New Pathways

 New Pathways

    If you cannot get from one place to another, maybe you need a bridge, tunnel, or road. A person trained as a special kind of engineer can help you. Civil engineers design and construct highways, harbors, bridges, and tunnels. These engineers have specialized training in physics and math. Frequently, they are also talented architects.
    Most people think of bridges as structures that cross waterways, but bridges have been built to go across other wide spaces as well. Centuries ago, bridges were usually made of wood and rope. They were built to help people cross deep canyons between mountains. Now bridges are often constructed in large cities. They allow people to cross between buildings and tall skyscrapers.
    Engineers build bridges primarily for cars, trucks, and trains. Sometimes several levels are built, one for cars and trucks and one for trains. Cars and trucks may be routed through different levels, but what about people? They deserve a pathway across a bridge, too. People like to stroll, ride bikes, and even jog across bridges. Many bridges now have designated pathways just for people without automobiles.
    Civil engineers also build tunnels. Recently, a tunnel that connects England and France was built beneath the English Channel. For the first time in history, people can drive their automobiles from the United Kingdom to the mainland of Europe.

What are bridges used for?

Why do bridges need special pathways?

New Products from TVC

 New Products from TVC

    Check out the new products from TVC, your number-one source for fine electronic products for over 50 years. This year we've got some great items for the whole family.

TVC Landmark TVs--Our company offers better ways for you to receive high-quality digital TV broadcasts in your home. You can't get shaper TV signals from any other product on the market. The V-TEK system lets you link up two video sources, such as HDTV receivers and DVD players. Using our system, you can alternate easily between the two sources.

Ad-Free TV--Wouldn't it be pleasant to watch your favorite shows without ads? With our Comfree V10 system, you can watch programs without interruptions from ads.

Digital TV--With TVC digital, it doesn't get any sharper. It comes with first-rate picture and sound features. The experts in home entertainment at TVC have made a TV that is clearly better than any other digital product.

Got Game?--The XG port is the latest in video game TV, delivering great picture detail so that you can enjoy the most popular video games. You won't believe your eyes!

On the Road--Our travel products just get better all the time. The Tripster combination TV and VCR is perfect for family trips. Just plug in the DC adapter, and your passengers can watch their favorite movies while you drive.

    Visit us at fine stores across the country. Come in during March and mention this ad. You'll receive a 10 percent discount on any of our products. TVC means quality, so come see our products.

The Destruction of Pompeii

The Destruction of Pompeii

    The city of Pompeii was located in southern Italy. It was not far from where the present city of Naples stands. Pompeii was a busy, prosperous city with a population of about 12,000. A few miles to the north, stood Mount Vesuvius, a volcano. However, Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for a long time, so no one realized it was still active.
    Then on August 24, A.D. 79, Vesuvius erupted violently. The eruption totally buried Pompeii and several nearby towns. Huge piles of volcanic ash and debris covered everything! According to records, some people managed to escape. However, many did not.
    For many centuries people forgot that Pompeii had ever existed. Then in 1748, some small discoveries in the area led to the excavation of a temple in Pompeii. That was the beginning of many years of excavation and restoration. Some of that restoration still continues to this day.
    Pompeii is an amazing archaeological site because it has been so well-preserved. The ashes, cinders, and dust that fell during the eruption of Vesuvius kept everything intact. Buildings, works of art, furniture, eating utensils, and even the outlines of bodies can be seen as they were on the day Pompeii was destroyed.

How was the city of Pompeii destroyed?

Why were many things in Pompeii so well-preserved?

The Edible Schoolyard

 The Edible Schoolyard

    What does a certain school in California have that most other schools don't have? King Middle School has a garden. The garden is part of a cooking and gardening program called the Edible Schoolyard. The idea for the program came from Alice Waters. Waters started a restaurant that makes food from fresh ingredients.

    Something delicious is always growing in the garden. Students are learning a different type of ABCs--asparagus, beans, and carrots! They grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Teachers and students work together in the program. Parents and local farmers support the program.

