Two years ago, Green County Library decided to stay open until 8 p.m. every Thursday. This was to make library services available to people for whom evening was the only convenient time to visit. However, visitor numbers have not shown a strong demand for the later hours, and library officials determined that staff time would be more effectively utilized by adjusting operating hours. So I have to inform you that hours of operation at Green County Library will change starting October 8, 2015. Operating hours on Thursdays will return to normal, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. All normal library services will still be available during those hours. Additionally, the shift will allow Green County Library to improve and increase services to the community.

You’ve probably looked around you and noticed that all people are unique and different. Even people who might seem really similar in certain ways can also be very different. From different appearances, to different personalities, to different beliefs―it’s a big world full of interesting and diverse people! It is tolerance that protects the diversity which makes the world so exciting. Tolerance is the idea that all people should be equally accepted and equally treated, regardless of their differences from others. It’s a lot like fairness. Having tolerance means giving every person the same consideration, despite a person’s opinions, background, appearance, or other qualities, and whether or not those things are the same as your own. Tolerance allows the world to flourish. That is why treating other people with tolerance is very important.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “I had to carry the ball”? The expression “to carry the ball” means to take responsibility for getting something done. We use clichés like this every day in our speech. These expressions are colorful and often appealing in their economy and ability to convey an image or description of an emotion or situation. Someone may be “cold as ice” or “busy as a bee.” A story may be “too funny for words.” These expressions in speech do little harm. In writing, however, clichés suffer the fate of the familiar becoming boring. Your reader has heard and read these expressions so often that they tend to “bounce off” the reader so swiftly that they lose their appeal. Therefore, if you want your writing to be stronger and more effective, try not to use clichés. Clichés in writing ultimately diminish the strength and effectiveness of your message.

*bounce off: ~을 맞고 튕겨나가다

Science fiction involves much more than shiny robots and fantastical spaceships. In fact, many of the most outlandish pieces of science fiction have their basis in scientific facts. Because a great deal of science fiction is rooted in science, it can be used to bring literature out of the English classroom and into the science classroom. Not only does science fiction help students see scientific principles in action, but it also builds their critical thinking and creative skills. As students read a science fiction text, they must connect the text with the scientific principles they have learned. Students can read a science fiction text and a non-­fiction text covering similar ideas and compare and contrast the two. Students can also build their creative skills by seeing scientific principles used in a different way, possibly creating science fiction stories of their own or imagining new ways to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned.

*outlandish: 이상한, 기이한

Consider an innocent question asked years ago by a son to his father: “Who invented the automobile?” Trying to be instructive, the father told his son that in about 1886 Karl Benz invented the automobile. “Wow, he must have been a real genius to figure out the engine, the brakes, the spark plugs, the wheels, and how everything worked together!” “Well, someone else invented the tires; I think it was Firestone. And then there was even the person who invented the wheel....” But then he experienced a moment of realization. “I think I may have misled you. No one person invented all of the components of the automobile. Many people made significant discoveries that led to the invention of the automobile.”

Having watched the older children opening their gifts, I already knew that the big gifts were not necessarily the nicest ones. One girl my age got a large coloring book of historic characters, while a less greedy girl who selected a smaller box received a beautiful hairpin. As my turn came closer, my heart beat faster with anticipation. As I looked into the sack, I quickly fingered the remaining presents, testing their weight, imagining what they contained. I chose a small but heavy one that was wrapped in shiny silver foil and a red ribbon. It was a pack of batteries, which was not a gift I wished for. I had nothing to use them with! So I spent the rest of the party watching the other kids enjoying their gifts.

Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day in 1821 in Massachusetts. At the age of seventeen, Barton began to work as a schoolteacher in a summer school and later decided to get a degree in education. She went to college in New York and graduated in 1851. She worked at a private school and eventually opened her own school in New Jersey in 1853. After that, she worked for a government office in Washington D.C., where she was fired just because she was a woman. It made her fight for the rights of women to be treated equally in the work place. Throughout the Civil War, Barton nursed wounded soldiers back to health and became known as the “Angel of the Battlefield.” While traveling overseas Barton learned of an organization called the International Red Cross. She wanted to bring the organization to America. It took a lot of effort, but Barton finally founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

The above graph shows the percentage of male and female teachers in five educational settings in the UK in 2010. Overall, the percentage of females was larger than that of males in three out of five educational settings. ① Females took the highest percentage in nursery schools, and the lowest in universities. ② The situation in nursery and primary schools was very one­-sided, where over ninety percent of teachers were female. ③ In secondary schools, the percentage gap between male and female teachers was larger than that in primary schools. ④ However, there was no difference in the percentage of male and female teachers in colleges.⑤ Males showed their highest percentage in universities, where the percentage of males was seventy percent.

