Making Inferences Level Ten Mrs. Hunsaker

Is Horse Racing Cruel to Horses? It probably wasn’t long after human beings first domesticated the horse that someone made the claim, “My horse can run faster than yours.” Horse racing has been part of many cultures, from Asia and the Middle East to England and Kentucky. It’s been called the Sport of Kings. But is it really sport – or a cruel pastime by which people are entertained at the animals’ expense? People involved in the breeding and training of race horses are sincerely shocked by the suggestion that their sport might constitute cruelty to animals. Indeed race horses in the stable and the pasture are the most pampered of animals. But they might also be the most unpredictable. Breeding horses for speed alone has produced a nervous animal that probably could never survive without pampering. And on the track the legs of a race horse, especially a young one, take a terrible pounding. Many suffer broken legs, which for a horse usually means death. Is horse racing a cruel sport? Some horse lovers would say yes, others no. The horses have yet to give an answer.

Horse racing began in England. among kings. a long time ago.

Race horses are treated extremely carefully when they’re not racing. don’t often get hurt. are very well behaved.

Most race-horse trainers love horses. think racing is cruel to horses. don’t really pay much attention to their horses’ needs.

A race horse turned loose in the wild. would probably break its legs. would probably not survive. would not miss its trainer.

A Halloween Prank On Halloween night, 1938, thousands of Americans were scared out of their wits. The man who said “boo” was Orson Welles, later a famous actor and film director, but then a young and little-known radio producer. Welles produced a radio play based on H. G. Well’s The War of the Worlds, a science-fiction story about an invasion from Mars. Many who heard the broadcast thought that monsters had really landed in New Jersey. Some people ran screaming through the streets, or went into hiding. This happened even though it was announced before the broadcast that it was only a play. You can get a recording of this famous broadcast at a record store. You’ll probably find it hard to believe that anyone could have thought it was real.

In the War of the Worlds, the “worlds” of the title are Mars and Venus. Mars and Earth. New York and New Jersey.

After the broadcast, Orson Welles was arrested. was not allowed to appear on the radio again. became famous.

Listeners probably could have found out that it was only a play by turning off the radio and going into the street. calling the police. turning to another station.

The incident suggests that Orson Welles had a poor sense of humor. people don’t listen very carefully. if Martians did land, it would be in New Jersey.

The First Movie Stars In the earliest days of the movies, there were no stars. Movie performers weren’t really considered actors. Their names were not featured n the film credits, and sometimes were not given at all. But as more and more movie theaters were built, a strange thing happened. The film studios began to receive letters by the thousands, addressed to the performers. People everywhere wanted to know the stories behind the faces they saw on the screen. The studios began to promote their most popular actors in their advertising. They also looked for and developed new performers with the same sort of appeal as their established stars. Some popular film performers were among the highest-paid people in the country. Magazines told stories of their private lives. Any film that featured the best-known stars was almost guaranteed success. But the coming of sound to the movies in 1927 brought about changes. Many of the most famous silent stars disappeared from the screen, and were replaced by other stars who had better speaking voices.

Early movie performers weren’t considered actors because they were so bad. because they didn’t speak on film. because no one had ever heard of them.

The movie business became successful when film studios started hiring better actors. when movies started to be made with sound. almost from its beginning.

Movie stars were so highly paid because the people who owned the studios were generous. they were the main reason people went to the movies. they were the world’s best actors.

After 1927 many stars of silent films disappeared because they couldn’t speak well. because they didn’t speak English. because they were too busy answering fan mail.

A Tomb Fit for a King Mausolus was the King of Caria when it was a small province of the Persian Empire. Now it is a part of Turkey. When Mausolus died in 353 B.C., his queen, Artemesia to her husband she would build the most beautiful tomb in the world. She sent for artists and sculptors from Greece to construct the monument at the city of Halicarnassus. The tomb of sculptured marble was set on a platform, surrounded by 36 golden columns. On the roof sat a bronze chariot, with statues of Mausolus and Artemesia. The tomb was completed in 350 B.C., and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It stood for 1,900 years, until it was toppled by an earthquake. But in a unique way it still survives. Today, any large tomb is called a mausoleum.

From the story we can guess that Mausolus was a powerful king. wise king. rich king.

The story also suggests that Artemesia designed the tomb. hated her husband. had no children.

Mausolus was buried in the tomb. buried in Greece. not buried at all.

A large tomb is called a mausoleum because Mausolus thought of the idea. Mausolus’ tomb was so big. Mausolus’ tomb was world famous and lasted a long time.

The Vampire Moth I n the rain forests of Southeast Asia lives a moth that might be Dracula’s cousin. It’s called Calpe, and it’s the only moth in the world that feeds on blood. Like the vampire bat, Calpe hunts by night. It dives at its prey from a height of about 20 feet, and uses it’s proboscis to penetrate the skin. It then may feed for an hour or more. Antelopes and water buffalo are its usual prey, but sometimes it attacks people as well. The modern day scientist who discovered Calpe learned this through painful personal experience.

The story calls Calpe “Dracula’s Cousin” because it looks like a bat. it drinks blood. it wears a cape.

Calpe attacks its prey by diving at it. in daylight. with its sharp teeth.

Calpe has been known since ancient times. was discovered in modern times. is only a legendary creature, like Dracula.

The bit of Calpe always causes death. is painful, but does not kill. can hardly be felt.

You are ready to move to the next level!