Amazing Place/Building

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

The Statue of Liberty, officially named the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, sits on the 12-acre Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This national monument, along with Ellis Island, has represented freedom from tyranny, financial hardship and suffering for many immigrants since the late 1800s. The French gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a gift to mark the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.

History

French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi collaborated with French engineer Gustave Eiffel to create the statue. They designed the massive structure using thin pounded copper sheets covering a steel framework. Eiffel, also responsible for Paris’ Eiffel Tower, created the frame of the statue. Its design and construction were considered an engineering masterpiece of the 19th century. American architect Richard Morris Hunt designed its pedestal. Completed in 1884, the French warship “Isere” transported the statue in 350 parts and packed in 214 crates. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886, according to The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation website.

Physical Description

The Statue of Liberty looks like a tiny figure when viewed from the Brooklyn Bridge; however, at close range, it is an impressive figure in the New York Harbor. From pedestal to tip, the 225-ton (450,000-pound) statue is 305 feet, 6 inches, with the face measuring more than 8 feet tall. There are 154 steps from the pedestal to the head, and the figure has a 35-foot waistline. The tablet reads JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776). The Statue of Liberty’s green coloring occurs because of the weather’s effect on copper. In 1986, the copper torch was replaced by a torch overlaid with 24-carat gold.

Symbolism

The physical features of the Statue of Liberty have symbolic meanings. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation website says the broken shackles at Liberty's feet symbolize breaking away from tyranny and oppression. The seven rays on her crown represent the seven continents; each weighs about 150 pounds and is about 9 feet long. The National Park Service says the 25 windows in her crown signify gemstones found on the Earth and heaven’s rays shining over the world. The torch signifies lighting the path to freedom, reflecting the sun during the day and illuminated by 16 floodlights at night.

Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”

In 1883, Jewish socialite Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus,” comparing the Statue of Liberty to the Colossus of Rhodes. Lazarus’ words remained virtually unnoticed until after her death, when philanthropist Georgina Schuyler found the poem in a portfolio of poetry written to raise funds to aid in the construction of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. Moved by the poem, Schuyler wanted to memorialize Lazarus. In 1903, a plaque bearing the poem's final five lines, which begin with the famous words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” was placed on the inner wall of the statue’s pedestal. The American Studies department at the University of Virginia reports that by 1945, an engraving of the whole poem was placed at the statue’s main entrance.

The Pedestal

The Statue of Liberty is not only a national monument; it serves as a reservoir of the statue’s history. The pedestal contains a lobby, exhibits on the first and second floors and a 10th-floor observatory. Located on the first floor, the Torch Exhibit features the original 1886 torch. The second floor’s exhibits, including Mother of Exiles, Becoming the Statue of America and The Statue in Popular Culture, consist of photos, prints, artifacts and oral histories. The second-floor balcony overlooks the torch exhibit and provides diagrams, photos and historic details. The Statue of Liberty was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural and architectural significance.

source : http://traveltips.usatoday.com/description-statue-liberty-11766.html

NATURAL PHENOMENON

VOLCANOES

Volcanoes form when magma reaches the Earth's surface, causing eruptions of lava and ash. They occur at destructive (compressional) and constructive (tensional) plate boundaries.

The immediate effects of volcanic eruptions can be devastating, but they may be beneficial in the long term.

Key facts

• A volcano is formed by eruptions of lava and ash.
• Volcanoes are usually cone shaped mountains or hills.
• When magma reaches the Earth's surface it is called lava. When the lava cools, it forms rock.
• Volcanic eruptions can happen at destructive and constructive boundaries, but not at conservative boundaries.
• Some volcanoes happen underwater, along the seabed or ocean floor.

The formation of volcanoes

Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia

1. Magma rises through cracks or weaknesses in the Earth's crust.
2. Pressure builds up inside the Earth.
3. When this pressure is released, eg as a result of plate movement, magma explodes to the surface causing a volcanic eruption.
4. The lava from the eruption cools to form new crust.
5. Over time, after several eruptions, the rock builds up and a volcano forms.

