1344 résultats pour "first"

• 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...

• Claude Monet I INTRODUCTION Monet's Gardens at Giverny From 1890 until his death in 1926, Claude Monet lived and painted in the small village of Giverny, near Paris.

  small works, Monet’s quick daubs of fresh colors aptly capture the movement of the water and gaiety of the scene. Despite his father's disapproval, in 1870 Monet married Camille, who had already borne him a son. To escape the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), during whichGerman troops threatened Paris, the couple went to London, then to Holland. They returned in 1872 and settled in Argenteuil, a sailing center on the Seine Riveroutside Paris. Monet painted numerous vibrant, light-filled views of...

• Museum.

  History museums are dedicated to promoting a greater appreciation and knowledge of history and its importance to understanding the present and anticipating thefuture. They range from historic sites and small historic house museums to large, encyclopedic institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of AmericanHistory in Washington, D.C. Many cities and states have historical societies that operate museums or historic sites. History museums usually collect a wide range ofobjects, includi...

• 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...

• United Kingdom - country.

  B Natural Regions and Topography The island of Great Britain can be divided into two major natural regions—the highland zone and the lowland zone. The highland zone is an area of high hills andmountains in the north and west. The lowland zone in the south and east consists mostly of rolling plains. The zones are divided by an imaginary line running throughEngland from the River Exe on the southwest coast to the mouth of the River Tees on the northeast coast. The lowland zone has a milder climat...

• Excerpt from The Comedy of Errors - anthology.

  DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. Ay, sir, and wherefore; for they say every why hath a wherefore. ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. Why first: for flouting me; and then wherefore:For urging it the second time to me. DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season,When in the why and the wherefore is neither rhyme nor reason?Well, sir, I thank you. ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE. Thank me, sir, for what? DROMIO OF SYRACUSE. Marry, sir, for this something that you gave me for nothing. ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRA...

• California - geography.

  The Basin and Range province is an arid area of mountain ranges, basins, and deserts. In California it is represented primarily by parts of the Great Basin and SonoranDesert sections. Within the Great Basin lies Death Valley, whose lowest elevation, 86 m (282 ft) below sea level, is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. TheSonoran Desert section is characterized by numerous flat plains separated by low but rugged ranges. It includes the extensive Mojave, or Mohave, Desert. Also in thisprov...

• California - USA History.

  The Basin and Range province is an arid area of mountain ranges, basins, and deserts. In California it is represented primarily by parts of the Great Basin and SonoranDesert sections. Within the Great Basin lies Death Valley, whose lowest elevation, 86 m (282 ft) below sea level, is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. TheSonoran Desert section is characterized by numerous flat plains separated by low but rugged ranges. It includes the extensive Mojave, or Mohave, Desert. Also in thisprov...

• Personality Disorders.

  People with histrionic personality disorder constantly strive to be the center of attention. They may act overly flirtatious or dress in ways that draw attention. They may also talk in a dramatic or theatrical style and display exaggerated emotional reactions. F Narcissistic Personality Disorder People with narcissistic personality disorder have a grandiose sense of self-importance. They seek excessive admiration from others and fantasize about unlimited success or power. They believe they...

• Comedy I INTRODUCTION Laurel and Hardy Stan Laurel, in overalls, and Oliver Hardy, left, formed one of the most popular comedy teams in motion-picture history.

  The elements and techniques of comedy are diverse and differ from culture to culture. More than tragedy or serious drama, comic entertainment is controlled by socialconventions that define the boundaries of acceptable humor and topics that are taboo or off-limits for humor. What is considered funny in one place and time may beforbidden culturally or viewed as infantile or in poor taste in another. Virtually every component of human behavior is subject to comic treatment. This includes bodilyfunc...

• Antarctica - Geography.

  The maximum area of sea ice surrounding Antarctica each winter varies from year to year. A marked decline during the 1970s appears to have reversed in more recentdecades, except in the Antarctic Peninsula area. This area has lost almost 40 percent of its sea ice since the start of the 1980s. Sea ice is important to marine life. Krillfeed on algae that live under the sea ice and are released when the ice melts in spring and summer. In turn, many marine animals feed on krill. Emperor penguinsbreed...

