READING NOTE Level 2

Unit 01 Why Do People Homeschool?

Some parents teach their children / an academic curriculum / at home / instead of sending
them / to a regular school. / This is called homeschooling. / It has both advantages and disadvantages. /
A primary benefit of homeschooling / is the flexible schedule / in the curriculum. / When
children are good or bad at something, / they can pace themselves. / Additionally, / a strong relationship
develops / between parent and child / while they share the joys of everyday life. / Moreover, /
children are less affected by negative things / at school / such as bullies and too much competition. /
However, / there is no guarantee / that children will receive a quality education / since parents
are not expert teachers. / They also do not have access to school facilities / for subjects / such as P.E.,
music, and science. / They may therefore learn those subjects less efficiently. / In addition, /
homeschooled students do not seem to / socialize with their peers. / Although they have some friends /
in their neighborhoods, / they may feel cut off / from their friends attending schools. /
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Unit 02 No More Cyberbullying

Dear Advice Auntie, /

I am a 13-year-old girl / in junior high school. / Lately, / I’ve been having issues with
cyberbullies. / I receive hurtful messages online / almost every day. / Things like, "Stay home from
school today, / or I will hurt you." / They also spread rumors about me on Facebook / and use a photo
editor / to alter my photos. / Yesterday, / I saw / they replaced my head with a pig’s head. / It got 137
likes. / I can’t face people at school anymore. / What should I do? /
Hurt /
Dear Hurt, /
Cyberbullying is a serious problem, / but there are some solutions for you. / Don’t respond to
the messages. / Instead, / block the bully, / and report his or her activity to Facebook. / I suggest / you
keep the bullying emails, pictures, and texts, / including the times and dates. / Then, / talk to adults you
trust. / They can take steps to help you. / Sometimes / the police can track down an online bully. /
Most importantly, / spend time with your friends, / not with Facebook, / and you will feel better. /
Advice Auntie /
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Unit 03 Sharing Activities at English Schools

A recent report states an interesting fact / about donations. / People who donated
continuously from their youth / donate 12% more than those who didn’t. / It shows / that it’s very
important / to get used to sharing / from an early age. / So / countries such as England include
donations / at their school events. /
Every year, / schools in England choose / a place to donate. / Then, / they encourage their
students to participate in activities / to raise money. / For example, / students donate one penny /
every time they jump rope. / So / the more they jump rope, / the more money they can donate. / In
addition, / students sell cake and chocolate / during lunchtime. / They sometimes run a mini-marathon
with teachers / to raise money too. / Those experiences make both students and their parents proud /
because they believe / donations can improve their society. /
In England, / it is schools / that participate in donations the most actively. / They teach
students to continue sharing / throughout their lives. /
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Unit 04 Mentoring in Schools

In Homer’s Odyssey, / the Greek king Odysseus left home / to fight in the Trojan War. / He
was away for ten years. / Before he left, / he asked his friend Mentor / to take care of his son,
Telemachus. / Mentor became Telemachus’ teacher / and prepared him to be king. / Today, / a mentor
has the meaning of a wise and trusted advisor. / The person who learns from a mentor / is called a
mentee. /
These days, / many schools run mentoring programs for their students. / Mentors are usually
adults, / but they can also be older students. / Mentoring programs have many benefits. / Mentors
help their mentees / adjust to school. / They offer support, advice, and friendship / in their school life. /
They also help mentees / build social skills, positive attitudes, and self-confidence. / In practice, /
mentors play a big role / in the growth of students. /
Young people go through many challenges, / but they can be encouraged / by people like
mentors. / Mentors are still great teachers today. /
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Unit 05 Smart Animals

People often wonder / how smart animals can be. / In order to find the answer, / scientists
studied animals and found out that some have amazing intelligence.
A few crows dropped stones into water / in a jar / and raised the water level. / It sounds like
Aesop’s fable / The Crow and the Pitcher, / but it really happened in a recent study. / The hungry crows
did that / to get food as a reward. / According to scientists, / crows have a seven-year-old child’s
intelligence. / How brainy they are! /
Unlike common thought, / sheep have very good memories. / A study of sheep reported / that
they can remember / more than 50 other sheep’s faces. / How amazing! / So / when they meet in a
field, / they can recognize each other / and sometimes form individual friendships. /
Research shows / that animals are much smarter / than people think. / Humans are not the
only intelligent creatures / on the Earth. /
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Unit 06 An Animal Named After a Plant

