Practice listening to English every day
#studywithme #english #listeningenglish
#studywithme #english #listeningenglish
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00:00 [Music]
00:00:09 Days of the Week
00:00:12 There are seven days of the week.
00:00:16 Sunday is a day of rest for some people, but many people still have to work.
00:00:21 Quite a few people go to church on a Sunday.
00:00:24 On Monday morning, we go back to school after the weekend.
00:00:29 Many people say they don't like Monday because it is the beginning of the work week.
00:00:35 Tuesday is a school day and a working day.
00:00:39 I don't think that there is anything special about a Tuesday.
00:00:43 Wednesday is the middle of the work week.
00:00:47 On Thursday, many of the stores and malls stay open later.
00:00:51 It gives you a chance to run some errands on a Thursday night.
00:00:55 On Friday, you feel like the work week is nearly over.
00:00:59 Some people say, "Thank goodness it is Friday."
00:01:02 They look forward to the weekend.
00:01:04 On Saturday, many people can sleep in late.
00:01:08 People get errands done on Saturday.
00:01:11 You see a lot of people in the grocery store on a Saturday.
00:01:15 Most children look forward to Saturday so that they can play with their friends.
00:01:20 Then Sunday comes again.
00:01:22 The weeks turn into months and the months turn into years.
00:01:26 Time goes by quite quickly.
00:01:29 Describing Things
00:01:34 Some things are different shapes.
00:01:37 They can be described by their shape.
00:01:40 A circle is round.
00:01:42 A compact disc is a circle.
00:01:45 A square has four equal sides.
00:01:48 A rectangle is similar, but two of the sides are longer.
00:01:53 A triangle has only three sides.
00:01:56 Have you ever seen anyone play a triangle in an orchestra?
00:02:00 The word "triangle" can stand for an instrument or a shape.
00:02:05 An oval is rounded, but it is not round.
00:02:08 An egg is an oval shape.
00:02:11 The floor is flat.
00:02:13 If something is smooth, it has no bumps or lumps.
00:02:17 Silk is smooth.
00:02:19 Some things are rough.
00:02:21 Sandpaper is rough.
00:02:23 If something is dull, it is not sharp or pointed.
00:02:27 A dull knife will not cut bread because the blade is not sharp.
00:02:31 If something is pointed, it has a sharp end.
00:02:34 A sharp pencil has a pointed end.
00:02:37 A pencil that has been used a lot and hasn't been sharpened has a dull end.
00:02:43 Some things are soft.
00:02:45 A teddy bear is soft.
00:02:47 It feels good to touch.
00:02:49 Some things are hard.
00:02:51 A rock is hard.
00:02:53 "Soft" can also represent a noise level.
00:02:56 If you have a soft voice, it is not very loud.
00:02:59 If someone tells you to speak softly, they want you to speak quietly.
00:03:04 "Loud" is the word used to describe noises that hurt your ears.
00:03:08 A big truck will make a loud noise.
00:03:11 Your mother will tell you that your music is too loud.
00:03:15 Fruit
00:03:19 Some fruit grows on trees.
00:03:23 Apples grow on trees.
00:03:25 You can get red, yellow, or green apples.
00:03:29 Some apples are green until they ripen.
00:03:32 Then they turn red.
00:03:34 Peaches grow on trees.
00:03:36 Peaches have a fuzzy skin.
00:03:39 Cherries grow on trees.
00:03:41 You can climb a ladder and pick cherries from the tree.
00:03:45 Cherries and peaches have pits inside them.
00:03:49 The pits are not edible.
00:03:51 Pears also grow on trees.
00:03:53 Lemons grow on trees.
00:03:55 They are very sour.
00:03:57 Have you ever picked strawberries?
00:04:00 Strawberries do not grow on trees.
00:04:03 You have to bend down to pick strawberries.
00:04:06 Have you ever tried strawberry shortcake?
00:04:09 It is very good.
00:04:11 Grapes grow on vines.
00:04:13 People use grapes to make wine.
00:04:15 There are many types of berries.
00:04:17 There are blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries, just to name a few.
00:04:23 Some fruits are more exotic.
00:04:26 There are mangoes and papayas.
00:04:28 They don't grow in Canada.
00:04:30 Bananas and oranges don't grow in a Canadian climate either,
00:04:34 but we are able to buy them here.
00:04:37 Some fruits have to be peeled, and some can be eaten as they are.
00:04:42 It is always a good idea to wash fruit before you eat it.
00:04:46 The farmers spray the crops with pesticides to kill bugs,
00:04:50 so it is good to wash that off.
00:04:53 Bugs
00:04:57 Many people are afraid of bugs.
00:05:01 Some bugs do bad things like eating crops or clothes.
00:05:05 Some bugs, such as termites, even eat wood.
00:05:09 Other bugs can be good.
00:05:11 Spiders catch flies.
00:05:13 Flies are not good because they carry germs.
00:05:17 Insects get caught in the web that the spider builds.
00:05:20 Ants get into homes and eat food.
00:05:23 Bees are good because honey comes from bees.
00:05:27 It is not good if you get stung by a bee.
00:05:30 A caterpillar turns into a butterfly.
00:05:33 Butterflies can be very beautiful.
00:05:36 You can find grasshoppers outside on a sunny day.
00:05:40 Grasshoppers hop through the grass.
00:05:43 Crickets make a noise by rubbing their legs together.
00:05:46 Dragonflies usually live near water.
00:05:49 They have large, colourful wings.
00:05:52 Ladybugs are red with little black dots.
00:05:55 There are many types of beetles.
00:05:57 Nobody wants to have cockroaches in their house.
00:06:00 Centipedes have many legs.
00:06:02 Fleas get onto your pets and bite them.
00:06:05 They make your dog or cat itchy.
00:06:08 Mosquitoes can make you itchy when they bite you.
00:06:11 Have you ever had a mosquito bite?
00:06:14 The kitchen
00:06:18 The kitchen is where we make and eat our meals.
00:06:23 There is a stove in the kitchen.
00:06:25 Inside the stove there is an oven where you bake things.
00:06:28 You can put a cake into the oven to bake.
00:06:31 On top of the stove are burners.
00:06:34 The burners get hot.
00:06:36 You put pots or pans on the burners.
00:06:39 The refrigerator is where we store the food that needs to be kept cold.
00:06:44 We keep milk, eggs, cheese and vegetables in the refrigerator.
00:06:49 At the top of the refrigerator is the freezer.
00:06:52 The freezer keeps things frozen.
00:06:55 We have frozen vegetables, ice cream and ice cubes in the freezer.
00:07:00 We have a toaster in the kitchen.
00:07:02 You put the bread in the toaster and it turns into toast.
00:07:06 We have an electric kettle.
