A truly international writing instrument
Most of us have so many of them that we take them for granted. But these common writing tools have a long and interesting history.
It started in Rome
The first example of a pencil-type instrument probably came from ancient Rome. There, a thin piece of metal was used to scratch words onto an early form of paper. Long, skinny pieces of lead were also used to make marks on the page.But writers had to wait until the 16th century for a much better writing instrument.
England's find
Around 1564 a huge deposit of graphite was discovered near Cumbria, England. The solid graphite was mistakenly considered to be a type of lead. Locals happily realized it provided a perfect way to mark their sheep. The graphite was also easily sawed into sticks but was very soft. People tried wrapping them in string or other materials to provide a covering. But then a couple from Italy thought of a better idea.
Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Sheep vs. Goat
It's become something of a tradition here that whenever a lesson mentions an animal, that animal is featured in Info Cloud.
So, let's carry on the tradition today and talk about the sheep.
Now, there are lots of things we can talk about when it comes to the sheep, but why don't we talk about the difference between sheep and goats.
OK. If we look at the words themselves, the biggest difference between sheep and goat is that sheep is uncountable and goat is countable.
And, on the menu there is also a difference. It's not very common to eat goat meat. Usually, we eat lamb, which is the meat of young sheep.
Some people prefer mutton, and that's the meat from an older sheep. It has a much stronger flavor than lamb, but it's not very popular in North of America.
An adult male sheep is called a ram, and a female is called a ewe, e-w-e.
Which are both raised for wool and eating. But goats are usually used for milk. And from goat milk, we get really, really delicious cheese.
And, what are goat adults called?
An adult male goat is called a billy goat, and a female is called a nanny.
Hmm... you learned something new everyday.
Language Lab
take for granted
grant v.
to agree to do, give, or allow (something asked for or hoped for)
take (something) for granted : to believe or assume that (something) is true or probably true without knowing that it is true
- Charles tends to take other people's help or kindness for granted.
take (someone or something) for granted
to fail to properly notice or appreciate (someone or something that is helpful or important to you)
- Susie complains that her husband takes her for granted.
scratch v.
to rub your skin with something sharp (such as your fingernails) especially in order to stop an itch [+ obj]
- The CD was scratehed so badly that I can't play it now.
scratch n.
a line or mark in the surface of something that is caused by something rough or sharp rubbing against it
- The victim of the car accident has a few scratches on his face.
deposit n.
an amount of a substance (such as oil or coal) that exists naturally in the ground
- Some geologists found a large deposit of coal in this area.
an amount of money that is put in a bank account
money that you give someone when you agree to buy something (such as a house or car)
- Janet made a deposit of $500 at this ATM.
- They paid $1,000 as a deposit for the apartment they wanted to rent.
wrap v. [wra[[ed/wrapping]
/ˈræp/
to cover (something) by winding or folding a piece of material around it
- Alison wrapped her gift and decorated it with a ribbon.
to wind or fold (something) around something else
- The man wrapped his arms around his wife.
wrapping n.
a thin piece of paper, plastic, fabric, etc., that covers or surrounds something to protect it
- the boy tore the wrappig off his gift excitedly.
http://203.69.69.81/studio/20130925baa70ea9e0d01024a489afb421d2eccbafcc3ec164f4327478499950aef8854d668.wma
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