The sea cucumber is commonly seen in oceans / throughout the world. / It is black, brown, or
olive green. / It is from 2.5 to 180 centimeters / in length. / Don’t be fooled by its name. / The sea
cucumber is not a plant / but a sea animal. / It got its name / because its shape is similar / to the
vegetable cucumber. /
Most sea cucumbers have 8 to 30 tube feet / underneath their bodies. / Their feet help them
to move around. / But some have no feet, / so they use their muscles to move. / By moving around, /
they catch small animals to eat. / Sea cucumbers live / in the mud, sand, or seagrass. / They live in
such places / so as to hide themselves from enemies. / Sometimes / they get scared by fish or crabs. /
Then, / they shoot sticky threads from their bodies / to trap them. / They do this / so as not to get hurt
by predators. /
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Unit 07 Cats: Man’s Best Friend?

Some people say / that dogs are man’s best friend. / But for a 12-week-old baby boy in Russia,
/ a cat was his best friend. /
It was an awfully cold day. / A woman who lived in an apartment / heard a cat meowing very
loudly. / She thought / the cat was injured and needed help. / The woman went outside / and looked
around. / When she found the cat / with a freezing baby in a box, / she could not believe her eyes. /
The cat was Masha, / a stray cat that lived in the neighborhood. / She was keeping the baby warm / by
licking his face. / She was also meowing desperately / for help! /
When the baby was taken away in an ambulance, / Masha jumped into it. / It seemed / that
she wanted to protect him. / Fortunately, / the baby was safe. / Masha was the hero of the day. /
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Unit 08 Interesting Parenting by Birds

It is never easy / to become parents. / They often sacrifice themselves / for their babies. / Of
course, / there can be some exceptions. / However, / bird parents are not much different from humans. /
Red-billed hornbills are great parents. / The female builds her nest / in a tree hole. / She
traps herself in her nest / and lays her eggs there. / She stays there / until the babies become too big
for the nest. / In the meantime, / the male feeds the female and the babies / through a small slit in the
nest. / It is really hard for them / to be parents. /
Cuckoos are an exception. / A female cuckoo neither builds a nest / nor raises her babies. /
Instead, / she searches for a nest / with eggs. / When she finds one, / she waits for her chance to put
her egg / between the eggs secretly. / The host bird does not distinguish the cuckoo’s egg / from her
own. / She does not even notice the baby cuckoo / after it hatches from the egg. /
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Unit 09 The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the yearly championship game / in American football. / Two teams compete
in the game / on the first Sunday in February. / One team is from the National Football Conference. /
The other is from the American Football Conference. / Both teams are in the NFL. / So / why is the
championship game called the Super Bowl? /
In fact, / there was no specific name / when the first championship game was planned. / One
day / at a committee meeting, / Mr. Lamar Hunt, / one of the committee members, / accidentally
suggested an idea. / He said, / "You know, / the last game, / the final game, / the Super Bowl." / He
named it / "Super Bowl." / "Bowl" is a term for a big match, / and "Super Ball" was the most popular toy
in the 1960s. / He just replaced the word "Ball" with "Bowl." / The name Super Bowl became official /
from the fourth championship in 1970. /
Every year, / millions of Americans watch the Super Bowl on TV. /
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Unit 10 What Sports Drinks Can Do

After exhausting games, / athletes appear with colorful drinks / in their hands. / You may see
this / after many sports games. / What are these colorful drinks? / Why do the athletes need them? /
The colorful drinks are called sports drinks, / such as Powerade, Gatorade, and Pocari Sweat. /
Athletes drink them / instead of water / because they provide immediate energy / after exercise. / By
sweating, / their bodies lose essential substances / like water, sugar, sodium, and calcium. / Sports
drinks contain those substances / and help athletes absorb them quickly. / This way, / athletes can
prevent tiredness and muscle damage. / The first sports drink was developed / by a group of scientists at
Florida University / in 1965. / It was named Gatorade / and was a great success. / It began a new era / in
the beverage industry. / Since then, / other brands of sports drinks have been developed / and joined
the market. /
Sports drinks can make exhausted bodies re-energized. / However, / people may not need
sports drinks / when they exercise fewer than 30 minutes. / The substances from sports drinks could
cause them / to gain weight. /
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Unit 11 Treetop Walking

