Why Does the Cock Eat the Millipede?

Long ago the cock had a pair of beautiful horns

on his head. But at that time there was a dragon who

was prevented from ascending into heaven because he

lacked a pair of horns. And so he offered the millipede

as a guarantor, and borrowed the horns from the

cock!

When the millipede came for the horns, he said to

the cock: "When you want your horns back, you must

call out at dawn: 'Give me back my horns!' and they will

be returned to you at once. You need have no occasion

to be concerned in the least."

The kind cock knew how difficult it was to

ascend to heaven, so, reassured by the good security

the millipede offered, he loaned his horns without

hesitation, just twisting them right off his head. He

also thought to himself that when the dragon returned

form his visit to heaven, they could sit down and have

a good conversation; he would ask the dragon to tell

him how things were in heaven, and if it really was

beautiful there, as he had always heard. If it was true,

he might consider going there himself someday, he

thought.

So, next morning at daybreak (for the dragon's visit

was scheduled to be brief), the cock called out loudly:

"Give me back my horns!" But, even though he repeated

this demand ten times over, there was no sign at all

of either the dragon or the horns. Worried, the cock

promptly went off to complain to the millipede, who

soothed him, saying: "If the dragon has not returned

the horns this morning, then he will certainly do so

tomorrow. At the very latest, the day after that. Just

learn to be a little patient and your horns will soon be

back on your head, just as before."

The cock did wait several days, but although he

called out every morning at sunrise: "Give me back

my horns!" They never did reappear. The cock was

extremely annoyed at this deception and loss, as you

can well imagine, therefore he ordered all the members

of his family to eat millipedes on sight.

Even so, the cock has not yet given up hope of

getting his horns returned. He ordered his descendants

always to call out at the break of day: "Give me back my

horns!" He still hopes that the dragon may hear him!

Taken from The Asian Animal Zodiac, 1998

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On School Discipline

Being on time is a beautiful social ethic and one of great importance, as it creates effi ciency in systems and implies respect for one another. However, it is one of the many values that a school must inculcate into its students overtime.

Discipline is not something that must be slapped onto a child like handcuffs. Inner discipline, one that comes from within due to an understanding of the set rules and regulations, is the highest form of behaviour. Most excellent schools try to instill this with a loving environment.

Why, even adults arrive late to meetings, work, etc–admittedly shamefaced. Here, we are talking about children. Latecomers should not be shut out. They can be given warnings, most of which are enough to make them want to reach school on time. If this fails, talk to the parents. By closing its gates, the school is behaving cruelly and coldly–treatment to which we prefer not to expose our children.

Every school has a responsibility to implement educational concepts in the appropriate context, not just those schools that follow international standards and are generally unaffordable for the majority. Good schools create competitive students who can organise themselves effectively in society so that everyone gets a quality life as a result of ethics and values imbibed into students for as long as 12 years.

Children are precious, and are dependent on adults for guidance and we must not take advantage of this. Understanding them is the key, and to this end, both parents and schools must work hand in hand without playing the blame game.

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BEHAVIOR AND WORK HABITS IN THE WORKPLACE

Smart and quiet behaviour in the workplace can causeserious or even fatal accidents. Behaviour like this is called horse play. If you interfere with the work of others or make practical joking, it can also be very safe. Horse play, running,and throwing objects in the workplace are good work  habits and can cause accidents. Bad work habits keep a workplace dangerous. A dangerous   worker is messy in his habits. He keeps a messy bench and a messy store. The floor around the bench or machine is never dirty. He always puts rubbish and waste into the wrong bins. In this way, he prevents obstruction of fire.

A dangerous worker does not wait for accident to happen. He never takes actions after they happen. If he sees some oil on the floor, he does not leave it there. Somebody may slip on that oil and so he wipes it up. He does not leave tools lying around or on top of machines. Tools can fall into the moving parts of a machine. The machine may be damaged, or the operator may be badly injured. The dangerous worker does these things through habits. As he works, he is thinking of the safety. He is trying to remove the safety. He is thinking not only of himself, but

also of his fellow workers .

