News Paper

2010년 11월

Grade 3, 4

학습 진도표

1회 NASA to send the first humanoid robot to space

2 회 Colors have magical powers!
3 회 I love riding the roller coaster!
4 회 Humans share genes with sea sponges
5 회 Is there a day for left-handed people?
6 회 No more violent pictures in newspapers
7 회 I can solve a rubik cube at 4,300 meters!
8 회 Aia's smallest frog found in Borneo
9 회 The Anne Frank Tree Falls
10 회 Tiger sharks are endangered!
11 회 Einstein becomes an Actor
12 회 Enjoy peaceful moments in DamYang
1. NASA to Send the First Humanoid Robot to Space

Recently, NASA and General Motors developed a special Robonaut, a humanoid robot astronaut. It is
called the R2. The robot will go into space on November 1 to help human astronauts, aboard the Space
Shuttle Discovery.

It has strong, skillful arms and fingers so it can use various tools. The robot will carry out dangerous or
repetitive tasks at the International Space Station (ISS)국제우주정거장 for human astronauts.

Surprisingly, the R2 will keep in touch with the Earth via Twitter! It already has an account,
twitter.com/astrorobonaut. Earlier last week, it told its followers: “Hello, World! My name is Robonaut
2 - R2 for short.

Follow my adventures here as I prepare for space!” It now has more than 10,000 followers! It will
keep followers informed of its work at the ISS once it is in orbit. Good luck with your tasks in space,
Robonaut!
2. Colors Have Magical Powers!

Colors play very important roles in our daily lives. Just take a look around for a moment. From your
clothes to your bags, you can see a variety of colors everywhere! Did you know that we can actually
use colors to make our lives more comfortable and happy? It seems like they have magical powers!

Can you imagine a world without colors? It would be very boring and dull. Colors make our lives
more lively and beautiful. Colors affect our feelings as well. Some colors make us feel excited while
others make us calm.

For example, the color red makes people feel alive and excited. The color also makes food look more
delicious. That is why we feel hungry when we see red-colored food! On the other hand, some colors
make you feel relaxed and calm. The colors blue, gray, and lavender make us feel relaxed and
comfortable. Blue especially brings down blood pressure and slows down heart rate. That is why it is
considered a calming and relaxing color. Many people actually choose blue or lavender for their
bedroom walls to feel relaxed.

Some colors help decrease stress levels. For instance, the color green helps reduce stress and ease
headaches. Green also makes us feel refreshed and lively.

The color yellow is the color of the sun. It brings us energy, happiness, and laughter. If you are
surrounded by yellow, you will feel cheerful and optimistic! This is because your brain releases
hormones that make you feel good when around this color.

Now you know the magical powers of colors! There are many more beautiful colors that affect us.
Also, each color has different meanings and symbols. Why don‟t you find out yourself?
3. I Love Riding the Roller Coaster!

Do you enjoy riding roller coasters? Both the young and old all over the world enjoy riding them.
However, no matter how much you love riding roller coasters, riding them more than 10 times a day is
not easy.

To our surprise, a 78-year-old American man named Vic Kleman recently managed to ride a roller
coaster called the Jack Rabbit 90 times a day! Mr. Kleman is a huge fan of the wooden roller coaster at
Kennywood Park in Pennsylvania.

In fact, he loves the roller coaster so much that he has been riding it since 1959! Built in 1921, the Jack
Rabbit is one of the oldest roller coasters in the world.
Mr. Kleman usually rides the Jack Rabbit about 20 times a visit, but he rode it 90 times on August 15
to celebrate the roller coaster‟s 90th anniversary, taking his 4,000th ride on it. It took him about five
hours.

The amusement park presented Mr. Kleman with a certificate verifying his number of trips. “It‟s just
fun. I‟m not trying to break any records or anything,” said Mr. Kleman.