Inside a volcano

Diagram of a volcano

• The magma chamber is a collection of magma inside the Earth, below the volcano.
• The main vent is the main outlet for the magma to escape.
• Secondary vents are smaller outlets through which magma escapes.
• The crater is created after an eruption blows the top off the volcano.

An eruption occurs when pressure in the magma chamber forces magma up the main vent, towards the crater at the top of the volcano. Some magma will also be forced out of the secondary vent at the side of the volcano.

Different types of volcano

Volcanoes can be described in terms of activity and can be:

• still active and erupt frequently
• dormant (temporarily inactive but not fully extinct)
• extinct (never likely to erupt again)

Volcanoes can also be described by their shape or type - shield or composite.

Shield volcanoes

The characteristics of a shield volcano

• Shield volcanoes are usually found at constructive or tensional boundaries.
• They are low, with gently sloping sides.
• They are formed by eruptions of thin, runny lava.
• Eruptions tend to be frequent but relatively gentle.

Composite volcanoes

Characteristics of a composite volcano

• Composite volcanoes are made up of alternating layers of lava and ash (other volcanoes just consist of lava).
• They are usually found at destructive or compressional boundaries.
• The eruptions from these volcanoes may be a pyroclastic flow rather than a lava flow. A pyroclastic flow is a mixture of hot steam, ash, rock and dust.
• A pyroclastic flow can roll down the sides of a volcano at very high speeds and with temperatures of over 400°C.

Supervolcanoes

A supervolcano is a volcano on a massive scale. It is different from a volcano because:

• it erupts at least 1,000 km³ of material (a large volcano erupts around 1 km³)
• it forms a depression, called a caldera (a volcano forms a cone shape)
• a supervolcano often has a ridge of higher land around it
• a supervolcano erupts less frequently - eruptions are hundreds of thousands of years apart

The stages in the creation of a supervolcano caldera

Magma cannot escape to the surface and collects under the lower crust.

1. Back
2. 1
3. 2
4. 3
5. 4
6. Next

Yellowstone

A hydrothermal feature at Yellowstone

Yellowstone is one example of a supervolcano. Three huge eruptions have happened in the last 3 million years. the last eruption was 630,000 years ago, and was 1,000 times bigger than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980.

The large volume of material from the last Yellowstone eruption caused the ground to collapse, creating a depression called acaldera. The caldera is 55 km by 80 km wide. The next eruption is predicted to have catastrophic worldwide effects.

The supervolcano at Yellowstone is formed because of a volcanic hotspot.

Every year millions of visitors come to see the related features, such as geysersand hot springs. Old Faithful is one example of a geyser.

Effects of volcanic eruptions

Helgafjell Volcano, Iceland

Volcanic eruptions can have a devastating effect on people and the environment.

However, unlike earthquakes, volcanoes can also have a positive impact on an area. These positive impacts can help to explain why people choose to live near volcanoes.

Positive and negative effects of an eruption

Positive	Negative
The dramatic scenery created by volcanic eruptions attracts tourists. This brings income to an area.	Many lives can be lost as a result of a volcanic eruption.
The lava and ash deposited during an eruption breaks down to provide valuable nutrients for the soil. This creates very fertile soil which is good for agriculture	If the ash and mud from a volcanic eruption mix with rain water or melting snow, fast moving mudflows are created. These flows are calledlahars.
The high level of heat and activity inside the Earth, close to a volcano, can provide opportunities for generating geothermal energy.	Lava flows and lahars can destroy settlements and clear areas of woodland or agriculture.
	Human and natural landscapes can be destroyed and changed forever.

Case study: Chances Peak, Montserrat, 1995-97 - an LEDC

Plymouth covered in ash from volcanic eruptions on Montserrat

Montserrat is a small island in the Caribbean. There is a volcanic area located in the south of the island on Soufriere Hills called Chances Peak. Before 1995 it had been dormant for over 300 years. In 1995 the volcano began to give off warning signs of an eruption (small earthquakes and eruptions of dust and ash). Once Chances Peak had woken up it then remained active for five years. The most intense eruptions occurred in 1997.

During this time, Montserrat was devastated by pyroclastic flows. The small population of the island (11,000 people) was evacuated in 1995 to the north of Montserrat as well as to neighbouring islands and the UK.

