DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (4,5,6,7,8)

              Carnivorous Plants               

             Plants are supposed to be eaten by animals, not animals by plants! It sounds like a reversal of nature. But in fact, just as you can find bird-eating spiders in the jungles of America, so you can find carnivorous plants all over the world.       

           There are about six hundred species and sub-species of carnivorous plants known to man. These plants attract insects, capture them, kill them and eat them. The best known is probably the Venus Flytrap, which captures flies, ants, other insects and spiders in its sticky leaves before digesting them at its leisure.  The largest carnivorous plants are vines which grow to twenty or thirty metres long and have been known on rare occasions to kill vertebrates such as birds, mice and frogs.                          

             Many carnivorous plants are extremely beautiful, and just as there is a market for exotic pets, so it is perfectly possible to buy a Venus Flytrap, although it is complicated to properly  take care of a plant like this.

           Fire

          Before he discovered fire, man was much more vulnerable.  Other animals were bigger, faster, stronger and more dangerous. Fire changed all that. Fire was man’s discovery. No other animal could produce and control it. It frightened away all the fierce beasts and attracted other people: men, women and children now stayed closer together.  Fire gave them warmth and security and made them feel comfortable. Now during the long, lonely hours man had a friend. In the evening, when the sun set and it became colder, everyone would gather around the warm, protective fire, their eyes fixed upon the flickering flames. Now it was possible to cook meat so that it tasted better and it became natural to share meals. Perhaps it was by a fire that language first developed.

                 Sandcastles                               

                 A true beach lover knows there’s nothing more relaxing than feeling the sun on your back, the wind through your hair, and wet sand on your hands as you build a fairy-tale castle fit for a king.                    

                Although you may not believe it, there is an art to castle-making, and there are contests, websites, and even newsletters dedicated to this area.                    

              The first step to a successful sandcastle is a good water source. Dig a hole or get yourself a good bucket. Then it’s all a matter of carving. Experts generally carve sandcastles from mounds of sand, rather than trying to build from the bottom up and making walls and towers which won’t last very long. They get themselves a nice pile of wet sand and carve it down to castle shape. The secret is to go slowly and carve just a little bit at a time. If you get impatient and scrape off a big piece, you’ll have to start all over again. Relax, get into the mood, and watch your dream castle slowly appear. But remember, it won’t last longer than the wave that washes it away!

                  Acupuncture              

                Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It originated in China over 2,000 years ago, and became better known in the USA in 1971, when a reporter on The New York Times wrote about how Chinese doctors had used it to ease his pain after surgery.            

               Acupuncture involves the stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a technique which involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the acupuncturist.            

              Most people experience no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people feel energized by it, while others feel relaxed.                

             Acupuncture is one of the key components of Chinese traditional medicine, in which the body is considered as a balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin is the cold, slow or passive principle, and yang is the hot,  active principle. The Chinese believe that illness is because of an imbalance of these two elements. which produces a blockage of chi, or vital energy.         

                  Mayonnaise                 

                Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy sauce or dressing which is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings. It is an emulsion, which is a mixture of two liquids that normally cannot be combined. Oil and water is the classical example of an emulsion. Emulsifying is done by slowly adding one ingredient to another while simultaneously mixing rapidly. This disperses and suspends tiny droplets of one liquid through another. However, the two liquids would quickly separate again if an emulsifier were not added. Emulsifiers are liaisons between the two liquids and serve to stabilise the mixture.  Eggs and gelatin are among the foods that contain emulsifiers. In the case of mayonnaise, the emulsifier is the egg yolk.        

               Mayonnaise was invented in 1756 by the French chef of the Duke de Richeliu, who had just won a battle at Port Mahon. As the chef had no cream to add to some eggs to make a sauce, he substituted it for olive oil, and mayonnaise was born. He named the new sauce ‘mahonnaise’ in honour of the Duke’s victory.