Date: July 17, 2015 /

Today was my third day in Singapore. / Daniel and I got excited about treetop walking at
MacRitchie, / the biggest reservoir in Singapore. / According to Daniel, / treetop walking is a new sport, /
and people can walk above the trees! /
Before beginning treetop walking, / I felt my heart beat faster / because the bridge was really
high! / The bridge was hanging about 40 meters / above the ground. / But soon, / all my worries were
gone. / The view was fantastic! / Birds were flying under my feet, / and monkeys were swinging / from
tree to tree. / Far away, / I saw a snake moving on a branch. /
Luckily, / I was able to follow the treetop trails easily and safely / until the end of the walk. / It
was very impressive / that this bridge let visitors enjoy nature / without harming it. / I will never forget
the treetop walk! /
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Unit 12 Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?

When you see a golf ball, / you might be curious about its dimples. / Why is a golf ball
covered with dimples / unlike other balls, / such as baseballs and basketballs? /
The first golf balls did not have any dimples. / Rather, / they were completely smooth. / But
soon / golfers noticed / that older balls with nicks and cuts in the covers / seemed to fly farther. /
In fact, / balls with dimples travel / almost twice as far as smooth balls do. / How is that possible? /
When a ball flies through the air, / the air pressure holds the ball / and reduces its speed. / But dimples
on a golf ball / destroy the flow of air around the ball / and make turbulence in the layer of air. /
This turbulence helps the ball / lift higher and fly farther. /
There is no precise number or fixed shape / for the dimples on a regulation golf ball. / Golf
balls typically have / anywhere from 300 to 500 dimples. / Dimples also come in different kinds of
shapes, / such as circles, ovals, and even hexagons. /
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Unit 13 Smartphones Are Changing Our Daily Lives

Smartphones have improved our quality of life. / With smartphones, / we can study, work, and
enjoy our pastimes. / We can even use smartphones for everyday conveniences such as controlling home
appliances from outside. / We just cannot imagine our lives / without them, / can we?
In some ways, / however, / smartphones have negatively changed our lives. / How many of
your friends’ phone numbers or email addresses / do you memorize? / Probably not many. / A similar
thing happens at restaurants / when we split the bill. / It is usually our smartphones / that do the math,
/ isn’t it? / In addition, / when we find locations, / we rarely read maps or try to recall locations from
memory. / Instead, / we just use Google maps or smartphone navigation apps. /
Scientists warn / that smartphones make our brains lazy. / It’s because / we rely on
smartphones too much as external storage. / Smartphones are surely necessary in our lives, / but let’s
not make our brains work less / because of them! /
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Unit 14 A Better World for Disabled People

It used to be very hard for disabled people / to get around and to do common activities. /
They were treated differently / and received little help. / These days, / life is much better for disabled
people. /
In France, / there is a fishing area / designed for people in wheelchairs. / The fishing area
provides a fishing aid / to hold a fishing rod. / There is also a bumper bar / to protect the wheelchair
from the water. /
The Prado Museum in Spain is great / for people with visual disabilities. / It has famous
paintings in 3D. / People with visual disabilities can enjoy the paintings / by touching them and feeling
the images pop out. / In England, / there is a spa / for people with disabilities. / The special lift can be
used / to raise them into and out of the spa. / They can enjoy taking a hot bath / without difficulty. /
Many countries are making life more convenient / for disabled people. / They know /
consideration for the disabled makes the world a better place. /
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Unit 15 Are You a Gaming Addict?

A gaming addict demonstrates certain habits and manners / in daily life. / Test yourself to see /
if you’re addicted or not. /
Lately I’ve / been playing games almost every day. /
Lately I’ve / stayed up all night / because of computer games. /
Lately I’ve / neglected my duties / because of games. /
Lately I’ve / argued with my family / because I played games too much. /
Lately I’ve / done poorly on a test / due to games. /
Lately I’ve / felt depressed / without computer games. /
Lately I’ve / been failing in my attempt / to reduce gaming.
If you’ve checked more than five, / you may be a gaming addict. / These are common warning
signs / that you have lost control. / The following tips might help you. /
First of all, / you should play games / after doing your duties / such as completing your school
homework. / You should also set a time limit / for games. / Fewer than two hours is recommended. /
Last, but not least, / go out with your friends or family / and exercise more than twice a week. / Then, /
you can shift your focus away / from playing games. /

Unit 16 Am I Adding to Noise Problems?