Despite the evacuations, 19 people were killed by the eruptions as a small group of people chose to stay behind to watch over their crops.

Volcanic eruptions and lahars have destroyed large areas of Montserrat. The capital, Plymouth, has been covered in layers of ash and mud. Many homes and buildings have been destroyed, including the only hospital, the airport and many roads.

The graphic shows the progress of the eruption and its impact on the island.

Montserrat - eruption progress and impact

Short-term responses and results

• Evacuation.
• Abandonment of the capital city.
• The British government gave money for compensation and redevelopment.
• Unemployment rose due to the collapse of the tourist industry.

Long-term responses and results

• An exclusion zone was set up in the volcanic region.
• A volcanic observatory was built to monitor the volcano.
• New roads and a new airport were built.
• Services in the north of the island were expanded.
• The presence of the volcano resulted in a growth in tourism.

Volcanic activity has calmed down in recent years and people have begun to return to the island.

You might be asked to consider the values and attitudes or opinions of people involved in the eruption, such as refugees or aid workers for example.

Case study: Mount St Helens 1980 (MEDC)

Map showing location of Mount St Helens

Mount St Helens is on the plate boundary between the Juan de Fuca plate and North American plate. When it erupted it permanently changed the surrounding landscape.

Effects of the eruption

Primary effects	Secondary effects
Nuée ardente (hot ash and gas) destroyed forests and logging camps. 63 people were killed, mainly by poisonous gases. Lahars (mudflows of ash and water) covered an extensive area surrounding the volcano.	Ash blocked rivers destroying popular fishing sites and causing flooding. This in turn destroyed crops and livestock. Flooding destroyed communications such as road and railway bridges. Sediment carried downstream ruined barge transport on the Columbia River.

Short-term responses and results

• Communications such as roads and bridges were repaired.
• People were rehoused.

Long-term responses and results

• Soil fertility improved due to the ash deposits.
• The volcano is now more carefully monitored.
• Tourism has increased, boosting the local economy.

SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/natural_hazards/volcanoes_rev7.shtml

School Event Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT

To celebrate Indonesian Woman Hero birthday. We invite the 10th grade students to join Traditional Clothes Fashion Show. Each class must send 2 students (boy and girl) to present Traditional Clothes in front of the people. The event will be held :

•  date  : 21st April 2013
•  place : School Hall
•  time   : at 9 am - finish

The first, second, and third winner will get trophy and some present. So, come and join this event. Your participation means your respect to us. See you in the event

The Chief Of Traditional Clothes Fashion Show

HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

I want to tell you about my activities during 2 weeks holiday.
In the beginning of last holiday, I stayed at home. I woke up late, watched TV, and had fun. A few days after, me and my family went to Jakarta. We went to Ancol. When we already arrived in Ancol, we went to SeaWorld. We saw variety of fishes. It was fun to go to SeaWorld. After that, me, my little sister and my mother tried to ride Gondola. We could see Ancol from the sky. I was really exciting to ride Gondola. Although, I was scared a little bit at first. Then, we ate in one restaurant on there. Finally, we went home. On the way to go out from Jakarta. We passed some famous buildings, like Monas, President House, and many more. It seems like, me and my family just spent short time in Ancol. We arrived at 9 am and went back home at 3 pm. We didn't go to all of the places in Ancol because it was so crowded and we decided to do not try all of them. It could spend most of our time when we were queuing. The next day, I spent my time at house. Just like before, I woke up late, watched TV, and had fun. When holidays, I also came to school 3 times. First, I came to pay for extra lesson. Second, I came to have a meeting with OSIS members. Third, I came to school to make school bulletin. Besides that, I also spent a day with my Junior High School friends. Before I went back to school, I spent my last 3 days of holiday in Pangandaran. We went of Friday afternoon and we arrived at evening. We we arrived, we tried 'Taxi Gowes'. It has colorful light, it attracted me to ride it. On the next day, in the morning, we went to the beach. After that, we rode 'Taxi Gowes' again. We went around Pangandaran. The last day in Pangandaran, I went to the beach in the morning. After that, had a breakfast, took a bath, and we went home.
That's all my activities during holiday. Now, it's time to go to school after spent a very exciting holiday. 

