267 résultats pour "half"

• Excerpt from The Pickwick Papers - anthology.

  “Two or three veeks,” replied the man. “Weeks!” said Mr. Pickwick in astonishment—and out came the note-book again. “He lives at Pentonwil when he's at home,” observed the driver, coolly, “but we seldom takes him home, on account of his veakness.” “On account of his weakness!” reiterated the perplexed Mr. Pickwick. “He always falls down when he's took out o' the cab,” continued the driver, “but when he's in it, we bears him up werry tight, and takes him in werry short, so as heca...

• Excerpt from Our Mutual Friend - anthology.

  The Podsnaps lived in a shady angle adjoining Portman Square. They were a kind of people certain to dwell in the shade, wherever they dwelt. Miss Podsnap's lifehad been, from her first appearance on this planet, altogether of a shady order; for, Mr Podsnap's young person was likely to get little good out of association withother young persons, and had therefore been restricted to companionship with not very congenial older persons, and with massive furniture. Miss Podsnap's earlyviews of life be...

• Comet - astronomy.

  may exceed the planet Jupiter in size, however. Observations from telescopes on Earth and in space indicate that most of the gases in the coma and tail of a comet are fragmentary molecules, or radicals, of the mostcommon elements in space: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The radicals, for example, of CH, NH, and OH may be broken away from the stable molecules CH 4 (methane), NH 3 (ammonia), and H 2O (water), which may exist as ices or more complex, very cold compounds in the nucleus. Al...

• North America - Geography.

  D Climate Although North America has considerable climatic variety, five principal climatic regions can be identified. The northern two-thirds of Canada and Alaska, as well as all ofGreenland, have subarctic and arctic climates, in which long, dark, bitterly cold winters alternate with brief, mild summers. Most of the region, which receives relativelylittle precipitation, is covered with snow and ice during much of the year. A second climatic region is made up of the eastern two-thirds of the U...

• American Literature: Poetry I INTRODUCTION Phyllis McGinley American poet and author Phyllis McGinley composed light, witty verse, much of which deals with family life.

  Taylor, a poet of great technical skill, wrote powerful meditative poems in which he tested himself morally and sought to identify and root out sinful tendencies. In“God's Determinations Touching His Elect” (written 1680?), one of Taylor’s most important works, he celebrates God's power in the triumph of good over evil in thehuman soul. All of Taylor’s poetry and much of Bradstreet’s served generally personal ends, and their audience often consisted of themselves and their family andclosest frie...

• South Carolina - geography.

  (20° F) or lower, occur each winter. July temperatures average 27° C (80° F) in most of the state, with temperatures in the lower 20°s C (lower 70°s F) in themountains. Except in the mountains, summer daytime highs throughout South Carolina often enter the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F). The temperature in July in Columbiaranges from 21° to 33° C (70° to 92° F). D2 Precipitation Central South Carolina has an average annual precipitation (both rainfall and snowfall) of 1,140 mm (45 in). Greater amo...

• South Carolina - USA History.

  (20° F) or lower, occur each winter. July temperatures average 27° C (80° F) in most of the state, with temperatures in the lower 20°s C (lower 70°s F) in themountains. Except in the mountains, summer daytime highs throughout South Carolina often enter the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F). The temperature in July in Columbiaranges from 21° to 33° C (70° to 92° F). D2 Precipitation Central South Carolina has an average annual precipitation (both rainfall and snowfall) of 1,140 mm (45 in). Greater amo...

• Maryland - geography.

  Maryland has no large natural lakes. The largest body of water is a reservoir, Deep Creek Lake, which has a surface area of only 18 sq km (7 sq mi). It lies on theAllegheny Plateau, behind a dam on a tributary of the Youghiogheny River. C Coastline The deeply indented shoreline has a length of 5,134 km (3,190 mi), of which only 50 km (31 miles) fronts on the Atlantic Ocean. The most significant coastal feature isChesapeake Bay. In the bay are many islands and Kent Island is the largest. The sta...

• Maryland - USA History.

  Maryland has no large natural lakes. The largest body of water is a reservoir, Deep Creek Lake, which has a surface area of only 18 sq km (7 sq mi). It lies on theAllegheny Plateau, behind a dam on a tributary of the Youghiogheny River. C Coastline The deeply indented shoreline has a length of 5,134 km (3,190 mi), of which only 50 km (31 miles) fronts on the Atlantic Ocean. The most significant coastal feature isChesapeake Bay. In the bay are many islands and Kent Island is the largest. The sta...