The number of multifamily residential buildings is increasing rapidly / these days. /

Accordingly, / problems related to noise are also increasing. /
Quite frequently, / you can see people argue / over a variety of noises. / Some people get
upset / when they hear their neighbors talk or walk too loudly. / Some are annoyed / by the sound of
the toilet flushing or late-night showers. /
Before you blame your noisy neighbors, / ask yourself / if you’re causing any unwanted noises /
in your house. / For example, / in your daily life, / you may keep the volume of your TV and music too
loud. / You may slam the door unconsciously. / Maybe / you don’t warn your dog / when it’s barking
too much. /
To reduce noise problems, / it is important to respect other people. / Remind yourself / that
the sound from your house / can be a problem to others. /
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Unit 17 Facts About Plastic Bags

Plastic bags were made in Sweden / in 1965. / However, / they became popular / when they
were introduced to the USA / in the 1970s. / They started replacing paper grocery bags / and became
international hits. / Since 1982, / plastic bags have become widely used items. /
It is easy to explain the advantages of plastic bags. / They are cheap to make, / easy to carry, /
and convenient to use. / However, / plastic bags cause problems for the environment. / It is a well-
known fact / that they take hundreds of years to decay. / In addition, / too much oil and gas are used /
to make plastic bags. / It is wasteful to use such valuable resources / to produce plastic bags. /
Moreover, / plastic bags are one of the most common types of ocean debris. / Many sea animals get
hurt / by floating plastic bags / and die. /
We use plastic bags / with ease. / However, / we had better not use plastic bags for the
environment. / Simply by replacing plastic bags / with eco bags or paper bags, / we can make a huge
difference. / The environment depends on you. /
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Unit 18 The Ice Bear

Hello, Mr. Lewis Pugh. / Thanks for joining us / for this interview. / I understand / you are the first
person to swim long distance / in every ocean in the world. /
Yes, I am. / But I want to say / that I don’t swim / as a hobby or for work. / It’s the sea environment /
that I swim for. /
I heard / you’re especially interested in melting polar ice. /
Right. / So I swam in the polar sea / to highlight that problem. /
That’s why / you’re called the Ice Bear. / Can you tell us more about it? /
Sure. / It was in 2007 / that I swam at the North Pole. / I swam one kilometer / in minus 1.7 °C water. /
I wanted to draw people’s attention / to the Arctic sea ice. / Its extent was the lowest ever / in the satellite
record / at that time.
That sounds very serious. /
It is. / The polar sea ice keeps disappearing / faster than scientists predict. / We must take action now.
/ Otherwise, / 2/3 of the world’s polar bears could disappear by 2050, / and we would be the next
victims. /

Unit 19 Global Warming Is Increasing Wildfires

About 90% of wildfires are started by people / such as campers or hikers. / Some careless
people leave fires burning / and cause huge wildfires in the mountains. /
The University of California in the USA / did research on wildfires. / The results were quite
interesting. / The study shows / changing weather patterns are likely to cause more wildfires / in the next
20 years. / The reason behind this / is mainly linked to global warming. / According to the study, / the
warmer the temperature gets, / the drier the environment becomes. / Therefore, / a dry environment
increases the prospects of wildfires. /
This trend is expected to continue / until the end of the century. / Sadly, / there is no possible
way to stop wildfires / besides our efforts to slow down global warming. /
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Unit 20 Help the Everglades!

