Sample Essay 4: A Nightmare

A NIGHTMARE

I am just 13 years old boy. I usually get scared about ghost and darkness. But my interest on seeing thrillers will always be more. My mother always warned me,"Don't see thrillers before going to bed". That was the day I understood my mother words.

That night my dad was out of home. My mother was busy with her kitchen works. I was seeing horror movie in the television. The movie was very thrilled. After finishing the movie I went to bed.

I was drifted into a troubled sleep. I dreamt that I was carried by some ominous dark creatures to some mystery world. Finally I was dropped into a dark world. Nobody was there. I was searching for any people there. I was very scared in the darkness. I felt of screaming but I could not.

 I could find one small hut in that dark lonely place. I slowly walked toward it. I felt someone was walking behind me. The next moment I could feel flash light on my eyes. I was completely petrified with fear. I gave a muffled yell and woke. My room light was on and my mother was standing beside.

My goodness, what a horrible nightmare it was! For a minute or so I lay on my bed not daring to close my eyes for fear of falling asleep again and continuing the nightmare. Then I sat up on my bed until the horrible feeling passed. From then on I never see horrible movies before I go bed.

Platypus

The Weirdest Mammal 

PLATYPUS is small, amphibious mammal has a tail like a beaver, a body like an otter, walks like a reptile, has webbed feet and a beak like a bird, and it lays eggs!

Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe.

Platypuses spend most of their time alone, sleeping or eating. Platypuses sleep up to 17 hours per day.

They have amazing snout. It is actually quite soft and covered with thousands of receptors that help the platypus detect prey.

They feed in the water at night, frantically swimming around with their eyes and ears closed( nostrils close with a watertight seal) , using their bill to search for their  food.

In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.

Their mouth has no teeth. Platypuses don't eat underwater. They store their food in their cheeks and bring it to the surface to eat.

On land, platypuses move a bit more awkwardly. However, the webbing on their feet retracts to expose individual nails and allow the creatures to run.

Platypuses are eaten by a wide array of Australian predators, including dingoes, foxes, large snakes, and even eels.

Each animal will maintain several burrows, usually dug in areas where there are overhanging branches and exposed roots to disguise the entrance.

Females seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail.

The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. Baby platypuses grow a temporary egg tooth to help them break out of their egg.

Mother platypuses don't have nipples like most mammals. They suckle their hatchings by secreting milk onto their fur from two milk patches on their stomach.

FAST FACTS

TYPE:         Mammal

Diet:          Carnivore (insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms)

Size:           Head and body, 15 in (38 cm); Tail, 5 in (13 cm)

Weight:     3 lbs (1.4 kg)

Lifespan:      Survive up to 20 years

Habitat:       Swamps, lakes, and rivers of eastern Australia and parts of Tasmania.

The Earth's Shape

What is the shape of the Earth?

Is your answer is round or sphere. If so, I am sorry kids you are wrong.

The Earth is said to be oblate spheroid shape.  It is sort of flattened out at the north and south poles and bulges a bit at the equator. Is your answer is round or sphere. If so, I am sorry kids you are wrong.

The Earth is said to be oblate spheroid shape.  It is sort of flattened out at the north and south poles and bulges a bit at the equator. The bulge results from the rotation of the Earth.This causes the diameter at the Equator to be 43 km larger than the pole-to-pole diameter.

What happens if you take a ball of pizza dough in your hands and begin spinning it in the air? As the dough spins around in quick circles, centrifugal forces tug at the sides of the dough. This causes it to become flatter and flatter. The sides of the ball push further out until you have a flat disk rather than a ball. 

Pizza dough is soft and easily flattened with just a small amount of force. Our planet is not soft. Its outer layers are made up of a hard shell-like crust of rocks and dirt. Even though the Earth rotates much faster than the ball of pizza dough, the Earth still remains relatively round. However, this spinning of the Earth does make it somewhat less round at the top and bottom. The difference is real but barely noticeable, making the Earth look more like a slightly flat basketball.

Why leaves change its colour when they fall?

Changing Of Fall Foliage.

Leaves are plant’s food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. Glucose is a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growing. The way plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar is called photosynthesis. That means "putting together with light." A chemical called chlorophyll helps make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green colour.

As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter.  During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. The trees will rest, and live with the food they stored during the summer. They begin to shut down their food-making factories.

