DICTATIONS FIRST SENIORS (4,5,6)

           Black Holes

          Black holes are places where ordinary gravity has become so extreme that it overwhelms all other forces in the universe. Once inside, nothing can escape a black hole’s gravity  -  not even light.        

          Yet scientists know that black holes exist. They know how they are born, where they occur, and why they exist in different sizes. They even know what would happen if something or somebody fell into one. Black holes obey all the laws of physics, including the laws of gravity. A black hole can range from the size of a marble to the size of the entire solar system. What is inside a black hole? Scientists believe that all the matter in a black hole is piled up in a single point in the centre. To properly understand a black hole centre requires comprehension of quantum gravity, but how this theory works is still unknown, and this is one of the most important unsolved problems in physics.

         Blimps         

        You’ve probably seen advertising blimps in the sky above your city at some moment in your life. Blimps are a type of lighter-than-air craft, called an airship.  Like a hot air balloon, blimps use a gas to generate lift, but, unlike a balloon, blimps can move forward through the air under their own power, like airplanes. In the past they used hydrogen gas, but after the explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937, they use helium instead. They can hover like helicopters, travel in all kinds of weather and stay aloft for days. Some blimps are equipped with lights for night advertising.  

       A blimp controls its buoyancy  in the air in the same way a submarine does in the water. It rises because of the helium gas inside its tanks, and when the pilot wants to descend, he fills other tanks with air. Air is heavier than  helium, so the blimp starts going down. 

            Fairy Tales         

           A fairy tale is a story featuring characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. The fairy tale is a sub-class of the folk tale. These stories often involve royalty, and modern versions usually have a happy ending.  

           In the beginning, fairy tales were part of an oral tradition, which means they were told from one generation to another. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, fairy tales were associated to children’s literature. Actually, fairy tales are more about princes, princesses and dragons, involved in combat, adventure and romance than fairies themselves. Fairies had a secondary role.

           According to a 2004 survey among 1,200 children, the most popular fairy tales are Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and the Town Musicians of Bremen.