00:07:08 We boil water to make tea in the kettle.
00:07:11 There is a double sink in the kitchen.
00:07:13 That is where we wash the dishes.
00:07:15 We turn on the hot tap and put some dish detergent into the sink to wash the dishes.
00:07:21 Sometimes we put the dishes into the dishwasher and the dishwasher washes the dishes.
00:07:27 There are other things in the kitchen.
00:07:29 There are utensils like knives, forks and spoons.
00:07:33 There are tea towels and dishcloths.
00:07:36 There are oven mitts and potholders to take hot things out of the oven.
00:07:40 There are pots to cook and boil things in.
00:07:43 There are pans to fry things.
00:07:45 We have dishes that we eat from.
00:07:48 We have plates for our dinner and bowls that we can put our soup in.
00:07:52 We drink from cups or coffee mugs or glasses.
00:07:56 We keep our juice in a pitcher or a jug.
00:07:59 There is a timer that you can set when you are cooking.
00:08:02 The timer buzzes when the food is ready.
00:08:05 We also have a microwave oven in the kitchen.
00:08:09 If we are in a hurry, we cook our food in the microwave.
00:08:13 Vegetables
00:08:18 Vegetables are very good for you.
00:08:21 They say that you should have three servings of vegetables every day.
00:08:26 I like green peas.
00:08:28 Peas come in pods.
00:08:30 I also like snow peas.
00:08:32 You eat the pods on the snow peas.
00:08:35 I like corn when it is on the cob.
00:08:38 Carrots are good to eat raw.
00:08:41 Beans are good for you.
00:08:43 There are many different types of beans.
00:08:45 There are string beans, kidney beans, baked beans and lots of other types of beans.
00:08:51 Some people don't like green vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts.
00:08:56 I like broccoli and brussel sprouts.
00:08:58 You can make a salad and put lots of different vegetables into the salad.
00:09:03 In my salads, I like lettuce, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, radishes, cauliflower and spring onions.
00:09:11 I try to have a salad with dressing on it every day.
00:09:14 My dad likes root vegetables like beets and parsnips.
00:09:18 My brother will only eat potatoes.
00:09:21 He likes his potatoes baked.
00:09:23 My mother likes to buy her vegetables at the market.
00:09:26 She says they are fresher there.
00:09:28 My mother buys a lot of onions.
00:09:31 She puts onions in almost all the meals that she cooks.
00:09:35 Some children won't eat their vegetables.
00:09:37 I didn't like some vegetables at first, but I have become used to them.
00:09:42 I like having vegetables with my meals.
00:09:45 Pets
00:09:49 There are many different animals that you can have for pets.
00:09:55 The most common pets are cats and dogs.
00:09:58 I think the second most common pets are birds and fish.
00:10:03 You can hug a cat or a dog.
00:10:05 You can play with a cat or a dog, but it is difficult to play with a bird or a fish.
00:10:11 Some birds are very smart and they can be taught to do things.
00:10:15 Parrots are very clever.
00:10:17 Some of them even talk.
00:10:19 Birds usually stay in bird cages.
00:10:23 Fish have to stay in the water in a tank or a fishbowl.
00:10:27 Some people have gerbils or guinea pigs as pets.
00:10:31 There are even people who have ferrets as pets.
00:10:35 I have a friend who has a lizard for a pet.
00:10:39 She has to buy live crickets for her lizard to eat.
00:10:43 Another friend of mine has a pet snake.
00:10:46 I don't think I would like to have a pet snake.
00:10:50 There are different types of dogs.
00:10:53 Some dogs are very big and some are small.
00:10:56 A Labrador Retriever is a big dog.
00:10:59 A poodle is usually a small dog, although there are some large poodles.
00:11:04 Some dogs are noisy and they bark a lot.
00:11:07 Other dogs are quiet and obedient.
00:11:10 I once had a dog.
00:11:12 It was a Cocker Spaniel.
00:11:14 I used to take it for walks.
00:11:16 There are different types of cats, too.
00:11:19 My favorite type of cat is a Siamese cat.
00:11:23 Siamese cats have blue eyes.
00:11:26 My mother had a Persian cat.
00:11:28 It was very furry.
00:11:30 My mother said that it used to shed fur all over the house.
00:11:35 Pets are a lot of fun, but they are a lot of work, too.
00:11:39 To be a good pet owner, you have to be very responsible.
00:11:44 Parties can be a lot of fun.
00:11:52 People get invited to parties.
00:11:54 You can have a party because it is a special occasion,
00:11:57 or just because you want to have a party.
00:12:01 Sometimes, people wear paper hats at parties.
00:12:04 These are called party hats.
00:12:07 Some people decorate with streamers and balloons.
00:12:11 At some parties, there is a cake.
00:12:14 Sometimes, there are just snacks and drinks.
00:12:17 At some parties, people play games.
00:12:21 There are also parties where people just stand around and talk.
00:12:25 People wear different things to parties.
00:12:28 You can go to some parties in casual clothes.
00:12:31 At other parties, you need to be dressed up in good clothes.
00:12:35 There are other parties where you are supposed to wear a costume.
00:12:40 There are many different kinds of parties.
00:12:43 There are Christmas parties, birthday parties, going-away parties,
00:12:47 and parties for no reason at all.
00:12:50 I have been to parties for people who are retiring,
00:12:53 or for people who have just had a new baby.
00:12:57 There are hundreds of reasons for having a party.
00:13:00 At some parties, you take a gift.
00:13:03 If it is a birthday party, then you take a gift and a birthday card
00:13:07 to the person who is having the birthday.
00:13:10 Sometimes, people will ask you to bring food or drinks to the party.
00:13:15 All parties are different.
00:13:17 It is nice to be invited to parties.
00:13:21 Grocery shopping
00:13:24 What do you see when you go to the grocery store?
00:13:28 The aisles are filled with food.
00:13:31 There are also refrigerators and freezers filled with food.
00:13:35 There are sometimes things in bins in the middle of the aisles.
00:13:39 There are different departments in the grocery store.
00:13:43 There is the bakery.
00:13:45 In the bakery, there are sweet things such as cakes, pies, cookies, and tarts.
00:13:51 There are also things that you would eat with your dinner, like bread and buns.
00:13:56 There are other things in the bakery department, like bagels and biscuits.
00:14:01 The baker works in the bakery.
00:14:04 There is the canned goods section.
00:14:07 This is where you might find sauces and soups.
00:14:11 Vegetables and fruits also come in cans.
00:14:15 There is the section for dairy products.
00:14:18 Here you would find milk and cream.
00:14:21 The dairy section would also have cheese and butter.
00:14:25 Yogurt is also found in the dairy section.
00:14:29 In the meat department, there is beef and pork.
