Q: Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew . And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.

Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer's hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement . Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties . In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

1. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew
2. And the earliest needles were made from bones

Numbered questions:
1. What was the first thread made from?
2. What about the needles?

Q: Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Roberto Sanchez, the Argentine singer known as "Sandro" and who drew comparisons to Elvis Presley, died Monday night after complications from surgery, his doctor told reporters. He was 64.

Sandro's romantic ballads made him a star in the 1960s, but he first found the limelight as rock and roll singer who imitated Elvis' style.

In his long career, Sandro recorded dozens of albums and also acted in 16 movies, according to the Web site Rock.com.ar. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Spanish Rock movement.

The singer was also known as "El Gitano," or "the Gypsy," because of his family's Roma roots.

Some accounts place Sandro as the first Latino artist to sell out Madison Square Garden in New York.

Sandro died at the Italian Hospital in Mendoza, Argentina, where he was being treated for complications from a heart and lung transplant last month.

He is survived by his wife, Olga Garaventa.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

1. Sandro
2. romantic ballads
3. 16
4. Elvis Presley

Numbered questions:
1. What is the name of the singer known as Sandro?
2. What type of ballads made him a star in the 60s?
3. How many movies had he acted in?
4. Who did he draw comparisons to?

Q: Essay is optional and no penalties for wrong answers. These changes will take place in SAT college exam. The changes include the use of some words more commonly used in school and on the job instead of the words such as "prevaricator" and "sagacious".

College Board officials said the change is needed to make the exam better representative of what students study in high school and the skills they need to succeed in college and afterward. The new exam will be rolled out in 2016, so this year's ninth graders will be the first to take it, in their junior year. The new SAT will continue to test reading, writing and math skills, with an emphasis on analysis. Scoring will return to a 1,600-point scale last used in 2004, with a separate score for the optional essay. For the first time, students will have the option of taking the test on computers.

They also said many students who are terrified they will be tested on lots of SAT words currently can ask for help: practicing with flashcards. They know flashcards are not the best way to build real word knowledge that lasts, but when the SAT rolls around they become the royal road. Students stop reading and start flipping.

The essay will be changed in other ways, too. It will measure students' ability to analyze and explain how an author builds an argument and it will also be up to colleges whether the essay will be required. Each exam will include a passage drawn from "founding documents": such as the Declaration of Independence or from discussions they've inspired. Instead of testing a wide range of math concepts, the new exam will focus on a few areas, like algebra, thought to be most needed for college and life afterward. A calculator will be allowed only on certain math questions, instead of on the entire math portion .

Jim Rawlins, the director of admissions at the University of Oregon, said the changes will potentially help the students but it will take a few years to know its influence, after the students go on to college. He said some colleges are still dealing with questions about the changes made in 2005, such as how to consider the essay portion. The criticism of the SAT is that students from wealthier families do better on the exam because they can afford expensive test preparation classes.

The SAT was taken last year by 1.7 million students. It has historically been more popular on the coasts, while the other main standardized college entrance exam, the ACT, dominated the central U.S. The ACT took over the SAT in total use in 2012, partly because it is taken by almost every junior in 13 states as part of those states' testing scheme .

ACT president Jon Erickson said when hearing of the SAT changes, his reaction was that they could've been talking about the ACT now. "I didn't hear anything new and different, so I was a little left wanting, at least at the end of this first announcement," Erickson said .

Bob Schaeffer, education director at the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, or FairTest, said it is laudable that the SAT will provide free test preparation, but it is unlikely to make a dent in the market for such preparation. He also said the new test is unlikely to be better than the current one. His organization has a database with institutions that don't require ACT or SAT scores to make admissions decisions.

1. SAT
2. college exam
3. yes
4. 1.7 million students
5. Scoring will return to a 1,600-point scale
6. 2004
7. no
8. yes
9. flashcards
10. no
11. yes
12. no
13. students
14. a few areas, like algebra
15. unknown
16. no
17. ACT
18. central U.S.
19. it is taken by almost every junior in 13 states as part of those states' testing scheme .
20. students from wealthier families do better on the exam

Numbered questions:
1. What are they trying to improve?
2. What is that?
3. Is it an important one?
4. About how many people take it?
5. WHat is one of the updates to it?
6. When was that last used?
7. Does everyone have to take it on paper?
8. Is this a new development?
9. WHat is one of the ways to prepare for it?
10. WIll this have long term benefits?
11. Is there a written portion?
12. Is it mandatory?
13. Who decides whether it is necessary?
14. What other topics are covered?
15. Will this section be getting harder?
16. Is this test the only option?
17. What is the other(s)?
18. Where is it preferred?
19. Why?
20. WHat is a criticsm against the SAT?