking and biting the bear’s back legs and eventually scared the animal away.The Right Place at the Right TimeIn February 2004, David Roycroft, a local dentist, was skiing alone in Canyon Park. Suddenly Roycroft heard a loud noise. He looked up the hill and saw a three-meter wall of snow heading straight for him. A moment later he was under it. If a person remains under snow for 30 minutes, he or she has only a 50 percent chance of survival. Luckily, Springfield SAR member Jeannie Neal was skiing nearby with her dog, Rusty. Rusty was able to locate Roycroft by his scent and dig him out within ten minutes. This was a first human direct find for Rusty and the dog seemed as happy about it as Roycroft!Unit2Nature’s Survivor: The CrocodileCrocodiles are among the oldest species of animals on the face of the earth. At one time they shared the same environment as the dinosaurs, however the dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. Today, crocodile populations are growing in many places and several types ofcrocodile are no longer endangered. There are currently 23 different species from the crocodile family in 90 countries and islands around the world.Why has the crocodile survived for so long?The crocodile is a true survivor. Firstly, unlike the dinosaur, the crocodile has been able to change physically, or adapt, as the earth’s climate has changed over th e past 200 million years. Secondly, crocodiles are unusually good at getting over diseases and injuries of many kinds. Illnesses that affect other animals in the same environment do not seem to affect the crocodiles. A croc can also be seriously injured, perhaps losing a leg or tail in a fight, and still survive for many years. A third reason that crocodiles have survived for so long is that they can eat almost anything— plant or animal. If the environment changes or they are forced to move to a new area, they can eat whatever is available. They are also able to go for very long periods of time — up to a year — without eating. Finally, crocodiles produce a lot of young. A mother croc usually lays as many as 30 eggs at a time, and it is not unusual for 80 to 90 percent of them to hatch.What bodily characteristics have aided the crocodile’s survival?Special Teeth:The crocodile’s teeth are well-designed to grip and hold things.Nostrils on the Top:The crocodile’s nostrils are on the top, not the front, of i ts head. This allows the animal to breathe while almost completely hidden under the water.Functional Skin: The croc’s skin is very thick and strong, which provides protection if it is attacked by a natural enemy. Its skin color also helps it disappear in its environment. This helps a croc when it is hunting and does not want to be seen.A Strong Tail:The crocodile’s tail allows it to change direction very quickly which helps it catch escaping animals when hunting.Unit3Favorite Confucius SayingsPOSTED: Carlos on Friday, Aug. 30 @ 7:12 pmConfucius had a lot to say about how to live a good life. What’s your favorite Confucius saying? Leave a comment about your favorite saying and tell us why you like it. In the survey in the side menu, you can vote for your favorite!“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”POSTED: Rebecca on Wednesday, Sept. 4 @ 8:20 am:My favorite saying is, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” It’s not clear whether Confucius said this or one of his followers, but I agree completely with the statement. For example, I’m learning German and it takes hard work to learn new vocabulary words. Hearing them and reading them is a good start, but using them in my own speech and writing is what really helps me to learn.“What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others.”POSTED: Tam on Tuesday, Sept. 3 @ 7:00 pm:I like “What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others.” best. Confucius wasn’t the only one to promote this idea. Most religions agree with this concept. To me, it’s the most important life rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. Just the other day, I was with a friend in class and she started talking badly about a classmate of ours. I kept on thinking about how bad our classmate would feel if he knew she was saying such terrible things! I know I wouldn’t like it!“Careful people seldom make mistakes.”POSTED: Rosa on Sunday, Sept. 1 @ 2:00 pm:“Careful people seldom make mistakes.” is one of my favorites. I like to remind myself of this saying when taking a test or writing a paper in school. It’s better to work slowly and pay close attention to details in order to avoid making unnecessary and sometimes costly mistakes. Taking your time and making an extra effort can often guarantee success.