00:14:33 Poultry is also found in the meat department.
00:14:36 Poultry is chicken, duck, and goose.
00:14:39 There are also cold cuts in the meat department.
00:14:42 Cold cuts are the meats that are sliced up for sandwiches.
00:14:46 Some examples of cold cuts are ham and bologna.
00:14:49 The butcher works in the meat department.
00:14:53 The produce department is full of fruits and vegetables.
00:14:57 Clerks spray water on the fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh.
00:15:02 There is a section in the grocery store for personal hygiene.
00:15:06 This is where you would find shampoo and toothpaste.
00:15:10 Soap and skin products would also be in this section.
00:15:14 There is even a section for your pets.
00:15:17 You can buy cat food and dog food.
00:15:20 There are toys for cats and dogs.
00:15:23 Are you tall or short? Are you big or small?
00:15:32 People come in many different shapes and sizes.
00:15:35 Some people wear size small clothes.
00:15:37 Other people wear size medium clothes.
00:15:40 There are people who wear large size clothes.
00:15:42 Some people even wear extra large clothes.
00:15:45 Some people are thin. Some people are fat.
00:15:49 Some people are in between.
00:15:51 There are people with short hair.
00:15:53 Other people have long hair.
00:15:55 Some people have no hair at all.
00:15:57 No two people are exactly alike.
00:16:00 Some people have long legs. I have short legs.
00:16:03 I don't walk as fast as a person with long legs.
00:16:06 I am not a tall person. In fact, I am quite short.
00:16:10 My feet are a size 7. My mother has size 5 feet.
00:16:14 My father has size 12 feet.
00:16:16 We are all different sizes.
00:16:18 It is not a bad thing.
00:16:20 It is a good thing that we are all unique.
00:16:23 When you go to a restaurant, you might see a sign that says,
00:16:32 "Please wait to be seated."
00:16:34 A host or hostess will ask you how many people are in your party.
00:16:38 Then they will want to know if you want to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section.
00:16:42 The host or hostess will take you to your seat.
00:16:45 You might sit at a table or at a booth.
00:16:48 The host or hostess will give you a menu to look at.
00:16:51 Sometimes there are different menus for different meals.
00:16:54 There can be a breakfast menu, a lunch menu, and a dinner menu.
00:16:58 Sometimes there is also a wine list and a dessert menu.
00:17:02 The food and the prices of the food are listed on the menu.
00:17:05 On your table, there will be cutlery.
00:17:08 Cutlery is the knives, forks, and spoons.
00:17:11 There will also be a napkin.
00:17:13 You are supposed to put your napkin on your lap when you eat.
00:17:16 Your waiter or waitress will take your order.
00:17:19 You might want an appetizer before your meal.
00:17:21 Some people want a salad or soup before their meal.
00:17:24 After your meal, you might have a dessert or tea or coffee.
00:17:28 When it is time to go, you will pay your bill and leave a tip for the waiter or waitress.
00:17:40 Traffic moves along on the streets and highways.
00:17:44 There are rules that drivers must follow to make the traffic flow smoothly.
00:17:49 You must wear a seat belt.
00:17:51 The seat belt helps to keep you safe.
00:17:54 You must stop at all stop signs.
00:17:56 You must also stop at a red light.
00:17:59 A green light means go, and a yellow light means to be careful.
00:18:04 If you see a sign that says school crossing,
00:18:07 you have to be careful because you are near a school and children might be crossing the street.
00:18:12 Some places are crosswalks.
00:18:15 Those are places where people cross the street.
00:18:18 People who are walking have the right of way.
00:18:21 If you hear a siren behind you, you must pull over.
00:18:25 An emergency vehicle like a police car or an ambulance might need to get somewhere fast.
00:18:31 When a school bus puts on its flashing signals, you have to stop.
00:18:36 You can't go past the school bus because children may be crossing the street from the bus.
00:18:42 You should always obey the speed limit.
00:18:45 It is not good to drive too fast.
00:18:48 People should never drink and drive.
00:18:51 Driving is a serious business.
00:18:54 You have to obey all the rules to be a good driver.
00:19:04 If you were in an orchestra, what would you play?
00:19:07 Would you play a tuba, a trumpet, or a saxophone?
00:19:11 Perhaps you would prefer a stringed instrument like a violin or a cello.
00:19:16 Maybe you would enjoy percussion more.
00:19:18 You could play the kettle drum.
00:19:20 There are instruments that have keyboards.
00:19:23 A piano and an organ have keyboards.
00:19:26 There are instruments that have strings on them.
00:19:28 A guitar, banjo, and mandolin have strings on them.
00:19:32 There are instruments that you blow into.
00:19:35 A flute, a French horn, and a harmonica are all instruments that you blow into.
00:19:40 There are instruments that you hit with a stick.
00:19:43 A drum and a cymbal are two things that you would hit with a stick.
00:19:47 If you are in an orchestra, you have to watch the conductor.
00:19:52 He will lead you through the piece of music.
00:19:55 You might just want to be in a band for fun.
00:19:58 You could join a rock band or a dance band.
00:20:01 Some people learn to read music.
00:20:03 Music notes are written on a staff.
00:20:06 Each note represents a sound.
00:20:09 There are whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes.
00:20:13 Each one of these is held for a different number of beats.
00:20:17 It is good to learn about music.
00:20:19 You have to learn your scales and learn about sharps and flats.
00:20:23 If you want to learn how to play an instrument, it is best to take music lessons.
00:20:28 Who, what, where, and why
00:20:33 These are important words.
00:20:36 They are all words that begin questions.
00:20:38 Who is about a person?
00:20:40 Who is the girl with the blue dress on?
00:20:43 Who stole my watch?
00:20:44 Who will come with me to the game?
00:20:46 Who is driving us to the party?
00:20:49 What is about a thing?
00:20:52 What is that big thing on the sidewalk?
00:20:55 What should I do when I get to your house?
00:20:58 What kind of clothes should I wear to the party?
00:21:01 What shall I buy you for your birthday?
00:21:04 Where is about a place?
00:21:07 Where are you going for your vacation?
00:21:09 Where did I leave my glasses?
00:21:12 Where did my brother go?
00:21:14 Where on earth is Timmons?
00:21:16 Why is the word that asks for an explanation?
00:21:20 Why did you take the last piece of pie?
00:21:23 Why is the world round?
00:21:25 Why should I give you any money?
00:21:28 Why did the chicken cross the street?
00:21:31 They say that you should answer all of these questions if you are writing a good story.
00:21:36 You have to give the who, what, where, and why to write a good story.
00:21:41 Which direction?
00:21:47 Which direction should I go in?
00:21:49 Should I go up?
00:21:50 If I go up, I will head toward the sky.