Summary Of The Narrative Text

Dongso and The Little Sawah

Once upon a time lived a starving boy name Dongso. He was so poor so he decided to work. He worked in a widow field. He prepared the widow field very well. But, when the harvest time came, Dongso found that the stalks were empty of kernels. After that, he tried to prepare the field for the second time.What happened at the first happen again, the stalks were empty of kernels. When knew this thing happened, the neighbor of the widow thought that Dongso sent by God to punish the widow because she was popular with her stingy character, When heard about that, the widow dismiss Dongso without payed him.

Then, Dongso decided to walk along the road and He founded a little hut. He knocked at that little hut door. An old woman, Randa Derma, opened the door. Dongso said "please, give me a hand of rice". Randa Derma asked "why you are begging ? you still look strong and young". Because Randa Derma was a kindhearted women, she let Dongso in and served him some food.Without a word, Dongso ate the food.

When Dongso had finished, Randa Derma asked him "why you were begging ? why you don't go to work ?". Dongso answered, "I had worked in a widow field but when the harvest time came, the stalks were empty of kernels”. Randa Derma said, “if you still want to work, i will give you a chance. You can work in my field but I have no buffalo, and my field is not the big one. If you did it, you can have 1 of 5 of the harvest”. Dongso than accepted it.

Early in the next morning, Dongso came to Randa Derma’s field. He prepared the field very good and very carefully. When a night before the harvest time came, Dongso could not sleep. He felt worry, he scare that he would fail again like is experience before.

When the morning came, Dongso went to Randa Derma’s field. He found the field was full of golden stalks. Dongso and Randa Derma felt so happy when knew about that. So, as the promise that Randa Derma gave, Dongso got 1 of 5 of the harvest.

Now, Dongso become a rich man. He could buy field and buffalo as many as he wanted and he needed.  

The Moral Value : The one who are kind will get something good. Although you will pass a hard moment first, you must be strong and keep be a good and kind person.

NARRATIVE TEXT

DONGSO AND THE LITTLE SAWAH

A starving boy went wearily from village to village. His name was Dongso and he had been dismissed by a rich widow for whom he had worked, because the harvest had been so poor. 

The widow was known throughout the land as the owner of the most fruitful acres, but after Dongso had come the harvest had been so meager that he alone ate more rice than the fields produced. It happened not once, but twice. The widow herself had seen how well Dongso had prepared the sawah and tended the young rice shoots, but when they had grown tall and ready to be harvested, the stalks were empty of kernels and hung limp in the sun. 

After the second harvest, the village people began to whisper that the young man might be a bad spirit. Perhaps he had been sent to earth by Allah to punish the widow because she was so stingy and made such meager offerings to the village-spirit and the sawah-spirit. 

The widow, of course, heard these whispering, and in anger she dismissed Dongso, without paying him. 

Weak with hunger Dongso came one evening to the outskirts of a village and knocked at the door of the first house he saw. It was a little hut in the midst of a small sawah owned by a poor old woman, Randa Derma. When Dongso knocked, she opened the door to him and he fell across the threshold. 

"Please," he said feebly, "give me a handful of rice. I am starving." 

"Why do you have to beg?" she asked him. "You look strong and you are young. Why don't you earn your rice? Why don't you work for your food?'* 

But she was a goodhearted woman and she pulled her unexpected guest into the room without waiting for his answer. She set rice and coffee in front of him. "Eat and drink, my son'' she said. "And then tell me why you beg rather than work." 

The boy began to eat without a word, trying to make up for the many days he had gone hungry. When at last he was satisfied, he told the old woman his story. "I did my best'' he said. "I worked hard all the time I took care of the widow's sawah. And truly I could not help it, it was not my fault, that the ears were almost always empty. I think," he said slowly, "it was because she did not make offerings to the protecting spirits and they were punishing her. And how could I force them to make the ears full of grain?" 

"No, of course you couldn't'' the old woman agreed. "But if you will stay with me and work my little sawah, I will give you one fifth of the harvest yield. The trouble is, I have no buffalo. But the field isn't very big." 

