question: TWO deer jumped out in front of 16-year-old Amanda Floyd's car. She stepped on the brakes . and stopped just in time.

But then she started texting. Distracted , Amanda turned left and right, then crashed into another car.

Luckily she wasn't in a real car. She was in a driving simulator at Roosevelt High School, Ohio, US."I never really realized you swerve that much," Amanda, a junior, said. She added that she doesn't text while driving any more. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and State Highway Patrol brought the simulator to the school. They said they wanted to help students learn about the dangers of driving drunk, while texting, or while talking on the phone.

Last year, state authorities reported 39 fatalities , 454 serious injuries and 12,410 crashes caused by distracted driving. Experts said that real numbers are probably higher.

The simulator is basically a computer game. Like many computer games, it was a hit with the students. They lined up and crowded around to watch each other take turns. The simulator has a steering wheel , brake and gas pedals . It is made up of three large computer screens on a table.

Students choose a distraction, for example driving drunk or driving while texting. They always crash, of course. Then they are pulled over by police, and learn the bad results of their driving: how much damage they've caused, what their fine is, if anyone died in the accident, and if they're going to go to prison.

"It teaches how to drive without being on the road," said Shante Thompson, 16. She had just crashed into a deer.

ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said hundreds of kids have gone behind the wheel so far. He said even more have benefited from watching their classmates.

"Driving is such a major responsibility, so take it seriously," he said. "Put away your cell phone. Don't put your makeup on. Don't be eating or playing with the radio.

"A lot of the accidents out there are because of distracted driving. It cannot only change your life, but it can change someone else's life forever. The results are serious."MCT
1. What jumped in front of Amanda's car?
2. What did she do when they jumped in front of her car?
3. What did she do after that?
4. What happened while she was doing that?
5. How old is she?
6. Was she in a real car?
7. What was it?
8. Where was it located?
9. What state is it located in?
10. Who brought the simulator to school?
11. Why did they bring it?
12. How many crashes are caused by distracted driving?
13. Was the simulator popular with students?
14. What does it consist of?
15. What else?
****
answer: 1. TWO deer
2. She stepped on the brakes
3. she started texting
4. she crashed into another car
5. 16
6. no
7. a simulator
8. at Roosevelt High School
9. Ohio
10. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and State Highway Patrol
11. they wanted students to learn about the dangers of driving drunk, while texting, or while talking on the phone
12. 12,410
13. yes
14. a steering wheel , brake and gas pedals
15. three large computer screens on a table.

question: "The Lord of the Rings", one of the best sellers in the new millennium , was made up of three parts--"The Fellow Ship of the Ring", "Two Towers", and "The Return of the King". Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.

John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien's becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo--Saxon.

After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien's imaginative work "The Hobbit".

Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them,Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves . On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.

One of Tolkien's students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft . The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children's book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and "The Hobbit" was published in 1937.

It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced "The Lord of the Rings", a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication.
1. Who wrote the Lord of the Rings?
2. When was he born?
3. Where?
4. Who raised him
5. What did he do for fun with cousins?
6. What real languages did he learn?
7. What are the 3 sections of the Lord of the Rings?
8. Where did he go to school?
9. Did he leave before graduating?
10. What diid he teach?
11. What was his discussion group named?
12. What were hobbits?
13. Were they the same thing as dwarves?
14. Where were their homes?
15. What was one of the hobbits named?
16. What terrible creature did he meet?
17. How much did a child receive for reviewing The Hobbit?
****
answer: 1. John Ronald Refuel Tolkien
2. 1892
3. South Africa
4. his aunt
5. made up play languages
6. Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo--Saxon
7. unknown
8. Oxford
9. no
10. Anglo-Saxon
11. the Inklings
12. half-sized members of the English rural class
13. no
14. hillside holes
15. Bilbo Baggins
16. Gollum
17. a shilling

question: Separation of powers is a political doctrine originating in the writings of Montesquieu in The Spirit of the Laws where he urged for a constitutional government with three separate branches of government. Each of the three branches would have defined abilities to check the powers of the other branches. This idea was called separation of powers. This philosophy heavily influenced the writing of the United States Constitution, according to which the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States government are kept distinct in order to prevent abuse of power. This United States form of separation of powers is associated with a system of checks and balances.

During the Age of Enlightenment, philosophers such as John Locke advocated the principle in their writings, whereas others, such as Thomas Hobbes, strongly opposed it. Montesquieu was one of the foremost supporters of separating the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. His writings considerably influenced the opinions of the framers of the United States Constitution.
1. What concept influenced the US form of government?
2. What did he write?
3. What was the concept that he recommended?
4. How many separate powers did he recommend?
5. What are the three powers in the US government?
6. What is hoped to be gained by keeping them separate?
7. What kind of a system will accomplish that?
8. Who agreed with such systems?
9. How do we know that?
10. Was there any opposition?
11. Who might that be?
12. Montesquieu influenced who?
13. And what are we talking about?
14. The three branches are found where?
15. When did John Locke live?
****
answer:
1. writings of Montesquieu
2. The Spirit of the Law
3. Separation of powers
4. three
5. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
6. prevent abuse of power
7. system of checks and balances
8. philosophers such as John Locke
9. advocated the principle in their writings
10. yes
11. Thomas Hobbes strongly opposed it
12. the framers of the United States Constitution.
13. Separation of powers
14. United States Constitution
15. During the Age of Enlightenment