CHAPTER SEVEN.

Twelve months passed away, and Christmas came again, with its frost and snow and sunshine--its blazing fires, its good cheer, and its merry greetings.

Many a Christmastide had now passed over the head of our blacksmith, John Thorogood, and his excellent wife Mary, but Time had touched them lightly in its flight. They both looked young and hale, and full of vigour. The only difference in them was a wrinkle or two at the corners of the eyes, and a few grey hairs mingling with the brown. Perhaps John was a little more corpulent than when he was a youth; but he could wield the fore-hammer as easily and powerfully as ever.

A cloud, however, had been gathering over their happy home during the past year. Molly--the sweet active girl who had never known a day's illness from her childhood--had fallen into bad health. Her step had lost its spring, but her cheerful spirit was unsubdued.

"You're better to-day, Molly darling?" asked the smith, in a tone which showed he was not sure of the answer.

"Yes, father, much better." Molly did not use endearing terms, but the sweetness of her looks and voice rendered such needless.

She was pale and thin, and could not check the touch of sadness in her tones.

"Fred is sure to come, darling," said Mrs Thorogood, stopping in her preparations for supper to smooth her daughter's fair head.

"Oh yes, mother, I know that Fred is sure to come," returned Molly, with a laugh and a little blush. "No fear of _him_. I was not thinking of him, but of Jim. It is the first Christmas we shall have spent without him. Dear Jim! I wonder what company he will have to spend it with him in the backwoods." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What is John's profession?
2. Who is his wife?
3. And his daughter?
4. True or False: This is the first Christmas the family has to spend without Jim.
5. Do John and Mary look much different since last holiday?
6. Is John as strong as he once was?
7. Does Molly have an upbeat personality?
8. Is she in good health currently?
9. True or False: It was unusual for the daughter to be sick.
10. In what country does the passage take place?
11. How is John different from in his youth?
12. Has John put on a bit of weight since his youth?
13. Does Molly think Fred will return?
14. How about Mrs. Thorogood?
15. What was Mrs. Thorogood getting ready for the family?
16. Who asks if Molly's health has improved?
17. True or False: Molly could hide her sadness.
18. How is Molly's skin color described?
19. What does Molly wonder about Jim?
20. What chapter is the passage from?
Answer: 1. blacksmith
2. Mary
3. Molly
4. true
5. no
6. yes
7. yes
8. no
9. true
10. unknown
11. a wrinkle or two at the corners of the eyes, and a few grey hairs mingling with the brown.
12. yes if that's what corpulent means
13. yes
14. yes
15. supper
16. the smith
17. false
18. pale
19. what company he will have to spend it with him in the backwoods."
20. SEVEN

Ted's Birthday

Ted was feeling happy as he looked into his bedroom mirror. He knew that tomorrow would be his birthday. Ted would be seven years old and his daddy was going to take him somewhere special.

Ted's little brother Paul was playing with his alphabet blocks on the floor. Ted walked over and pat him on the shoulder. "Daddy said he's taking me to the new yogurt store," he told Paul. Paul is four years old so he asked Ted what a yogurt store was. "Yogurt is like ice cream," he told Paul, "and I'm going to get cherry." Paul said that he wanted cherry, too.

Then Ted walked over to the closet. He looked at his favorite shirt and pants to wear tomorrow. Then he looked at his shiny black pair of shoes. He smiled because he would have a nice shirt, pair of pants, and pair of shoes to wear for his birthday.

The two boys then heard the front door open and close. They raced down the stairs to greet their father. "Daddy, I'm ready for my birthday," Ted said. "Me too," said Paul. Their father laughed as he picked them up and carried them upstairs. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who was in a good mood?
2. Why?
3. How old would he be?
4. Does he have any siblings?
5. What is the sibling's name?
6. Is he older or younger?
7. What did Ted tell him?
8. What do you get there?
9. What kind is Paul getting?
10. Who else is getting that flavor?
11. What clothes will he put on the next day?
12. What else?
13. WHat did they hear?
14. WHat did they do then?
Answer: 1. Ted
2. tomorrow would be his birthday
3. seven years old
4. yes
5. Paul
6. younger
7. Daddy taking me to the new yogurt store
8. Yogurt
9. cherry
10. Ted
11. his favorite shirt and pants
12. shoes
13. the front door open and close
14. raced down the stairs

Last month we reported about a study that showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists used a computer model to predict how just three grams less salt a day would affect heart disease in the United States.

The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes , four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Researchers said it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.

They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt. Such campaigns are already in place in Britain, Japan and Finland.

Michael Alderman is among the critics. He is a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Doctor Alderman says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure. But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes. And he says salt has other biological effects. He says calling for reduction in the national diet could have good effects, but it could also have harmful results. He says there is not enough evidence _ .

Another critic is David McCarron, a nutrition and kidney disease expert at the University of California, Davis. He and his team looked at large studies of diets in thirty-three countries. They found that most people around the world eat about the same amount of salt. Most of them eat more salt than American health officials advise. Doctor McCarron says the worldwide similarity suggests that a person's brain might decide how much salt to eat.

Both Doctor McCarron and Doctor Alderman have connections to the Salt Institute, a trade group for the salt industry. Doctor Alderman is a member of an advisory committee. But he says he receives no money from the group. Doctor McCarron is paid for offering advice to the Salt Institute. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What is the name of the salt trade's group?
2. Who is on the advisory committee?
3. Who gets money for the advice he gives them?
4. Where was a study printed?
5. What food was it about?
6. Should we eat less according to the study?
7. How much less?
8. What do they claim this will help with?
9. Does everyone agree?
10. Who is one of the critics?
11. What does he specialize in?
12. What does he claim is the benefit of less salt?
13. What does he think may not be a benefit?
14. What does David specialize in?
15. Where does he work?
16. Did he do his own research?
17. Did he review other people's research?
18. How many countries had their diets studied?
19. How did their salt intake compare?
20. Was it more than Americans are advised to eat?
Answer:
1. Salt Institute
2. Doctor Alderman
3. Doctor McCarron i
4. The sthe New England Journal of Medicine
5. salt
6. yes
7. a little less
8. less heart attacks, strokes, deaths and heart disease
9. no
10. Michael Alderman
11. high blood pressure
12. lower blood pressure
13. fewer heart attacks or strokes.
14. nutrition and kidney disease
15. University of California, Davis
16. no
17. yes
18. thirty-three
19. about the same
20. yes