English(Monday)
慕课Mooc Answer
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1.1 ACCBD
1.2 BABBB
1.3 ABBAB（不计分）
2.1 ABABB BABDB
Individual Talk
Requirements for Individual Talk Show
Topic:
Introduction to a Local Intangible Cultural Heritage or Custom
Content:
Choose one intangible cultural heritage or local custom that you are familiar with and passionate about. It could be a traditional craft, a folk art, a festival, a unique custom, or any other cultural element that represents your hometown. Explain its origin, significance, and how it is practiced today.
Presentation Style: You are encouraged to present in a creative and engaging way. You may use a PPT to include pictures, videos, or any other visual aids to make your presentation more interesting and informative.
Duration: Your presentation should be around 3 minutes long. If you include a video, please ensure that its length is appropriate and does not exceed half minute.
Note:
1. 请脱稿演讲。PPT上不可写完整的句子，可写关键词或者短语。
2. PPT请提前两天发到教学立方，并QQ告知我。
3. 交PPT的同时请大家附上文字稿或者主要内容的清楚信息，以供quiz小测选用。
Listening Part:
Unit1
Advice on learning English
Do you really want to learn English? Celestino Santee, an English language teacher, gives students important advice. Please give some advice to those who come to the United States to learn English. I'd like to give some suggestions and some advice based on my experience to students learning English. First of all, don't be afraid to speak to Americans. Americans seem to enjoy meeting people from other countries and they like to share the information that they have. So if you're afraid to speak to an American, that means that you're passing up an opportunity for communication, which is really what it's all about. It's not about reading books or learning grammar in some abstract way. It's more about speaking, communicating, learning how real people talk and what they have to say.
A good way to do this is to go out into the community. Another piece of advice I'd like to give to people is try to learn as much about our culture as you can. And I think in that way you'll feel more confident and you'll also be able to appreciate our culture a little bit better. Learning about some of the differences but also some of the similarities. What is the best age to learn English? As a teacher and a tutor I've taught all different ages from really people in their 60s and 70s all the way down to the lowest elementary school children. And I found some real differences. Of course, the adults have a more traditional form of education that they base their form of learning on. Also, in many cases, they're more hesitant to speak, they're a little bit more embarrassed, and they want to make sure that they have the structure of the grammar.
However, the young children are like sponges. They really just want to soak up every piece of information. They're not afraid of making mistakes, as are the older people. It is so much easier to learn a language when you're a child, but, you know, it can be done at any age, and I think it just takes a little bit more of an effort and also the willingness to take risks, to appear a little bit foolish, perhaps, But in so doing, if you can laugh at yourself a little bit and your own mistakes, then other people feel more comfortable around you. And this makes everybody more comfortable. And of course, communication is what it's all about. What is the best way to teach English? There are so many different ways of teaching English. It varies school to school. It varies teacher to teacher. It also varies as to whether you're taking private lessons with a tutor
or if you're in a large classroom situation. In some ways, it's great to have a tutor individually because you can have somebody work with you one-on-one. However, there is also an advantage to be able to take a class with students from not just your country, but other countries as well. So therefore, you can communicate with other people, which is again what it's all about. You can learn about other cultures in addition to the American culture. You can learn about other cultures. I've had students who complain about being a class with other English as a second language students, but overall I have found that the communication outweighs any disadvantages. So students really enjoy meeting each other and being forced to speak in English.
The queen's speech
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History links monarchs and parliament, a connecting thread from one period to the next. So in an era when the regular worthy rhythm of life is less eye-catching than doing something extraordinary, I'm reassured that I am merely the second sovereign to celebrate a diamond jubilee. As today, it was my privilege to address you during my silver and golden jubilees.
Many of you were present ten years ago, and some of you will recall the occasion in 1977. Since my accession, I have been a regular visitor to the Palace of Westminster, and at the last count have had the pleasurable duty of treating with twelve prime ministers. Over such a period, one can observe that the experience of venerable old age can be a mighty guide, but not a prerequisite for success in public office.
I am therefore very pleased to be addressing many younger parliamentarians, and also those bringing such a wide range of background and experience to your vital national work. During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure. Prince Philip is, I believe, well known for declining compliments of any kind.