• Israel (country) - country.

  harbor in the northern part of the country, and Ashdod, an artificial deepwater port to the south, serve as the main seaports on the Mediterranean. The port of Elat onthe Gulf of Aqaba provides Israel’s only access to the Red Sea, making it extremely important to the country’s shipping interests. D Natural Resources Although much of Israel’s desert regions contain poor soils, the northern Negev, the coastal plains, and the interior valleys provide patches of productive soils. Anestimated 18 per...

• Cuba - country.

  Only two land mammals, the hutia, or cane rat, and the solenodon, a rare insectivore that resembles a rat, are known to be indigenous. The island has numerous batsand nearly 300 kinds of birds, including vultures, wild turkeys, quail, finches, gulls, macaws, parakeets, and hummingbirds. The bee hummingbird of Cuba is thesmallest bird in the world. Among the few reptiles are tortoises, caimans, the Cuban crocodile, and a species of boa that can attain a length of 3.7 m (12 ft). More than700 speci...

• Geometry I INTRODUCTION Geometry, branch of mathematics that deals with shapes and sizes.

  Conic sections, a commonly studied topic of geometry, are two-dimensional curves created by slicing a plane through a three-dimensional hollow cone. A Euclid’s Postulates Euclid, who lived about 300 BC, realized that only a small number of postulates underlay the various geometric theorems known at the time. He determined that these theorems could be deduced from just five postulates. 1. A straight line may be drawn through any two given points. 2. A straight line may be drawn infinitely or be...

• Tajikistan - country.

  by more than 100 percent due to a high birth rate and improvements in medical care. During the early 1990s, however, the growth rate began to decline due to civilwar and emigration. A Ethnic Groups and Languages Tajiks constitute the largest ethnic group in Tajikistan, making up about 65 percent of the population. The peoples who live in Gorno-Badakhshan, located in the Pamirs,are classified as Tajiks, although their languages and customs are distinct. The largest minority group in the country...

• Argentina - country.

  Patagonia lies in the rain shadow of the Andes and so receives little moisture. As a result it is used primarily for grazing sheep, although some crops are grown on smallfarms in irrigated valleys. Several major oil fields also are in Patagonia. At the southern tip of Patagonia is Tierra del Fuego, a large mountainous island shared byArgentina and Chile. B Rivers and Lakes Most of Argentina’s rivers empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Three rivers—the Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay—flow generally sou...

• Thailand - country.

  E Natural Resources Thailand possesses a range of mineral resources. Tin is mined in the peninsula. Important gemstones, such as sapphires, are found in the southeast, and coal reserves,particularly lignite, are in the north. Fish are abundant in rivers and coastal waters. In addition to being consumed domestically, fish are also exported. F Climate Thailand experiences a typical monsoon climate. Winds blow from the northeast during the winter months of October to March or April (known as the...

• Afghanistan - country.

  D Climate Most of Afghanistan has a subarctic mountain climate with dry and cold winters, except for the lowlands, which have arid and semiarid climates. In the mountains and afew of the valleys bordering Pakistan, a fringe effect of the Indian monsoon, coming usually from the southeast, brings moist maritime tropical air in summer.Afghanistan has clearly defined seasons: Summers are hot and winters can be bitterly cold. Summer temperatures as high as 49°C (120°F) have been recorded in thenorth...

• American Revolution.

  C1 The South Southern agriculture was founded on the cultivation of tobacco, wheat, and corn in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, and of rice and indigo (a blue dye) in SouthCarolina and Georgia. There was a large demand for these crops in Europe. These crops were cultivated with the help of black slaves imported from Africa. The whiteplanter class in the South was the most powerful, both politically and economically. C2 The North Wheat was the main cash crop of the mid-Atlantic colonies...

• American Revolution - U.

  C1 The South Southern agriculture was founded on the cultivation of tobacco, wheat, and corn in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, and of rice and indigo (a blue dye) in SouthCarolina and Georgia. There was a large demand for these crops in Europe. These crops were cultivated with the help of black slaves imported from Africa. The whiteplanter class in the South was the most powerful, both politically and economically. C2 The North Wheat was the main cash crop of the mid-Atlantic colonies...

• Turkey - country.

  has a general elevation of 900 to 1,500 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft) above sea level. The eastern highlands region is the most mountainous and rugged portion of Turkey; Mount Ararat (Ağrı Da ğı) is the highest peak in the country at 5,165 m (16,945ft). Many Christians and Jews believe it to be the same Mount Ararat mentioned in the Bible as the place where Noah’s ark came to rest. The eastern highlands are thesource for both the Tigris (Dicle) and Euphrates (Fir āt)—two of southwestern Asia’s principal...

