rubberducky

Assignments English Through The Internet, Fall 2003

Treasure Hunt

Begin the hunt!

1. Using one of the search engines, type in key words to find some biographical information about a well-known public figure. You will be summarizing this information, so look for either a short article or use one section of a longer one.

Procedure: Copy a short article and paste it to your html document.

-Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5,1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. From 1949 to 1952, Armstrong was a naval aviator. Upon leaving military service, he became a test pilot. While serving as a test pilot, he was chosen to be a member of the astronaut corps. Though he was on the backup crew of many previous flights, his first space flight occurred in 1966 aboard Gemini 8. During this flight, he and fellow astronaut David Scott successfully performed the first docking in space between two vehicles. In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, America's first attempt to land a manned vehicle on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Commander Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin successfully touched down on the lunar surface. As Armstrong became the first person to touch the Moon's surface, he spoke the unforgettable phrase, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". He and Aldrin explored the Moon's surface for 2.5 hours. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his accomplishments and his contributions to the space program.

[StarChild (http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov)]

Summary- Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Ohio. He graduated university with a degree in aeronautical engineering and a master��s degree in aerospace engineering. Armstrong first served as a naval aviator while he was in the military service. Then he became a test pilot, after leaving the army. He was also chosen to be part of the astronaut corps. The Gemini 8 mission in 1966 was his first space flight experience. In 1969 Armstrong became the commander of Apollo 11 and made the first successfully landing on the lunar surface. He was, later, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the space program.

Include the names and URLs of the sites where you found the information. Briefly summarize this information directly below the information that you copied and pasted. Keep in mind that you should express the key facts or parts in a concise and clear form, using your own words. Summarizing is an important skill in doing research.

2. What is an almanac? Fine three almanac sites and tell which one you think is best and why. Include the names and URLs of the sites where you found the information.

An almanac is a book that is published annually, containing information on the subject that the author decided to write about. An almanac usually contains information about astronomical data, weather forecasts, etc.

1.World Almanac for Kids (http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/)

2. Olympic Almanac (http://www98.pair.com/msmonaco/Almanac/index.html)

3. Celebrity Almanac (http://celebrityalmanac.com/)

I think that the World Almanac for Kids is the best site out of the three. The site is well organized according to the topics (geography, population, flags, history, and so on). I��ve looked at most of the categories here, and I think that they are fairly clear and useful. The colors aren��t too distracting. The fonts and graphics were eye-catching (especially for kids). The Olympic Almanac on the other hand had red (sometimes blue) for its background, which made it hard for me to read the words. I didn��t really understand what they were trying to say with the tables that they had for all the Olympic games they��ve mentioned. The font was to thin, I couldn��t barely read it especially with the background color. The Celebrity Almanac was an acceptable one, except that there were very few pictures of celebrities (maybe only about 15 or so). They also had long paragraphs written about the author of the sites (with thick fonts), which I found rather boring to read.

3. What is the world��s largest desert? Tell three facts that you find interesting about it. Include the name and URL of the site or sites where you found the information.

-Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world. Infoplease.com has mentioned that the desert is only 30% sand, which I found rather surprising. I have also learned that the name of the desert got its name from the Arabic word Sahra,�� meaning desert. In other words if we translated it in pure English, we could call it ��Desert Desert.�� (That was just my thought! hahaha) According to Sahara Desert Facts, the desert was once a fertile soil where millet and grains where cultivated 8,000 years ago.

( http://www.thesahara.net/sahara_facts.htm)
Infoplease.com (http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/8-27-01askeds.html)

4. Write complete sentences to the following questions. Be sure to use your own words. Include the names and URLs of the sites where you found the information.

a. What is the world��s tallest mountain? Where is it?

-Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and it is on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China.

What You Need to Know About
(http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzeverest.htm)

b. Where is the world��s coldest place and why is it so cold?

-Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. The high altitude and the long winter night make it the coldest place on earth.

Flex.net (http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/coldest.htm)
Antarctica (http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/jds/weather/weather.htm)

c. Who is currently the world��s fastest runner?

-Maurice Greene is currently the world��s fastest runner.

Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com)

d. Who is the world�s shortest person?

-Gul Mohammed of New Delhi, India (57��), is the shortest person on the record.

Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com)

e. Who is the world�s oldest person?

-Elizabeth ��Pampo�� Israel who lives in Dominica is the oldest person living at the present moment. She is 128 years old.

Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com)

5. Find a good site that has information about current movies. Briefly say why you think it is good. Include the name and URL of the site.

