J: John M: Mark S: Suzy T: Teacher viS7+E|O  
T: Next term we'll read two works of fantasy or science fiction literature in class. Today is your opportunity to tell me what you think we should read and express your opinions: d5LL( "  
J: Will we have to read Harry Potter? m<4tH5};d  
T: We may, but it depends how the others feel about that. Harry Potter by JK Rowling is a good example of fantasy literature, but there are other books, such as The Lord of the Rings. .YS48 c  
S: Can you explain the difference between fantasy literature and science fiction? L{6Vi&I84[  
T: That's a very good question, Suzy. Mark, what do you think? Kzfy0LWM  
M: Well, I think if there are things in the book which are not possible, then it's called fantasy. 60p*4>^v  
J: But travelling at the speed of light or time travel is also not possible, and that's called science fiction. +r =p,leb  
T: You are right there, John. It's better to say that fantasy is about things that are never possible, such as talking animals or magic. Science fiction is about things that are not possible now, but perhaps possible in the future when science is more developed. cC`PmDGq  
S: But most science fiction is so strange. Do you really believe we'll one day be able to travel and meet aliens on other planets? R^4 j0L  
T: People thought the same when Jules Verne wrote his books. There were no submarines when he wrote 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, and when he wrote A Journey to the Moon, many people said he was mad. \9.@Tg8`  
M: So, what else is there to read? `~W?a  
T: Wells wrote books such as The First Men in the Moon and The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds about aliens trying to conquer the earth. UbwD2>  
M: I'd like to read I, Robot. I've seen the movie and I think the book will be very exciting. <m?/yREK2  
S: Can't we read some science fiction about other topics? I mean, not about technology or space? f+dj6!g5/  
T: Sure. We can read Lao She's City of Cats in an En glish translation or other science fiction about social or political sciences. s\1c.  
S: How about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley? Is that fantasy or science fiction? ZEU /6.  
T: What do you think?

Mr Cavor's Flying Machine 6~6*(s|]A  
When I first met Mr Cavor, he was about to finish building the machine in which he planned to travel to the moon. As it had neither wings nor an engine, I was amazed and asked him how his machine could fly. The secret lay in a new material which he had developed. Applied in his machine, it would cut off the earth's power, which science calls gravity, to keep things on the ground. If Mr Cavor's machine would be free from the pull of gravity, nothing would keep it from flying off into the sky. UzmD2AsO"  
I still could not understand how it would work, so I asked him to explain it to me. Cavor said that for many years he had been doing research into materials that could block all kinds of energy in the form of waves. "Energy," he said, "such as light or heat, X-rays, electricity or gravity, exists in the form of waves that act on bodies at a distance." Almost all materials block some form of energy. Glass, for example, blocks heat, but it lets light pass through, so that it is useful as a fire screen. Metals, on the other hand, block light, but electrical energy and heat pass through them very well. So far, it sounded like a class of basic physics, and I had no difficulty understanding him. k39;7J  
"Gravity passes through all known materials." he said. "You can use screens of various sorts to cut off the light or heat, or electrical influence of the sun. You can screen things with sheets of metal from radioactivity, but nothing will cut off the gravity of the earth. Yet why there should be nothing is hard to say." Cavor did not see why such a material, which he called Cavorite, should not exist. He argued that such a material was possible and, under certain conditions, could be made. !tofO|E5  
He explained it to me as follows. "Everybody knows that the air has weight and that it presses on everything on the surface of the earth, no less than fourteen and a half pounds to the square inch. But over a sheet of Cavorite this is not the case, because it blocks the gravity from the earth below it. The next step would be to build a machine in which to apply that great discovery." Cavor was proud to show me the first model. $5/lU }To  
"It's like this," he said. "Nothing above a layer of Cavorite weighs anything, and everything above it goes up into the air. The material itself moves up too and we are going up with it." "Like Jules Verne's thing in A Trip to the Moon," I said, but Cavor did not read any fiction. 7~Md6.FtM  
"Imagine a ball," he explained, "large enough to hold two people and their luggage. It will be made of steel and thick glass, and on the outside, Cavorite. As soon as the Cavorite cools down, it is no longer affected by gravity, and off you fly." "But then what is to prevent the machine from traveling in a straight line into space for ever?" I asked. "That's a practical problem for which I will still need to find a solution," Cavor said, "but don't worry, I already have the beginning of an idea."