“To go too far is as bad as to fall short.”POSTED: Andre on Saturday, Aug. 31 @ 2:15 pm:My favorite is: “To go too far is as bad as to fall short.” It means that to do too much of something is equally as ba d as not doing enough. It’s possible to not try hard enough and it is also possible to try too hard. For example, I wanted to lose a few kilos for a big party so I didn’t eat enough and exercised all the time. In the end, I got really sick and tired from e ating poorly and couldn’t even go to the party! For me, it’s important to find a balance between two extremes in order to achieve my goals.Unit4Mine for Gems on Your Next Great Vacation! Welcome to Gem-Mining Vacations!On one of our gem-mining vacatio ns, you’ll have a chance to visit a variety of North Carolina gem mines that are open to the public. If you love gem stones or jewelry, it’s the chance of a lifetime! Helpers at each mine will show you how to look for gems and where to find them right in the dirt. Some people collect gem stones for display in their homes. Others have their gems made into jewelry. Almost all of our mines have a jeweler on site so you can create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry just for you.Gem Stone Mining in North CarolinaThe mines in North Carolina originally produced a mineral called “corundum”, which is used in manufacturing processes. While mining this material, workers occasionally discovered rubies and sapphires, which are both expensive and rare gem stones. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough of these stones to support a big gem-mining industry. However, there were enough to make things interesting, so the mines were opened to the public for hobby gems.EquipmentHand protection in the form of rubber gloves is a good idea. The dirt you’ll search through is generally cold and wet. You’ll also want sun protection for your skin and a hat to shade your face, especially in the summer. Plastic bags and other containers are useful for taking your gems home. Great Vacations will provide the rest.TechniqueCustomers must pay for each bag of dirt (the first bag is free!). The dirt is then poured onto a small screen frame. Next, water is run over the screen to wash away the dirt while keeping any hidden gems on the screen. There are many things to look for while mining, but the main thing to watch for is color. A sparkle of red may be a ruby. A bright blue stone may be a sapphire. A good-sized stone of any type is a valuable find!Fast Facts about Gem Mining1.Because of weather conditions, most gem mines in North Carolina are closed in the winter.2. A miner in Franklin County, North Carolina, once found a 2.5-pound ruby!3.At some mines you can actually find gold as well as gem stones in the soil.4.Gem stones can be made into buttons, tiny bottles and other unusual objects.Unit5The Big Bird CountWhat is a “bird count”?A bird count is an annual event in which people count the number of birds in their neighborhood. Local bird-watchers make lists of all the different types of birds they see, and how many of each type they see. Bird counts typically last for four days. During this period, groups of bird-watchers bring their binoculars and join their friends to explore the streets, parks, fields, and woods near their homes.Who can participate?Everyone is welcome to take part in the event and no special skills are required. There are bird counters as young as seven and as old as ninety. Watchers only need to learn the names of the birds found in their area. There are plenty of bird books full of photographs to help newcomersidentify the birds they see.How does it work?Bird counters must first commit to spending at least 15 minutes counting birds for the survey. Then, they just need to walk around their community to record what they see on a Bird Count form. These forms may later be reported over the Internet. Counters can count birds in one place or in several locations. They can work alone or in a group, and can work for one day or for several days in a row. Any information that is collected and sent in is helpful.Why count birds?Scientists need this information in order to track diseases and to study how climate changes may be affecting birds. They also use it to study how the growth of housing and manufacturing affects bird populations in an area. Scientists are especially interested in tracking birds that may be endangered, but they could never gather this much information by themselves. Each year, U.S. bird counters track over 600 different types of birds and complete about 80,000 surveys that report on 11 million individual birds!Unit6Inside Japan’s Performing Arts—An Interview with Benji KatoMs. Gura: Hello. I’m Aki Gura and welcome to our weekly program, Inside the Performance Arts. Today I’m pleased to introduce my TV vie wers to a well-known expert in Japanese theater, Mr. Benji Kato. Mr. Kato, would you please describe kabuki to our audience?Mr. Kato:Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theater that involves acting, singing, and dancing. It’s also combined with col orful costumes and unusual techniques for telling a story on stage.Ms. Gura: Is it similar to an American stage play or musical?Mr. Kato: Not really. First of all, the tradition is about 400 years old and the movements of the actors are very stylized. They