Passage 2: The Scot and the Teakettle

According to one story, a Scottish boy watched the steam lift the top off his mother’s teakettle and realized the power of steam to make machines work. That boy, James Watt, would then go on to invent the modern steam engine in 1769. Actually, the history of steam technology records the successful work of several scientists and engineers before Watt. For example, in 1698, Thomas Savery had introduced a simple steam pump to remove water from mines, and 14 years later, Thomas Newcomen invented a better pump. But these pumps weren’t efficient because they used so much fuel. In 1769, the Scottish boy, James Watt, figured out a way to save three-quarters of the fuel, to honor him, his last name became the name of a unit energy.

Passage 3: A vacation postcard

Dear Millie, You wouldn’t believe Costa Rica! It’s really peaceful. Judy and I have been staying in a tent at a campground on the beach. We’re studying a little Spanish with a cute guy who teaches in a school here, but I think he’s learning more English than we are Spanish. Judy brought her guitar, so we enjoy singing around the campfire at night. Love, Sheila

Passage 4: Wide open spaces

Visitors to the United States, especially those from Japan or smaller countries in Europe, are likely to comment on the size and scale of everything. Although the downtown sections of some of the older cities such as Boston and Philadelphia may look similar to their own larger cities, other aspects are likely to appear ”out of scale.” For example, the average American farm is huge in comparison with the typical family farm of Europe and Asia. Across the Great Plains, farmers use great machines to plant and harvest enormous quantities of wheat. Such farms offer a dramatic contrast to the tiny farms of Europe or Asia, where intense human labor is more important. The main cities of the Unites States are connected by a vast system of highways and superhighways moving endless streams of cars and trucks, while on the edge of the cities, suburban developments and shopping centers with huge parking lots stretch for mile after mile. It’s as if Americans made everything larger, just to use up the available space.

Passage 5: Biofeedback

When Biofeedback was first developed, a number of years ago, it caused a lot of excitement. People hoped that Biofeedback could be used to cure all kinds of physical and mental problems. Biofeedback is the name for a medical technique that helps people treat certain problems by becoming more aware of their own bodies. In Biofeedback, instruments that measure bodily functions such as muscle tension, temperature, and blood flow are attached to the body. The instruments produce signals – for example, a series of sounds (beeps) or a flashing light – that the person can hear or see. The patient then uses the information to help gain control over the function. The most widely used Biofeedback instrument is the electrocardiography, or ECG . The ECG is used to measure muscle tension. It is made up of several electrodes, which are placed on the skin near a particular area, depending on the symptom. For example, for headaches, a symptom often caused by excessive tension in the neck muscles, the electrodes are placed on the forehead or near the back of the neck. When the tension is present, the ECG produces a signal and the patient is taught to respond by relaxing the appropriate muscles. In many cases, the relaxation of these muscles causes the headache to go away. While biofeedback has not turned out to be cure-all, it has been used successfully to treat a limited number of problems – especially those caused by chronic tension.

LANGUAGE USAGE AND GRAMMAR:

ESSAY TEST – WRITING:

Write a well-organized essay about one of the following topics. When you finish your essay, read it over and correct any mistakes you find. Return the essay and test to Crossing Borders for grading.

Topic 1: Describe the house or apartment where you live. How is it different from the house you lived in as a child?
Topic 2: What foreign languages have you learned? Based on your experience, what advice would you give to someone who wants to learn a foreign language?
Topic 3: What are the advantages and disadvantages of marrying someone from another country?