I think www.cgv.co.kr is a good site because you can see almost all the information that you need to know about current movies. The main page has links to all the cgv movie theaters in Korea and the lists of movies showing in each theater. The site gives you a short review of the movies showing, which is quite helpful when deciding which movie to watch. I also like this site because it doesn��t have advertisements for products that aren��t related to movies. The site is also neat and well organized, which makes it easy to surf.

CGV (www.cgv.co.kr)

6. Find and describe a good free graphics site that is not listed among those on our class site. Include the name and URL of the site.

I thought that Photo.com was a good site. It allows you to choose graphics according to its color (back and white or colored), size (large or small), and orientation (vertical or horizontal). And of course the graphics are organized under many categories, such as animals, architecture, finance, food, and so on. The graphics are real-life pictures (not drawings or animations), which is one of the other reasons why I like this site. I like it how they designed the site so that you can see more than just one picture when you click on one of the categories.

Photo.com (http://www.photos.com/en)

7. What is unusual about The Chicago Tribune Tower? Use small graphics with your answer. Include the name and URL of the site or sites where you found the information.

-What makes The Tribute Tower so special is that it contains more than 100 famous stones, such as moon rock, rock fragments from the Alamo, the Coliseum, and the Chinese Wall.

A View on Cities (http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/tribunetower.htm)

8. Unexplained Phenomena

The Bermuda Triangle is one real-life mystery. This is one of many unexplained phenomena. Answer the following questions regarding unexplained phenomena. Include the name of the sites and the URLs where you found your information.

a. What is the Bermuda Triangle and why do people fear it?

The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area in the Atlantic Ocean, bounded at its points by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. People believe that may people, ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared in this area. Some even trace this legend back to the time of Columbus. The estimated accidents recorded range from about 200 to no more than 1,000 in the past 500 years. ��Howard Rosenberg claims that in 1973 the U.S. Coast Guard answered more than 8,000 distress calls in the area and that more than 50 ships and 20 planes have gone down in the Bermuda Triangle within the last century,�� says the author of ��The Skeptic��s Dictionary.�� People fear this area because of the unexplainable disappearances of travelers, ships, and planes, although thousands of ships and planes travel through this areas safely everyday.

The Skeptic��s Dictionary (skepdic.com/bermuda.html)

b. What are UFOs?

-Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) are objects or lights sighted in the sky, that are believed to be unexplainable by the observer. Although thousands of reports have been recorded about sighting UFOs, a lot of people still deny their existence. It may be because of the fact that a lot of the witnesses have mistaken bright planets and stars, aircraft, birds, satellites, and so on for UFOs. The U.S. Air Force decided that investigation on UFOs should no longer be done due to the possible threat to national security. Although UFOs have never been scientifically proven, many people still believe in extraterrestrial space crafts, and have been trying to prove them throughout the years. Empereur (http://www.empereur.com/wufo.html) Find a site that shows evidence that ��proves�� the existence of UFOs. The Temporal Doorway is a site that contains information about UFOs. It has lists of cases of people witnessing UFOs, and even has descriptions for some of the UFOs that people have described. The site even has specific names for the UFOs that more than one person claimed to have seen. The site also has lists to prove that UFOs can be scientifically studied. It also contains research results that some research associations have done.

The Temporal Doorway (www.temporaldoorway.com)

Find a site that debunks or disproves UFO stories. Summarize what is found on each site.

UFOs:The Truth is Not "Out There" is an article written by a man name G.M. Kelly that expresses his thoughts about UFOs. It has logical arguments on why we shouldn��t easily believe in UFO or alien stories. He has listed some objects and light effects that lead to misidentifications. Although Kelly doesn��t deny the possibility of UFOs, he believes that not ALL UFOs are indeed alien spacecrafts. One of his arguments in ��disproving�� UFOs was the fact that about 95% of UFO reports are simply misidentified and are later proven to be something else. That doesn��t mean that that the remaining 5% of the reports are alien spacecrafts. G.M Kelly state that it only means that this 5% is as yet unidentified and the odds are that they can eventually be identified as hoaxes or misidentified terrestrial objects or phenomena. He also mentioned the following statement about believing in extraterrestrial ��things.�� He said, ��There are a great number of unusual and rare phenomena in our very interesting world, and it is more logical to seek out a terrestrial reason for such things to come to know our world better, than to reach for extraterrestrial explanations that lead us away from truth and a better understanding of our world and physical experiences and phenomena.��

UFOs:The Truth is Not "Out There" (http://members.tripod.com/gmkelly/ufo-2.html)

9. Find three movies about handicapped people. Tell briefly what each is about. Type the name of the movie and tell who is in it. Include the name and URL of the site or sites where you found the information.