00:21:53 I can go up the stairs.
00:21:55 Should I go down?
00:21:57 I can go down the stairs to the basement.
00:21:59 I can climb down into a hole.
00:22:02 Should I go left or right?
00:22:04 I am right-handed, so I know which way right is.
00:22:08 Should I go backwards?
00:22:10 I would be going away from the things that I am facing now if I went backwards.
00:22:15 If I went backwards from the thing that I am facing, I would go away from it.
00:22:20 Should I go forward?
00:22:22 I will just go straight ahead if I go forward.
00:22:25 If I am facing something and I go forward, then I will go toward the thing that I am facing.
00:22:31 Maybe I should go sideways, but which side?
00:22:35 Left or right?
00:22:37 It sounds very complicated, but it is not.
00:22:40 Directions are very easy to follow if you just stop and think about them.
00:22:45 The office
00:22:50 Some people work in an office.
00:22:53 There are special tools that people in an office need to do their work.
00:22:57 There is a computer in the office.
00:22:59 There is a telephone.
00:23:01 Most of the time, the secretary answers the telephone.
00:23:04 The secretary sits at a desk.
00:23:06 The secretary has pens and pencils on the desk.
00:23:09 The secretary writes on a notepad.
00:23:12 Some other things that you would find in an office would include the following.
00:23:17 A stapler to staple pages together.
00:23:20 A photocopier to copy pages.
00:23:22 A pencil sharpener to sharpen pencils.
00:23:25 A water cooler where the employees could get a drink of water.
00:23:29 A hole punch to make holes in sheets of paper.
00:23:33 And liquid paper which is used to blank out errors on a page.
00:23:37 Some offices have many employees in them.
00:23:40 All of the employees have their own desks.
00:23:43 Other offices just have one person at a desk.
00:23:46 In some offices, there is a secretary or a receptionist.
00:23:51 And then there is the boss in another room.
00:23:53 There are often many important papers in an office.
00:23:56 Important papers can be called documents.
00:23:59 You might have to sign a document or fill out a form in an office.
00:24:03 Some offices have bookshelves filled with books.
00:24:07 The books are filled with information that the people in the office need.
00:24:11 You will have to visit an office sometime.
00:24:14 Maybe it will be a doctor's office or a lawyer's office.
00:24:18 There are many different types of offices.
00:24:21 I keep my money in the bank.
00:24:28 I have saved up my money.
00:24:30 I saved all my pennies in a jar.
00:24:32 A penny is only worth one cent.
00:24:35 I have nickels.
00:24:36 A nickel is worth five cents.
00:24:38 A dime is worth ten cents.
00:24:40 A quarter is worth twenty-five cents.
00:24:43 A quarter is a quarter of a dollar.
00:24:45 Four quarters make up a dollar.
00:24:47 A dollar is worth one hundred cents.
00:24:50 I saved up all of my dollars.
00:24:53 Our dollars used to be paper, but now they are coins.
00:24:56 We call our dollars "loonies."
00:24:58 It's a funny name.
00:25:00 We also have two-dollar coins.
00:25:02 We call those "toonies."
00:25:04 It is good to be polite.
00:25:12 People like you more when you are polite.
00:25:14 Always say "please" and "thank you."
00:25:17 If you ask for some milk, you should say,
00:25:19 "Please may I have a glass of milk?"
00:25:22 When someone gives you the milk, you should respond with, "Thank you."
00:25:26 It is not difficult to be polite.
00:25:28 You should not push or shove people.
00:25:30 You should cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
00:25:33 You should address people properly.
00:25:35 If you are trying to get someone's attention,
00:25:37 you would say, "Excuse me."
00:25:39 You wouldn't say, "Hey, you."
00:25:41 There are table manners.
00:25:43 That is where you eat properly and politely at the dinner table.
00:25:47 You don't shove food into your mouth.
00:25:49 You don't reach over other people's plates.
00:25:51 You don't talk with your mouth full.
00:25:53 All of these things are common sense.
00:25:56 Being polite is mostly thinking about how you would like to be treated.
00:26:00 You wouldn't want people to be impolite to you.
00:26:03 It is not polite to point at people.
00:26:06 It is not polite to burp out loud.
00:26:08 It is not polite to use someone else's things without asking first.
00:26:12 Being polite just comes naturally if you have been brought up in a home
00:26:16 where everyone was polite.
00:26:24 There are two sexes or genders.
00:26:27 There is the male gender and there is the female gender.
00:26:30 Males and females are different, both physically and mentally.
00:26:35 Humans are both male and female, and animals are both male and female.
00:26:39 If you have a dog, it is either a girl dog or a boy dog.
00:26:43 Boys grow up to be men.
00:26:45 Men grow hair on their faces.
00:26:47 Men are usually more muscular than women.
00:26:50 Men dress differently than women.
00:26:52 Men are males. Males are masculine.
00:26:55 Girls grow up to be women.
00:26:57 Only women can have babies.
00:26:59 Women are females. Females are feminine.
00:27:03 Another word for women is ladies.
00:27:06 It is good that we have males and females.
00:27:09 Your father is a male.
00:27:10 Your grandfather, brother, and uncle are males.
00:27:13 Your mother is a female.
00:27:15 Your grandmother, sister, and aunt are female.
00:27:21 Me
00:27:22 I am special.
00:27:26 Nobody in the world is exactly like I am.
00:27:30 They might have the same hair color and eyes that I do,
00:27:33 but they are not exactly like me.
00:27:36 I am the only person in the world who thinks my thoughts.
00:27:41 No two people in the world are exactly alike.
00:27:45 It is good to be your own person.
00:27:47 It is good to be creative and be natural.
00:27:51 People have to follow the laws and the rules.
00:27:55 People should always be kind to others.
00:27:58 I try to follow all the rules.
00:28:01 I am kind to others.
00:28:03 I am a lot like many other people, yet I am different.
00:28:08 I am like my friend Jane, but she has red hair,
00:28:12 and I have dark hair.
00:28:14 She has a loud voice, and I have a soft voice.
00:28:18 She likes to eat vegetables, and I do not.
00:28:22 Jane and I are the same height.
00:28:25 We both like movies, and we are both afraid of spiders.
00:28:29 We wear the same size shoes, and we both have the same favorite color.
00:28:35 We are best friends, but sometimes we disagree about things.
00:28:40 We are alike in many ways, and different in many ways.
00:28:45 If we were all exactly the same, the world would be a very boring place.
00:28:52 I am myself, and I am glad that I am special.
00:28:56 You are special, too.
00:28:59 Use your own special talents, and take the time to meet other people.
00:29:04 The world is made up of a lot of different people,
00:29:08 and that's what makes life exciting.
