QUES: Hundreds of thousands of years before China was to become the world's longest-running civilization, the prologue was enacted by means of the flicker of a carefully tended fire. Peking Man, a forebear of Homo sapiens, achieved a mastery of fire. We might call it the first Chinese invention. Not that he devised flint and steel, matches, or any other way of creating fire. Peking Man simply learned how to capture flame, perhaps from a forest fire, and keep it alight. He thus enjoyed two revolutionary luxuries: light and heat. Technologically and sociologically, it was a phenomenal breakthrough: with fire, communities could live year 'round in one cave, in which cooking and even smelting could be pursued. And so, by 600,000 b.c., about 50 km (31 miles) southwest of present-day Beijing, the ancestors of mankind were ready to settle down. Several hundred thousand years later, when Marco Polo reached the capital of China, he was astonished by a further development in fire technology. The Chinese, he announced, used black stones dug out of mountains as fuel. Europeans did not yet have a word for "coal," nor had they discovered a use for it. The First Dynasty The confluence of mythology and history in China took place around 4,000 years ago during what is referred to as the Xia (Hsia) Dynasty. This was still the Stone Age, but the people are thought to have made silk from thread produced by the worms they cultivated on the leaves of their mulberry trees. And written language (which evolved as early as 4,500 to 5,000 years ago) was already in use, originally by oracles and then by official scribesChina's first scholars. During the second of the quasi-legendary dynasties, the Shang (from about the 16th to 11th centuries b.c.), the Chinese developed an interest in art. Careful geometric designs as well as dragon and bird motifs adorned bowls and implements. And with the arrival of the Bronze Age, the Chinese created bronze vessels of such beauty and originality that, until modern times, archaeologists refused to believe they were cast 3,000 years ago. The Shang Dynasty gave rise to the concept of one Chinese nation under one government.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: This famous explorer , after reaching China's capital city reported that the Chinese used what color rocks to make fire?

QUES: Nine families displaced by a fire at Alamo Hills Apartments in March filed lawsuits Wednesday against the apartment complex. They allege that the complex could have done more to protect belongings they were forced to abandon in the aftermath of the blaze. Bernard Dempsey Jr., an attorney with Western Michigan Legal Services, the group that represents the tenants, said Alamo Hills gave the displaced families very limited opportunity to remove belongings. "They were given three days to get their stuff out, and if they couldn't get moved out in three days, their stuff was discarded," Dempsey said. "Alamo Hills just threw it out." Others, he said, lost possessions to looters after the March 23 blaze, which left 78 people temporarily homeless. According to the lawsuit, the tenants were prohibited from entering their apartments to retrieve possessions and were promised that the complex would provide security. A spokesperson for PM One, the company that manages Alamo Hills, could not be reached for comment. Nine separate suits were filed in 8th District Court, which handles civil claims of less than $25,000. "We're asking for the reimbursement of the value of their property and a small amount for stress -- $3,000 on top of their out-of-pocket expenses for their lost stuff," Dempsey said. "They're not looking to get rich off this. A lot of this is simply because they were treated so badly." Dempsey said most of the tenants who filed suits still live at the apartment complex, although many are trying to find homes elsewhere. "The new apartments (they were provided) were not in very good shape. That's actually one of the claims," he said.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Why did nine families displaced by a fire at Alamo Hills Apartments file lawsuits against the apartment complex?

QUES: Alien Planet starts out with an interstellar spacecraft named Von Braun , leaving Earth's orbit . Traveling at 20 % the speed of light , it reaches Darwin IV in 42 years . Upon reaching orbit , it deploys the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter , Which looks for potential landing sites for the probes . The first probe , Balboa , explodes along with its lifting body transport during entry , because one of its wings failed to unfold . Two backup probes , Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton , successfully land on the planet , and learn much about its bizarre indigenous lifeforms , including an apparently sapient species . The robotic probes sent out to research on Darwin IV are called Horus Probes . Each Horus probe consists of an { { convert } } long inflatable , hydrogen-filled balloon , Which is covered with solar receptors , a computer ' brain ' , a ' head ' covered with sensors , and several smaller robots that can be sent to places too dangerous for the probes themselves . The probes have a limited degree of artificial intelligence , very similar to the ' processing power ' of a 4-year-old . All the real thinking is done by a supercomputer in the orbiting Von Braun . The probes are programmed with different personalities ; Ike is more cautious , while Leo is the risk-taker . The two probes are also equipped with a holographic message that will be projected to any sentient life found on Darwin . After the two probes inflate their gas-bags , they encounter a voracious Arrowtongue and watch it pursue a Gyrosprinter .
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Compare the computing power of the probes with the computing power of the Van Braun spacecraft.

QUES: Jake was walking to the park to play baseball with his friends. He loved being outside on sunny days, and now that school was over for the year, he was playing baseball every day. The more he played, the better he got. Only Frank was better than he was. He liked playing third base, but he often played in the field. He was carrying his favorite mitt that his Grandfather had bought him. His Grandfather had taught him to catch. He loved spending time with him when he was younger, but he had moved last year. Now he only saw his Grandfather in the summer. Jake was really excited to show him his skills when he came to their next game. He could throw really fast now. He was sure his Grandfather would want to sit in the front to watch him. He knew he would jump up and down. Jake happily ran the rest of the way to the park thinking about how much fun he was going to have playing baseball this year.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
Why does Jake only see his grandfather in the summer now?