Are there really squirrels in Australia that can fly?

Yes?!? But they do not have wings. Nor do they go around in aeroplanes. Strictly speaking, they do not “fly” . They glide on air currents from the branches of one tree to the next. Lots of squirrels are good jumpers, but these Australian ones have the edge over all the others.

They have a large flap of skin round their bodies, which joins their front and back legs. When they launch themselves off a branch, they spread out their legs. The skin flap spreads out , and forms a sort of parachute. Kitted out like this, flying squirrels can glide quite long distances. They wouldn’t think anything of launching out on a flight of forty or fifty metres.

GLOSSARY:

launch one’s off = lançar-se

kit out = prover

The air pranks

If you have “aviophobia”, turbulence is probably the common reason for that. Most people believe that turbulence is dangerous. In fact, during turbulence, the pilots remain in complete control of the aircraft, and it is no harder to fly an aircraft during turbulence than it is in normal flight.

The movement of the air causes turbulence. There are three types of weather often associated with turbulence. Firstly strong winds close to the ground, storm clouds and clear air turbulence.

The important thing to remember is that turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous and that weather maps and reports show pilots where the areas of turbulence can be expected so that they can be avoided by climbing, descending or flying around them.

Crew working onboard the plane are highly trained to cope with this situation.

Remember: Always secure your seat belt as tightly as you can in turbulence as it helps you feel more comfortable. Put your seat belt on even when not instructed to wear it. It can be tempting to take off your seat belt, when you want to be more comfortable.

Pilots can usually antecipate turbulence, sometimes it’s sudden, and sometimes it’s severe. There have been cases of serious injuries to passengers who were not seated and with their seat belts duly fastened.

Most people aren’t keen on flying, owing to turbulence jolts.

“Relax and fly” shows that there are effective ways to overcome this unfounded fear, when one flies in this extremely safe mode of transportation.

GLOSSARY:

pranks= rebeldias

A Passion For English

Marit grew up in the Netherlands. She is bilingual because her mother is German and her father is Dutch. In high school, Marit studied English, but it was difficult for her. She didn’t like her English classes. They didn’t practice conversation. Marit wanted to learn to speak English so she could learn about people from different cultures.

Marit decided to study in an English-speaking country. She went to school in London when she was 17 years old. Marit was self-disciplined. She made new friends from other countries. They spoke English together. Soon she became comfortable speaking English. English sounded beautiful to her.

When she was 19 years old, Marit made a plan. She decided to study at a college in the United States. At first, the classes were very hard for her.

Marit graduaded 4 years later. She was very proud. She was fluent in English! The college gave her a job as an English teacher, and then she married her American boyfriend a year later. Today, Marit tells her English students, “Hard work and passion pay off!”

SHARKS - SAFER THAN SODA MACHINES!

Are you scared of sharks? A recent survey found nearly 40 percent of people are scared of sharks.

Some people blame movies like Jaws. In reality, sharks are more scared of people. In fact, sharks are safer than soda machines! Researches say these machines kill more people than sharks do. The soda machines fall on people when they get angry and kick machines to get a soda or money back.

A long time ago, people a way to create a nice smell. They put nice-smelling wood or leaves into a fire. A nice smell through the smoke. That is how we got the word perfume. In Latin “per” means “through”, and “fumus” means “smoke”. Scientists are finding that some smells make people feel better. They help us to relax, to sleep, or to feel happier. Scientists found that the smell of apples with spices can make our blood pressure go down. In the future, we may use perfume in a completely different way.

Dolphins have become a popular attraction at zoos in recent years. They are more interesting than lions and tigers because they are livelier and perform tricks, like circus animals. But although they are more willing to cooperate with the trainer than other mammals in captivity, they get bored if they are asked to do the same trick twice. This is one reason for believing that they are very intelligent.

GLOSSARY:

captivity = cativeiro