-Rain Man

As Charlie Babbage(Tom Cruise)experience financial problems, he tries to claim his father's inheritance. In the process, he finds out that he has a brother, Raymond (Dustin Huffman). First he sees Raymond as an obstacle to the inheritance but as they talk and eat and start to notice each other, they see how different they are. For example, Raymond can do genius tricks like being able to count cards in poker which helps Charlie to rake the cash through LA. With Raymond having to have his underwear bought from K-mart in Cincinnati and having to have the same menu every morning, Charlie struggles to accept this new character. However, their relationship deepens as they overcome their differences and start accepting each other as they are. This film shows the" little idiosyncracies" of life that cannot be explained by logic.

Movieprop.com (http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/reviews/rainman.htm )

-As Good as it Gets

Nicholson is a stubborn modern day writer in New York who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder forcing him into routines so radical. He spars with a gay (Greg Kinnear)who lives next door at every chance and also causes trouble with his rough words concerning a waitress (Helen Hunt) in the restaurant he favors. Although Nicholson seems to be a racist, sexist and homophobic, he shows himself, eventually, as somewhat a decent man as he shows kindness to those around him. When Kinnear is robbed, Nicholson takes care of his dog reluctantly, at first, and gradually grow fond of it. He even drives Kinnear, with Hunt's company, to his parent's place for financial support. As the story develops, so does the unique romance between Nicholson and Hunt. They reflect the simple and warm romance of the 90's.

All-reviews.com (http://www.all-reviews.com/videos/as-good-as-it-gets-3.htm)

-I Am Sam

Sam Dawson is a warm and simple minded soul who became the father of a baby girl, Lucy (Dakota Fanning,) from impregnating a homeless woman who soon leaves them. Working in a coffee shop, and with his limited mental capacity, he does his best to be a good father. Then the question that is battled throughout the film is brought up: what can a mentally-challenged parent do when his child's intelligence eventally surpasses his? Sure enough at the age of 7, Lucy outdoes her dad and Sam is weighed down by the law. Lucy is taken away and Sam tries to find a lawyer who could represent their interest. Then Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), the proud attorney known to have never lost a case and also a shattering relationship with her son, decides to prove her interest to other's needs and take the case. As she watches Sam, she begins to grow passionate about things that should have greater value to her and is touched overall by his genuine character.

Movieeye.com (http://www.movieeye.com/reviews/get_movie_review/195.html)

10. Find six different kinds of teas, list them, and very briefly describe them. Include the name and URL of the site or sites where you found the information. Put a picture of each by your description.

1. Bargang TGBOP Assam The Bargang tippy broken leaf carries a slightly fruity and "malty aroma" and is complimented with some milk.

2. Jasmine Tea China. The sweet romantic scent of Jasmine blossoms were not only loved when served in teas but were also enjoyed in meals.

3. Kokeicha Japan. Kokeicha is drawn from green tea paste based on Matcha, the tea powder used in the Japanese tea ceremony. After the paste has passed through small holes becoming like strings, it is dried and cut into small pieces of about 1/4 inch in length. This tea is smooth and has a nutty flavor.

4. White Peony China. With the natural sweetness, White Peony is made from the buds and leaves remaining after the harvesting of the Silver Needle.

5. Dimbulla OP Ceylon. What stands out of this flagrant orange pekoe is its chocolate-citrus, its red-golden tint. This tea is is excellent both hot and chilled.

6. Keenum Imperial China This rich tea is sweet with flavor like that of an orchid.

Special Teas (www.specialteas.com)

11. Write the names and URLs of two English language sites for your favorite singer. Which site is better in your opinion, and why?

Matchbox Twenty official site (www.matchboxtwenty.com)

R. Kelly (http://www.r-kelly.com/)

I liked the Matchbox site because the color and fonts and the arrangement of the graphics were very neat, unlike most of the celebrity sites. The organization of the site was quite simple. And I personally like simple sites, so I must say that I like this site better. R. Kelly��s site was also neat but with more fancy fonts (not hard to read at all though). Kelly��s site was eye-catching, but the main page had several information such as surveys, emailing, and so on. Kelly��s site also takes more than a minute to open a linked page and some pages don��t open at all. (Not to mention that the main page doesn��t open anymore greee)

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