• Frank Lloyd Wright.

  C Usonian Houses Wright achieved his goal of low-cost, democratic American architecture with his Usonian houses of the 1930s. Usonia was Wright’s term for the United States of North America, with an i added for a pleasing sound. The Usonian house had a simple design, usually with an L-shaped floor plan. This plan separated the noisier living space on one leg of the L from the quieter bedroom space on the other leg. The floor was made of concrete slabs, typically in a square grid of 4 by 4...

• Chester Arthur.

  confidence by reappointing them to the Senate. Despite Arthur's help, the legislature did not reappoint the two men. Conkling and Platt never again held public office. In the middle of the political conflict, on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed office-seeker. Garfield died 11 weeks later, on September19, 1881. The following morning, Arthur took the oath of office at his home in New York City. IV PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Arthur's record of party loyalt...

• Chester Arthur I INTRODUCTION Chester Arthur (1829-1886), 21st president of the United States (1881-1885), who gained the presidency when President James A.

  confidence by reappointing them to the Senate. Despite Arthur's help, the legislature did not reappoint the two men. Conkling and Platt never again held public office. In the middle of the political conflict, on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed office-seeker. Garfield died 11 weeks later, on September19, 1881. The following morning, Arthur took the oath of office at his home in New York City. IV PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Arthur's record of party loyalt...

• Djibouti (country) - country.

  l’Unité et de la Démocratie (FRUD; Front for the Renewal of Unity and Democracy) represents the Afar minority. The Parti National Démocratique (PND; Democratic National Party) and the Parti du Renouveau Démocratique (PRD; Democratic Renewal Party) are both small opposition parties favoring democratic reforms. VI HISTORY Djibouti lies at a major global crossroads where, some 100,000 years ago, early humans migrated from Africa to the Middle East. Livestock herding, which remainsimportant...

• New York (city) - geography.

  Concourse are particularly prized, because the apartment buildings are well kept and the public parks are easily accessible. City Island retains the charm of a small fishingvillage. Parts of the Bronx, however, fell victim to decay and abandonment, especially between 1970 and 1980, when the population of the borough fell by 20 percent. The low pointoccurred in 1976, when future U.S. president Jimmy Carter compared the South Bronx to the bombed-out German city of Dresden after World War II (1939-...

• Native American Languages.

  From Nahuatl, spoken in Middle America, come avocado, cacao, cocoa, chile/chili, chocolate, coyote, tamale , tomato , and many others. Contributions from South American languages include jaguar, cashew, tapioca, and toucan from Tupinambá; alpaca, condor, jerky, llama, puma, and quinine from Quechua; and barbecue, canoe, guava, hammock, hurricane, iguana, maize, papaya, and potato from Maipurean (Arawakan). Native American languages, in turn, have borrowed words from European language...

• Diving (sport).

  water that creates a larger, more noticeable splash after the diver’s body displaces water under the surface. To minimize this upjet, top-level divers make a quickswimming motion by releasing their hands and collapsing their arms as they submerge. Instead of a large splash, the surface of the water appears to boil as the airbubbles rise from the diver’s entry. For feetfirst entries, which are rare in top-level competitions, divers place their legs and feet together while pointing their toes down...

• Republic of Singapore - country.

  Singaporeans of Chinese and Indian ancestry live in small, nuclear families. Housing favors smaller families, as most units consist of small apartments in high-risebuildings. Western clothing is common, and foods reflect the Chinese, Malay, and Indian origins of the people. D Social Issues Since Singapore became an independent state in 1965, government policies have brought orderliness and efficiency to the country. Examples are supplanting slum andsquatter areas with high-rise public housing p...

• Toys. I INTRODUCTION Toys, objects that serve as playthings for children. Although the

  clay. These readily available elements were also used to make more elaborate toys as human society advanced. Archaeologists have found primitive, handmade toys such as wooden or cloth dolls, clay marbles, and terracotta figures that date back thousands of years. In ancientEgypt, Greece, and Rome, people placed dolls or clay figures in the graves or tombs of children for them to play with in the afterlife. The yo-yo may seem like a 20th-century fad, but it actually dates back at least 2,500 years...

• Ethnic Groups in Canada - Canadian History.

  Ontario and the Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island). Most of the Irish live in rural areas of NovaScotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Québec. The Welsh are by far the smallest group among the British Canadians, and they have also settled inthe Atlantic provinces and Ontario. B Culture The language spoken by British Canadians is mostly English, but some Welsh speak their own Celtic language and some Scots, Gae...