often move very slowly, almost as if they were in a dream. Also, the sound of the actors’ voices is quite unusual. Their voices sound like a combination of singing and speaking.Ms. Gura: That does sound very different! What does a play look like?Mr. Kato:The actors often wear extraordinary and expensive kimonos and their faces are sometimes painted bright red or blue. This is done to help show what kind of people they are representing in the performance. And the stage itself is very unusual. Part of it is a long, narrowraised area that extends into the audience. When the actors use this part of the stage, they are surrounded by the audience. Another part of the stage actually moves around in a circle. This movement of the stage is used to create instant scene changes.Ms. Gura: Wow! All of this in a 400-year-old tradition! Who are the actors?Mr. Kato: Kabuki actors begin very young. They generally leave their families to study fulltime with a master. It’s almost like the training of a geisha. On e very successful kabuki actor, Bando Tamasaburo, left home when he was seven. The actor who uses that name today is actually the fifth Bando Tamasaburo. The first actor to use this name lived hundreds of years ago. Each Tamasaburo trains his replacement a nd gives up the name when he retires. Today’s Tamasaburo was born in 1950 and his real name is Shin-ichi Morita. He specializes in women’s roles and appears on stages all over the world.Ms. Gura:Wow! That’s some interesting information. Thanks, Mr. Kato!Mr. Kato: You’re welcome. If you are interested in seeing a kabuki performance, there is a special series playing now at Tokyo’s Kabuki-za Theater!Unit7The Changing of RodeoToday’s rodeos are very different from the original cowboy gatherings. The first cowboys were workers who handled cattle that were brought to Mexico by the Spanish in the 1700s and 1800s. Once a year, the workers had to gather all their cattle. The job of the cowboys was to surround the cattle and bring them together in one place. The word “rodeo”comes from the Spanish word “rodear” which means “to surround”. When the work was done, the cowboys often tested the skills they used in some of the daily activities in what is now called a rodeo.In the 1800s, the raising of cattle became an important industry in the western United States. Soon, the cowboy way of life spread to the American West and the popularity of the rodeo grew with it. However, by the mid-1800s, railroads began to take over the job of moving cattle from place to place. It became harder for cowboys to earn a living, so some cowboys started making money by holding contests. These gatherings eventually grew into well-organized shows that people paid to watch.Slowly, the types of events at rodeos became more varied. For example, the dangerous sport of bull riding was introduced. Bull riders say that it isn’t a question of if they are going to get hurt, but when they are going to get hurt. In this event, a cowboy wraps a rope around a bull’s body. He then holds on to the rope with one hand and is not allowed to touch his body or the bull’s with the other hand. The goal is to stay on the bull for at least eight seconds. If he is thrown off, rodeo helpers get the bull’s attention so the cowboy can run to safety.At one time, cowgirls competed against men in rodeos. People liked seeing men and women challenge each other in these contests of strength and skill. However, in the 1940s, women’sevents were dropped in order to allow men to earn more money at rodeos. Nowadays though, there are rodeos that feature events for both women and men, as well as children.Unit8Caught in the Currentby Peter StevensonIt was my first visit to California. I had just completed my first year of college and I was ready for a real vacation. I stayed with my friend Gary and his family at their home on the beach in San Diego. One day, we were relaxing on the beach when Gary suddenly jumped up and said, “Hey, Pete! Do you want to see how far out we can swim? The waves look wild out there!” “Sure! Let’s go,” I said, and we ran together into the water.We entered the ocean right next to a long dock that extended approximately 100 meters into the water. Later I would be informed it’s never a good idea to swim beside a dock; they sometimes cause dangerous currents. We swam straight out from the shore and shouted to each other as we swam through the warm water. Then suddenly, I realized that Gary wasn’t by my side anymore. I looked back toward the shore and he was about 20 meters behind me and disappeari ng fast. “Gary, what’s happening?” I shouted, but by that time he was too far away for me to hear.Suddenly, it became clear that I was in trouble. The water surrounding me was full of mud and I remembered that muddy water is a sign of a rip current, which can pull a swimmer out to sea.I began to swim back toward the beach, but the current kept pulling me further out. I became incredibly tired from fighting against it. I couldn’t see Gary anywhere. Unexpectedly a