(Taken from Bahasa Inggris Teknologi Industri 2)

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SPORTS

         Sport is very useful for our health. There are a lot of sports we can do. The popular sports in our country are badminton, football, boxing, volleyball, swimming, tennis, etc. Sometimes we need money to do sports, but sometimes we do not need money to do them. Not all people have enough money to spend for sports. There are some cheap sports such as jogging, running, and walking. All people can do jogging, running, or walking without spending money. These sports are very good for young and old people. Moreover people can do them everywhere and every time they like. If we do jogging, running, or walking at on beside in front of between behind above in The Students Are Studying In The Classroom 121 regularly, we will be fresh and healthy all the time. There are some sports we can do in a team, such as football, volleyball, basketball, etc. While swimming, high jumping, long jumping are done individually.

(Taken from Communicative and Meaningful English)

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Articles : a and the

Study the following example.

There is a new hotel in my city.

The hotel is not very big but the architecture is very beautiful.

The indefinite article (a or an) is used with singular, countable

nouns to refer to a thing or an idea for the 􀃀 rst time.

• There is a new hotel in my city.

• The definite article (the) is used with singular and plural, countable and uncountable nouns when both the speaker and the listener know the thing or idea already.

• The hotel is not very big but the architecture is very beautiful. (the speaker and the listener know which hotel it is)

Taken from: English in Focus Grade VIII

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PRAGUE

          Prague has a population of over one million people. It is not the biggest city in Europe, but it is certainly one of the most beautiful. It is built on seven hills on the banks of the River Vitava. Fifteen bridges cross the river. The most famous is Charles Bridge, which joins Prague Castle and the old town. The view of the castle from the river is very famous.

            Prague didn’t become the capital until October 1918. After World War I, when Czechoslovakia became an independent country. Twenty years later, in 1938, it lost its independence again before World War II. After the war, in 1948, the Communist took control. In 1968 the people tried to free themselves. They fought the soldiers in Wenceslas Square, but they were not successful. Communist rule did not end until 1989.

            The people say Prague is the most beautiful city in the world! They call it ‘The Golden City’ and ‘The Mother of Cities’ because it still has many beautiful medieval buildings and statues. Perhaps the most popular building is the Old Town Hall with its amazing 15^th century astronomical clock.

            People also call Prague ‘Europe’s School of Music’. There are man concert halls, and every May there is a famous music festival; Prague Spring’. There are also twenty theatres and many old pubs, wine bars, and restaurants.

            There is no modern underground, but traffic is still a problem. It is often better to walk and feel the atmosphere of the pretty little streets.

Taken from: UPT Bahasa Inggris Universitas Bengkulu “I will provide you with a key to a better future”

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Budapest

Budapest has a population of over two million people. One in every five Hungarians lives there. The River Danube divides the city into two parts. On the west bank there are the woods and hills of Buda and the old town. On the east bank, there is the bigger and more modern Pest, the business and shopping centre. From Buda there are wonderful views of Pest and the River. Six bridges join Buda and Pest.

For nearly a thousand years Buda and Pest were two towns. Then in 1873 they joined and became one city, Budapest. Until 1939 Budapest was one of the most important cultural capitals of Europe. Then World War II started. In 1945 the city was in ruins and the Communist took control. In 1956 the people tried to free themselves. They pulled down a statue of Stalin and ought the soldiers, but they were not successful. Communist rule did not end until 1989. 

Budapest is very unusual because it has two completely different parts. You can choose the peace and quiet of Buda’s wood or the excitement of Pest, where there are good theaters, restaurants, bars, and shop.

The public transport in Budapest is one the best and cheapest in the world. You can travel easily by underground, bus, tram, and taxi, but driving a car in Budapest is not a good ideal. There are no many car parks. Most cars are old, so pollution is very bad.

The healthiest thing to do in the city is to visit one of the thirty spa baths and swimming pools. The minerals waters of Budapest are famous, and very popular way to relax.

Taken from: UPT Bahasa Inggris Universitas Bengkulu “I will provide you with a key to a better future”

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