“I never got bored riding the Jack Rabbit.” Keep riding the Jack Rabbit and have a lot of fun, Mr.
Kleman!
4. Humans Share Genes with Sea Sponges

According to Australian scientists, sea sponges share almost 70 percent of human genes. Sea sponges
are ancient marine animals found on the sea floor.

Researchers at the University of Queensland found in their study that sea sponges shared many of their
genes with humans, including the ones linked to diseases. “We found in more than five years of
research that sea sponges have very similar genes to human genes,” said Bernard Degnana, who led the
research.

“Studying the genetic function of sponge stem cells can provide important connections to the genes
that influence human stem cell biology,” he added. The researchers hope the findings may help us
better understand our own stem cells and use them to treat various diseases including cancer.

The study was published in the journal Nature earlier this month.
5. Is there a day for left-handed people?

Which hand do you mainly use when writing and eating? Most people usually use their right hands.
They are called right-handers. On the other hand, some people use their left hands when they eat and
write. They are called left-handers. Interestingly, left-handers all over the world celebrate International
Left-handers‟ Day in August every year!

About 13 percent of the world‟s population is left-handed. Sadly, left-handers have been considered to
be evil or inferior for a long time. In Asia, the number of left-handed people is very low. This is
because using the left hand is considered disrespectful in many Asian countries.
For example, left-hand shakes are a sign of disrespect in many cultures. This is because many Asians
use their left hand to wipe after going to the toilet. People in India are not allowed to use their left
hands when eating for this reason.

Of course being a left-hander doesn‟t mean that you are evil or inferior. You are just a little different
from other people when using your hands. You should celebrate your unique abilities and enjoy your
life as a left-hander.

International Left-handers‟ Day was born for left-handers to celebrate their uniqueness. The day was
started by a group of left-handers in the U.S. in 1976. Now it is celebrated all over the world on
August 13 every year. Left-handers celebrate this day by holding various fun events and playing games.
6. No More Violent Pictures in Newspapers

From now on, newspapers in Venezuela won‟t be able to publish violent images. The Venezuelan
government recently announced that it will ban violent photos in newspapers to protect children and
teens from these images.

The decision was made after El Nacional, one of the nation‟s oldest newspapers, published a
photograph on its front page depicting dead bodies. Violent crime is one of the most serious problems
in Venezuela.

In 2009 alone over 12,000 murders were reported, making Venezuela one of Latin America‟s most
violent countries. If newspapers violate the order and publish violent images and information of any
type that contain blood, guns, or other images that can have a bad influence on children and teens, they
could be shut down.

Let‟s hope this decision will help reduce Venezuela‟s violent crime rates.
7. I Can Solve a Rubik’s Cube at 4,300 Meters!

Today, people all over the world enjoy solving the Rubik‟s Cube. It was invented by a Hungarian
professor named Erno Rubik in 1974. It is still one of the world‟s fastest-selling toys.

Solving a Rubik‟s Cube is not easy. But a 29-year-old skydiver from Germany solved it while
skydiving! The amazing man‟s name is Ludwig Fichte. On August 24, he jumped from an airplane, sat
in a rubber boat and solved a Rubik‟s Cube at a height of 4,300 meters.
It took him just 31.5 seconds to solve the cube! After solving it, he opened his parachute and landed
safely. “Solving the cube in free fall has been done before, but I am the first to do it in a rubber boat,”
he said proudly.

Now he is planning to solve two Rubik‟s Cubes in free fall before opening his parachute. Good luck
with your challenge, Mr. Fichte!
8. Asia’s Smallest Frog Found in Borneo

Last week, Malaysian scientists discovered a very small frog. The frog is the size of a pea! The
scientists at the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at the University of Malaysia
Sarawak found the special frog on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. The tiny frog was found in
the Kubah National Park in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

The adult males of the newly found frog species are only about 11 millimeters long. The frogs of the
new species are the smallest frogs in Asia, Africa and Europe. But it is not the smallest frog in the
world.