Part 1 a5xp[TlXn.  
Many great poets have written about the beauty and dangers of the seas and oceans. In the 18th century, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a poem called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". In the poem, a mysterious guest tells a strange story to the people at a wedding. He begins his story by describing how a ship sets out to sea. One day, one of the sailors, or mariners, shoots a bird that flies above the ship. When the other mariners see what he has done, they are frightened and angry. The bird he has killed is a bird that brings good luck to the ship. By killing the bird, the mariner has brought bad luck and death to the sailors. Soon, things turn bad. The wind dies down and the sailors are hungry and thirsty. There is water all around them, but they can't drink it because it is too salty. "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink. " The mariners are so thirsty, hungry, and frightened that they begin to imagine things: they think they see monsters walking on the water.

Part 2 ("L&iu\`@  
In the poem, two gods argue over what should happen to the ship and the mariners. Finally they decide that all must die - except the mariner who shot the bird. He must live through it all and will pay by "having to tell the story to all the people he meets the rest of his life". On the ship, the frightened mariner watches as the other sailors fall down dead on the ship's deck. Left alone on the ship, drifting on the ocean, the mariner suffers from loneliness and fear. -?$Hr\  
Alone, alone, all, all alone, U &\8~h  
Alone on a wide wide sea! m:7$"oq|  
When the mariner is rescued at last, he must walk around and tell his story. This is what the guest tells the people at the wedding. His story told, the ancient mariner says farewell and asks them to learn from his sufferings.

The Properties Of Water TYQ7jt0=.-  
Earth is an ocean planet. About three billion years ago, life on our planet began in the deep blue seas. Ninety-nine percent of the living space on earth is in the oceans. Marine life is incredibly rich and varied. ,wN>
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There are about five million species in the oceans and we have yet to learn much about them. Life in the oceans ranges from the tiniest plankton all the way up to giants like sharks and whales. What makes the ocean such a great place to live? The answer is water. ]HK|xO(  
Chemical Structure -&u2C}4s  
The chemical structure of water makes it an excellent medium for life. Water is actually quite simple, but the Way the water molecule is formed gives water its unique properties. The water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. They form a polar molecule, that is, one with a slightly positive end and a slightly negative end. Because water is polar, it can break down both solids and gases. The nutrients in whatever falls into the ocean quickly become available to other living creatures. The chemical structure of water also makes it different from almost everything else on earth. Water is a liquid at room temperature and has a relatively high freezing point. <I{)p;u1  
Salinity 0OndSa,  
When dissolved gases and solids mix with pure water, the result is sea water, or salt water. The salinity of the earth's oceans is about thirty-five parts per thousand, meaning that there are about thirty-five grammes of dissolved solids and gases in one kilogramme of water. Even though the pure water is what gives sea water its main properties, the salinity of sea water affects both its weight and freezing point. Salt water has a lower freezing point and is heavier than pure water. q.l"Y#d  
Density \lnpsf  
Density is the relationship between mass and volume and is measured in kilogrammes per cubic metre. The density of pure water is 1,000kg/m3, meaning that one cubic metre of water weighs one thousand kilogrammes. If a substance has a higher density, say 5,000 kg/m3, it will not float on water. Marine animals and plants take advantage of the density of water. With the right kind of body, it is possible to float around in the ocean and let the water do the work. When water freezes, its density decreases. If it did not, the oceans would be frozen solid. ^nYS@  
Heat Capacity 1{8SKfMdP  
Heat capacity is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree centigrade. The heat capacity of water is relatively high. Water can absorb and give off a lot of heat without big changes in temperature, thus creating a stable environment. Most animals and plants are sensitive to large or sudden changes in temperature. So the ocean is a safe and comfortable habitat. The water in the oceans also keeps the temperature of the earth steady by absorbing and giving off heat. MHv2r  
Ocean Motion y
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Since changes in salinity and temperature affect water's density, the water in the ocean is always moving. Dense water sinks and less dense water is pushed to the surface. This circulation adds energy to the marine ecosystems and moves nutrients around. $Q[a^V~:  
Isn't it amazing that a single substance can be so important to our planet and even the whole universe? Water, which seems so simple and common, is what makes life possible. Of all the resources on earth - oil, gas, gold and so on - nothing is as precious as a drop of rain. Learning about the properties of water helps us understand life on our planet. The most important thing we can learn about water, however, is that we must protect it and use it wisely. Our future depends on it.

