Q: Before the 20th century, the term matter included ordinary matter composed of atoms and excluded other energy phenomena such as light or sound. This concept of matter may be generalized from atoms to include any objects having mass even when at rest, but this is ill-defined because an object's mass can arise from its (possibly massless) constituents' motion and interaction energies. Thus, matter does not have a universal definition, nor is it a fundamental concept in physics today. Matter is also used loosely as a general term for the substance that makes up all observable physical objects.

All the objects from everyday life that we can bump into, touch or squeeze are composed of atoms. This atomic matter is in turn made up of interacting subatomic particlesusually a nucleus of protons and neutrons, and a cloud of orbiting electrons. Typically, science considers these composite particles matter because they have both rest mass and volume. By contrast, massless particles, such as photons, are not considered matter, because they have neither rest mass nor volume. However, not all particles with rest mass have a classical volume, since fundamental particles such as quarks and leptons (sometimes equated with matter) are considered "point particles" with no effective size or volume. Nevertheless, quarks and leptons together make up "ordinary matter", and their interactions contribute to the effective volume of the composite particles that make up ordinary matter.

1. ordinary matter composed of atoms
2. other energy phenomena
3. massless particles
4. photons
5. no
6. leptons
7. quarks
8. they are considered "point particles"
9. composite particles
10. no size or volume.

Numbered questions:
1. What did the term matter include prior to the 20th century?
2. And excluded?
3. What does science consider these particles to be?
4. What is a type of massless particle?
5. Is it matter?
6. What is one example of fundamental particles?
7. What's another?
8. What are they considered?
9. What is the term matter loosely used to refer to?
10. What is the effective size of point particles?

Q: Coral Polge is a person who has provided comfort to thousands. She has a remarkable talent which may prove the survival of the human spirit after death, for Coral is a medium who draws the portraits of spirits who contact her.

Coral, whose parents were spiritualists, was brought up in Harrow, North London, where she attended a local spiritualist church. She studied art at the local college, where she specialized in textile design. Even though, at the time, she wasn't very good at drawing portraits, she met a medium who told her she would be a psychic artist.

She doesn't actually see the dead nor are her hands controlled by the spirits; instead she 'feels' them coming through. Early in her career she drew the portraits of 'spirit guides' from whom she had received help. These portraits of guides, who included Red Indians, nuns and monks, were remarkable, yet could have been attributed to the working of a strong imagination. She also drew portraits by holding on to letters that had been written by people who had since died.

Coral says, 'I know exactly what to draw without thinking about it. It's involuntary, like breathing or walking.' Not only are her portraits a good likeness but she sketches her subjects in clothes they would have worn in life.

Coral has displayed her talent at public meetings around the world. At one gathering there was a woman whose grandfather had just died. Her name was Phyllis Timms. Coral made a sketch of a man who had a long moustache and Phyllis recognized the man as her grandfather. However, she was reluctant to acknowledge the portrait without extra proof. Coral then said that the colour green was a link with the man whom she had drawn. Mrs Timms, whose maiden name had been Green, understood the significance of the comment and claimed the portrait.

There are some people for whom this is evidence of survival from beyond the grave. Others, who have their reservations, may put it down to an extraordinary kind of extrasensory perception . Whatever the reason, it remains a gift impossible to explain away and we should try to keep an open mind.

1. provides comfort
2. she draws the portraits of spirits who contact her
3. a medium
4. No
5. art
6. No
7. Yes
8. It's involuntary
9. Yes
10. unknown

Numbered questions:
1. What does Coral Polge do?
2. by doing what?
3. What is that called?
4. Is she taken over by them?
5. What did she study in school?
6. Did she plan on this path?
7. was she always good at it?
8. How does she do it?
9. Are the dressed randomly?
10. what did she do in beginning?

Q: Today was the Moon's birthday, and Ms. Star wanted to be sure to get the best gift ever for her friend Moon. She had no idea what she was going to get him! A rainbow sounded like a fun gift, but everyone has a rainbow, and she was sure that Moon had one too. Ms. Star looked all around space for the right gift for Moon. She asked Saturn was she was going to get Moon. "Oh, I think I'm going to get Moon a space puppy. He was talking about how much he loved dogs!" That sounded like such a good idea to Ms. Star, but since Saturn was going to get a space puppy, that meant that Ms. Star couldn't do it too! "Try asking Mars." said Saturn. "He might know what to get Moon." Ms. Star asked Mars. "Well," said Mars. "I know that I'm getting Moon a space ship, and that Neptune, Uranus and Pluto are going together to get Moon a new house." "Wow!" said Ms. Star. "How am I ever going to get Moon something as nice as a house, or a space ship, or a space puppy?" Mars thought about it for a little bit. "Hmm." he said. "Maybe you could make him something?" "What a great idea!" said Ms. Star. "I know what would be perfect to make for him!" That night, at Moon's birthday party, when Moon opened the gift from Ms. Star, he was the happiest he had been about any of the gifts. "It's the perfect gift! Thank you so much Ms. Star!" He pulled out of the box a beautiful sweater that Ms. Star had made out of her own star dust. "It's so cold here in space! A sweater is the best gift ever!"

1. Ms. Star
2. Moon's birthday
3. all around space
4. a space puppy
5. He loved dogs
6. yes
7. ask Mars
8. a space ship
9. Neptune, Uranus and Pluto
10. making him something
11. yes
12. a sweater
13. yes
14. yes
15. It was cold in space
16. star dust

Numbered questions:
1. Who was looking for a gift?
2. Why?
3. Where did she look?
4. What was Saturn going to get Moon?
5. Why?
6. Did Ms. Star like that idea?
7. What did Saturn suggest to Ms. Star?
8. What was he getting Moon?
9. Who was getting him a house?
10. What was Mars' suggestion?
11. Did she like that idea?
12. What did she make?
13. Did he like it?
14. Was it useful to him?
15. Why?
16. What was the sweater made out of?