But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide. He and I are very proud and grateful that the Prince of Wales and other members of our family are travelling on my behalf in this diamond jubilee year to visit all the Commonwealth realms and a number of other Commonwealth countries. These overseas tours are a reminder of our close affinity with the Commonwealth.
Encompassing about one third of the world's population. My own association with the Commonwealth has taught me that the most important contact between nations is usually contact between its peoples. An organisation dedicated to certain values, the Commonwealth has flourished and grown by successfully promoting and protecting that contact.
At home, Prince Philip and I will be visiting towns and cities up and down the land. It is my sincere hope that the diamond jubilee will be an opportunity for people to come together in a spirit of neighbourliness and celebration of their own communities. We also hope to celebrate the professional and voluntary service given by millions of people across the country who are working for the public good.
They are a source of vital support for the welfare and wellbeing of others, often unseen or overlooked. And as we reflect upon public service, let us again be mindful of the remarkable sacrifice and courage of our armed forces. Much may indeed have changed these past 60 years, but the valour of those who risk their lives for the defence and freedom of us all remains undimmed.
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Unit 2
Unit 2 Chores for child
Did you know it could make them more successful in life? Mona Moore from The Mom Zone is here with more. All right, it's springtime. You know, moms have the whole spring cleaning thing down. How are we going to get kids to help? Should we expect them to? Absolutely expect them to. And I know moms with little kids are thinking, oh, my gosh, it's going to take me four times as long to get anything done if the kids actually help me, right? And moms with older kids, they don't want to hear all the whining about they don't want to and this and that. Well, doing chores is actually really important. to make kids feel a part of the family. And as a matter of fact, there was a study done at the University of Minnesota that showed that young adults that did chores when they were three or four years old actually were more successful as adults than people that didn't. And you know, if you really think about it, it makes sense. Family chores provide kids with a sense of being needed. You know, they feel some kind of purpose and pride. They feel confidence. Mom thinks I can do this, so maybe I really can.
And starting young, I'm sure, helps too. Absolutely. The question that I have though is what can a little toddler do? Yeah, you would be surprised. Kids as young as one can start helping you. They can actually put clothes in the hamper. You know, kids love to move things from one little box to another little box. They can water plants, help you with laundry, move from the washer to the dryer. You know, put books and magazines away. They can help set the table. You know, older kids can do different things as well, and as they start getting older, and there you go, five to seven years, as they start getting older, you give them more responsibility. You know, you allow them to make their bed. They're not gonna do it like you do it, but you know what, it's okay.
Polish the furniture. Help clean the car. I've got a six-year-old and he makes a mess in the car. He should help clean that up, right? Yeah, get one of those dust busters. They love to use that anyway. Exactly. Rake the leaves. They can help, you know, pick weeds. Sweep and wash the patio. They're out there playing, you know. Let them help sweep up the patio. And is that kind of how it goes on? You kind of keep looking at the different responsibilities and what they can do. This is 11 to 13-year-old. Yep. and they can do things more supervised, too. Absolutely. And their skill sets are greater, you know, so you can give them more responsibility. I mean, mowing the lawn, How would you like for your husband to give that up, you know? I bet your husband would like it. Exactly, yeah, yeah, exactly. You know, they can, and they should be responsible for cleaning their room at that age. You know, help clean the closets. They can check the oil in the cars. I'm telling you, start now, and it will help you later. And also, I heard, too, like, don't criticize. You know, if you give them a task, don't criticize everything that they do. That's absolutely true. And what you actually want to do is praise.
praise the kids for what they're doing, because that will encourage them to keep trying and to keep helping, which is what you want. You want them to do it again and again. Absolutely. All right, now what tips can you give moms as they assign these chores? Right, there's actually three tips you want to keep in mind. First and foremost, you want to make sure you give age-appropriate chores. So you don't want to give, you know, a two-year-old the chore of cleaning their bed, because they're not going to have any idea how to do that. So you want to make sure that the chores are age-appropriate. Second, you want to make sure that... your expectations are reasonable. Like I said, a five-year-old is not going to clean his or her bed like you would do it, but it's okay, because as they get older and they get more practice, they're going to learn, and that's exactly what you're wanting. It's going to get better and better. And the final tip is provide lots of praise and appreciation. You know, you want to make sure that they understand that this is a very valuable part of being a part of the family,
And as you provide that confidence in them, they're going to want to keep trying, and they'll learn those great life skills. Sounds good. So give them the swifter right here or the broom, and they can just go ahead and tackle it. Get them going. Exactly. And use the antibacterial stuff later. All right. For more information, just go to momzone.org, or you can call the number on your screen. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you. All
Unit 2 Kitchien Talk（Couple）
Hey there, what's for dinner?