The Everglades are natural wetlands / in Florida, USA. / They are the world’s biggest marsh. /
They have provided food and shelter / for native animals. / But the Everglades are in danger. / And the
threat comes from pets. /
Every year, / numerous exotic pets enter the USA / from faraway places / like rainforests or the
African plains. / Snakes, lizards, and monkeys are popular ones. /
However, / some people leave the pets in the Everglades / when they do not want to keep
them anymore. / Those exotic pets threaten the native animals / in the marsh. / For instance, / more
than 150,000 Burmese pythons have become the top animals in the food chain / in the Everglades. /
Naturally, / they eat the native animals. / Exotic monkeys are another case. / They spread diseases like
monkeypox / which can kill the native animals. /
Abandoned exotic pets have become a threat / to the ecosystem of the Everglades. /
Therefore, / the government should make new laws / to protect the Everglades from these pets. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 21 A Teenager’s Life-Changing Invention

How do you feel about / waking up to the loud sound of an alarm clock? / Most of you may
not feel good. / Then / how would you like / to wake up to the smell of bananas? /
Guillaume Rolland, / an 18-year-old French inventor, / had to wake up at 5 a.m. / as his school
was far away. / Every morning, / he woke up frustrated / by hearing the noisy alarm sound. / He really
wanted to start his mornings happily. / So he invented Sensor Wake. / It is an alarm clock / that wakes
people up / with a pleasant scent of their choice. / Sensor Wake was well-received on the market. /
Most users say / that they can wake up easily / and that the scent of the clock refreshes them. /
Sensor Wake made the teenage Guillaume a millionaire inventor. / It was selected / as one of
the 15 life-changing inventions / by Google Science Fair 2014. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 22 Suejin Kang, the Greatest Ballerina

The graceful ballerina glides across the stage / like a swan. / No one can imagine / how her
feet hidden in her toe shoes look. / Here is a picture of her feet. / They are world-renowned ballerina
Suejin Kang’s. /
Suejin Kang was born / in 1967 in Seoul, Korea. / Unlike most ballerinas, / she got a late start
at ballet. / At the age of 12, / she moved to Monte Carlo, Monaco, / and started doing a difficult training
every day. / She practiced more than ten hours / and wore out three to four pairs of toe shoes a day. /
She used to practice under the moonlight / until late at night / because her school had a lights-out rule at 9
p.m. /
Through her constant effort, / she won the Prix de Lausanne ballet competition / in Switzerland
in 1985. / She was the first Asian / to receive the prize. / After that, / she joined the prestigious
Stuttgart Ballet in Germany / and rose to fame / over the next 20 years. / About the secret to her
success, / she says, / "It’s simple: discipline and focus." /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 23 Life Without Limits

Life Without Limits, / by Nick Vujicic, / is one of my favorite books. / It’s an autobiography. /
Nick is an Australian / who was born with no arms or legs. / No one was sure / if he could overcome his
physical disabilities. /
In the book, / Nick focuses on / how his disabilities affected his life. / In his youth, / he was
often depressed / because of teasing from bullies. / He felt limited by his body. / He even tried to
commit suicide. / It seemed that / there was no way out of his miserable life. / However, / his faith in
God and the support of his family / changed him. / He became a motivational speaker / and created a
purposeful life. / Today, / he speaks to audiences / about life with disabilities and hope. /
I’ll never know / what his life is like / unless I become disabled. / However, / one of his
comments really impressed me: / "You may not control / what happens to you, / but you can control /
how you respond." /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 24 Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie(1835~1919) was among the richest people / of his day. / He founded the
Carnegie Steel Company, / the largest industrial enterprise in the world. /
Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland / but moved to the United States / as a boy. / His
family was poor, / so he was forced to work / to make money. / He was hired for many different jobs. /
Carnegie could not get much schooling. / Instead, / he read a lot of books / borrowed from his local
libraries. / He was really eager to learn. /
Carnegie always worked hard / but rarely spent money. / As a result, / he could save money /
and invest it in various businesses, / such as sleeping cars and an oil company. / In 1892, / he established
the Carnegie Steel Company, / which brought him great wealth. /
After Carnegie made his fortune, / he decided to help others. / He built schools, public libraries,
concert halls, institutions for science, / and other similar places. / He did his best / to improve people’s
lives. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 25 The Best Places to Live

In 2015, / the United Nations General Assembly released its World Happiness Report. / It listed
the best 10 countries / to live in. /
The top ten countries share many of the same characteristics. / They provide / not only
affordable education and social support / but also low unemployment and safe environments. / In
addition, / most of them have plenty of resources. / Denmark has a high standard of education, / and
students can attend its universities / for free. / Norway is very rich / thanks to its oil reserves. / Both
Denmark and Norway have crime rates / close to zero. / Switzerland is economically strong / and has a
beautiful natural environment. /
The list is dominated / by the countries of Europe. / Out of the top 10 countries on it, / only
Canada and Australia are non-European countries. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 26 The Running of the Bulls Festival