• South Africa - country.

  The major soil zones are conditioned largely by climatic factors. In the semiarid north and west, soils are alkaline and poorly developed. In the southern part of WesternCape Province, rain falls mostly in the winter months, and soils there form slowly and are generally thin and immature. The moderate temperatures and summer rainfallof the High Veld and eastern coastal areas create conditions for more productive organic decomposition, leading to dark, fertile soils, or chernozems, similar to tho...

• China - country.

  North China lies between the Mongolian Steppe on the north and the Yangtze River Basin on the south. It stretches west from the Bo Hai gulf and the Yellow Sea to theeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Administratively, North China includes Beijing and Tianjin municipalities; Shandong and Shanxi provinces; most of Hebei, Henan,and Shaanxi provinces; and portions of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Gansu provinces. Humans have lived in the agriculturally rich region of Nor...

• Indian Music I INTRODUCTION Classical Dance of South India The southern Indian kathakali is a dance drama that dates from the 17th century.

  Sangita Ratnakara, was written in the 13th century. However, subsequent writers tended to focus on the emotional connotations of individual ragas, associating them with moods, performance times, colors, and deities, and grouping them in terms of families. The modern theoretical system began in the 16th century, when ragasbegan to be classified according to scale—72 in the Karnāṭak system and 10 principal ones in the Hindustani. The 72 mela, as the Karn āṭak scales are called, are derived thro...

• Galaxy - astronomy.

  Astronomers have obtained images of young galaxies using the Keck Telescope in Hawaii and the Hubble Space Telescope, which resides in an orbit high above Earth’satmosphere and thus avoids atmospheric interference. Photos from the HST show galaxies that are as far as 13 billion light-years away from Earth, which means theyformed soon after the universe formed about 13.7 billion years ago. The galaxies appear to be spherical in shape, and may be early precursors of elliptical and spiralgalaxies....

• India - country.

  delta in the north, are intensely farmed. B Rivers and Lakes The rivers of India can be divided into three groups: the great Himalayan rivers of the north, the westward-flowing rivers of central India, and the eastward-flowingrivers of the Deccan Plateau and the rest of peninsular India. Only small portions of India’s rivers are navigable because of silting and the wide seasonal variation inwater flow (due to the monsoon climate). Water transport is thus of little importance in India. Barrages,...

• House (architecture) I INTRODUCTION Trulli in Alberobello, Italy Alberobello, in the Apulia region of southeastern Italy, is noted for its unusual limestone houses known as trulli (from Greek trullos, dome).

  Fresco in the Villa of the Mysteries, PompeiiThe Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy (built about 50 bc), featured a large hall with this mural encircling it. The mural ispainted in the Second Style of Roman painting. (Historians of art recognize four periods or styles in Roman wall painting.)The mural in the Villa of the Mysteries is thought to depict the initiation rituals of a mystery religion. For this reason, it hasbeen conjectured that the hall was used for cult rituals.Bridgeman Art Li...

• Belarus - country.

  In the last complete census conducted in the Soviet Union in 1989, the population of Belarus was 10,151,806; a 2008 estimate was 9,685,768, giving the country apopulation density of 47 persons per sq km (121 per sq mi). The most notable demographic trend since the 1950s has been the steady migration of the population fromthe villages to urban centers, and the correspondent aging of the population remaining in the rural areas. In 1959 urban residents accounted for 31 percent of thepopulation; in...

• Vietnam - country.

  E Natural Resources Vietnam’s most valuable natural resource is its land, particularly the fertile, alluvial soils in the Red and Mekong deltas. Some 29 percent of the land is currently beingcultivated. Vietnam has some valuable mineral resources, including gold, iron, tin, zinc, phosphate, chromite, apatite, and anthracite coal. Most deposits are located in the northernpart of the country. Few attempts were made to extract these minerals until the French takeover of Vietnam at the end of the 1...

• Excerpt from Troilus and Cressida - anthology.