Fried rice again?
You have no idea, do you?
How much time and creativity it takes to plan a decent dinner?
First, you have to get an idea for something that's balanced, taste good,
and isn't the same old thing.
Yeah, and then you have to figure out what ingredients you already have,
and what you need to buy.
Then you have to go get the stuff, bring it home, cook it.
I have to do this every single day.
Okay, I get your point, but what can I do?
You know what an awful cook I am.
Well, if you really want to help,
you could look through these cookbooks and cooking magazines
to get an idea for dinner tomorrow.
Then you could go to the store.
Changing life style
Welcome to Changing Lifestyles. Today we'll take a look at the changing role of fathers. In the 1950s and the 1960s, most fathers went to work every day, and most mothers stayed at home to take care of the children. However, since the late 60s and the early 70s, family life has been changing dramatically. Instead of accepting the rigid roles imposed by society, many couples have been deciding to change their work-life balance. More mothers have been pursuing careers, while at the same time fathers have been devoting more time to caring for children and doing household chores. This is David Noll. David is 33 years old. husband, and father of two girls. David is a modern father. He and his wife both pursue careers in sharing raising the children and doing housework. Okay, well then you're going to go to the playground? Right. Okay. I love you. Can you say bye-bye? Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. David's father, Bob Knoll, was also a loving father. But David's role as a father was different.
During the early part of his career, Bob went to work every day while his wife Shirley stayed home. Bob worked for 38 years at Westinghouse as an electrical engineer. Bob worked on some of the first computers ever produced. Bob had always been an involved father. But in 1970, Shirley decided to go back to work. That was when Bob's role as a father changed. When Shirley went back to work, I had to change my role and started doing more cooking, driving the children here and there. When our children were growing up, I took a lot of interest in what they were doing. I think in many ways, I was probably better prepared for the changing roles that I've had to take on by my father.
We did many things together and I tried to get them involved in other areas that they seemed to show interest in, such as theater and magic. He did a great deal more than I think many fathers. I can think of childhood friends whose fathers were running businesses who participated almost not at all in their development. And I think I had a role model. I remember David was interested in, he got very interested in magic and juggling, and he was an avid reader. As a young man, David loved magic, but he pursued a career as a biochemist. Before having children, David spent 40 hours per week studying cellular DNA in a research lab. And his wife, Diane... spent 40 hours a week working as a lawyer in Washington, DC. After the girls were born, David and Diane both cut back on their hours in order to take care of their daughters. As a research scientist, David's schedule was more flexible, so he took on more responsibilities for the children's day-to-day care.
Well, I have been able to adjust my schedule so that I can be home at 5 o'clock for the kids, and if the children are sick, being able to come home and take them to the doctors. We go for a walk, we take the dogs up the street, go to the park, hang out at the park, and then head back to the house and begin preparing dinner. Since Bob retired 10 years ago, he has been enjoying his role as a grandfather. He's been traveling with his wife, Shirley, and he's been playing tennis. Meanwhile, David is just beginning his journey as a father in a new era. It can be difficult, especially when you're taking on new roles for the first time, and it can be disconcerting, and it can be more comfortable to take on those traditional roles. I think I have many more responsibilities than even most fathers do today, and certainly more than I think when my father was raising his children.
But the difference is not the sort of classic role reversal. I'm not a stay-at-home dad. We have an excellent babysitter who has allowed us, allowed both my wife and I, the opportunities to continue pursuing our career. While there are many differences in how David and Bob have raised their children, there are many important similarities.
Man and woman
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So for any of us in this room today, let's start out by admitting we're lucky. We don't live in the world our mothers lived in, our grandmothers lived in, we're career choices for women, we're so limited. And if you're in this room today, most of us grew up in a world where we have basic civil rights and amazingly, we still live in a world where some women don't have them.