00:29:11 I got my cat when she was just a tiny kitten.
00:29:21 I named her Puff because her fur is soft and fluffy.
00:29:25 She has white fur, but her tail, paws, and ears are black.
00:29:31 She has a little pink nose and yellow eyes.
00:29:35 She says "Meow" whenever she wants a bowl of milk.
00:29:39 I feed her cat food and treats.
00:29:42 She washes her face with her paw when she is finished eating.
00:29:46 My whole family loves her, and we can tell that she loves us.
00:29:51 She loves to curl up in our laps.
00:29:54 She purrs whenever we pet her.
00:29:57 She is very playful.
00:29:59 We sometimes roll up a piece of paper and throw it to her.
00:30:03 She loves to chase the paper and hit it with her paws.
00:30:07 She also chases bugs.
00:30:10 Last night she chased a spider, but she was afraid to touch it.
00:30:14 At night, she curls up in my bed with me.
00:30:18 She likes to be warm.
00:30:20 I have given her a blanket of her own, but when I put her on it, her tail twitches.
00:30:25 Her tail twitches whenever she is upset or angry.
00:30:29 I know she doesn't want to be on her blanket.
00:30:33 She wants to be in my bed.
00:30:35 I let her into my bed, and she falls asleep, purring loudly.
00:30:40 If I Had a Million Dollars
00:30:46 If I had a million dollars, I'd travel the world.
00:30:51 I would go to the highest mountain.
00:30:54 I would swim the deepest sea.
00:30:57 I would probably buy a lot of clothes, because I love clothes.
00:31:02 More than anything, though, I would want to visit Ireland.
00:31:06 I want to see the rolling hills and the green, green grass that everyone talks about.
00:31:12 When I think of Ireland, I think of where my family came from many years ago.
00:31:17 I am almost all Irish, and I would love to see my family over in Ireland.
00:31:23 If I had a million dollars, I would buy a Mustang or a Pontiac Sunbird car.
00:31:30 I would buy a nice house with a big backyard and an outdoor and indoor pool.
00:31:36 I would love to take my family wherever they wanted to go.
00:31:40 I would buy them wonderful presents, too.
00:31:43 However, I know that money does not buy happiness.
00:31:47 It does not buy you friends or family.
00:31:50 It may bring some happiness only for the moment, but in the long run,
00:31:55 your family is what will be there for you if you love them and are there for them.
00:32:01 If I had to pick between a million dollars and my family, I would pick my family.
00:32:07 The million dollars is a nice dream.
00:32:09 If that dream ever comes true and I do get a lot of money, I hope I would use it wisely.
00:32:19 A picnic
00:32:20 What a great day for a picnic!
00:32:26 We're not only having a picnic, we're having a big bike ride, too.
00:32:30 We did this last year with a lot of friends, also.
00:32:33 It was really fun.
00:32:36 We meet quite early in the morning in a pretty little town.
00:32:40 The town is where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario in Canada.
00:32:46 The town's name is Niagara-on-the-Lake.
00:32:49 Then all of the people, fifty or more, get on their bikes or rollerblades.
00:32:55 We go on a bike path beside the river.
00:32:58 The path we take is about eleven kilometers or six miles long.
00:33:04 There are a lot of people using the path, too.
00:33:07 We usually stop for an ice cream treat near the end or where we turn around to go back to our cars.
00:33:15 It is just before the park where we will have our picnic and a steep hill.
00:33:21 Many of the men and boys go up the hill.
00:33:25 Most of the women and children go back to their cars.
00:33:29 The ride takes about two hours plus whatever time we take at the ice cream store.
00:33:35 After the ride is finished, we go to the park.
00:33:39 We have a delicious potluck lunch.
00:33:42 Potluck means everyone brings some food to share with the others.
00:33:47 We eat, rest, talk, and laugh.
00:33:51 After we've cleaned up, some of us climb the tower that is there remembering a war at that place and its general.
00:34:00 It is a steep climb, over one hundred steps.
00:34:04 We usually end the day with a fun game of baseball or soccer.
00:34:09 Finally, we pack up our stuff.
00:34:12 Tired and dirty, we head for home with good memories swimming in our heads.
00:34:19 The Wedding
00:34:23 We went into the church and sat down.
00:34:27 There were pretty flowers at the front.
00:34:30 There was beautiful organ music playing.
00:34:33 The church was full of people dressed up nicely.
00:34:37 Everyone was waiting to see the beautiful bride walk up the aisle.
00:34:42 Ahush! An intake of breath.
00:34:45 There she was. Oh, she was so beautiful.
00:34:49 She had a lovely long white dress with pretty lace and beads.
00:34:54 Her hair was swept up off from her face.
00:34:57 There were curls flowing down her back.
00:35:00 Instead of a veil, she had little flowers in her hair.
00:35:04 Her bouquet of tiny flowers was very, very pretty.
00:35:09 Her dad looked very proud of her.
00:35:11 He looked just a little sad, too.
00:35:15 At the front of the church, the groom stood waiting.
00:35:19 He had a beautiful tender smile on his face.
00:35:23 He took his bride's hand as her dad left her there.
00:35:27 They smiled at each other.
00:35:30 The minister read, prayed, and offered some words of advice to the lovely couple.
00:35:36 Someone sang a pretty song.
00:35:39 The groom slipped the simple wedding band on the bride's finger.
00:35:44 She struggled a little to put a band on his finger.
00:35:48 Pretty soon, the minister said they were now husband and wife.
00:35:53 They kissed.
00:35:54 We all stood as they walked down the aisle to live the rest of their lives together as Mr. and Mrs.
00:36:02 We cried.
00:36:03 Visiting the Zoo
00:36:08 When I was a kid, I always enjoyed visiting the zoo.
00:36:14 My family lived far away from the zoo, so we didn't go there very often.
00:36:19 But whenever we went to the zoo, I always had a fun and interesting time.
00:36:24 Some of the animals were very large.
00:36:27 Of course, the elephants were huge, and they had such an unusual appearance,
00:36:33 with their big ears and their long trunk and tusks.
00:36:37 The giraffes were very tall, with long necks that reached high into the trees.
00:36:43 Some of my favorite animals were big cats.
00:36:47 The lions looked very powerful, with their big teeth and paws.
00:36:52 The tigers were just as big and strong, with yellow and black stripes.
00:36:57 But the bears were even larger than these cats.
00:37:01 The polar bears, with their bright white fur, liked to swim through the water.
00:37:07 The animals from Australia seemed very unusual.
00:37:11 The kangaroos, with their strong legs and long tail, could jump great distances across the ground.
00:37:20 The baby kangaroo could go inside its mother's pouch.
00:37:24 Another Australian animal, the koala bear, crawled slowly in the trees, where it ate leaves.