Henry Kissinger was a master at getting people’s best work. His chief of staff once handed in a report ① he had written on foreign policy. When Kissinger received the report, he asked simply, “Is this ② your best work?” The chief thought for a moment and, worried that his boss would think the report was not good enough, responded, “Mr. Kissinger, ③ I can do better.” So Kissinger gave the report back. Two weeks later the chief turned in the revised report. Kissinger kept it for a week and then sent it back with a note that said, “Are you sure this is your best work?” Realizing that something must have been missing, the chief once again rewrote the report. This time when ④ he handed the report to his boss he said, “Mr. Kissinger, this is my best work.” Upon hearing this, Kissinger replied, “Then this time ⑤ I will read your report.”

Night at the Museum

Have you ever imagined sleeping with Egyptian sculptures or waking up beside mummies? Come to “Night at the Museum”! You can spend a night exploring the museum after dark!

Date & Time
Every third weekend of the month
(Saturday 6:30 p.m. to Sunday 7:30 a.m.)

Admission (Price)
8 to 13­-year­-olds only ($40 per child)

Including
Materials for activities, overnight accommodations, breakfast
(Note: Food will not be provided until breakfast, so you should bring snacks.)

Booking Information
◆ Book tickets online through the “Night at the Museum” page on the museum website.
◆ You must sign up as a member on the museum website to book tickets.
◆ Refunds can only be given up to two weeks before the event.

HANDMADE TOYS CONTEST

Share Your
Toy-Making Ideas

Ecotoy is hosting its first toy­making competition. The contest aims to bring back the joy of toy­-making, encourage imaginative and creative play, and promote recycling and reusing.

Who: Open to all ages, individuals or groups
What to submit: Your own handmade toy & an instruction manual on how to make it
Where to send:Ecotoy Head Office, 110 Ricardo St., San Jose, CA
Due date: Friday, October 16  

Winners will be announced on November 9th. We will send all winners a $50 coupon that you can use at www.stationery.com. For more detailed information, email us at master@ecotoy.net.

Though he probably was not the first to do it, Dutch eyeglass maker Hans Lippershey gets credit for putting two lenses on either end of a tube in 1608 and ① creating a “spyglass.” Even then, it was not Lippershey but his children who discovered ② that the double lenses made a nearby weathervane look bigger. These early instruments were not ③ much more than toys because their lenses were not very strong. The first person to turn a spyglass toward the sky was an Italian mathematician and professor named Galileo Galilei. Galileo, who heard about the Dutch spyglass and began making his own, ④ realizing right away how useful the device could be to armies and sailors. As he made better and better spyglasses, which were later named telescopes, Galileo decided ⑤ to point one at the Moon.

* weathervane: 풍향계

Some species use alarm calls to share information about potential predators. Their alarm calls seem to convey very (A) specific / confusing information about the nature of the predator that has been detected as they become more mature. When a young vervet monkey spots a bird in the sky above it, it will give an alarm call. In this case a sort of “cough­cough” noise. At this stage, the call appears to be an innate possible­danger­above signal because it is given as a response to any large flying object, dangerous or otherwise. But as the monkey matures, the range of stimuli that will trigger the call (B) broadens / narrows. Eventually the use of this alarm call will be restricted to those situations when an eagle is spotted in the skies above. Upon hearing the call the members of the group will scan the sky to locate the (C) prey / threat and then make a dash for the cover provided by dense vegetation.
  
*innate: 타고난, 선천적인 **vegetation: 초목, 식물

It is important to understand how vision works, because from the first time you start looking at a situation, you are also making use of _________________. If you are at a baseball game, how do you know where to look? If you have never been to a game before, then the whole thing is probably a complex mess. You may miss a lot of the action, because you can’t predict what is going to happen next. As you learn more about baseball and develop some understanding of the game, you learn where to look and what objects are important to find. At first you might focus on the pitcher and hitter. Later still, you might notice whether the infielder is playing in or back, or you might check out where the outfielders have chosen to stand for a particular hitter. The more you know about baseball, the more that knowledge informs how you see a game.