But all that aside, we still have a problem and it's a real problem. And the problem is this. Women are not making it to the top of any profession, anywhere in the world.
The numbers tell the story quite clearly. 190 heads of state, nine are women. Of all the people in Parliament's in the world, 13% are women.
In the corporate sector, women at the top, sea level jobs, board seats, tops out at 15, 16%. The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction. Even in the nonprofit world, a world we sometimes think of as being led by more women, women at the top, 20%.
We also have another problem, which is that women face harder choices between professional success and personal fulfillment. A recent study in the U.S. showed that of senior managers, of married senior managers, two-thirds of the married men had children and only one-third of the married women had children. A couple of years ago, I was in New York and I was pitching a deal and I was in one of those fancy New York private equity offices you can picture.
And I'm in the meeting, it's about a three-hour meeting, and two hours in, there kind of needs to be that bio break and everyone stands up. And the partner running the meeting starts looking really embarrassed. And I realize he doesn't know where the women's room is in his office.
So I start looking around for moving boxes, figuring they just moved in, but I don't see any. And so I said, so did you just move into this office? And he said, no, we've been here about a year. And I said, are you telling me that I'm the only woman to have pitched a deal in this office in a year? And he looked at me and he said, yeah, or maybe you're the only one who had to go to the bathroom.
So the question is, how are we going to fix this? How do we change these numbers at the top? How do we make this different? I want to start out by saying I talk about this, about keeping women in the workforce, because I really think that's the answer. In the high income part of our workforce, in the people who end up at the top Fortune 500 CEO jobs or the equivalent in other industries, the problem I am convinced is that women are dropping out. Now, people talk about this a lot and they talk about things like flex time and mentoring and programs companies should have to train women.
I want to talk about none of that today, even though that's all really important. Today, I want to focus on what we can do as individuals. What are the messages we need to tell ourselves? What are the messages we tell the women that work with and for us? What are the messages we tell our daughters? Now, at the outset, I want to be very clear that the speech comes with no judgments.
I don't have the right answer. I don't even have it for myself. I left San Francisco where I live on Monday and I was getting on the plane for this conference.
And my daughter, who's three, when I dropped her off at preschool, did that whole hugging the leg crying, mom, you don't get on the plane thing. This is hard. I feel guilty sometimes.
I know no women, whether they're at home or whether they're in the workforce, that don't feel that sometimes. So I'm not saying that staying in the workforce is the right thing for everyone. My talk today is about what the messages are if you do want to stay in the workforce.
And I think there are three. One, sit at the table. Two, make your partner a real partner.
And three, look at that, don't leave before you leave. Number one, sit at the table. Just a couple of weeks ago at Facebook, we hosted a very senior government official and he came in to meet with senior execs from around Silicon Valley.
And everyone kind of sat at the table. And then he had these two women who were traveling with him who were pretty senior in his department. And I kind of said to them, sit at the table, come on, sit at the table.
And they sat on the side of the room. When I was in college, my senior year, I took a course called European Intellectual History. Don't you love that kind of thing from college? Wish I could do that now.
And I took it with my roommate, Carrie, who was then a brilliant literary student and went on to be a brilliant literary scholar. And my brother, smart guy, but a water polo playing pre-med who was a sophomore. The three of us take this class together.
And then Carrie reads all the books in the original Greek and Latin, goes to all the lectures. I read all the books in English and go to most of the lectures. My brother is kind of busy.
He reads one book of twelve and goes to a couple of lectures, marches himself up to our room a couple of days before the exam to get himself tutored. The three of us go to the exam together and we sit down and we sit there for three hours in our little blue notebooks. Yes, I'm that old.
And we walk out and we look at each other and we say, how'd you do? And Carrie says, boy, I feel like I didn't really draw out the main point on the Hegelian dialectic. And I say, God, I really wish I had really connected John Locke's theory of property, the philosophers that follow. And my brother says, I got the top grade in the class.
You got the top grade in the class? You don't know anything. The saddest thing about all of this is that it's really hard to remember this. And I'm about to tell a story which is truly embarrassing for me, but I think important.
