“The Tiger” by William Blake (1757-
1827)
Tiger /Tiger,/ burning bright,
In the forests /of the night;
What immortal/ hand or eye,
Could frame thy /fearful symmetry?
In what distant /deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire/ of thine eyes?
On what wings/ dare he aspire?
What the hand,/ dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
ANNABEL /LEE - Edgar Allan Poe
[It was many/ and many/ a year ago,/
In a kingdom by the sea,/
That a maiden there lived/ whom you may
know/
By the name /of ANNABEL/ LEE;/
And this maiden she lived /with no other
thought/
Than to love/ and be loved/ by me.
I //was a child/ and she/ was a child,
In this kingdom /by the sea;
But we loved/ with a love /that was more
/than love-
I /and my Annabel/ Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of
heaven
Coveted her/ and me.]
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tiger Tiger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
And this was the reason/ that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind /blew out of a cloud/, chilling
My beautiful Annabel/ Lee;
So that her highborn/ kinsman came
And bore her /away from me,
To shut her up /in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels/, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying/ her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason/ (as all men know/,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by
night/, Chilling /and killing/ my Annabel
Lee.
DEFORESTATION, EROSION AND FLOODS

The problem of floods has been compounded by deforestation. Cutting down forests
increases dramatically the risks of flooding. When a catchment area of a river is heavily
forested, the elaborate root system of the trees acts as a giant sponge, soaking up rainfall and
releasing it slowly to the river below. Once deforested, run-off in the catchments area is
vastly increased. According to UNESCO, the watershed of one river released between 1 and
3 percent of the total rainfall in the area when forested. Once the trees had been cut down,
between 97 and 99 percent of the rainfall was released.

SENSES OF THE HUMAN BODY

We usually say that people have five senses. Senses are the way that we learn what is
happening around us. The five main senses are sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Each
sense depends on a specific organ of the body. The organ receives the information and then
the nerves send this information to the brain. For example, eyes control sight, ears control
hearing, and skin controls touch. Taste depends on the taste buds on the tongue, and smell
depends on the nose. In addition, there are also other senses, which are equally important.
There is a sense of balance, which stops us from falling down. We also have senses of
hunger, thirst and heat and cold.
THE BENEFITS OF READING

Reading or the enjoyment of books has always been regarded among the charms of a cultured
life. This is easy to understand when we compare the difference between the life of a man
who does not read and that of a man who does. The man who does not read is imprisoned in
his immediate world, in respect to time and space. His life falls into a set routine; he is
limited to contact and conversation with a few friends, and he sees only what happens in his
immediate neighborhood. From this prison there is no escape. But the moment he picks up a
book, he instantly enters a different world and, if it is a good book, he is put in touch with one
of the best talkers in the world.

THE COBRA

In southern Africa there is a very special snake called the “spitting cobra”. This unusual
snake is as dangerous as it is beautiful. However, unlike many other dangerous snakes, the
spitting cobra usually does not bother to bite its enemies. When an enemy gets near, a spitting
cobra raises up its head. Then it seems to spit right at its enemy’s eyes. The cobra’s deadly
venom is squirted through two holes in its fangs, or teeth. If that poison lands in the eyes, it
can cause someone to go blind almost immediately. Oddly enough, the poison is harmless if
it lands on the skin. Even more surprising cobras have been known to hit an enemy’s eyes
from as far away as six feet.
THE VALUABLE PEARL

There is only one precious jewel not mined from the earth. This jewel is the pearl. Pearls are
used mostly for necklaces and rings. They are expensive because it is difficult to get them.
Pearls are found in oysters. Oysters are small sea animals that lives in shells. When a grain of
sand gets into the shell, the oyster puts a smooth coating on it. The coating protects the oyster
from sand. This becomes the pearl. As the oyster puts on more layers, the pearls “grow”.
Divers go deep into the ocean to gather oysters. Only one oyster in thousands contains a
pearl. You can understand why pearls are valuable.

THE WEDDING DRESS

In many countries, it is customary for the bride to wear a white dress as a symbol of purity.
The tradition of wearing a special white dress only for the wedding ceremony started around
150 years ago. Before that, most women could not afford to buy a dress that they would only
wear once. Now bridal dresses can be bought in a variety of styles and fabrics, and many
brides have their dress specially made. In some countries, colors other than white are worn by
the bride or used as part of the wedding ceremony. In certain Asian countries and in the
Middle East, red and orange are considered symbols of joy and happiness. In Asia, it is not
uncommon for the bride and groom to change clothes more than once as the ceremony
progresses.