*infielder: (야구의)내야수

To fight productivity­-slowing energy burnout typical in offices during the day, a design firm in Amsterdam has recently introduced a new method for ensuring that its employees go home on time and rest. Every day promptly at 6 p.m., everyone’s desks are raised to the ceiling by iron cables, and the space is then transformed into either a dance floor or yoga studio open for free to the community. The creative director of the firm, Sander Veenendaal, stated that this new measure has not only improved workers’ lives, but helped to build up their brand as well. __________ is becoming a serious priority in offices around the world hoping to achieve similar results.

*burnout: (심신의)소모

When children turn four, they start to _________________. If, for instance, you show a four­-year-old a packet of gum and ask what’s inside, she’ll say, “Gum.” You open the packet and show her that inside there’s a pencil instead of gum. If you ask her what her mother, who’s waiting outside, will think is in the packet once it’s been reclosed, she’ll say, “Gum,” because she knows her mother hasn’t seen the pencil. But children under the age of four will generally say that their mother will think there’s a pencil inside because children of this age cannot yet imagine the world beyond their own reality. They think everyone knows what they know because they cannot model someone else’s mind and, in this case, realize that someone must see something in order to know it.

Humans rely heavily on communicating through the meaning found in words and the way they are arranged. We can tell someone we love them in a sad, happy, or soft tone of voice, which gives nuance to our feelings―but the meaning of the words “I love you” remains the same. This is why “mixed signals” can be so confusing. ____(A)____, if a friend tells you that he or she likes you, you can interpret that in different ways, depending on the nonlanguage cues. If you hear “I like you” in a soft, upbeat tone and see your friend smiling and engaging you with friendly eye contact and body and arms relaxed, you will most likely believe that sentiment. ____(B)____, if you hear “I like you” in an angry tone of voice while your friend exhibits no facial expression, avoids eye contact, and sits slightly turned away from you, with arms folded tightly, you would question his or her motive.

Have you ever done something absent­-minded like throwing the peeled potato into the bin and the peelings into the pot? ① How about sending an email saying there is a document attached without actually attaching the document? ② Everyday mistakes like these happen all the time because our brains have to keep track of hundreds of different responses to thousands of different potential stimuli every hour of our waking lives. ③ Even though a second earlier we wrote that we were attaching a document to the email, the very next second our brain gives a command to our fingers to send the attachment-­less email. ④ It is wise not to open email attachments from an unknown, doubtful, or untrustworthy source. ⑤ Sometimes we don’t even realize our mistake until we get an email from the addressee pointing it out.

Athletes often report that when they are doing well in their sport the size of the target looks incredibly large.

(A) They had the players look at a poster with a variety of circles on it and asked them to indicate the circle they felt best represented the size of a softball.

(B) They also collected from the players their “stats” from the game they had just completed so that the researchers could compute batting averages. They found those players who had better batting averages perceived the ball size as larger than those who had poorer ones.

(C) This is in contrast to the experience of the target looking incredibly small when the players are not doing well. To test this phenomenon, Jessica Witt and Dennis Proffitt recruited men and women softball players immediately after their games.

*stats: 통계

How can you tell the difference between a hard­-boiled egg and a raw egg without breaking them?

(A) When you take your finger away, the raw egg will continue to spin for a few more seconds, as the fluid inside is still moving. The hard­-boiled egg will stop instantly.

(B)This is because the raw egg is fluid inside, whereas the hard-­boiled egg is solid. When you spin the raw egg, the fluid inside moves around and causes the shaking. But the hard-­boiled egg has no fluid like the raw egg, so it doesn’t shake. Put your finger briefly on the eggs to stop them spinning.

(C) Spin both the eggs! You will find the hard­-boiled egg spins so easily while the raw one doesn’t. Also, you will notice the raw egg will spin more slowly and it will shake!

Their commanding officer, relieved that his men had survived the snowstorm, asked how they made their way out.