00:37:33 In many ways, they reminded me of people.
00:37:37 Some of the monkeys were very small.
00:37:40 They could use their arms, legs, and tail to swing through the trees.
00:37:45 Some of the apes were very large.
00:37:48 The gorilla was the largest of all.
00:37:51 Sometimes a big gorilla would stand up and pound his fists on his chest.
00:37:56 To see all the animals at the zoo took almost a whole day.
00:38:01 By the end of the day, I was very tired from walking around.
00:38:05 But I was also very happy to see all the amazing animals from places around the world.
00:38:12 The dentist appointment
00:38:17 My dentist called my house the other day.
00:38:21 He told me I needed my teeth cleaned.
00:38:23 I set up an appointment to see him on Saturday, June the 10th.
00:38:28 When I got to my dentist's office, I had to sit in the waiting room.
00:38:33 There were other people ahead of me.
00:38:35 They finally called my name.
00:38:37 I went into his room and sat down on a big blue chair.
00:38:42 They leaned it back.
00:38:44 A bright light was turned on.
00:38:47 It hurt my eyes, so I closed them.
00:38:50 My dentist asked me to open my mouth.
00:38:53 I did.
00:38:54 I thought my mouth was very big, but he told me to open it even wider.
00:39:00 Soon he began poking around to see if I had any cavities.
00:39:05 He flossed my teeth and put fluoride around my teeth, too.
00:39:10 The fluoride tasted like bubble gum.
00:39:13 I had to spit into a dish-like bowl.
00:39:16 It squirted out water.
00:39:18 My dentist kept asking me questions.
00:39:21 I couldn't answer because there were weird tools in my mouth.
00:39:25 When I tried answering back, he seemed to understand, though.
00:39:30 His helper came into the room.
00:39:32 She asked me to open my mouth again.
00:39:35 I had to clamp down on something that felt like rubber.
00:39:39 She put a big camera-type machine right next to my cheek.
00:39:43 She did this on the other side of my face, as well.
00:39:47 They took two pictures of my teeth.
00:39:49 It was really cool.
00:39:51 The dentist told me my teeth were perfect.
00:39:54 He didn't have any problems.
00:39:56 I could go home.
00:39:57 "See you next year," he said.
00:40:02 Daydream
00:40:06 Little Annie was very bored one lazy afternoon.
00:40:10 She had nothing to do.
00:40:12 She had already played with her brothers in the sandbox and had tea with them and her dollies, too.
00:40:18 She had baked chocolate chip cookies with her mom and even tasted one.
00:40:23 They were very good, she thought.
00:40:25 Now Annie was trying to figure out what else she could do to pass the day away.
00:40:31 Little Annie decided that she would go to her favorite spot in the world,
00:40:36 the green, grassy field full of daisies beneath the great oak tree.
00:40:41 She took a red and white blanket with her.
00:40:44 She laid it down on the ground, and then she lay down on it.
00:40:48 She lay there looking at the clouds, fluffy and white.
00:40:52 She saw bunnies, huge gray elephants, and scary-looking crocodiles.
00:40:58 Soon Little Annie was drifting in and out of clouds and reality.
00:41:03 The clouds started dancing with her, begging her to come and play.
00:41:07 She got up from her blanket and joined the clouds.
00:41:11 They flew over rooftops of all of the village people, swam with the fish in the lake,
00:41:16 and said hello to all of the birds that they passed by.
00:41:20 Little Annie was having so much fun.
00:41:23 The clouds had formed into a chariot, so Little Annie could drive if she wanted to.
00:41:29 She drove over a rainbow that was bright in the sky.
00:41:33 Then she shot through the branches of her friend's spruce tree.
00:41:37 Annie suddenly came to a stop.
00:41:40 Hearing someone call her name, Annie looked around.
00:41:43 She blinked once, twice, and finally everything came into focus.
00:41:49 Her brother was tugging at her leg,
00:41:52 wondering why she was staring into outer space with a big grin on her face.
00:41:57 "Oh," Little Annie said, not really knowing that she had been sitting there all along.
00:42:04 My Friend in the Next Office
00:42:08 When I started my job a year ago at the university, I did not know my way around.
00:42:15 I did not know where to find anything.
00:42:18 I had a million questions.
00:42:20 But Diane in the Next Office took me on a tour showing me the places to eat,
00:42:25 the library, the lecture rooms, where to get a picture ID card,
00:42:30 how to get from one building to another.
00:42:32 When I had a question, I asked Diane how to use the telephone,
00:42:37 where to make copies, where to print with my computer, the location of my mailbox.
00:42:42 She teaches, as I do.
00:42:44 We both spend a lot of time helping students and answering their questions.
00:42:49 She giggles a lot.
00:42:50 I hear her laugh with her students.
00:42:52 Sometimes she asks my advice about her work or about a problem, and I ask her advice.
00:42:59 Sometimes she comes into my office and says, "I am really angry. Can I whine to you?"
00:43:06 Then she talks about a problem, and I listen.
00:43:09 And then she returns cheerfully to her office.
00:43:13 Sometimes I go into her office and say, "I'm upset about something that happened.
00:43:19 Can I come in for a minute?"
00:43:21 Then I grumble to her, and she listens, and then I go back cheerfully to my office.
00:43:27 Each of us feels better when we have shared our problems.
00:43:30 Then they are no longer problems.
00:43:32 Diane is shy in a group of people.
00:43:35 She is quiet and does not start a conversation.
00:43:39 Everyone around her talks, and she listens.
00:43:43 We all sit in the staff room and eat microwaved popcorn and drink tea and talk.
00:43:50 We start to relax for the weekend and talk about our plans.
00:43:54 She is a good friend.
00:43:56 She helps my students when I am not there.
00:43:59 She wishes me good luck when I go to a lecture.
00:44:02 I am very glad that she can be my friend in the office beside mine.
00:44:08 The Musician
00:44:11 There once was a little girl named Rain Angel.
00:44:17 She loved to sit at the piano and play.
00:44:20 Rain Angel was a very gifted girl.
00:44:23 She had a voice that gave people shivers, and she loved to sing.
00:44:28 As Rain got older, she continued to love music.
00:44:32 Rain became involved in the choirs and bands at her high school.
00:44:37 She loved performing in front of people.
00:44:40 She couldn't help but feel the sense of power she had when she was up on stage,
00:44:45 and there was always loud clapping when she finished a song.
00:44:49 Rain soon went out on her own and looked for someone that could help her become famous.
00:44:55 Rain wanted to share her talent with the world.
00:44:59 She felt that her special talent for music helped people feel good.
00:45:04 Rain went out into the big world, and she did very well.
00:45:09 She was always performing her best, and someone finally noticed her.