  Enter Pandarus and Cressida, veiled PANDARUS. Come, come, what need you blush? Shame's a baby. ( To Troilus ) Here she is now: swear the oaths now to her that you have sworn to me. ( To Cressida ) What, are you gone again? You must be watched ere you be made tame, must you? Come your ways, come your ways; an you draw backward, we'll put you i'th'fills. ( To Troilus ) Why do you not speak to her? ( To Cressida ) Come, draw this curtain, and let's see your picture. Alas the day, how loath you are...

• Silk Road - History.

  and high in value because they were carried on the backs of the limited number of camels in each caravan. Thus, of necessity they were luxury items, not bulky rawmaterials or essential goods for daily use. The oases and towns along the route, which were located in or near remote areas, profited from the Silk Road trade and reliedon it for their existence. The great empires of Persia, China, and Rome, however, could easily have survived without the commerce in luxury goods. V SPREAD OF RELIGION A...

• San Francisco - geography.

  recognized symbol of the city, opened in 1937. It connects San Francisco to Marin County to the north, one of the wealthiest suburban areas in the nation. With the construction of the Bay and Golden Gate bridges and other links from the city to its suburbs, the San Francisco Bay area has become one large metropolitanregion. San Francisco itself is only 122 sq km (47 sq mi) of land area, but the city’s Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (defined by the Census Bureau as SanFrancisco, San Mateo,...

• 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...

• 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...

• Condorcet, Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas Caritat de

  years he also came under the influence of Euler, Fontaine, the Bernouillis and, above all, of the distinguished mathematician and academician, Jean Le Rond D'Alembert , who became his patron. He was elected Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Sciences in 1773, and in 1782 became a member of the French Academy. An enthusiastic supporter and theorist of the Revolution, he played an important role in the drafting of the Déclaration des droits in 1789. Suspected later of being a Girondin, he w...

• Italy - country.

  C Natural Resources Italy is poor in natural resources. Much of the land is unsuitable for agriculture because of mountainous terrain or unfavorable climate. Italy, moreover, lacks substantialdeposits of basic natural resources such as coal, iron, and petroleum. Natural gas is the country’s most important mineral resource. Other deposits include feldspar andpumice. Many of Italy’s mineral deposits on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia had been heavily depleted by the early 1990s. Italy is rich...

• Metabolism (chemistry) - biology.

  nearly perfect balance. Although much remains to be revealed about metabolic processes, biochemists now agree that regulatory, or rate-limiting, enzymes figure largely in the reactionsinvolved ( see Enzyme). Affecting metabolic pathways at the earliest steps, each enzyme molecule has a specific, or active, site that matches, or “fits,” its particular substrate—the compound with which the enzyme forms a product. The precision with which rate-limiting enzymes and substrates join to set off a parti...

• Taïwan.

  dragon et la fête des lanternes. ( Voir Art chinois ;Littérature chinoise ;Musique chinoise). Taïwan possède de nombreux musées et bibliothèques. Les deux plus grandes bibliothèques, situées à Taipei, sont la Bibliothèque nationale centrale, dont le fonds comprend plus de 1,7 million de volumes et la bibliothèque de Taïwan, qui possède382 000 volumes. Les principaux musées de la capitale Taipei sont le musée Hwa Kang, renommé pour ses collections folkloriques et d'art moderne, le Musée national...

• Bolivia - country.

  E Plants and Animals Because of the wide variations in elevation, plant and animal species of nearly every climatic zone are found in Bolivia. A coarse grass, called ichu, grows on the largelybarren high plateau in the west. Para rubber trees, more than 2,000 species of hardwood trees, and vanilla, sarsaparilla, and saffron plants are common in the tropicalforests of the east. The llama, found chiefly on the Altiplano, is an efficient beast of burden. Alpacas and vicuñas also inhabit the platea...

• James A.

  Treasury John Sherman, another Ohioan. He went to the Republican national convention as head of his state's delegation and manager of the Sherman campaign. The Republican Party at that time was split into two factions, the Stalwarts, led by Roscoe Conkling, senator from New York, and the Half-Breeds, led by Blaine. The twogroups had few political differences, but disagreed over the division of appointments to federal positions, known as patronage. The Stalwarts wanted control of all federal ap...

• Theater I INTRODUCTION The Art of Theater BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.

