Trojan War

Trojan War was a conflict in which ancient Greece defeated the city of Troy. The legend of
the war inspired many leading work of classical literature. Some of the events that
occurred during and after the Trojan War became the subject of three great epic poems —
the Lliad and Odyssey, attributed to the Greek poet Homer, and the Aeneid by the Roman
poet Virgil. The heroes and victims of the war were portrayed in such Greek tragedies as
Agamemnon by Aeschylus, Ajax by Sophocles, and The Trojan women by Euripides.
Scholars do not agree about the truth behind the legend of the Trojan War. Some of them
believe it distorts and exaggerates small conflict involving the Greeks from about to 1500
to 1200 BC. Others think the legend is based on one great war, which most say probably
took place during the mid — 1200’s BC. The Homeric epics combine historical material of
different times with fictional material. As a result, the work are not reliable historical
documents. But Archaeologists have found historical evidence in the ruins of Troy and
other places that confirms certain events described in the epics. The beginning of the war.
According to ancient Greek myths, the Trojan War resulted from an incident at the wedding
feast of Peleus, the king of Phthia, and Thetis, a sea goddess. All the gods and goddesses had
been invited except Eris, the goddess of discord. Eris was offended and tried to stir up
trouble. She sent a golden apple inscribed “For the most beautiful”. Three goddesses —
Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite — each claimed the apple, and a quarrel began. Paris, the son
of King Priam of troy, judged the dispute. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite because she
promised him Helen, The most beautiful woman in the World.
Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. But when Paris visited her, she fled
with him to Troy. Menelaus-and his brother, Agamemnon, organized a large Greek
expedition against Troy to win and bring back
Helen. The Greek army included such heroes as Achilles, Ajax the Greater, Nestor, and
Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin).
The siege of Troy. The Greek army laid siege to Troy for 10 years but could not conquer the
city. The Iliad describes some of the events that occurred during the last year of the
struggle. The war began to go badly for Greeks after Achilles, their bravest warrior, left the
battlefield. Achilles refused to fight because Agamemnon, the Greek commander, had
insulted him. The Trojans, led by Hector, drove the Greeks back to their ships. Achilles
finally returned to combat after his best friend, Patroclus, had been slain by Hector. Achilles
killed Hector to avenge Patroclus’ death.
The Iliad end with Hector’s funeral, and Greek legends relate events that followed. The
Trojans received help from their allies, the Ethiopians and an army of women warriors
called Amazons. But Achilles enabled the Greeks to defeat their enemies by killing
Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons, and Memnon, the king of the Ethiopians. Paris,
aided by the god Apollo, later shot Achilles in the heel with an arrow and killed him.
The fall of Troy is described in the Aeneid. The Greeks built a huge wooden horse, which
has become known as the Trojan horse, and placed it outside the walls of Troy. Odysseus
and other warrior hid inside the horse while the rest of the Greek army sailed away.
The prophetess Cassandra and priest Laocoon warned the Trojans against taking the horse
into their city. But Sinon, a Greek prisoner, persuaded them that the horse was sacred and
would bring the protection of gods. The Trojans then pulled the horse into Troy. That night
they fell asleep after celebrating their apparent victory. Odysseus and his companions then
crept out of the horse and opened the city gates for rest of their warriors, who had
returned from nearby island.
The Greek took back Helen, killed almost all the Trojans, and burned Troy.

Amur Tigers: Big Cats in Crisis

(Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are interesting animals. They are the biggest
cats in the world. A full-grown Amur tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. Unlike lions that live
in groups, tigers are solitary animals, meaning they live alone. Tigers also have very good
eyesight and hearing. Its eyesight is six times better than a human’s.
Amur tigers live in the forests located in the Russian Far East and northeastern China. They
have a thick yellow fur coat with black stripes. Their stripes are like human fingerprints.
Every tiger has a different and unique stripe pattern) Tigers use their striped coat to
camouflage or hide themselves from the animals they hunt. Their thick fur and a thick layer
of fat keep them warm during the long, cold winters in the forest. The fur and fat layer are
adaptations, or changes, that help them survive in the wild.
Powerful and quiet hunters, Amur tigers usually hunt at night. Animals that are active at
night are called nocturnal animals. Sometimes these tigers travel hundreds of miles,
looking for prey to eat. They hunt deer and wild boar that live in the forest. They also hunt
smaller types of bears. A hungry Amur tiger can eat more than 50 pounds in one night.
Today, Amur tigers are an endangered species. Endangered species are animals that are in
danger of disappearing forever. Snow leopards, chimpanzees, and blue whales are also
endangered species. Amur tigers almost disappeared forever at the beginning of the 20th
century. They were hunted until only 40 tigers remained in the wild. Countries like Russia
then began to protect these big cats. They made it illegal to hunt them, and they tried to
protect their forest habitat. After these changes, the number of Amur tigers living in the
wild increased. Scientists believe that there are about 540 Amur tigers living in the wild
today.
These big cats are still in crisis. People continue to illegally hunt Amur tigers. Illegal
hunting is called poaching. Amur tigers are also still in danger because the forests where
they live in are being destroyed. illegal logging and new roads destroy their forest homes. It
makes it hard for the tigers to find prey to eat. It also makes it difficult for the tigers to
roam for long distances. Many organizations and people are trying to save these tigers in
the wild. Organizations that work to save animals and the environment are called
conservation organizations. They are trying to stop poaching. They are also trying to
protect the tiger's forest.