• Gothic Art and Architecture I INTRODUCTION Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, was begun in 1163 and completed for the most part in 1250.

  and by external arches, called flying buttresses. Consequently, the thick walls of Romanesque architecture could be largely replaced by thinner walls with glass windows,and the interiors could reach unprecedented heights. A revolution in building techniques thus occurred. With the Gothic vault, a ground plan could take on a variety of shapes. The general plan of the cathedrals, however, consisting of a long three-aisled nave interceptedby a transept and followed by a shorter choir and sanctuary,...

• Rain Forest.

  dropped into the heart of the forest by helicopters. Suspended from the crane’s long, movable arm is a large gondola that functions as a mobile treetop laboratory.Moving from tree to tree, forest researchers collect specimens, conduct experiments, and observe life in the canopy frontier. The highest stratum of the rain forest is made up of the emergent trees, those individuals that stick up above the forest canopy. Emergents, which do not form acontinuous layer, are usually the giants of the for...

• New France - Canadian History.

  the colony now consisted of a governor-general, an intendant , and a Sovereign Council, all located at Québec, with local governors at Trois-Rivières and Montréal, and law courts for all three districts. The senior official was the governor-general, responsible for military matters and for relations with the indigenous nations and theEnglish colonies. The intendant, a noble trained in law, was the official responsible for civil affairs: justice, law enforcement, and the maintenance of the colon...

• Light - astronomy.

  Each different frequency or wavelength of visible light causes our eye to see a slightly different color. The longest wavelength we can see is deep red at about 700 nm.The shortest wavelength humans can detect is deep blue or violet at about 400 nm. Most light sources do not radiate monochromatic light. What we call white light,such as light from the Sun, is a mixture of all the colors in the visible spectrum, with some represented more strongly than others. Human eyes respond best to greenlight...

• London (England) - geography.

  In the northern part of the West End is Bloomsbury, the city’s traditional intellectual center, with its concentration of bookshops and homes of writers and academics. Inthe early 20th century a number of famous writers, critics, and artists who lived here became known as the Bloomsbury Group. Here, too, is the British Museum, one ofLondon’s chief tourist attractions. Nearby is the giant complex of the University of London, whose various colleges and departments have taken over much ofBloomsbury...

• El Salvador - country.

  III PEOPLE The Spanish subjugated the native population of El Salvador in the 16th century. Few Spanish women came to the country, however, so many Spanish men took NativeAmerican women as their mates. Today nearly 90 percent of the population is mestizo , of mixed European and Native American descent. People of purely Native American descent represent about 5 to 10 percent of the population, while people of European descent represent only about 1 percent. El Salvador’s population, 5.2 millio...

• South Korea - country.

  forest habitat, and overhunting. The Siberian tiger has not been sighted in the wild in South Korea since the 1920s; the Asiatic black bear can still be found in someremote mountain areas. Several species of deer are indigenous to the peninsula, including the roe deer, water deer, and Siberian musk deer. The musk deer, which hasbeen overhunted for its musk glands, is legally protected as a threatened species. Smaller mammals indigenous to the peninsula include the wild boar, red fox, badger,rabb...

• French Canadian Nationalism - Canadian History.

  The revolution ended in independence for the Americans, who named their new country the United States of America. In the aftermath, thousands of people who hadopposed the American Revolution migrated from what was now the United States to British North America. These people, known as the United Empire Loyalists, settledin the Maritimes, where they greatly increased the British majority over the Acadians, and in Québec. Some settled near francophone communities around Montréal andin the Eastern T...

• Maine - geography.

  temperatures range from 17° to 21°C (62° to 70°F) with the southern interior being the warmest and the east coast and north the coolest. However, daytime summertemperatures may reach the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F), and temperatures in winter have fallen as low as -44°C (-48°F) in the interior. D2 Precipitation Precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) in Maine is evenly distributed throughout the year. Most areas receive from 860 to 1,020 mm (34 to 40 in) yearly, although parts ofthe coast are som...

• Maine - USA History.

  temperatures range from 17° to 21°C (62° to 70°F) with the southern interior being the warmest and the east coast and north the coolest. However, daytime summertemperatures may reach the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F), and temperatures in winter have fallen as low as -44°C (-48°F) in the interior. D2 Precipitation Precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) in Maine is evenly distributed throughout the year. Most areas receive from 860 to 1,020 mm (34 to 40 in) yearly, although parts ofthe coast are som...