00:45:14 Her new agent helped her to make her first album.
00:45:19 Rain became famous because she never quit trying.
00:45:23 Rain loved her new way of life. She continued singing and playing her piano.
00:45:29 She was even taught how to write her own music.
00:45:33 Rain Angel had always dreamed of becoming a celebrity.
00:45:37 She always remembered her friends and family when she was famous because they had always believed in her.
00:45:44 Rain Angel strove for a faraway place, and it became her reality.
00:45:50 She always believed that what she wanted to become was her choice.
00:45:55 She believed that if you have the strength and determination, you can make your dreams come true.
00:46:02 The Circus
00:46:07 Wow! A big tent was in the middle of the town's parking lot.
00:46:13 We were going to a three-ring circus.
00:46:16 I couldn't wait for it to begin.
00:46:19 Inside and outside of the tent, toys, balloons, and food were being sold.
00:46:25 All of the children were so very excited.
00:46:28 Inside the tent, we found good seats so we could see everything.
00:46:33 The band started to play loud music, and the ringmaster came out with a big tall hat on his head.
00:46:40 In one ring, there were small animals, dogs, monkeys, and parrots doing tricks.
00:46:48 The dogs were dressed in funny clothes, and so were the monkeys.
00:46:53 They rode on bicycles, danced, and climbed ladders.
00:46:57 There were wild tigers and lions in a big round wire cage.
00:47:02 A man with a whip was inside the cage with them.
00:47:05 He had them trained to jump through a hoop of fire and to roll over.
00:47:10 He even kissed them. He was very brave.
00:47:14 During the break in the middle of the circus, funny clowns came out and did silly things.
00:47:20 They had happy faces and sad faces.
00:47:24 Some had big red noses that honked if you squeezed them.
00:47:28 There were rides on elephants, too.
00:47:31 I didn't go on one because it cost too much money.
00:47:35 The last act took up the whole tent.
00:47:38 It was the acrobats.
00:47:40 They hung from their teeth, their feet, and their necks high up in the air.
00:47:46 They also swung high up in the air and flew to each other.
00:47:51 It's kind of scary to watch because I was afraid they might fall.
00:47:56 I had a very good time at the circus.
00:47:59 However, my tummy felt kind of sick from all the cotton candy and junk food I ate.
00:48:09 Going to the grocery store
00:48:12 Each week I go to the grocery store to buy food for my family.
00:48:18 I get a shopping cart from the front of the store, and I push the cart all around the store.
00:48:24 The cart is large, but when I am finished shopping, the cart is nearly full.
00:48:30 The grocery store is also called a supermarket.
00:48:34 When I go shopping, I start out in the produce section of the supermarket.
00:48:40 The produce section is where the fresh fruits and vegetables are kept.
00:48:45 I like to buy different kinds of fruit, such as apples, oranges, and bananas.
00:48:51 The vegetables that I often buy are carrots, peas, and corn.
00:48:57 I also buy tomatoes when they are bright red in color.
00:49:01 I often buy a bag of potatoes or a bag of rice.
00:49:06 After visiting the produce section, I go to the meat section.
00:49:11 Here I buy poultry, such as chicken and turkey.
00:49:15 I often buy seafood, especially fish.
00:49:19 I also buy beef, and sometimes pork or lamb.
00:49:24 I also visit the dairy section, where I can buy milk and cheese.
00:49:30 Sometimes I also buy ice cream or yogurt.
00:49:34 When I have finished in the meat and dairy sections, I then move to the bakery section.
00:49:40 This is where loaves of bread are baked and sold.
00:49:44 There are many different kinds of bread in the bakery section.
00:49:48 The bakery section also sells pasta, such as macaroni and spaghetti.
00:49:53 And of course you can buy pies, cakes, and cookies in the bakery section.
00:49:59 These foods are very sweet and tasty.
00:50:02 I also pick up a few other things at the supermarket, such as soap, toothpaste, and cleaning supplies.
00:50:10 But sometimes I forget to buy something that I planned to get.
00:50:14 Maybe I should make a list of the things I need to buy.
00:50:18 A day at the beach
00:50:24 When the hot summer weather arrives, many people like to cool off by visiting the beach.
00:50:31 Often there is a cool breeze that comes off the water.
00:50:35 And of course the water itself is cool and refreshing.
00:50:39 One of the favorite activities at the beach is building sandcastles.
00:50:44 Children use small shovels and pails to move the sand.
00:50:49 They can build small forts and castles by carefully forming and shaping the sand.
00:50:56 Building sandcastles is a lot of fun, but you shouldn't build them too close to the water.
00:51:02 A wave might come and wash your sandcastle away.
00:51:06 There are also many games that people like to play at the beach.
00:51:10 Some people play catch with a small plastic disc called a frisbee.
00:51:15 The frisbee glides smoothly through the air.
00:51:18 Other people like to play beach volleyball in the soft sand.
00:51:23 Some people prefer just to relax on the beach.
00:51:27 They like to lie down on a blanket and feel the warm sunshine.
00:51:32 I like to sit on the beach with an ice cream cone.
00:51:36 But you have to eat it quickly, before it melts.
00:51:39 Of course, the main attraction of a beach is the water.
00:51:44 Many children learn to swim at the beach and enjoy playing in the water.
00:51:49 Some people like to swim vigorously.
00:51:53 Other people like to relax in the water on an inflatable floating mattress.
00:51:58 Other people just wade around in the water as a way to keep cool.
00:52:03 When it is a windy day, some people try sports, such as surfing.
00:52:08 Going to the beach is surely one of the best ways to spend a summer day.
00:52:14 Making Cookies
00:52:20 Mmm, something smells good.
00:52:24 My friend's mom is making cookies.
00:52:26 They are chocolate chip, my favorite.
00:52:28 I think I'll go home and ask my mom if we can make cookies, too.
00:52:32 I run all the way home and rush through the door.
00:52:35 I yell, "Mom, Mom!" She comes out from her bedroom, her eyes wide.
00:52:39 "What?" she answers, a little worried.
00:52:41 I breathlessly ask if we can please, pretty please, make cookies.
00:52:45 She smiles and says, "I guess so."
00:52:47 "Yes," I reply.
00:52:49 First, Mom tells me to get out the cooking stuff.
00:52:52 So I get out the mixer and bowl, the measuring cups and spoons, and the cookie sheets.
00:52:57 Then she tells me to get out the recipe book.
00:52:59 I remind her that the recipe is on the chocolate chip package.
00:53:03 "Right," she says.
00:53:05 Then she asks me to look at the recipe and get out the things we need, like flour, sugar, and butter.
00:53:10 We set the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:53:14 Then we mix all the flour and other stuff, ingredients, together.
00:53:18 Last, we add the chocolate chips.