giant wave pushed me beneath the water and held me there for what seemed like a lifetime. I could hardly breathe, but then suddenly I resurfaced!At last, I heard a noise and looked into the sky where I saw a paramotor coming towards me. Soon a life preserver was dropped next to me. The pilot pointed to the left and shouted, “Don’t swim towards the shore! Swim along the coast to get out of the current.” After a few minutes, I made it out of the current and soon a lifeguard rescue boat helped me aboard, and there was Gary! We were both exhausted, but safe. I had always thought that paramotors were for fun, but now I know they can have a much greater purpose —saving lives!Unit9Crop Circles: Fact or Fiction?The Heinle Times recently published an article about crop circles which brought interesting and varied responses from several readers. Here are two of these letters:More info, please!Your recent article on crop circles failed to include several important points. First of all, there was no mention of the huge volume of sightings over the past 50 years. According to one source,there have been over 10,000 documented reports of crop circles, as well as several other unofficial ones. You also failed to include statistics showing how widespread this phenomenon is. Crop circles have been documented in more than 29 countries — and that’s just in the official reports!In addition, observers at crop circle sites have noted that many of the plants are broken several inches above the ground, but the lower parts are not damaged. This simply wouldn’t happen if people were using stomper boards. Also, soil taken from the inside of some crop circles indicates that it has been heated — possibly to as high as 1500°Celsius. I believe we need to take these findings — and their statistics — seriously if we are going to find out the truth about this amazing phenomenon.Yours truly,Richard Wellner You’ve got to be kidding!Your recent article on crop circles incorrectly gave the impression that crop circles are a valid scientific phenomenon! I think that this is a serious error in judgment on the part of this newspaper. Most people in the scientific community agree that crop circles are the work of humans who enjoy playing jokes on other people. They are not the result of visits by extraterrestrial beings!Three years ago your newspaper featured an article about David Chorley and Douglas Bower. These two painters, who live in the English countryside, explained that they have been making crop circles together for years. They claim to be responsible for as many as 25 to 30 of them annually. I also recently discovered a Web site that describes exactly how to make crop circles. It has links with headings like “tools” and “techniques”. I feel that a responsible newspaper like the Heinle Times should not support the belief that aliens are responsible for crop circles.Sincerely,Dr. Ralph Aker, Ph D.Boston UniversityUnit10Catching a Tornado—On Film!For years, Tim Samaras and his team have been chasing tornadoes to learn how to more accurately forecast them. They place high-tech weather probes in the paths of tornadoes and then go back later to collect the information the instruments recorded. However, on June 11, 2004, Samaras and his team were able to complete an even more exciting and scientifically important mission: they successfully placed a photographic probe containing five cameras directly in the path of a huge tornado. This enabled them to illustrate exactly what happens inside of one! These photographic images have proven to be an incredibly important tool for measuring wind velocity in the lower parts of a tornado. This is especially important because this is the part of the storm which actually does most of the damage on the ground. Scientists have long used weatherforecasting instruments to estimate the velocity of winds moving throughout the upper part of a tornado. However, they have never been able to use these instruments to study the bottom nine meters of a tornado as it races along its path of destruction. The winds in this area of the storm are the strongest and shift direction the most frequently. Being able to study this section in detail allows engineers to design buildings that have a better chance of surviving a fierce tornado.The images from Samaras and his team are particularly useful because they provide a series of pictures taken only 16 one-thousandths of a second apart (.016 seconds apart). Samaras and the other scientists used the measurements of Samaras’s body in the picture frame to determine the size of objects in the photos. By tracking objects as they moved through the timed photos, the scientists were then able to accurately determine the velocity of the objects. They did this by measuring how far the objects moved in a specific amount of time. During their first study, they found that a stick shown in one of the pictures was traveling at almost 115 kilometers per hour. They also discovered a leaf that was flying along at 200 kilometers per hour!。