• Sweden - country.

  mi) and is Sweden’s second largest lake, after Vänern. The two lakes, together with several smaller lakes, rivers, and canals, form an internal water route called theGöta Canal. Built in the early 19th century, the Göta Canal extends for about 386 km (about 240 mi) and provides a scenic transportation link between the Baltic Sea,at Stockholm, and the Kattegat. Sweden’s other large lakes in the district include Mälaren, Hjälmaren, and the famously picturesque Siljan. D Climate Although one-seven...

• West Virginia - geography.

  Forests, mostly of hardwood varieties, cover 79 percent of West Virginia. The principal commercial species are the oak, yellow poplar, maple, birch, beech, black walnut,hickory, and gum. Softwoods include pines and hemlock firs. Flowering trees include the wild crab apple, dogwood, hawthorn, and redbud. Among the many floweringbushes and plants are the rhododendron, which is the state flower, the laurel, blueberry, hepatica, wild geranium, and black-eyed Susan. Insects and disease, mostly introd...

• West Virginia - USA History.

  Forests, mostly of hardwood varieties, cover 79 percent of West Virginia. The principal commercial species are the oak, yellow poplar, maple, birch, beech, black walnut,hickory, and gum. Softwoods include pines and hemlock firs. Flowering trees include the wild crab apple, dogwood, hawthorn, and redbud. Among the many floweringbushes and plants are the rhododendron, which is the state flower, the laurel, blueberry, hepatica, wild geranium, and black-eyed Susan. Insects and disease, mostly introd...

• William Shakespeare I INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists.

  Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...

• William Shakespeare.

  Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...

• Iran - country.

  Zagros mountains. In the more arid central part of the country, wild pistachio and other drought-resistant trees grow in areas that have not been disturbed by humanactivity. Tamarisk and other salt-tolerant bushes grow along the margins of the Dasht-e Kavir. A wide variety of native mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects inhabit Iran. Many species of mammals—including wolves, foxes, bears, mountain goats, red mountainsheep, rabbits, and gerbils—continue to thrive. Others—including Caspian tigers,...

• Calligraphy I INTRODUCTION Japanese Calligraphy This hanging scroll is an example of Japanese calligraphy.

  Section of the Egyptian Book of the DeadThe Egyptian Book of the Dead was a text containing prayers, spells, and hymns, the knowledge of which was to be usedby the dead to guide and protect the soul on the hazardous journey through the afterlife. This section of one such book,dating from the early 19th Dynasty, shows the final judgment of the deceased (in this case Hu-Nefer, the royal scribe)before Osiris, the god of the dead. Hieroglyphs as well as illustrations portray the ritual of weighing t...

• Neutron I INTRODUCTION Neutron, electrically neutral elementary particle that is part of the nucleus of the atom.

  Beta DecayBeta decay can occur in two ways. As shown on the left, a neutron turns into a proton by emitting an antineutrino and anegatively charged beta particle. As shown on the right, a proton turns into a neutron by emitting a neutrino and apositively charged beta particle. Positive beta particles are called positrons and negative beta particles are called electrons.After the decay, the nucleus of the atom contains either one less or one more proton. Beta decay changes an atom of oneelement i...

• In-Line Skating.

  the foot using a combination of laces and buckles. Many skaters prefer a simple closure system that has laces on the lower portion of the skate and a buckle at the top.The boot liner is made of a soft, padded, cloth portion that fits inside the outer shell. Boot liners should be vented, which keeps the feet cool by allowing perspiration toescape during strenuous workouts or long trips. Attached to the bottom of each skate is the wheel frame. The frame houses from three to five wheels. The wheels...

• Columbus (Ohio) - geography.

  A balance among manufacturing, technology, research, and financial activities has helped Columbus’s economy to continue to boom. Much of the city’s expansion resultsfrom its function as a sophisticated service center. By 1990 manufacturing occupied only 12 percent of the area’s labor force. That contrasted with services, includinggovernment, finance, and transportation and utilities, which accounted for almost 60 percent of all employment. The two largest employers in Columbus are state governme...

• Wetland.

  Other plants and animals have special adaptations suited for living in a wet environment. Most emergent plants have air spaces in their stems that enable oxygen to betransported to roots that grow in sediments with no oxygen. Some of the trees that grow in swamps form a set of roots above the soil surface or above the water thatallows them to get oxygen to the lower roots. In saltwater wetlands, specialized cells can limit the amount of salt that enters a plant, or specialized organs can excrete...