I gave this talk at Facebook not so long ago to about a hundred employees. And a couple hours later, there was a young woman who works there sitting kind of outside my little desk and she wanted to talk to me. And I said, okay.
And she sat down and we talked and she said, I learned something today. I learned that I need to keep my hand up. I said, what do you mean? She said, well, you're giving this talk.
And then you said, you're going to take two more questions. And I had my hand up with lots of other people. And then you took two more questions and I put my hand down and I noticed all the women put their hand down.
And then you took more questions only from the men. And I thought to myself, wow, if it's me who cares about this, obviously giving this talk during this talk, I can't even notice that the men's hands are still raised and the women's hands are still raised. How good are we as managers of our companies and our organizations at seeing that the men are reaching for opportunities more than women? We've got to get women to sit at the table.
Message number two, make your partner a real partner.
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Unit 3
warm up
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This, this is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. How many have seen those Ken Burns documentaries on the Civil War? Have you seen them? Fantastic! Well, you should watch them. They're just fantastic.
And thank God for people like Ken Burns, who research every historical fact. Because I've learned from doing these jay walks where we talk to people on the street. You don't want to rely on the average American for a history lesson.
So to prove my point, we took answers from jay walks we've gotten over the years. And we made our own documentary. But it's based on what these people say actually happened in American history.
What is July 4th famous for? The celebration of independence. Independence from whom? Mexico. Mexico.
In 1775, Generales George Washington led 13 colonies to war against their mother country Mexico to gain independence. The uprising had its roots in one significant act of defiance, the Boston Taco Party. Fearing the newly formed United States to try to expand their country, Mexico built a wall along the border to keep Americans out.
Who is this? Armick? Jefferson? What's his first name? George? In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written by a sitcom character named George Jefferson, a businessman who left the Harlem ghetto to open a chain of dry cleaners. He and his wife Wheezy later met with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to finish the document in a deluxe apartment in the sky. There he penned these immortal words.
We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men include stupid, fat-headed, hungry crackers of creative equals. Who warned the British are coming, the British are coming? The British? In what proved to be a tactical era, the British sent horseback riders through the streets announcing they were to launch surprise attacks on American military bases. This version of events has been put into question by this political scholar, as she described Paul Revere's ride.
He warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by reading those bills and making sure that he's riding his horse through town. Sarah Palin, June 3rd, 2011 Who were Lewis and Klein? Superman and... In the early 1800s, Superman and his girlfriend Lois began an expedition across America to explore the uncharted west. No obstacle proved too great or a threat too dangerous, with Superman along for the dream.
What made the Alamo take place? 18-something. 18-something? About when? 37. Close, 36.
Very good. Who fought there? John Wayne. In 1836, Jim Bowie, Davey Crockett, and Academy Award-winning actor John Wayne fought valiantly against Santa Ana and his army at the Alamo.
His experience helped him later when he returned to Hollywood to play Davey Crockett in the 1960 film The Alamo. John Wayne recalled. The producer almost fired me when I refused to do things in the script that weren't accurate.
I told him, I was there, pilgrim, so you can kiss my ass. During what war was the battle of Gettysburg fought? World War II. World War II.
What was the Gettysburg address? It was made by Washington. At the remarkable age of 207, George Washington gave Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg speech to Allied troops in World War II. Said Army Private Baylor Hunt Rhodes that day.
It was inspiring to see a president I thought was dead give a speech from the Civil War. Although we often begged us to shoot him and put him out of his misery. May 8, 1944.
Immediately after the speech, Washington had his wooden teeth replaced with dentures. Who fought in the Civil War? The North and the South. Who won that one? Unfortunately, the South.
By the beginning of 1865, when it became clear the South was going to win the war, every single African-American said screw this and fled the rebel states. Thus bringing the North many important cultural milestones. When was Pearl Harbor? A long time ago.
But what was it? What happened? It was bombed by the Hawaiians. It was bombed by the Hawaiians? Without warning, on December 7, 1941, Hawaii conducted a surprise attack on itself. The assault on Pearl Harbor was so devastating, the U.S. declared war on Hawaii.
Ok, so finally in 1945, George Washington, the man who liberated us from Mexico, who was guided by the great words of Wheezy and George Jefferson, and inspired by his idol, John Wayne, sent Superman to free Hawaii from Hawaii, thus ending World War II.
