This week, in anticipation of Halloween, we’re running spooky editions of Test Yourself.
Below are seven paragraphs of the 2012 article “With Displays, Pumpkins Get Their 15 Minutes.”
Can you choose the best word for each blank?
When you’re finished, you’ll find a link to the full article.
: a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
The word deadlock has appeared in 175 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Sept. 28 in “Air France Pilots Extend Strike After Request for Mediation Is Denied” by Nicola Clark:
Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.
Some people would risk anything, even their lives, to speak up for endangered children. Earlier this month, two of them — 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi, 60, from India — were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for doing just that.
In this lesson, we explore the issue of children’s rights around the world. Teachers can begin with an overview that introduces Ms. Yousafzai and Mr. Satyarthi and their work. Then, students can do further research into global education, child labor, modern-day slavery and related topics.
Last week, after a “radically different looking” Renée Zellweger attended an awards ceremony, many speculated that she had had plastic surgery, though Ms. Zellweger denied it.
What are your thoughts about cosmetic surgery in general and about the flood of news stories and reactions to Ms. Zellweger? Why do you think people seemed to care so much about how her face looks?
Read the article and answer the news questions below.
Watch the video above and read the article “Tracking Sea Turtles as They Swim for Their Lives” to answer the questions below.
HOW are scientists now tracking the journey of some baby sea turtles on their first swims out to sea?
WHAT is a nano-tag?
WHERE did scientists attach them to 11 hatchlings?
This week, in anticipation of Halloween, we’re running spooky editions of Test Yourself.
Below are the first eight paragraphs of the 2011 article “The Real Scare Is Not Being Scary.”
Can you choose the best word for each blank?
When you’re finished, you’ll find a link to the full article.
1. a hand tool with a flat blade used by potters for mixing and shaping clay
2. a portable platform for storing or moving goods that are stacked on it
3. board that provides a flat surface on which artists mix paints and the range of colors used
4. the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art
5. a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts; used as a bed
The word pallet has appeared in 46 New York Times articles in the past year, including “Investigation Into Missing Iraqi Cash Ended in Lebanon Bunker” by James Risen:
Have you been following the news?
Take our quiz to see what you know and to learn more, and look for a new edition each week on Tuesday morning.
Previous generations tended to get their news from network news anchors or the hometown newspaper. Then came cable and the Internet, and the news business still continues to evolve. More and more consumers — especially young people — are now getting their news from Facebook and other social media sites.
How do you get your news?
In the article “How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism,” Ravi Somaiya writes:
Many of the people who read this article will do so because Greg Marra, 26, a Facebook engineer, calculated that it was the kind of thing they might enjoy.
Mr. Marra’s team designs the code that drives Facebook’s News Feed — the stream of updates, photographs, videos and stories that users see. He is also fast becoming one of the most influential people in the news business.
Read the article and answer the news questions below.
Watch the video above and read the article “The Chocolate Candy in the Halloween Trick-or-Treat Bag” to answer the questions below.
HOW high were chocolate candy sales last Halloween?
By HOW much did they increase from the previous year?
HOW large is the American market for chocolate?
WHAT ingredient gives chocolate its richness?
Read more…