July 7 / — I’m in Pamplona, Spain, / for the Festival of Saint Fermin. / It is world-famous / and
is held every year / from July 6 to 14. / At the festival, / there are many exciting events, / such as a
carnival, fireworks, and bullfights. / Among them, / the Running of the Bulls is the most popular event. /
Thus, / I decided to take part. /
This morning, / the Running of the Bulls, / the encierro in Spanish, / started. / The bulls were
released onto the streets / at 8 a.m. / They had to run 850 meters / to the bullring. / I was running with
hundreds of other men / in white clothes with a red scarf. / While I was running, / I suddenly looked
back / and saw a huge bull behind me. / I jumped out of the way / just as the bull ran by me. / It was
so close! / I was thrilled, / and my excitement didn’t calm down easily. / Later, / I saw my picture in
the newspaper. / It seemed that / the bull almost hit me! /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 27 Living Life as a Refugee

There have always been civil wars / in my homeland, Afghanistan. / Every morning, / I woke up
to the sound of guns and bombs. / My village was destroyed, / and many people, / including my father
and brothers, / were killed. / I was afraid. / So I decided to leave / for hope. /
Now here I am in France. / Do you think / my life is better now? / I hear no more bombs / but
the French police chase me every night. / That is because I’m a refugee / and France hasn’t allowed me
to stay here. / I’ve been wandering around the streets / without any shelter / for a year. / My only
protection in this freezing weather / is a thin blanket. / Can you guess / what it’s like to sleep / under
bridges and in the mud? /
I feel exhausted / without a home or family. / The police keep forcing me / to make a choice. /
They tell me / either to get out of France / or to be arrested. / I need help. /
-This is a report / from a 22-year-old Afghan / named Sabir.- /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 28 Gestures in Different Countries

People around the world make various gestures. / Using hand gestures is an interesting way /
to deliver messages effectively. / However, these gestures do not always have the same meanings / in
every country. /
Many Americans and Canadians make a circle / with their thumb and forefinger. / This gesture
means "okay" or "great." / However, / this same gesture means / "zero" or "worthless" in France / and
"money" in Japan. /
In many Western countries, / nodding the head up and down indicates "Yes" / while shaking the
heads sideways means "No." / However, / people in Bulgaria shake their heads for "Yes" / and nod for
"No." /
Finally, / North Americans often hold their palms out toward others / to indicate "Stop." / But
in Greece, / that’s very insulting. / That basically means / "I don’t want to talk to you. / Talk to the
hand." /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 29 Pet Food Taster

Have you ever tried pet food? / You might taste your pet’s food / out of curiosity, / but you
never eat it. / However, / there is a person / who eats pet food every day. / The person is a professional
pet food taster, / Lucy Postins. /
Lucy Postins runs the pet food company / The Honest Kitchen. / She believes / that pet food
should be as good as human food. / So she has tasted its products every day / since she started her
business. / She even checks every single ingredient / that goes into the pet food. / In 2004, / her efforts
paid off, / and The Honest Kitchen achieved a "human grade" rating / from the FDA. /
How do dogs like Ms. Postins’ pet food? / They love it. / Most owners report / that their pets
lose weight / and get nicer coats / after eating it. / Apparently, / Ms. Postins is quite an excellent pet
food taster. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 30 Unique Professions in India

India is the second most populated country in the world / and the seventh largest. /
Therefore, / there are numerous professions, / and some of them are quite unique. /
Drive on the streets of Delhi, / and you’ll see a few men / wearing red cloth caps. / They are
professional ear cleaners. / These ear cleaners clean the ears of / between 20 to 30 people a day. /
Around a mosque in southwestern India, / there are coin collectors / hired by the mosque. /
The mosque is located by a highway, / so drivers throw coins / as offerings / when they pass by. / The
coins are picked up by the coin collectors. / Unfortunately, / they are always in danger / because they work
on the highway. /
Some women in India have jobs / as professional mourners. / Most high-class people avoid
showing their emotions / because of their social standing. / Therefore, / they hire these women / for
funerals. / The mourners come from low social classes, / and their duties are to sob and scream. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 31 The Future of Work Is STEM