  Theater at EpidaurusAncient Greek dramas were performed in open-air theaters like this one in Epidaurus, Greece, which was designed byPolyclitus the Younger in 350 bc. A festival of ancient Greek drama is still held in the summer in this 14,000-seat theater.Roger Wood/Corbis Fundamental to the theater experience is the act of seeing and being seen; in fact, the word theater comes from the Greek word theatron , meaning 'seeing place.' Throughout the history of world cultures, actors have used...

• Computer.

  which can activate computer commands in conjunction with voice recognition software. “Tablet” computers are being developed that will allow users to interact with theirscreens using a penlike device. E The Central Processing Unit Information from an input device or from the computer’s memory is communicated via the bus to the central processing unit (CPU), which is the part of the computerthat translates commands and runs programs. The CPU is a microprocessor chip—that is, a single piece of sil...

• Cincinnati - geography.

  and managed the Reds. The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s. IV ECONOMY Cincinnati, from its earliest beginnings, has functioned as a major port on the Ohio River. Distribution of raw materials as well as manufactured goods is one of the city’schief economic activities. Although Cincinnati remains one of the world’s leading centers for the distribution of bituminous (soft) coal, this trade is gradually declining. Coal from Kentucky and W...

• Temple (building) I INTRODUCTION Wat Phra Kaeo Thailand has nearly 18,000 Buddhist temples, called wats, throughout the country.

  colonnaded terraces connected by ramps. The surrounding area was planted with trees and flowers during Hatshepsut’sreign and for many years after.Gian Berto Vanni/Art Resource, NY In ancient Egypt, temples were grandiose, built of huge blocks and columns of stone. Often they were enlarged by successive rulers to form strung-out series of templeparts, as in the gigantic Temple of Amon (circa 1550-1070 BC) at Al Karnak. The Nile cliffs were used as settings for temples, such as the massive mortuar...

• tALus AcheLous

  Il s'agit donc d'un droit, mais comme tout droit, son abus peut être sanctionné, au terme de la théorie de l'abus de droit. "La liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui" D'après Pierre Desproges: "on peut rire de tout mais pas avec n'importe qui". Ce qui amusera l'un risque de choquer l'autre. La portée de l'humour dépend du public et du sujet abordé. Ce qui juge le rire, c'est la nature des motivations dont il précède. Le rire peut être l'écho de tout ce qui...

• Liechtenstein - country.

  principal crops are corn, potatoes, barley, wheat, and vegetables. Grapes are grown for wine production. Cattle and sheep are raised for meat and dairy products. B Manufacturing Liechtenstein has few raw materials and must import more than 90 percent of its energy sources. Consequently, Liechtenstein has no heavy industry. Instead, theprincipality has developed a number of efficient, small-scale industries that manufacture specialized goods such as false teeth and dental supplies, pharmaceutica...

• Austria - country.

  Wildlife is generally scarce in Austria. Chamois, deer, and marmot are still present; bear, which were once abundant, are now almost completely absent. Hunting isstrictly regulated to protect the remaining species. F Environmental Issues Industrial emissions, a high volume of tourist traffic, and significant air pollution from other countries—principally the former East Germany, Slovakia, and the CzechRepublic—combine to make acid rain the major environmental problem in Austria. One-quarter of...

• Republic of Indonesia - country.

  Mahakam in East Kalimantan and the Martapura and Barito in South Kalimantan. Most of these rivers originate in the island’s central massif (mountain mass) and meander through extensive swamps as they approach the coast. Settlements such as Samarinda and Banjarmasin cluster along the rivers, which serve ascommunication routes into the interior. The largest rivers on Sumatra drain from west to east into the Strait of Malacca. In the north, the Asahan River once linked trade between the Batak peo...

• Sierra Leone (country) - country.

  commodities such as palm oil, palm kernels, coffee, cacao, ginger, kola nuts, and piassava (palm fibers) are grown for export. Cattle, goats, and sheep are raised, andthe fishing industry is of increasing importance. B Mining Gem and industrial diamonds are the leading mineral products of Sierra Leone. In 2004, 309,390 carats of gem-quality diamonds were produced. Rutile, a titanium oreof which Sierra Leone has one of the world’s largest deposits, and bauxite are also mined in large quantities....

