Q: (CNN) -- Spanish champions Barcelona will kick off 2011 without the services of world player of the year Lionel Messi and key defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique.

Coach Pep Guardiola has given top scorer Messi permission to miss Sunday's home clash with Levante as his side seek to move five points clear of second-placed rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga standings.

The club's website reported on Friday that the Argentina forward had been allowed to extend his holiday, so will be missing from the line-up for only the fourth time this season.

Captain Puyol is ruled out with a groin injury that he picked up playing for Catalonia in the representative game against Honduras earlier this month, and may also miss next weekend's trip to Deportivo La Coruna.

Spanish league strike called off

His central defensive partner Pique is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card this season in Barca's final league game of 2010, the 5-1 thrashing of city rivals Espanyol on December 18.

However, Guardiola will be able to call on Argentine defender Gabriel Milito and young midfielder Jeffren Suarez, who have both returned to training.

Milito had been sidelined since injuring his thigh in the Spanish Cup win over Ceuta on November 10, while the 22-year-old Jeffren suffered a groin problem in the Champions League match win over Rubin Kazan on December 7.

Football's best and worst of 2010

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid will return to action on Monday with a trip to seventh-placed Getafe.

Answer the following questions:
1. What injury was talked about?
2. What rivals were there?
3. When did they play?
4. Who won?
5. Who injured their leg?
6. When?
7. What was called off?
8. Who is a top scorer?
9. What was he allowed to do?
10. Why?
11. Who was not allowed to play?
12. For what?
13. who returns from training?
A: 1. a groin injury
2. Barca and Espanyol
3. on December 18.
4. Barca
5. Milito
6. on November 10
7. Spanish league strike
8. Messi
9. to miss Sunday's home clash
10. to extend his holiday,
11. Pique is suspended
12. for picking up his fifth yellow card
13. Gabriel Milito and Jeffren Suarez

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

CHAPTER XXV

It chanced that a brilliant autumn brought a season of great prosperity to the Thetian wine-growers and farmers, and the year of Ughtred's accession to the throne seemed likely to be marked with a white stone in their annals. Never had a ruler been more popular with all classes. His military system, while it made no undue demands upon the people, provoked the admiration of Europe, and several important and successful industrial undertakings were due entirely to his instigation. Mr. Van Decht, fascinated by the climate, the primitive but delightful life, and a firm believer in the possibilities of the country, still lingered in the capital, and already the results of his large investments were beginning to be felt. Only a few people knew of the hidden danger which was ever brooding over the land--a danger which Ughtred had realized from the first, and which from the first he had set himself steadfastly to avert. A soldier himself, he knew something of the horrors of war. Nothing seemed to him more awful than the vision of this beautiful country blackened and devastated, her corn-fields soaked with blood, her pleasant pastoral life swept away in the grim struggle against an only partially-civilized enemy. He set himself passionately to work to strive for peace.

Reist came to him one evening straight from the House of Laws with a suggestion.

"Your Majesty," he said, "the people are asking for a queen."

Ughtred laughed.

"I'm sorry I can't oblige them off-hand," he answered.

1. Who was king?
2. What did they want him to do?
3. Did he agree?
4. What did he say?
5. What happened the fall he became king?
6. For whom?
7. Was the king liked?
8. What did the continent think of him?
9. For what?
10. Was the country completely safe?
11. Who sensed danger?
12. What did he know about?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. Ughtred
2. Find a queen
3. No
4. I'm sorry I can't oblige them off-hand
5. A season of great prosperity
6. The wine-growers and farmers
7. Yes
8. Admiration
9. His military system
10. No
11. Ughtred
12. The horrors of war

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

The word pharmacy is derived from its root word pharma which was a term used since the 15th17th centuries. However, the original Greek roots from pharmakos imply sorcery or even poison. In addition to pharma responsibilities, the pharma offered general medical advice and a range of services that are now performed solely by other specialist practitioners, such as surgery and midwifery. The pharma (as it was referred to) often operated through a retail shop which, in addition to ingredients for medicines, sold tobacco and patent medicines. Often the place that did this was called an apothecary and several languages have this as the dominant term, though their practices are more akin to a modern pharmacy, in English the term apothecary would today be seen as outdated or only approproriate if herbal remedies were on offer to a large extent. The pharmas also used many other herbs not listed. The Greek word Pharmakeia (Greek: ) derives from pharmakon (), meaning "drug", "medicine" (or "poison").[n 1]

1. What does the term pharmakos come from?
2. Does it have positive connotations?
3. What does it mean?
4. What would be the Greek word for drug or medicine?
5. And what came from that word?
6. When was the term pharma first used?
7. Is that where the term pharmacy came from?
8. Did pharmas only distribute medicines?
9. What is something else they did?
10. What about for pregnant women?
11. Could you get tobacco at a pharma?
12. Were they stand alone enterprises?
13. What is a common name for these stores?
14. Is that only used in English?
15. What would you compare an apothecary to nowadays?
16. Is that still a descriptive definition?
17. What would make it so?
18. Did pharmas list all herbs they used?
19. Could I get a patent medicine at a pharma?
20. What about ingredients for other medicines?

Numbered answers:

A:
1. Greek
2. no
3. sorcery or even poison
4. pharmakon
5. Pharmakeia
6. 15th century
7. yes
8. no
9. offered general medical advice
10. midwifery
11. yes
12. yes
13. an apothecary
14. no
15. pharmacy
16. no
17. if they sold herbal remedies
18. no
19. yes
20. yes