Nature's Nursery: Estuaries 8,BNs5  
As the oceans are the source of life on earth, the estuaries are our planet's nurseries. An estuary is the body of water where a river meets the ocean. Salt water from the ocean and fresh water from the river mix together in an estuary. This mixing of fresh and salt water creates a unique environment filled with life of all kinds - a zone between the land and the sea. Estuaries are the homes of thousands of animals and plants. Many cities and towns are built near estuaries, and a lot of fish is caught in estuaries. +1Ha,Ok  
Estuaries are great places for nature's young ones. Here, animals can enjoy all the benefits of the oceans without having to face many of the dangers. Tides provide energy for the ecosystems, but estuaries are protected from waves and storms by islands, mud or sand. Nutrients arrive in estuaries from both the land and the ocean. The density of living creatures is higher than in any other habitat on earth. The diversity of life in estuaries is incredible - birds, fish, marine mammals, shellfish and other species all come here to live, feed and reproduce. xr uQ=Q  
Estuaries are also important because they absorb nutrients and pollutants from water coming from inland sources, thus cleaning our water. Unfortunately, this function also makes estuaries very sensitive to environmental pollution. Since estuaries protect animals and plants from storms and floods and prevent erosion, protecting estuaries is very important. em  
Finally, estuaries provide both recreation and education for human beings. Most of us enjoy fishing, swimming and having fun on the beach, and scientists and students have endless opportunities to study a variety of life in the habitat. Estuaries also contribute to the economy through tourism and fishing.

In order to go diving, you need some equipment. First, divers carry on their backs a metal bottle which is filled with air. There's enough air to last about 40 minutes. Next, divers carry heavy metal weights in a belt around their body. Without these heavy weights they would float to the surface. You see, there is a lot of air in their air bottles, and this would bring them up to the surface if they didn't have any weights. N5$L),?\y  
Most divers don't go very deep. Mainly they dive to a depth of about 20 metres. Then they swim around as they slowly return to the surface. i]:T{2  
Everyone who wants to dive must first have diving lessons with a teacher. There are a few dangers that you have to learn about. For one thing, you might have problems with your air bottle. A diver must know how the equipment works and be able to recognise possible problems. There are also dangerous types of fish that you must look out for. You must be familiar with the environment you will be diving in. Before you go on a dive, make sure that you know what you're getting into. Diving may look easy, but if you don't have the necessary training it can be both difficult and dangerous.

Victoria is a diving instructor at the Water Sports Club. She teaches people the skills they need in order to enjoy safe diving. We ask her what she tells her students. Om%{fq&  
"I love diving and I want others to try it too. Diving isn't really a dangerous sports, but it's important to understand that safety is very important. Most diving accidents happen to beginning divers. I tell people to know their limits. If you don't have enough experience, you mustn't dive deeper or longer than what you are used to. There are two things a diver must always remember. Never dive alone and don't hold your breath. If a diver holds his or her breath, the pressure difference between the air in their lungs and the outside may become so great that it may result in serious lung injuries. I sometimes tell beginning divers to sing a song while diving. This is a simple way to make sure that you are breathing normally. And since many people dive while they are on vacation, I remind them that they shouldn't dive within 12 hours of a flight. The difference impressure make cause dangerous gases to enter the blood."