The world‟s smallest frog is believed to be from a species that is found in Southern Cuba. The adult
male is just 9.8 millimeters and the female is 10.5 millimeters long.
9. The Anne Frank Tree Falls

"Anne Frank‟s Diary" is one of the most famous books in history. The book is still popular among
children and teens all over the world. Do you remember the giant chestnut tree Anne Frank wrote
about several times in her diary? The tree gave her hope and comfort. Sadly, the tree fell over in wind
and heavy rain last Monday.

On August 23, the so-called “Anne Frank Tree” in Amsterdam broke off like a match in stormy
weather. Many people are saddened by the news. The huge tree cheered Anne while she was hiding
from the Nazis for 25 months until her family was arrested in August, 1944. She wrote about the tree
several times in her diary.
“From my favorite spot on the floor, I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose
branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on
the wind,” Anne wrote about the tree in February, 1944. She wrote about the tree again in May: “Our
chestnut tree is in full blossom. It is covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.”

The tree that gave hope to Anne Frank is more than 150 years old and weighs about 27 tons. The old
tree suffered from fungus and moths and more than half of its trunk had rotted because of them. City
workers in Amsterdam built a steel support system to prevent the tree from falling two years ago.
Sadly, however, the tree collapsed at last in heavy wind and rain.
10. Tiger sharks are endangered!

The tiger shark is notorious for having a voracious appetite. It eats anything it can find! That is why it
is also called the “dustbin of the sea.” Tiger sharks are found all over the world in tropical oceans.
They are especially easy to spot around central Pacific islands.

The tiger shark got its name from the dark stripes down its body, which look like a tiger‟s pattern. The
stripes fade as the shark matures. The tiger shark typically reaches maturity at lengths of 2 to 3 meters.
It can grow up to 5 meters and weigh 700 kilograms.
The tiger shark usually hunts at night. The shark‟s main food source is fish. But it also feeds on a wide
range of prey including smaller sharks, squid, turtles, sea snakes, and dolphins. It even eats sea birds,
seals, and lobsters.

The tiger shark is considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks to humans. However, according
to researchers, the attack rate is surprisingly low. Sadly, tiger sharks are endangered due to over
fishing for their fins. Let‟s protect them before it‟s too late!
11. Einstein Becomes an Actor

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists in history. He is best-known for his theory of relativity.
Even though he passed away a long time ago in 1955, he is still remembered as an outstanding
scientist. If you want to know more about him and learn fun science facts from him, here‟s good news
for you.

He came to visit us in the year 2010 by riding a time machine! He became an actor in Korea and he is
performing an interesting family musical called „Einstein‟s W.H.Y.‟ The musical is being presented at
the Gwacheon National Science Museum 국립과천과학관 from July 20.

In the musical, the genius scientist meets many friends such as the well-known fairytale characters like
Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Tinker Bell. He talks about interesting science facts with his friends. The
musical can help raise your interest in science. It will run until October 17. For more information, visit
www.eoulimhall.com.
12. Enjoy Peaceful Moments in Damyang

Fall is just around the corner but the summer spirit is still here. This time of the year is perfect for
enjoying some quiet moments in nature. Damyang 담양 in Jeollanam-do is one of the best places to
enjoy peaceful moments.

The Southern district is famous for its beautiful natural surroundings including the green bamboo
forest called Juknokwon 죽녹원. Created in 2003, the bamboo forest is composed of eight courses.
Get refreshed while walking in the forest hearing the sounds of bamboo leaves rustling in the breeze.

Damyang is also famous for its metasequoia road, which is considered one of the most beautiful roads
in Korea. Besides the beautiful scenery, the region also has a lot of cultural heritage to visit, such as
Korea‟s first slow city Samjinae Village, the Korean Lyrics Cultural Center, and the art center
„Daedam.‟ For more information, visit www.damyang.go.kr.