Many years ago, a Hungarian military patrol was caught by a fierce snowstorm in the Swiss Alps. ( ① ) The soldiers were lost and frightened, but one of them found a map in his pocket. ( ② ) After consulting it, the soldiers built a shelter, planned their route, and then waited out the storm. ( ③ ) When the weather cleared three days later, they made their way back to the base camp. ( ④ ) A young soldier showed the life­-saving map to the officer, and he studied it carefully. ( ⑤ ) He was shocked to see that it was a map of the Pyrenees Mountains that border Spain and France, not the Swiss Alps.

However, they are unable to remember any of the words that they heard in the other ear, even if the same small set of words had been repeated a dozen times.

A classic psychological experiment asks a group of people to wear headphones. ( ① ) In this experiment, spoken words are played through the headphones, but a different set of words is played to each ear. ( ② ) Participants are told to listen to the words being sent to one ear (say the left ear) and to repeat them aloud. ( ③ ) When given these instructions, people are quite good at repeating the words that were spoken to that ear. ( ④ ) This example shows that much of the information that is available to your ears does not make it too far into your head. ( ⑤ ) You are selecting only a small amount of that information to be processed enough to know what words were being spoken.

As part of a research project, a group of undergraduate students watched a film, after which they were asked to describe it as fully as possible to other students. The listeners were actually research assistants, and for half the participants they assumed a positive listening style (smiling and nodding); for the other participants they assumed a negative listening style (frowning and unsmiling). Participants describing the film to positive listeners included more of their own opinions about what the film was trying to say. In contrast, participants speaking to negative listeners focused solely on objective facts and concrete details. The theory is that the smiles and nods of a listener signal interest and agreement, which in turn encourage the speaker to share more personal insights. Negative body language triggers a threat response that causes the speaker to pull back into the relative “safety” of facts.
  
According to a research project, the ____(A)____ of the information that speakers share depends on the type of ____(B)____ response that listeners give.

Cultures have rarely been completely isolated from outside influence, because throughout human history people have been moving from one place to another, spreading goods and ideas. What is different today, though, is the speed and scope of these interactions. Several decades ago, overnight mail service and direct long­-distance telephone calls increased the speed of cross­national communication. Advances in transportation technology have made international trade more cost­-effective and international travel more accessible to ordinary citizens. Today the Internet has given people around the world immediate access to the cultural artifacts and ideals of other societies, no matter where they’re located.
Clearly, societies are more interdependent than ever, and that matters for individuals. Sometimes the effects are positive. Medical discoveries in the United States or Europe, for instance, can save lives around the world. Globalization gives us a chance to learn about other societies and learn from them. Other times, however, global influence can have disastrous consequences. Many of today’s most urgent societal problems―widespread environmental destruction, large-­ and small-­scale wars, economic crises, and so on―are a function of globalization to some degree.
In short, it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to consider ourselves members of a single society ____________ by other societies. All of us are members of our own society and citizens of a world community at the same time.

Cultures have rarely been completely isolated from outside influence, because throughout human history people have been moving from one place to another, spreading goods and ideas. What is different today, though, is the speed and scope of these interactions. Several decades ago, overnight mail service and direct long­-distance telephone calls increased the speed of cross­national communication. Advances in transportation technology have made international trade more cost­-effective and international travel more accessible to ordinary citizens. Today the Internet has given people around the world immediate access to the cultural artifacts and ideals of other societies, no matter where they’re located.
Clearly, societies are more interdependent than ever, and that matters for individuals. Sometimes the effects are positive. Medical discoveries in the United States or Europe, for instance, can save lives around the world. Globalization gives us a chance to learn about other societies and learn from them. Other times, however, global influence can have disastrous consequences. Many of today’s most urgent societal problems―widespread environmental destruction, large-­ and small-­scale wars, economic crises, and so on―are a function of globalization to some degree.
In short, it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to consider ourselves members of a single society ____________ by other societies. All of us are members of our own society and citizens of a world community at the same time.

(A)
Evan, a young medical student, had to be away from his fiancée for three years to study at college in New York, far away from his hometown, New Orleans. To be separated so long from his love was heart­-breaking for him. He was eager to go see (a) her, but he was too poor to buy a ticket for a long­-distance bus to his hometown. He was sad and depressed. He would go to the bus station just to watch the buses for New Orleans drive away while sitting on an old wooden bench.