LIFE IN THE OCEAN @^8tk3$Y  
The earth's oceans can reach depths of up to 11,000 metres. That is deep enough to cover Mt Qomolangma! The oceans are incredibly large and contain several different habitats. To make it easier to describe the various parts of the oceans, marine scientists usually divide the oceans into five zones. Each zone is different mainly as a result of how much sunlight reaches it. |^K-m42  
Most of the life in the ocean can be found in the first zone, which begins at the surface and goes down about 200 metres. Because there is sunlight at this level, plants are able to grow. Marine animals such as dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and sea lions, and of course a variety of fish, live in the sunlit part of the ocean. It is difficult to hide from other animals in this area, but many species have adapted by becoming dark on the top and light on the bottom. This makes it difficult to see them against the dark water below and the blue sky above. 5[.Dlpa'7  
The second zone starts at 200 metres and goes down to about 1,000 metres. Some sunlight can reach this level, but it is not enough for plants to grow. Because this zone is relatively dark, many of the creatures that live here are able to make light with their body. The light from these animals makes the water look like a sky with moving stars in it. a?bSMt}  
The third zone of the ocean is dark. This place, about 3,000 metres deep, may not seem a likely habitat, but there are more creatures here than one might think. Most of the animals that live here are black or red because of the lack of light. At this depth, a slow shower of what looks like snow is falling. This phenomenon, called "marine snow", is actually nutrients falling towards the bottom of the ocean. It is an important source of food for the creatures that live in the deep. TfaL5evio  
Below 4,000 metres, the temperature is near freezing and there is no light at all. In fact, the zone is so dark and empty that scientists named this zone after the Greek word for "no bottom". There is not much life to be found in this cold and unpleasant part of the ocean, but some small creatures still manage to survive here despite the high water pressure. Few of the animals in the ocean can dive this deep. One exception is the sperm whale, which slows its heartbeat in order to reach this zone as it hunts for food. "'us.t.  
The very deepest part of the ocean is found 2,000 metres further down. At this depth, the water pressure is extremely high and life is very difficult for the few creatures that live here. Compared to the other zones, this one has very little life. Since there is no light here, some of the animals do not have eyes. When scientists explored the very deepest parts of the ocean, they did not expect to find any life at all. However, it turned out that there are creatures that can live even in habitats as far down as 10,000 metres. They usually survive by living close to deep sea vents, "chimneys" that send out gases from within the earth. Unlike all other living things on the earth, which get their energy from the sun, the creatures that live here use chemicals from the vents to stay alive. i3~"qbU%z[  
Next time you look at the ocean from the beach or on a map, remember that what you are seeing is only the surface - only the beginning of the large and varied adventure that is the ocean.

When Martin Luther King, Jr gave his famous speech, it was a hundred years after President Lincoln signed the paper that gave hope to millions of Negro slaves in 1863. But one hundred years later, as Dr King said, we still had to face the fact that the Negro was not free. RIBj9kd  
He said: "One hundred years later, the Negro still lives on a lonely island of the poor in the middle of a vast ocean of the rich." "There will be neither rest nor peace in America until the Negro is given his civil rights," he said. He promised that the hurricanes of revolution would continue to shake the foundation of the nation until the bright day of justice would come. Jh2eo+/%  
Then he spoke his famous words. "I say to you today, my friends, that I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. XQAdb"
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I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. +L_!$"I  
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a country where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." w '?xewx  
He also said that he hoped that one day the leader of the state, whose lips were dripping with promises, would make it possible for little black boys and black girls to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. WZq0$:I ;R  
"And if America is to be a great nation," he said, "that had to become true." He ended his speech saying: %[(DFutJY+  
"Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from every hill. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every town, from every state and every city, we will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro song, 'Free at last! free at last! Thank God, we are free at last!'"