Thus the absence of sunlight and cooler temperature makes the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colours  Small amounts of these colours have been in the leaves all along. We just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.

Other chemical processes produce the brilliant reds, purples and bronzes. On warm fall days, sugar is produced in the leaves of some trees and then trapped by the chill of night. As sugar accumulates, the leaves turn brighter red.

Sample Essay 3 - My Friends

MY FRIENDS

I am very glad to share about my most favourite topic "My Friends".

Where-ever we go we make friends. But only few are very special to us. Some friends will become more important in our life. I like to share about my two close friends Vinay and George.

Vinay is one of my best friend. He is same class of mine. He is very tall and thin. Vinay is very studious boy. He spent more time in reading books. He is very fond of Gerinimo Stilton story books. He also created reading habit in me. We like to spend time together in library reading books. He also shares books with me. He is very talented in maths and he always guide me in maths.

George is my another friend. We live in same apartment. We usually meet in the ground every evening. we play together. He is very active and studious boy too. He likes to watch television. He will talk very polite and share his play things with me.

Finally I like to share this valuable quotes for my  best friends,

"Don't walk behind , I may not lead

Don't walk in-front of me, I may not follow,

Just walk beside me, and be my best friend."

Volcanic erupted City

 Akrotiri

It is located Peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus,an overseas territory of Great Britain.

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovreignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers in total: Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Climate : Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

There are no economic statistics gathered for Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The main economic activities are the provision of services to the military, as well as limited agriculture.

On 1 January 2008 Akrotiri and Dhekelia adopted the euro along with the rest of Southern Cyprus, despite not being part of the European Union.

Episkopi Bay is on the west coast of Akrotiri.

History:

In Greece there is an island called Santorini. On the island of Santorini lays an ancient city called Akrotiri. 

Akrotiri was once home to the Minoan civilization.

Akrotiri was destroyed and buried by a volcano around 1450 BC. The Minoan civilization was forced to leave the island after a series of earthquakes. The volcano erupted shortly afterward and covered the city in ash, preserving the items left behind.

Akrotiri is open to visitors to explore and however the archeological site is closed to the public. Visitors can visit the town below the original town on the top. Visitors can walk around the island and see the caldera of the volcano.

Archeologist's have discovered that Akrotiri buildings show wall-paintings.

Paintings of vessels show that they were an advanced civilization with the ability to travel on the seas. 

The city included a drainage system for water. Akrotiri was one of the first cities to include multi-storeyed buildings. Buildings have been discovered that were three story's 

high.

Before it's destruction Akrotiri was one of the main ports of the Aegean.

Fresco of a ship procession from bronze age excavation at Akrotiri, on the greece island Santorini

Researchers love for Rats

Why mostly Rats for researches?

Rats and mice have so many biological similarities to humans, they make up 90–95% of the mammals in biomedical research.

Rats are mammals and their system should react to the chemicals in similar way to those of humans. In order to consider human safety consumption or exposure it is tested with rats or mice.

Mice and rats are also relatively inexpensive.

Rats reproduce quickly and have short life span of 2  years. Researchers do not have to wait long to evaluate test results in generations. The grandsons and granddaughters of original test rats could appear within months, not the years it would take in human subjects.

Also since they reproduce fast they are very useful in genetic researches.

They are also small and easy for researchers to use.

What are other mammals used in research?

Other mammals commonly found in research are guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and farm animals such as pigs and sheep

Researchers increasingly rely on species such as zebrafish, fruit flies, and worms for basic research about gene function and biological processes.

Sheep provide a model to study osteoarthritis, a breakdown of cartilage that occurs as people age, causing pain and inflammation in the joints.

Pigs offer a model for research on skin problems, including what may happen when medicine or a toxic substance is absorbed through the skin.

Species such as dogs, cats, and non-human primates account for less than 1% of all mammals in research. Although not used widely, these animals have characteristics that make them vitally important for the study of heart disease, neurological disorders, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Why we sweat?

Why do Humans Sweat?

Sweat is your body’s natural way of cooling down. As the sweat comes out of your body, you cool off!

How does sweat cool?

Try this out. Put a small drop of water on the back of your hand. Then place your mouth close to your hand and blow hard. That spot will gradually feel cool. This is because the water begins to evaporate with your blowing and produces a cooling sensation. 