Confucius: The Most Famous Teacher in China

Confucius was a famous teacher, politician, and philosopher who lived in China over 2,600
years ago. During his lifetime, he planted the seeds for China’s transformation by teaching
thousands of people, including those without money or power. Today, he is considered to
be one of the world’s greatest teachers.
Historians believe that Confucius was born in 551 B.C.E, during China’s “Spring and
Autumn Period” (771 - 476 B.C.E.). This period was a dangerous time in China’s history.
During this period, many rulers and warlords were fighting across the country. Because of
all the fighting, life was difficult for the poor. They worked hard for their rulers and
received little money in return.
Confucius’ father was a great warrior during this time. However, his father died when
Confucius was only three years old. Because of this, he grew up in poverty with only his
mother to support him.)
As he grew up, Confucius worked to help his mother earn extra money. When he wasn’t
working, he would read. His favorite thing to do was learn. His mother saw this and did her
best to help him learn. Eventually, wealthy families noticed how smart he was and offered
him jobs counting their money and keeping track of their crops.
Confucius did this until he was 30 years old, but he always wanted to do more. He didn’t
like the way rulers treated their subjects. He began reading again. He wanted to find a way
to help people who were less fortunate than he was. Through many hours of studying, he
founded the philosophy that would become known as “Confucianism.” Confucianism states
that by educating yourself, loving your family, and respecting tradition you could become a
better person. Confucius believed a person could achieve these things by practicing self-
discipline. In teaching self-discipline, he encouraged his followers to control their actions
and emotions so that they could focus on improving themselves and the lives of the people
around them. He believed that these teachings would stop war, bring peace, and save China.
For the rest of his life, Confucius traveled and taught the people of China about self-
discipline and the importance of education. He even opened China’s first school that taught
both the poor and the wealthy as equals. Although he became very famous among China’s
lower classes, the rulers of China never accepted his teachings. Self-discipline and
education didn’t sound as good to them as power and wealth.
In 479 B.C.E, Confucius died at the age of 72. When he died, he believed that he had not
saved China. But in just 200 years later, all of China accepted his teachings.
Although the time dominated by war and poverty, Confucius promoted peace, encouraged
equality, and educated thousands of people across the country. Upon his death, His loyal
students continued to travel China, teaching all classes of people.
Eventually, his philosophy of self-discipline helped China unite under one ruler and finally
find peace. Today, Confucius is celebrated all over the world for his philosophy of
education, equality, and peace over war, money, and injustice.

The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest in South America is an amazing place. Filled with beautiful tropical
flowers, : towering trees, colorful parrots, and poisonous fish, it has some of the greatest
levels of biodiversity o Pm any region in the world. This means there are more different
kinds of animal and plant species in this forest than in most other places. There are also
many different kinds of human cultures that exist in this rainforest, from indigenous tribes
to modern farmers. While all environments change over time, some scientists think that
rapid human development is changing the Amazon too quickly. These changes are putting
some plants, animals, and humans in danger,
The Amazon region, which stretches across the countries of Brazil, Peru, Columbia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana contains over half of the
planet's remaining rainforests. Rainforests are well-known for being great habitats for
animals and plants, as they get a lot of water, which all species need to survive) Today, the
Amazon rainforest is home to 40,000 plant species, 2.5 million insect species, 378 reptiie
species, and 427 mammai species, including humans.
This remarkable rainforest region is also home to 400 different indigenous Amazonian
tribes, many has their own unique languages and names, such as the Yanomami tribe and
the Nukak tribe. Some tribes live in villages along the rivers in the Amazon rainforest,
growing vegetables and fruits like corn, beans, and bananas. Others are "nomadic," which
means they move from place to place. These tribes get food by hunting and fishing, using
poison darts, bows and arrows, spears, or sometirnes shotguris to catch their dinner. Some
tribes have had ongoing contact with the outside worid and access to Western doctors and
healthcare; others have never been contacted by outsiders at all, since the center of the
Amazon rainforest can only be reached by traveling along piranha-infested rivers.
Another important fact about the Amazon rainforest is its role in storing carbon dioxide for
our earth. Since it contains so many trees, which absorb carbon dioxide the rainforest acts
like the lungs of our planet. And since carbon is a "greenhouse gas" that heats up our
atmosphere, the Amazon helps to keep our plane cool by storing carbon in its piants. So,
even though the Amazon is far away from many places in the world, it still plays an
important role in our world ecosystem.
Unfortunately, many of the amazing plants, animals, and humans in the Amazon are under
threat. People are using the Amazon to grow plants for humans, like bananas and sugar
cane plants. Others are digging holes in the earth to look for oil or gas reserves. And still
others are cutting down the trees for lumber. To do this, developers are building farms,
roads, and factories in areas where rare plants and animals thrive. This is a big problem for
several reasons.
First, these changes in the Amazon will decrease the biodiversity of the rainforest. This
means there will be fewer rare plant and animal species living there, and some species may
go extinct as their habitat changes. Second, as the plants and animals die, the indigenous
peoples who depend on them for food will also suffer from hunger. Third, when outsiders
travel through the area via roads, they bring new diseases that can kilt the native peoples.
Finally, as new farms and factories begin to replace the forests and villages in the Amazon,
they will produce more carbon dioxide, and there will be fewer trees to absorb this gas. So
everywhere in the world we may feel the loss of the rainforest as our planet heats up.
But there is good news. Many groups of volunteers, doctors, and environmentalists are
teaming up to protect the Amazon. They are spreading the word to students like you about
the plight of the rainforest and asking people to help. Some organizations are helping to
buy up land so that it cannot be used for farming. Other organizations are fighting against
the governments that want to build roads, arguing that they will endanger too many plant
and animal species. And others are helping to provide medicine and healthcare to the
indigenous tribes in the Amazon, to help these populations cope with the big changes in
their habitat. Many hope that there is still a way to save the rainforest and all of the plants
and animals inside it.