• Suicide.

  C Sociological Theories Most social scientists believe that a society’s structure and values can influence suicide rates. French sociologist Émile Durkheim argued that suicide rates are related tosocial integration —that is, the degree to which an individual feels part of a larger group. Durkheim found suicide was more likely when a person lacked social bonds or had relationships disrupted through a sudden change in status, such as unemployment. As one example of the significance of social bond...

• Digestive System.

  The stomach, located in the upper abdomen just below the diaphragm, is a saclike structure with strong, muscular walls. The stomach can expand significantly to storeall the food from a meal for both mechanical and chemical processing. The stomach contracts about three times per minute, churning the food and mixing it with gastricjuice. This fluid, secreted by thousands of gastric glands in the lining of the stomach, consists of water, hydrochloric acid, an enzyme called pepsin, and mucin (the...

• Vikings .

  Wessex (England) and Charles II the Bald and Louis III in France could command their resources to move to fortify their towns, station fleets and naval patrols alongthe coasts, and organize localized and mobile military forces. Some Christian leaders paid ransom to the larger Viking armies of the 10th and early 11th centuries.Taxing their people to pay the “danegeld,” the tribute to the Vikings, became a regular defensive strategy. But in return for the cash, the Vikings often negotiatedpeaceful...

• On the road

• Chile - country.

  D Plant and Animal Life The indigenous plant life of Chile varies according to climatic zone. Plant life in the northern region includes brambles and cactus and has little variety. Here, theAtacama provides one of the best examples on Earth of an absolute desert. The more humid Central Valley supports several species of cacti, espino (a thorny shrub),grasses, and the Chilean pine, which bears edible nuts. Dense rain forests are located south of Valdivia with laurel, magnolia, false beech, and v...

• Excerpt from The Merchant of Venice - anthology.

  A weight of carrion flesh than to receiveThree thousand ducats. I'll not answer that,But say it is my humour. Is it answered?What if my house be troubled with a rat,And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducatsTo have it baned? What, are you answered yet?Some men there are love not a gaping pig,Some that are mad if they behold a cat,And others, when the bagpipe sings i'th'nose,Cannot contain their urine; for affection,Master of passion, sways it to the moodOf what it likes or loathes. Now for you...

• ?stanbul - geography.

  İstanbul hosts a number of annual cultural events. The İstanbul Cultural Festival, held in the summer, offers music and dance performances in more than 50 venuesthroughout the city, including outdoors at Rumelihisar ı. The city also hosts a summer jazz festival. Turkey is one of the world’s largest producers of motion pictures, anda highly regarded international film festival takes place in İstanbul during the early months of the year. V RECREATION With increasing modernization, recreation is...

• Igneous Rock.

  As a magma cools, the first crystals to form will be of minerals that become solid at relatively high temperatures (usually olivine and a type of feldspar known asanorthite). The composition of these early-formed mineral crystals will be different from the initial composition of the magma. Consequently, as these growing crystalstake certain elements out of the magma in certain proportions, the composition of the remaining liquid changes. This process is known as magmatic differentiation.Sometime...

• Eye. I INTRODUCTION Eye, light-sensitive organ of vision in animals. The eyes of

  Several structures, not parts of the eyeball, contribute to the protection of the eye. The most important of these are the eyelids, two folds of skin and tissue, upper andlower, that can be closed by means of muscles to form a protective covering over the eyeball against excessive light and mechanical injury. The eyelashes, a fringe ofshort hairs growing on the edge of either eyelid, act as a screen to keep dust particles and insects out of the eyes when the eyelids are partly closed. Inside the...

• The Alchimist

• Millard Fillmore.

  B Vice President of the United States During the first half of 1850, Fillmore as vice president presided over the United States Senate (the upper chamber of Congress) as angry debates raged betweenNorthern and Southern sectionalists over the status of slavery in the recently acquired lands. His fairness and sense of humor in the chair were not enough to restorepeace among the contending senators. The antislavery faction, led by Senator Seward (the former governor of New York) and Senator Salmon...