Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise

Of rustling all day

Like rabbit and deer

Running away.

GLOSSARY: rustle - rastelar

Global warming: Adapting to a new reality

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

As countries across Europe reduce protection of greenhouse gases in order to fight climate change, scientists and citizens are discovering that effects of warming are already upon us. Irreversible warming is already happening, they say, and will continue for a century even if polluting emissions are controlled by the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty aimed at limiting greenhouse gases. To this end, they say, governments and citizens must prepare for a steamier future, adapting to a climate that is hotter and stormier.

The early warning signs of global warming are apparent: an increase in summer deaths due to heat waves in Europe; the northern migration of toxic algae and tropical fish to the Mediterranean; the spread of disease-carrying ticks into previously inhospitable parts of Sweden and the Czech Republic. Scientists say that global warming may be partially responsible the rising number of powerful hurricanes, like Katrina, as well as an increase in floods.

Most scientific models predict that temperatures will rise 2 degrees 6 degrees Celsius, in Europe over the next century-slightly less elsewhere in the world. And people are largely unprepared. In response to this trend, countries and politicians are starting to think changes they will have to make:

adapting to climate change, for example, French farmers are shifting to crops that better tolerate warmer temperatures;

supplying the elderly with air-conditioners, as the Italian city of Brescia is doing.

Adapting to climate change seems to be simple. However, in some cases, adaptation would be so expensive that the authorities may opt to let nature take its course.

GLOSSARY:

ticks = pequenos insetos

Airport Delays on the Rise

a news story by CNN

Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays.

They found eleven major problems and proposed eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don’t talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers.

Also, too many planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass of transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays.

Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays.

The first thing FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on thing that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays.

The FAA works continuously to make sure that as many flights as possible leave on time each day. They know that their solutions will not cure the problems with airport delays. But they hope to make things better.

The Grasshopper and the Ants

A grasshopper spent the summer singing and dancing in the sun. One day he saw an ant hurrying by. She looked very tired and hot.

“Why are you working on such a lovely day?” asked the grasshopper.

“I’m collecting food for the winter,” said the ant, and went on her way. She joined all the other ants carrying food to their store. The grasshopper sang another song and carried on dancing.

When the winter (1) and there was snow on the ground, the grasshopper had nothing to eat. He was very hungry so, he went and asked the ants to give him some food.

“We worked all summer to collect our food. What did you do?” said one of the ants.

“I (2) ,” replied the grasshopper. “Well, if you sing all summer and do no work,” said the ant, “then you must starve in the winter.”