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Unit3 Story of us
Shiploads of businessmen and true believers are crossing the Atlantic Ocean to create a new world. May 1610, 120 years after Columbus, it's still a perilous journey. One ship, the Deliverance, carries a cargo that will change America forever. On board is John Rolfe. A 24-year-old English farmer. Ambitious, self-reliant, visionary, a born entrepreneur. What takes us six hours today by plane was then a voyage of more than two months. Seven of the early adventurers out of every ten will be dead within a year. But the risks are worth it. North America is the ultimate land of opportunity. A continent of vast, untapped wealth, starting with the most valuable resource of all, land. What will be home to more than 300 million people lies under a blanket of forest covering nearly half the land, more than 50 billion trees.
Further west, 9 million square miles of vast American wilderness. 60 million bison roam the plains. And underground, there are rumors of gems. Silver. and the largest seams of gold in the world. The settlers expect nothing less than El Dorado. But what Ralph finds at the English settlement of Jamestown is hell on earth. More than 500 settlers made the journey before Rolf. Hello? Hello? Barely 60 remain. It's called The Starving Time.
Unit3 part2 text2
The Mayflower vayoge
The Atlantic Ocean separates Europe and the new continent. Almost 400 years ago, a British ship sailed for two months and crossed this ocean and lowered its anchor in this Plymouth area. This is the Mayflower. It was a commercial ship mainly carrying wine between England and France. It has been said that the arrival of the Mayflower was the beginning of America. Approximately 100 feet in length and only 25 feet wide, Aboard this small ship were 102 passengers and 26 crew members. It consisted mainly of Puritans, a group of people who sought a strict and aesthetic faith. Most of them were farmers from the suburbs of London. Having been persecuted in England, where the Anglican Church, linked closely to the royal family, was the mainstream,
They headed for the new continent for freedom of faith. But of the 102 immigrants, only 41, which was less than half, were Puritans. The rest had various motives, many scheming to strike gold in the new land. But before they even make it to shore, they encounter their first crisis. The non-Puritans sought to take separate ways. So, the leaders of the Puritans drew up a pledge and suggested that they all sign it. This pledge was for all the immigrants to have law, a constitution for all to abide by, in order to create a new society. This document was later referred to as the Mayflower Compact. it is said that this document originated the spirit of American foundation. The document was signed by all 41 men, not including children. Some were people of lower class who came with their masters. This Mayflower compact acted as a bond between
people of different faiths and social status.
part2 text3
About 27 miles northwest of Plymouth is Boston. The settlement began 10 years after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth. Since then, this city historically developed as the core of New England. Boston also staged a major historical event, the American Revolutionary War. Walking through the back streets, the appearance of this serene ancient city can still be found. Every year in April, the Boston Marathon is run. Since its opening, in 1897, it is the longest running marathon event in the world. The marathon originated when a messenger ran a long distance back in ancient Greece. It is said that the Boston Marathon was also taken after a great messenger that ran through this land. was Paul Revere. He is the one Revolutionary War hero that everyone in America knows. In the mid-18th century, Boston had grown to become the largest city among the American colonies. It also became the center of the Revolutionary War. It has left its mark all over the city until this day.
the British colonial government was established here at that time. In 1770 an incident occurred in front of this building that sparked the American Revolutionary War. It was the Boston Massacre. British troops fired at a mob of people rebelling against British control and killing five civilians. This is the famous engraving that spread the news all over the colonies and turned public opinion towards independence. The man who created this engraving was Paul Revere. Three years after the Boston Massacre, the famous Boston Tea Party occurred. Citizens who opposed the taxation of tea, disguised as Native American Indians, boarded the ship and dumped all the tea into the sea to protest. Paul Revere was part of a rebel squad that consisted of 60 men involved in that mission. Revere was also a messenger, racing on horseback between Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, playing a huge role in influencing the Patriots' movements.
North End. The serene city streets are preserved as a historical district.
