Q: Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar (the fourth-largest island in the world), and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian peninsula around 88million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats.

The first archaeological evidence for human foraging on Madagascar dates to 2000BC. Human settlement of Madagascar occurred between 350BC and AD550 by Austronesian peoples arriving on outrigger canoes from Borneo. These were joined around AD 1000 by Bantu migrants crossing the Mozambique Channel from East Africa. Other groups continued to settle on Madagascar over time, each one making lasting contributions to Malagasy cultural life. The Malagasy ethnic group is often divided into 18 or more sub-groups of which the largest are the Merina of the central highlands.

Answer the following questions:
1. What was it previously known as
2. what is it "officially" known as now
3. is it a peninsula
4. what body of water is it in
5. what coast does it lie off of
6. where does it lie in the top 10 largest islands
7. Does it also have smaller islands off of it
8. What is the name of the "supercontinent" it was apart of
9. how long ago did it break away from the peninsula
10. does it seem to have a lot of wildlife
11. Can you find majority of the same wildlife elsewhere on Earth
12. How much of it can be found somewhere else
13. when is it believed that humans first began settling on madagascar
14. by who
15. how did they arrive
16. from where
17. who came next
18. in what year
19. what is the name of their culture
20. how many groups is it divided into
A: 1. the Malagasy Republic
2. the Republic of Madagascar
3. no
4. the Indian Ocean
5. off the coast of East Africa
6. fourth
7. yes
8. Gondwana
9. 88million years ago
10. yes
11. no
12. 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else
13. between 350BC and AD550
14. Austronesian peoples
15. by outrigger canoes
16. Borneo
17. Bantu migrants
18. about AD 1000
19. Malagasy
20. 18
Q: Travelling around the world is a dream for many people, but a young couple from China has made his dream come true. They drove along the ancient Silk Road, from China to the UK. Luo Chang and Ding Jie, a young couple from China's Guizhou Province, spent two months drving from their home in Shanghai all the way to London. The journey covered about 20,000 kilometer, and they crossed 14 countries and regions . Ding Jie said, " People were excited to see two travelers driving a foreign license car, appearing on their streets. We were stopped many times to take photos with them. Sometimes, when we couldn't understand each other's language, they would express their ideas with gestures . During their driving trip, they also spent many nights in local people's homes. Luo Chang said, "This is an amazing experience. We were driving on a highway or a country road to someone's home. Someone you've never met but was already preparing dinner for you. We feelwe have friends all over the world. During the trip, Luo and Ding took nearly 10,000 photos and kept diaries to record the beautiful scenery , the friendly people and the different customs on the way. ,.

Answer the following questions:
1. What is a dream for many people?
2. Where are the young people from?
3. How long did they spend traveling from home?
4. How many countries did they drive through?
5. Where did they sleep during their travels?
6. How many pictures did they get?
7. What was the distance of their trip?
8. What were people excited to see?
9. Who was cooking a meal for them?
10. What did they do when they couldn't understand eachother?
A: 1. Travelling around the world
2. China
3. two months
4. 14
5. local people's homes.
6. 10,000
7. 20,000 km
8. two travelers driving a foreign license car
9. Someone they've never met
10. use gestures
Q: CHAPTER XIII

IN WHICH SOME SHOES ARE MISSING

"What do you think of it?"

"Who took them?"

"We can't go downstairs in our bare feet."

Such were some of the remarks made, as the lads of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12 looked at each other. The closets had been searched thoroughly but without success.

"See here, if anybody in these rooms hid those shoes, I want to know it!" demanded Sam, gazing around sharply.

"I hardly think a fellow would hide his own shoes, too," answered Luke.

"He might,--just to hide his own guilt."

"I believe this is the work of some outsider," declared Dave. "Most likely Nat Poole and his crowd."

"By Jove, Dave, I believe you are right!" exclaimed Phil. "It would be just like them to do it, if they got the chance."

"Did you say Nat Poole?" queried Shadow, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"I did. Most likely Nat heard of our feast, and it made him extra sore to think we were having a good time and he wasn't invited."

"That is true, and I guess----" Shadow stopped short, and a curious look crossed his face.

"What is it, Shadow? Do you know anything of this?" asked Roger.

"Why, I--er--that is, I had a dream last night," stammered the story-teller of the school. "Or, maybe it wasn't a dream after all," he went on, in confusion.

"See here, Shadow, have you been sleep-walking again, and did you make off with our shoes?" demanded Phil. He remembered only too well how poor Shadow was addicted to walking in his sleep, and how he had once walked off with a valuable collection of rare postage stamps belonging to Doctor Clay.

Answer the following questions:
1. What is missing?
2. Where do the owners of the shoes live?
3. Who do they think may have taken the shoes?
4. Are they part of the group?
5. What would have made Nat jealous?
6. Was he invited?
7. Do they think he might have found out about it?
8. How does Sam feel about the situation?
9. Does he have a kind look on his face?
10. Who was he looking at?
A:
1. shoes
2. dormitories Nos. 11 and 12
3. at Poole and his crowd.
4. no
5. our feast,
6. no
7. Most likely
8. He wanted to know who took them
9. No, he was gazing around sharply
10. everyone one around