The inbuilt cooling system of the body uses the skin and blood for its functioning. The blood warms up as it passes through muscles and tissue. It carries the extra heat to the surface of the skin, which triggers the sweat glands in the skin to produce sweat - a combination of water (usually about 99 per cent) with small amounts of salts and amino acids dissolved in it. 

The sweat escapes through tiny pores on the skin, evaporating as it reaches the surface. As the sweat evaporates, it cools the skin beneath. In fact, a pearl-sized bead of sweat can cool nearly one litre of blood by 1.8 degree Centigrade (one degree Fahrenheit).

Why do we sweat more in summer?

Have you ever wondered why you sweat more on hot summer afternoons? Actually, the human body sweats all the time, even when we are sleeping. 

But when we exercise or perform some strenuous work we sweat more as the body gets heated up faster. As a result, we sweat more during summers and less during winters. The rate of sweating is directly related to our body temperature.

Remember, the more you sweat the more you lose water. So, the next time you go out in the sun, make sure you drink enough water because, like the room cooler, the system under your skin needs water to function.

Zebras

                      The Wild Ass    

The name "zebra" comes from the Old Portuguese word zevra which means "wild ass".

Every zebra has a unique pattern of black and white stripes.

Zebras  care deeply about their group members. When a group member is wounded by a predator attack, other zebras will come to its defence attempting to drive the predator(s) away.

Zebras  will only go to sleep if they are close to neighbours so that they can be warned if a predator approaches.

When zebras are grouped together, their stripes make it hard for a lion or leopard to pick out one zebra to chase.

Mother zebras are very caring and protective mothers. Infant zebras  are able to stand, walk and suckle shortly after birth, and will continue to drink their mother’s milk for the first year of life.

Zebras stand up while sleeping.

Romans called Grevy's zebras 'hippotigris' and trained them to pull two-wheeled carts for exhibition in circuses.

Zebras communicate with each other through various vocal expressions including sniffing and balking, but also through the position of their ears and tail.

They can turn their ears in almost any direction and harness this ability to communicate their mood, for example pulled backwards when angry, or standing erect when calm and friendly.

The female zebra typically gives birth to one foal after a gestation period of about one year. When a foal is born the mother keeps all other zebras (even the members of her family) away from it for 2 or 3 days, until it learns to recognize her by sight, voice and smell.

Habitat :Savannah, plains, and mountainous areas(Eastern and southern Africa)

Diet: Herbivores

Height : 4- 5 feet

Length:  7 –9 feet

Adult male: stallion
Adult female: mare
Adolescent female: filly
Adolescent male: colt
Young: foal

Life Span :12 years

Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN 

The New Year in Afghanistan, called Nawroz, is celebrated on 21 March which is the first day of spring.

Afghanistan is also rich in natural resources with the main ones being natural gas and oil.

Afghanistan's main source of income comes from agriculture. They produce large amounts of crops that are enough to provide for the people and export as well.

National game is Buzkashi, or in other words, goat-grabbing. It's a sport where the players in two teams try to catch a goat while riding on a horse. It has been played for centuries and it even got sponsors for it nowadays.

The country is rich in the vibrant blue stone, lapis lazuli, which was used to decorate the tomb of the Egyptian king Tutankhamun.

Buzkashi

A Blue Mosque at Mazar - Sharif, Afghanisthan

Afghans take pride in making and flying their own kites. They even have kite fights and use wire or glass in their kites to cut the kite strings of rival kite flyers.

Afghanistan celebrates its independence on August 19th from Britain.

British and Afghans fought in three wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, but the Afghans finally defeated the British in 1919 and formed an independent monarchy in 1921.

The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 . In 1996, Soviet troops left Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of the capital Kabul.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States began searching for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and invaded Afghanistan, along with an international coalition to remove the Taliban.

A cliff gap - once Buddha statue stood

A Loya Jirga wrote a new constitution in 2004 and the people elected their first president, Hamid Karzai.

Tea is the favourite Afghan drink and a popular meal is palau, made from rice, sheep and goat meats, and fruit.

Fast Facts

Official name: Republic Of  Afghanistan

Capital: Kabul

People: Afghans        

Currency: Afghani

Official Launguage :Dari and Pashto

Climate : Arid to semi arid, hot summers and cold winters.

Size:251,827 square miles; slightly smaller than Texas

Land Boundaries :   North -Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan

             Northeast- China

            South and  East- Pakistan

           West- Iran