TEXT # 1

Hamsters – A General Description

16 Sep 2009 ⋅ by Paul ⋅

Hamsters belong to the rodent family. They have very sharp large incisors that
grow continually throughout their lives. As a result they need to “file” them down by
gnawing on something hard. If the incisors become too long the hamster will find it
difficult to close its mouth or chew properly. They should therefore always have
small pieces of wood available to chew on to keep the incisors the right length (not
pine or cedar that are toxic to hamsters).

Hamsters have expandable cheek pouches formed by hard dry skin that they use
to collect food and carry it to their dens. There is no saliva present in the pouches
so that the food remains dry and fresh and does not deteriorate. Hamsters use
their forelegs to empty their cheek pouches.

The Hamster’s body is covered with thick soft hair that is usually darker on the
back and lighter on belly. Unlike mice, hamsters normally have very short tails,
except for Chinese hamsters that can have tails up to 2 cms long.

The forelegs of hamsters have four fingers with robust nails that they use to dig
tunnels. Hamsters have quite prehensile fingers with which they are able to keep a
firm hold on seeds while they nibble them. Hamsters also use their forelegs to
groom themselves. They are first licked to dampen them and are then passed over
the fur to clean and smooth it.

The rear legs are longer and more robust and have 5 fingers. The ears, are rather
large, and externally are covered by a light body hairs, while inside they are
hairless; while sleeping hamsters curl up to protect them.
Hamsters are mammals and to feed their babies (pups) they have 7 to 11 pairs of
nipples that are only really visible when the hamster is newly born and hairless.
To distinguish between male and female hamsters we must look at the shape of
the body (more rounded in females) and the distance between the genital organs
and anus, which are closer together in the female than in the male.
Taken from http://hamstersaspets.co.uk/hamsters-a-general-description/
TEXT # 2

10. The Homemade Volcano

Everyone at one time or another has constructed one of the most tried and true
home science experiments: The Volcano. This is a simple and really impressive
use of household acids and bases that can be made again and again.
What you’ll need:
A small empty plastic pop bottle (500 mL)
A funnel
Two measuring cups
1 cup of baking soda
1 cup of vinegar
1 tsp of Sunlight liquid dish detergent
Food coloring (optional)
Glitter (optional)
What to do:
1. Place the pop bottle in the bottom of your kitchen sink.
2. Insert the funnel into the pop bottle.
3. Pour the baking soda into the bottle using the funnel.
4. Add the dish detergent and the food coloring to the vinegar in the measuring
cup.
5. Sprinkle some glitter on top of the baking soda.
6. Pour the vinegar mixture into the bottle and watch as your volcano erupts.
TEXT # 3
ABSTRACT

Research paper abstracts are an important site for the visibility of scientific
endeavor. However, little research has been carried out on how abstracts can be
characterized in terms of their textual organization and other key features. In
addition, advice available in technical writing literature seems to be of little avail to
the production of quality abstracts. To help remedy this deficiency, this study
investigates the actual discourse organization of 94 abstracts in three leading
journals from the field of applied linguistics . A move analysis reveals that abstracts
follow a five-move pattern, namely: Move 1 motivates the reader to examine the
research by setting the general field or topic and stating the shortcomings of
previous study; Move 2 introduces the research by either making a descriptive
statement of the article’s main focus or by presenting its purpose; Move 3
describes the study design; Move 4 states the major findings; and Move 5
advances the significance of the research by either drawing conclusions or offering
recommendations. This descriptive analysis concludes that actual practice does
not coincide with the advice available in manuals. The proposed pattern may
serve as a pedagogic tool to help researchers in writing informative abstracts and,
beyond that, in entering the mainstream of research debate.
TEXT # 4

Androcles
A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As
he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and
groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue him, he
turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put out his paw, which
was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it,
and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the
Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then the
Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring him meat from which
to live. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion were captured, and the
slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after the latter had been kept without
food for several days. The Emperor and all his Court came to see the spectacle,
and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let
loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as
soon as he came near to Androcles he recognised his friend, and fawned upon
him, and licked his hands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this,
summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave
was pardoned and freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest. Gratitude is the
sign of noble souls.
TEXT # 5

The impact of agriculture on Mullet Creek

Agriculture is one of the major land uses of the land in and around the catchment
area. As mentioned above, their weir and irrigation have had a large impact, let
alone the paddocks surrounding the area. Near the Canoe Club, there were
several paddocks to harbour introduced species (Mainly cows and horses). The
paddocks and their occupants have a significant impact on the creek and its
ecosystem.

Firstly, a great amount of native vegetation has to have been cleared to make
space for the paddocks. The removal of native flora would destroy the homes and
food source of some of the smaller organisms in the area. With fewer plants and
trees in the area around the creek, the soil would suffer, dreadfully and this lack of
plants may be one of the sources of the lack of stability in the creek bank and the
large amount of erosion.

Secondly, the introduced animals themselves could do great harm to the natural
environment. The creatures would not only graze and interfere with the native
plants, but at the same time be competitors for native fauna for food.

Thirdly, fertilizers used for agriculture could cause problems. As the fertilizer is
placed directly onto the soil, it is quite easy for it to infiltrate the ground or become
run off during the next rainfall. Fertilizer could make its way into the creek, and
pollute it even more.