Paul Revere's house still remains in this area. It is the oldest wooden house in Boston. Born in the North End District, Revere, at the age of 37, bought this house and made it his home. Paul Revere was a silversmith. It was a family business that his father, an immigrant from France, began. This silver tableware was made by Revere. His craftsmanship was said to be of the highest quality. The copper engraving of the Boston Massacre was a reflection of his fine craftsmanship as a silversmith. Soon, Revere became a representative craftsman, taking part in America's independence movement. But after all, he was just a silversmith. The reason why he is considered a hero of the War of Independence is because he contributed to the Revolutionary War
carrying vital information from Boston on horseback in the middle of the night. This event was expressed in a poem written by the great American poet Henry Longfellow which led to Revere's fame. The now famous The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere is well known nationwide.
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In the heart of the city is Boston Common. This is the first park ever to open in America. At that time, over 3,000 British troops were stationed here.
They were actively preparing to take control of the Patriots. And, on the night of April 18, 1775, the British troops began their stealthy mission. They were headed for Concord, approximately 16 miles to the northwest.
They attempted to seize the Patriots' weaponry there. Revere and his comrades sensed their scheme at once. This is the Old North Church that was used by Revere to signal the Patriots.
The church tower at the time was the tallest establishment in Boston. Revere attempted to notify his comrades in the Boston suburbs that were closest to Concord. Directed by Revere, the comrades sent a signal by lantern to notify the beginning of the British stealth mission.
But there was no way of making sure that the message had been received. At that point, Revere decides to head for Concord himself. But the river along the road to Concord was betrothed and blocked by British battleships that night.
Revere somehow managed to slip by the British patrol and rose to the opposite shore. And with muffled oar, silently rode to the Charleston shore. Just as the moon rose over the bay, where swinging wide at her moorings lay, the Somerset, British Man of War, a phantom ship with each mast and spar across the moon like a prison bar.
Once Revere made it to the opposite shore, he mounted the horse that his comrades prepared and rode 16 miles to the Patriots' strong point in the middle of the nights. A hurry of hooks in a village street, a shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark. The fate of a nation was riding that night.
Along the way, Revere shouted the urgent message. This midnight call allowed the Patriots to prepare for a counterattack and to prevent the British troops from seizing their weapons.
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Columbus
Christopher Columbus, the man who found America. Tierra! Tierra! Land! Land! The call, loud and clear, sang out from Rodrigo de Triana. Look out on the Caravel Pinta, sailing half a mile ahead of Santa Maria, flagship of Master Mariner and adventurer Christopher Columbus.
A stern was the smaller boat, Niña. It was 2am, October 12, 1492. Over four weeks since Columbus and his small fleet of three boats had left the last landfall of Tenerife behind them and sailed into the unknown of the deep Atlantic.
Over there, far to the west believed Columbus was a route to the Indies, India and Cathay, as China was known. Lands of great riches and spices and opportunities. The first man to discover the sea route, safer and quicker than the slow and dangerous land route to the east, would make fortune and fame for himself and for his country.
It was this dream that had possessed Columbus for ten long years. Though born in the Italian town of Genoa, he had travelled first to Portugal and then to Spain to find a sponsor for his idea. Finally, his enthusiasm and personality had convinced Isabella, the Queen of Spain, to back him and provide him with enough funds to create a small fleet to sail west, west and further west until he hit land.
The nerves of his sailors had proved as big an obstacle as the strange seas and the unpredictable weather. Shortly before land was sighted, the sailors had been on the point of mutiny, wanting to force Columbus to return. After all, Columbus had told them that he expected landfall in less than two weeks.
After three weeks, the sailors began to grumble. After four weeks, without sight of land, they wanted to return. On October the 9th, Columbus promised his captains that if land was not sighted in three days, he would order the ships to turn and head back east.
But he had seen flocks of birds fly overhead. Then he saw branches with green leaves and flowers in the water. The anticipation grew as the three ships ploughed through the strong swell, and the history of mankind was changed by that excited call of Tierra, Tierra, in the sharp moonlight.
When Admiral Columbus landed on the beach of the San Salvador, as he called the island, he thought he had arrived at the Indies, and called the first native people he met Indians. In fact, he had made landfall on a small island of the Bahamas off the coast of South America. He was entranced with the islanders, whose simplicity and honesty made him call them children of nature.
They were largely naked, but had little pendants of pure gold hanging from their noses. It was very different to the bustling advanced culture of the east Columbus had expected to find, but he was not disappointed. If he just sailed a bit to the south or to the west, he thought he would perhaps find Japan or China.