"It won't matter'' Dongso said. His eyes shone with gratitude for her offer. "I'll do my best for you." 

Early the next morning, he started for the sawah, with only a spade. He turned the earth as if he had a fine plow and a strong buffalo working for him. When the time came for the sowing he did that, too, with speed and skill. Now he must wait with patience for the ripening. Then he would be able to harvest full, fine ears of rice! It was almost as if his wishes were coming true, for the rice stalks grew tall and straight, and the ears turned a beautiful golden yellow. 

But then the worst happened, the same thing that had happened when he was working in the fields of the rich widow. The fine-looking stalks carried only empty ears, with not a grain of rice in them! He asked himself, in despair, "Can it be that this woman, too, has made no offering to the spirits? Or can it be that I am the one who brings bad luck to people?" 

He couldn't bear to tell the old woman what was troubling him. She would find out for herself soon enough, when she went into the field for the harvest. 

As the day drew near Dongso grew sadder and sadder. The night before the harvest he couldn't sleep a wink. He lay on his mat, tossing from side to side, thinking of the empty ears of rice in the field and how unhappy the old woman would be. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he could not face her disappointment when she opened the ears of rice that had been cut. Very early, long before sunup, he would leave the village; he would steal away as he had come, and beg from door to door till he found work again. 

As quietly as a mouse he crept out of the hut next morning and started for the road. But before he left the village for good, he had to look once more at the little sawah where he had labored so long and faithfully. Walking sadly between the tall stalks, he looked again at the golden-yellow, empty ears. Idly he plucked one off and opened it. As he had thought, there were no rice grains in it. 

Then his mouth fell open and he looked again, hardly believing what he saw. There were no grains of rice, but there were grains of gold, pure, glittering gold! He was dazed with astonishment. This couldn't be. Maybe in one ear, but surely not Dongso picked another one, and still another one, and yet another one, and each ear was filled with kernels of gold. 

He ran back to the little hut, and found the old woman busy with her weaving. She looked up at him in astonishment. "Why are you so happy, Dongso?" 

Dongso almost told her. But he wanted her to see the amazing sight herself. He wanted her to find the kernels of gold as he had found them. So he said, "Because today we are going to give a wonderful harvest feast, Randa Derma!" 

The old woman's wrinkled face puckered sadly when he said that "No, Dongso''. she said with a sigh, "I'm sorry, but we can't do that. We can only make a simple meal. I spent the last of my money on offerings to the spirits of the village and of the sawah so that they might bless the harvest." 

"And so they have!" he shouted. "Wait till you see how they have blessed the harvest!" He took her by the hand and led her to the sawah. The old woman stumbled in her haste to follow his quick steps as he hurried her to the place where he had made the amazing discovery. 

Dongso tore off a stalk and gave it to her. "Look inside, Little Mother'' he urged, and he watched as she opened the ear and found the golden kernels. He laughed when she shrieked with joy. "What did I tell you? What did I tell you?" 

But the old woman pulled herself together quickly. "Now Allah be praised'' she said, bowing her head. "My little rice field has brought forth more than a hundred great sawah could bring forth. Allah be praised!" 

She had promised Dongso a fifth of the harvest and she gave him a fifth of the harvest. Now he was rich. He could buy himself a sawah, he could buy buffaloes, as many as he needed, as many as he wanted. But Dongso bought neither a rice field nor buffaloes. He was faithful to the old woman who had befriended him, and he took care of the many spreading sawahs she bought with the same zeal that he had taken care of her tiny sawah. And he did to others who came to help him as she had done to him he gave them one fifth of the crop of the lush acres. 

It has been so from that day to this: One fifth of each sawah's harvest is divided among the helpers. From that day to this, too, there has never been want or poverty in that district. The people of Derma have lived in peace and plenty all these years. 

That's what the village was named Derma, after the old woman who had befriended Dongso and who had been so poor that she could not even offer a harvest feast. But the Javanese do not believe the village's well-being came from the fruitfulness of the countryside. They believe the good fortune of the village and its people is due to the lovely temple Dongso built to the memory of his benefactor, after she died, on the very spot where once the little sawah had been. 

SOURCE  :  WWW.ENGLISHINDO.COM