Problem: In chemistry, pH () (potential of hydrogen) is a numeric scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. It is approximately the negative of the base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration, measured in units of moles per liter, of hydrogen ions. More precisely it is the negative of the logarithm to base 10 of the activity of the hydrogen ion. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic. Pure water is neutral, at pH 7 (25C), being neither an acid nor a base. Contrary to popular belief, the pH value can be less than 0 or greater than 14 for very strong acids and bases respectively.

pH measurements are important in agronomy, medicine, biology, chemistry, agriculture, forestry, food science, environmental science, oceanography, civil engineering, chemical engineering, nutrition, water treatment and water purification, as well as many other applications.

The pH scale is traceable to a set of standard solutions whose pH is established by international agreement. Primary pH standard values are determined using a concentration cell with transference, by measuring the potential difference between a hydrogen electrode and a standard electrode such as the silver chloride electrode. The pH of aqueous solutions can be measured with a glass electrode and a pH meter, or an indicator.
1. what does pH mean?
2. what kind of scale?
3. what does it specify?
4. what is it the negative of?
5. measured in what?
6. what are pH less than 7?
7. and more than 7?
8. what is water?
9. what degree?
10. Is it a water or a base?
11. Can pH be less than 10?
12. less than 0?
13. greater than 14?
14. What is used to measure the pH of aqueous solutions?
15. and what else?
Answer: 1. potential of hydrogen
2. numeric
3. the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution
4. the base 10 logarithm
5. moles per liter
6. acidic
7. basic
8. neutral, at pH 7
9. 25C
10. neither
11. Yes
12. Yes
13. Yes
14. pH meter
15. a glass electrode

Problem: A Tale of Two Cities was written by the famous English writer Charles Dickens. The tale is mainly about the French Revolution in 1789, where the poor rose up against the king and the nobles. Dickens showed deep sympathy for the poor and deep hatred for the cruelty of the upper class, though he wrote quite a lot about the love triangle between Lucie, Charles and Sydney.

In this novel, Dickens wrote some lively characters like Sydney and those crazy revolutionaries. In this tale, we can't see any absolute roles. Charles, though he's a brave and good man, obviously he hasn't as much ability as Sydney. Sydney, a typical tragic man, a man like him, usually has great ability. But he has some weak points on characters and the worst is that he always loves a woman he shouldn't love and 99.99% die for her at last in an extremely heroic or tragic way. The revolutionaries are not as full of justice as usual. They get mad when they can get revenge for their unfair treatment. The fire of hatred burns everything. When they're at the bottom of the society, they're calling for justice, for fair treatment, for freedom, but when they're in charge of the society, their world is up-side-down. They hate everything that is connected to the very people against them, even including Charles' wife, Dr. Manette's daughter. So _ have no difference from those former governors at heart.

Though Dickens told us how the authority is recycling over and over again in some way, the novel is about something good. Love from Sydney to Lucie is one of the only few bright points in the novel and it's really great. A man can sacrifice his life to save his lover's husband. He doesn't have any personal purpose and just for his lover's happiness. So Dickens may imply us, only love can solve the problems between people, between the poor and the rich, love is everything.
1. who are some of the main characters in the book?
2. in what book?
3. I dickens from Australia?
4. what does he think of the poor?
5. during what historic time period?
6. are the revolutionaries full of justice?
7. what happens when they are in charge?
8. is Charles a brave man?
9. what is one of the bright points in the novel?
10. how do the revolutionaries feel about Charle's wife?
11. what does DIckens think of the upper class?
Answer: 1. Sydney and Lucie
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. no
4. he writes about the poor rising up
5. the French Revolution in 1789
6. no
7. their world is up-side-down
8. yes
9. Love from Sydney to Lucie
10. they hate her
11. he showed deep hatred for the cruelty of the upper class

Problem: Believe it or not but it is true. There are people who lose the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage. But they become extremely good at something else. They become experts at spotting liars. The condition in which people lose their power to understand or use words due to brain damage are called aphasia . A study conducted in Massachusetts, U.S., has clearly proved that aphasics make good lie detectors .

In the last 100 years, many doctors studying the brain have mentioned examples of this amazing power of patients suffering from aphasia. Recently, scientists conducted tests to see if all that was said about aphasics was true. They studied the powers of a mixed group of people. Some were normal; others were aphasic. And it was proved clearly that the normal volunteers still got fooled by words. The aphasics were far ahead of them in recognizing false speech. The results of the study were reported in the magazine Nature.

'Fourteen years ago, famous American doctor, Dr. Oliver Sacks, wrote about his experiences with aphasic patients in a book. He remembered a particular incident in a hospital. Patients from the aphasia room were watching TV. Their president, Ronald Reagan, was giving a speech. He was trying to put feelings into each and every word of his speech. But his speech had an opposite effect on the patients. They were not impressed. On the contrary, the whole room shook with their laughter. The aphasics knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying.

Dr. Sacks saw aphasics as more gifted than normal people. Normal people "get carried away" by words. An aphasic cannot understand words. But he or she can still understand what is being said. He said most of the aphasics had this superior understanding. So, while normal people think of aphasic patients as brain damaged, they actually seem to understand human expressions better.
1. where was the study conducted?
2. what is the condition called?
3. what does it do?
4. why?
5. how long have doctors studied it?
6. who wrote about them?
7. when?
8. did the study involve all aphasics?
9. then who?
10. are aphasics considered normal?
11. what are they considered?
12. what do they understand?
13. how do normal humans look at them?
14. who did the aphasics laugh at?
15. what was he doing?
16. why did they laugh?
17. how?
18. what do the patients lose?
19. what do they gain?
20. which magazine was the study featured?
Answer:
1. Massachusetts, U.S.,
2. aphasia
3. people lose their power to understand or use words
4. brain damage
5. 100 years
6. Dr. Oliver Sacks
7. 14 years ago
8. No
9. Some were normal; others were aphasic.
10. no
11. as more gifted
12. human expressions
13. as brain damaged
14. Ronald Reagan,
15. giving a speech
16. They knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying.
17. his speech had an opposite effect on them
18. the ability to understand or use words due
19. recognizing false speech
20. Nature