(B)
He showed the woman her picture. The woman said, “Oh, (b) she is the most beautiful young woman I’ve ever seen.” Then she began to tell him that she had been married to a traveling salesman who had recently passed away. She told him how they used to weep, both of them, each time he had to go away, but how happy they were when he returned. She said, “Marriage is wonderful. You’re going to have a wonderful marriage. Everything’s going to be fine.” Her words of kindness were a great comfort to him.

(C)
And then the woman suggested he might feel better if he had something to eat. She walked away, and a few minutes later she came back with a pack of doughnuts and gave it to him. At that moment, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, and she said, “Oh, my goodness! My bus is here.” And (c) she hurriedly walked to her bus. Watching her leave, he opened the pack of doughnuts. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside the box he found two $100 bills with a note. “Everything’s going to be fine. It’s time to go see (d) her!”

(D)
When he was at the bus station as usual, he found himself sitting next to an old woman. She saw him and said, “Honey, you sure do look depressed.” He said, “I am.” And before he knew it, he was crying. She reached for his hand and simply asked, “What’s wrong, honey?” He told her the story about his fiancée and himself and how much he loved her and how much he missed (e) her.

(A)
Evan, a young medical student, had to be away from his fiancée for three years to study at college in New York, far away from his hometown, New Orleans. To be separated so long from his love was heart­-breaking for him. He was eager to go see (a) her, but he was too poor to buy a ticket for a long­-distance bus to his hometown. He was sad and depressed. He would go to the bus station just to watch the buses for New Orleans drive away while sitting on an old wooden bench.

(B)
He showed the woman her picture. The woman said, “Oh, (b) she is the most beautiful young woman I’ve ever seen.” Then she began to tell him that she had been married to a traveling salesman who had recently passed away. She told him how they used to weep, both of them, each time he had to go away, but how happy they were when he returned. She said, “Marriage is wonderful. You’re going to have a wonderful marriage. Everything’s going to be fine.” Her words of kindness were a great comfort to him.

(C)
And then the woman suggested he might feel better if he had something to eat. She walked away, and a few minutes later she came back with a pack of doughnuts and gave it to him. At that moment, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, and she said, “Oh, my goodness! My bus is here.” And (c) she hurriedly walked to her bus. Watching her leave, he opened the pack of doughnuts. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside the box he found two $100 bills with a note. “Everything’s going to be fine. It’s time to go see (d) her!”

(D)
When he was at the bus station as usual, he found himself sitting next to an old woman. She saw him and said, “Honey, you sure do look depressed.” He said, “I am.” And before he knew it, he was crying. She reached for his hand and simply asked, “What’s wrong, honey?” He told her the story about his fiancée and himself and how much he loved her and how much he missed (e) her.

(A)
Evan, a young medical student, had to be away from his fiancée for three years to study at college in New York, far away from his hometown, New Orleans. To be separated so long from his love was heart­-breaking for him. He was eager to go see (a) her, but he was too poor to buy a ticket for a long­-distance bus to his hometown. He was sad and depressed. He would go to the bus station just to watch the buses for New Orleans drive away while sitting on an old wooden bench.

(B)
He showed the woman her picture. The woman said, “Oh, (b) she is the most beautiful young woman I’ve ever seen.” Then she began to tell him that she had been married to a traveling salesman who had recently passed away. She told him how they used to weep, both of them, each time he had to go away, but how happy they were when he returned. She said, “Marriage is wonderful. You’re going to have a wonderful marriage. Everything’s going to be fine.” Her words of kindness were a great comfort to him.

(C)
And then the woman suggested he might feel better if he had something to eat. She walked away, and a few minutes later she came back with a pack of doughnuts and gave it to him. At that moment, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, and she said, “Oh, my goodness! My bus is here.” And (c) she hurriedly walked to her bus. Watching her leave, he opened the pack of doughnuts. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside the box he found two $100 bills with a note. “Everything’s going to be fine. It’s time to go see (d) her!”

(D)
When he was at the bus station as usual, he found himself sitting next to an old woman. She saw him and said, “Honey, you sure do look depressed.” He said, “I am.” And before he knew it, he was crying. She reached for his hand and simply asked, “What’s wrong, honey?” He told her the story about his fiancée and himself and how much he loved her and how much he missed (e) her.