Researchers at the University of Oxford / made a surprising discovery. / According to them, /

robots will take over millions of our jobs / by 2030. / They are not only challenging blue-collar jobs like
taxi drivers and cashiers / but also white-collar jobs like librarians and surgeons. /
But don’t worry. / We still perform better at certain jobs. / And they are closely related to
STEM. / What is STEM? / STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. / In the modern
age, / economies are based on science and technology. / Therefore, / people need to have knowledge of
STEM fields. / STEM-related jobs require creative thinking, / which robots cannot do, / and can provide
us with promising careers. / Some STEM-related jobs are software developer, chemical engineer, IT
manager, and chemist. /
If you’re looking for an interesting and promising career, / how about choosing a STEM-related
one? /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 32 Does Your Teenager Want a Part-Time Job?

When children get older / and become teenagers, / they often ask their parents / if they can
work part time. / Should their parents allow them to work? / There are both pros and cons. / Pros
The most obvious benefit is / that the teens earn pocket money. / They can learn to budget /
while planning how to use their earnings. / The teens also get useful skills. / They can learn / to
communicate with people and to manage a work schedule. / They gain invaluable work experience, too.
/ By working, / they can take responsibility / for their own job development and careers. /
Cons
There are several cons. / First, / the teens spend less time / on their studies. / So they may
struggle / to keep up with their schoolwork. / Second, / they often suffer from a lack of sleep and
fatigue. / They may have trouble / paying attention in class. / Lastly, / hard working conditions can
cause emotional or physical stress / for the teens. / There is the possibility / that they may develop bad
views about work itself. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 33 A Taste Test Without Smell

Have you ever wondered / why your favorite food loses its flavor / when you have a cold? /
Don’t doubt your taste buds. / Blame your blocked nose instead. / Your nose is more responsible / for
the loss of flavor / than any other part of your body.
In fact, / your nose and your sense of taste are strongly connected. / Let’s try a simple
experiment. / All you need / is a potato and an apple. / Peel both / and cut one small piece from each
of them. / Make sure / they have the same size and shape. / Now, / close your eyes / and mix the two
pieces up. / You should not know / which piece is which. / Then, / hold your nose / and take a bite of
each piece. / Can you tell / what you are eating? / You may not answer right away. / More than 75% of
what you taste / actually comes from your sense of smell. / The taste of the food you eat really / is
affected by your blocked nose. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 34 The Types and Causes of Natural Disasters

The Earth is a beautiful planet. / However, / this beautiful planet has a lot of disasters. / Some
natural disasters occur / due to the weather. / Tornadoes occur / when cold air starts
spinning / after it is trapped by warm air. / Hurricanes happen / when hot air meets warm ocean waters
/ and gets energy. / Floods and droughts are caused by rainfall. / Heavy rainfall creates floods, / but low
rainfall creates droughts. /
Other natural disasters happen / due to the movements of the Earth. / There are volcanoes,
earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. / Volcanoes occur / when magma inside the Earth erupts. / The
moving of the Earth’s plates results in earthquakes / and landslides follow them. / Tsunamis occur /
when earthquakes happen underwater. /
Natural disasters create financial and environmental damage / and take human lives every year.
/ Scientists are working hard / to predict disasters and to give early warning / to minimize the damage. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 35 How Did the Ice Age Start?

The latest ice age began more than 1.8 million years ago / and ended about 10,000 years ago. /
Scientists are uncertain / what caused and ended the ice age. / But they suggest some theories. /
Scientists think / that a meteorite hit the Earth / and caused the ice age. / According to them, /
the giant meteor would have destroyed forests / and caused great earthquakes. / A thick cloud of dust
and gases / could have finally covered the atmosphere, / and the Earth would have turned icy cold. /
They also suggest / that a comet, a huge object in space, / struck the Earth / 12,800 years ago. /
The explosion would have caused wildfires, / melted thick sheets of ice or glaciers, / and sent cold water
into the sea. / It might have brought an end to the ice age. /
Do these theories sound reasonable? / Whatever the reason was, / no one wants another ice
age to come / for sure! /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 36 Are Genetically Modified Foods Beneficial?