Back in his flagship, Santa Maria, he started to explore the Bahamas. He needed to find hordes of gold and spices to please his royal Spanish sponsors. He landed in Cuba, saw people with a firebrand in their hand and breathing in the smoke, the first sight of cigars, but no gold.
He continued sailing and landed on Hispaniola, the present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and here, fortunately, he found more evidence of gold worn by the Tenos, a largely gentle people. Christmas Day, 1492, found the fleet in a small harbour, but the Santa Maria had gone aground on a reef. All attempts to refloat it the following day were doomed and the flagship was lost.
But Columbus took it as a sign and decided to found a colony at that spot. Navidad, Christmas Town, was the first attempt at a settlement on the other side of the Atlantic by the Spanish explorers. With the town fortified in a few days, Columbus set off back to Spain in the Niña, convinced that he had found a source of gold and spices, and as a devout believer in the Catholic Church, great potential for converts.
On board, he carried 11 islanders from Hispaniola, as extra proof of the lands he had discovered. By brilliant navigation, despite only having very primitive instruments to check speed and position on the open sea, Columbus made it back to Europe, first arriving in Portugal, having survived a storm. He finally sailed around Capes and Vincent and arrived in Spain 224 days after he left.
Of this voyage, I observe that the will of God hath miraculously been set forth, he wrote at the end of his journal, which he presented to the king and queen of Spain. He pointed out that he had succeeded despite the opposition he had faced in court as he tried to persuade Ferdinand and Isabella to invest in his idea, and his reward was a letter addressed to himself as Don Cristobal Colon, Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Viceroy and Governor of the Islands that he had discovered in the Indies, and funds for a second voyage. It was the happiest moment of his life.
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News
Locusst Invasion
across the globe. Can mighty ducks help gobble up a problem with locusts? That is a question being asked in Southern Asia. Like the region of East Africa, the nation of Pakistan is trying to keep swarms of locusts from eating the country's crops. But while the insect invasion in Africa has been blamed on weather, experts say the one in Pakistan is a side effect of a civil war in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. Because of that war, officials haven't been able to do enough pest control to keep Yemen's locust population from growing. So, the insects apparently multiplied and made their way northeast, eventually descending on Pakistan. Locusts don't directly attack people. They threaten us by eating our crops. And so many of these insects in such large numbers can destroy regional food supplies. That's why Pakistan declared a state of emergency early this month
saying it was dealing with the highest number of locusts in more than 20 years. So, what can be done about it? Some experts say pesticides are needed to kill masses of these insects. But there's another idea being considered in China. It may send ducks to Pakistan, as many as 100,000 of them, to fight the locusts by eating them. An expert interviewed by the Bloomberg Media Company says one duck can eat more than 200 locusts per day. and China has reportedly used ducks to successfully gobble up a locust problem in the past. But not everyone is on board with this. A member of China's delegation to Pakistan says there's not enough water in Pakistan's hot, dry climate to keep the ducks going. Whatever methods are used to control locusts in Asia, the situation in Africa is getting more desperate by the day. For three months now, swarms of desert locusts have been eating their way through East Africa.
People bang utensils to try and ward off an increasing menace to their livelihoods. All to no avail. The locusts keep coming. A voracious appetite means these locusts eat the equivalent of their own body weight in a single day. And they move with speed on the changing winds. As far as 150 kilometers, almost 100 miles a day. Beans, maize, pasture for animals. Nothing stands a chance. Raising fears over food security as the farmlands are decimated. And they keep breeding, laying their eggs in the earth in pastoral and agricultural lands. Across East Africa, locust swarms of biblical proportions have been threatening life and grazing land and eating all the people's crops. Here you can see these hoppers are the new generation that will pose a bigger threat to agriculture in Kenya. The war against the locust is now in full swing. If the swarms aren't stopped,
The UN says they can multiply as much as 500 times by June. So the Kenyan government and UN agencies are fighting back with pesticides. In Isiolo, northeastern Kenya, villagers tell us they're seeing billions of newly hatched locusts. How did this happen? After years of drought, two cyclones hit East Africa in as many years. But the heavy rains made the wet earth ideal breeding ground for locusts.