    In the garden, students take care of the soil and plants. They harvest the crops. Students can explore and sample new foods directly from the garden. They learn firsthand the ways in which fresh food is healthy for your body. A classroom kitchen is also part of the program. In the kitchen, students prepare and eat healthy dishes made from the food they grow.

    Teachers at the school use the garden and kitchen activities to extend the learning in other subject areas, too. For example, students learn information about plants and the relationships between living things and their environment.

    Both the garden and the program are growing, and word of this program is spreading. Other schools across the country have started their own edible schoolyards.

Crossing the Seas

 Crossing the Seas

    Ships are one of the oldest and most important forms of transportation. Giant tankers carry oil and other liquids. Refrigerator ships carry fresh fruits, meats, and vegetables. People traveled across the ocean on ships before airplanes became widely used. Now people take vacations on cruise ships.
    Throughout history, nations became rich and powerful by taking control of the seas. When they lost that control, they also often lost their power.
    Probably the earliest "ship" was a log that someone used to cross a lake or river. Later people tied logs together to create rafts and discovered how to use trees to make canoes. In places where wood was scarce, people made boats out of animal skins. They sewed the skins into a bag, filled the bag with air, and used the bag as a float.
    By about 3000 B.C., the Egyptians had discovered how to use sails to move boats. They also learned how to make boats out of planks of wood. For the next 5,000 years, shipbuilders focused on building bigger and bigger ships with better sails.
    A big change in shipbuilding came in the 1800s. People began to use steam instead of wind power to move ships. These ships were fueled by coal. Later people began using heavy oil instead of coal. Today people even use nuclear power to move large ships.

what was probably the earliest ship?

According to the article, why was controlling the seas important long ago?

Bicycle Stunt Riding

Bicycle Stunt Riding

    To many people, riding a bicycle is a pleasant pastime. To some, it's serious exercise. And to a brave few, it's a way to impress an audience and win medals and fame.

    The members of this last group compete in a sport known as bicycle stunt riding. The sport made its entry into the X Games a few years ago. In this type of riding, bikers perform airborne tricks and acrobatics. The tricks have names such as the Tail Whip, Can-Can, and Truck Driver. In competition, bikers go through a cycle of four different events.

    In the dirt-jumping event, bikers launch themselves off dirt ramps and perform high-flying tricks in the air. In a flatland performance, a biker performs tricks of balance and strength while rolling along a flat surface. Street stunts consist of jumping over boxes, rails, and pipes. In the vert, a biker performs stunts on and over a halfpipe similar to those in snowboarding and skateboarding.

    The star of bicycle stunt riding is New Yorker Dave Mirra. he has won multiple silver and gold medals at the X Games. In fact, he's won more medals than any other X Games athlete. Mirra has mastered and created stunts that have amazed judges and audiences. He's brought enthusiasm to the sport.

    Someone once asked Mirra if winning medals ever becomes boring. "Winning gold never gets old," he replied. "Winning the X Games is the biggest accomplishment anybody can have right now in this sport."

Paul Bunyan and the Popcorn Blizzard

 Paul Bunyan and the Popcorn Blizzard

    Everyone knows that Paul Bunyan was a mighty big hero who headed for the West and became a lumberjack. While there, Paul hired hundreds of men to help him clear the forests and create land for farms.
    One spring, when some of the forests had been cleared, the farmers planted corn. When summer came, the sun got hotter and hotter, and the cornstalks grew as tall as trees! As the cornstalks grew, so did the kernels of corn.
    One morning, after the scorching sun rose, it was hotter than ever. When Paul went out, his lumberjacks stood near him because his shadow provided the only shade. While the men were working, they suddenly heard a loud popping sound. All across the fields, the corn kernels were bursting as loud as firecrackers! The popped corn flew through the air and then fell to the ground, forming large piles. Meanwhile, the men who had been sweltering were now shivering because they thought the popcorn was snow! So they ran inside to put on their jackets and caps. Then they made popcorn balls and had popcorn fights!
    Later on, this incident became known as the Popcorn Blizzard. People laughed and marveled how during the "blizzard" everyone forgot about the heat.

Why did the cornstalks grow so big?

What did the men think the popcorn was?