Humans have altered plants / ever since they discovered agriculture. / In the past, / farmers
selected good seeds / to grow the next year. / Nowadays, / scientists can modify plants by changing
genes / to make better seeds. / These genetically modified(GM) foods have both advantages and
disadvantages. /
GM supporters claim / that GM foods taste better. / They also say / that GM foods stay fresh
longer / and are more nutritious. / In fact, / genetic modifications can make corn sweeter and peppers
spicier. / They also keep tomatoes fresh longer. / Genetically modified Golden Rice contains more iron
and vitamin A. /
However, / after the introduction of GM foods, / the number of people with food allergies / has
increased tremendously. / According to scientific research, / GM foods may cause cancer and damage to
body organs / like the heart and liver. / They may also cause damage to the environment / because
changing genes is not natural. / These drawbacks seem to be more serious / than the benefits of GM
foods. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 37 A Mummy in the Trash

Some people spend their lives / in the deserts of Egypt / while searching for ancient treasures. /
However, / one lucky woman found a treasure / not in the deserts / but in her own house. / She actually
discovered it / by accident! /
In 2001, / a French woman / living in a suburb of Paris, / was doing some housecleaning. /
When she started cleaning her cellar, / she discovered the mummy of a child / in a casket. / The woman
did not recognize its value. / So she took it to a garbage dump / and asked where to put it. /
A dump employee knew / what it was / as soon as he saw it. / He set the mummy aside / and
called a local museum. / The mummy was fairly well-preserved / and was believed to be more than 2,000
years old. / There were no jewels or other valuables on it. / Experts from the Louvre Museum assume /
that this mummy was brought back to France / by a soldier in Napoleon’s army / in the 1800s. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 38 What Are the Nazca Lines?

In the 1930s, / some pilots were flying across the Nazca Desert in Peru. / They looked down /
and noticed some huge pictures and symbols / in the desert. / They discovered the Nazca Lines. /
The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs. / Geoglyphs are images and symbols / made in the ground. /
There are more than 70 geoglyphs / in the Nazca Desert. / Some are pictures of animals, / such as
monkeys, fish, and jaguars, / while others are just lines or geometric designs. / The largest geoglyph is a
picture of a bird. / It measures about 900 meters across. /
Experts believe / that the Nazca Lines were made / between 500 and 2,000 years ago. /
Nobody knows / why and how they were made. / Some experts think / that ancient people made them
for their gods. / They prayed for rain and successful harvests. / Some claim / that aliens made the Nazca
Lines. / Perhaps aliens used them as landing strips / when they visited Earth. / Despite all the
guesses, / the purpose of the Nazca Lines remains unknown. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 39 Mysterious Circles on the Ice

There is a perfectly round-shaped piece of ice / in icy water. / It is not manmade. / The ice
rotates by itself / and never changes its position / despite the water flow. / Does it sound possible? /
People call it an ice circle, / a mysterious circle in icy waters. /
The first ice circle appeared / in the Mianus River in the USA in 1895. / People immediately
reported it / to a science magazine. / However, / when researchers came, / the ice circle suddenly
disappeared. / Sightings of ice circles increased dramatically / in the 1970s. / Then, in 2009, / a 4-
kilometer ice circle was found / in Lake Baikal in Russia. / But there was no clear explanation / for its
appearance. /
Various experts such as river specialists, geographers, geologists, and Arctic researchers / have
worked together to solve the mystery. / But ice circles still remain unanswered. / They are just
mysterious objects / that are interesting enough to discuss. /
 READING NOTE Level 2
Unit 40 The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine

In Arizona in the American Southwest, / there is an area / called the Superstition Mountains. /
People believe / a gold mine worth $200 million lies hidden / in these mountains. /
In 1868, / a man called the Dutchman / went to the mountains to look for gold. / In 1876, / he
told people / there really was a mine underground / and it was full of treasure. / But when he left it, / he
hid its entrance, / so nobody could find it. /
When the Dutchman became old and ill, / his friend Julia took care of him. / The Dutchman
told Julia / that he wanted her to know where the mine was. / He gave her / a box full of gold and a few
oral clues. / Then, the Dutchman died / at the age of 80 in 1891. /
Julia searched for the mine for 20 years. / Unluckily, / she ended up penniless. / Since then, /
many have tried, / but nobody has found it yet. /