00:53:21 We drop the batter by big teaspoons full onto the cookie sheets.
00:53:24 We set the timer for 12 minutes and just sit back and enjoy the good smell.
00:53:29 The buzzer rings. We take the cookies out.
00:53:32 Oh, do they look good!
00:53:34 We don't even wait for them to cool down.
00:53:36 Both Mom and I get a big glass of cold milk and two big warm cookies each.
00:53:41 Yum, yum! Want to join us?
00:53:43 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
00:53:53 How I wonder what you are.
00:53:55 Up above the world so high,
00:53:57 Like a diamond in the sky.
00:53:59 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
00:54:01 This is a little poem, song I always say when I'm outside and I see the stars.
00:54:06 When I see the first star of the night, I always say this one.
00:54:09 Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.
00:54:13 I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
00:54:18 Do you have a special thing to say about the stars?
00:54:21 Stars are beautiful bright spots in the sky.
00:54:24 Stars are usually seen at night when it is dark.
00:54:27 We can't see them in the daytime because the sun is so bright, the brightest star of all.
00:54:31 I like staying up late just to look at the stars.
00:54:34 One time I was outside at midnight and the stars seemed to sparkle and dance.
00:54:39 They really did look like diamonds dancing in the sky.
00:54:42 If you watch the stars long enough, you may see a falling star or a shooting star.
00:54:47 I have seen both.
00:54:49 A falling star is where the star just seems to drop and it leaves a trail of what appears like stardust.
00:54:55 A shooting star is very beautiful.
00:54:57 It shoots across the sky leaving a long trail of colorful stardust.
00:55:02 Shooting stars seem to brighten up the whole sky.
00:55:05 They usually seem quite close to Earth.
00:55:07 Have you ever watched the stars and got the urge to reach out and touch them
00:55:11 or even join them in their secret dance?
00:55:14 I wonder what it would be like to see a star up close.
00:55:17 Would it look like the moon?
00:55:19 Maybe one day when I am older, I will go up in a rocket ship
00:55:22 and look at the dancing stars in the midnight sky.
00:55:25 Music
00:55:30 A song comes on the radio.
00:55:35 My lips start to move, singing along.
00:55:37 My fingers start to snap.
00:55:39 My feet begin to tap.
00:55:40 The music sinks deep into my soul.
00:55:42 I listen to the music as it fills my brain and I remember what I used to sing.
00:55:47 I sang in front of huge crowds.
00:55:49 I loved it when they watched me and clapped for me when I was finished.
00:55:53 Letting out my feelings when I was sad, mad, happy or glad was when I would sing.
00:55:58 I sang in the shower.
00:55:59 I sang in the rain.
00:56:01 I sang in church.
00:56:02 I sang walking down the street.
00:56:04 Music has always been a big part of my life.
00:56:07 It seems like I was a baby when I started playing the piano.
00:56:10 I would sit on my sister's lap while she played the piano and I would bang on the keys.
00:56:15 I remember sitting beside her and learning how to sing.
00:56:18 I sang my little lungs out.
00:56:20 As I grew, I listened to other singers on tapes, the radio and CDs.
00:56:24 I took those things that I had heard from different singers and made myself sound like them.
00:56:29 Soon I could take what I had heard all my life and make it into my own sound.
00:56:33 I have always liked singing jazz and blues.
00:56:36 I don't listen to jazz and blues a lot, however.
00:56:38 I listen to pop, rock, classical and some country.
00:56:42 As you can see, I like many types of music.
00:56:45 I have seen musicals, too, like Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.
00:56:49 Those musicals were amazing.
00:56:51 They were such bright costumes and stage sets, not to mention the wonderful songs and singing.
00:56:57 Music has been on this earth since the beginning of time and it touches everyone in a different way.
00:57:02 I know it has not only touched mine, but is a big part of my very being.
00:57:08 First Date
00:57:12 Ring, ring! The phone is ringing.
00:57:18 My mother answers it. "Hello," she says.
00:57:21 It is for me.
00:57:23 When I pick up the phone, I hear a boy's voice.
00:57:26 It is a boy I go to school with.
00:57:28 This boy is very nice and he is cute, too.
00:57:32 He asks me if I want to go out for dinner with him tonight.
00:57:36 I say yes.
00:57:38 He is going to pick me up at 5.30 p.m. in the evening.
00:57:42 He has a nice red car.
00:57:45 Before he picks me up, I have to find an outfit to wear.
00:57:49 I am nervous and don't know what to wear.
00:57:52 So my sister picks out an outfit for me.
00:57:55 I feel excited and have the sensation of butterflies in my stomach.
00:58:01 The inside of my hands are damp, too.
00:58:04 I put on my outfit and do my hair.
00:58:07 My sister gives me some nice clips to put in my hair.
00:58:11 Ding, dong! The doorbell buzzes.
00:58:15 My date is here!
00:58:17 I hurry to the door so I can greet him.
00:58:20 He tells me that I look nice and that we are going to a place called M.T. Belly's.
00:58:26 When we arrive at M.T. Belly's, there is loud music playing.
00:58:31 A smiling waitress comes who serves us our food.
00:58:35 I order a large Caesar salad.
00:58:38 My date orders steak.
00:58:40 When it arrives, the food looks and is delicious.
00:58:45 The waitress asks us if we want dessert after we've finished.
00:58:49 But we are too full.
00:58:51 So we ask for our bill to pay.
00:58:53 My date pays for the meal.
00:58:55 I brought money just in case we would share the cost.
00:58:59 When we leave the restaurant, we go for a walk by the river.
00:59:03 It is a beautiful night.
00:59:05 I am enjoying my first date.
00:59:08 I am laughing and having fun.
00:59:11 It is time for us to go home.
00:59:13 So my date takes me home.
00:59:16 I smile and thank him for the great time.
00:59:19 I hope he'll ask me out again.
00:59:22 University
00:59:28 It's time to sign up for school.
00:59:31 This year, Natalie is going to Brock University.
00:59:35 She has never been to university before.
00:59:38 She is a little bit scared.
00:59:41 She hopes she meets nice new friends.
00:59:44 Natalie stood in line to get her picture taken.
00:59:48 The picture was put on a card.
00:59:51 The card was her picture ID, identification.
00:59:55 She would use this card if she needed to buy books from the school bookstore,
01:00:00 if she wanted to get a book from the library,
01:00:03 or if she wanted to use the pool.
01:00:06 After all of the signing up and money was paid,
01:00:09 Natalie went out to lunch with her mother.
01:00:12 Mom, I'm kind of scared about going to school.
01:00:16 I'm going to be the youngest kid there.
01:00:19 I don't know how to take notes.
01:00:21 The teachers might be mean.
01:00:23 Natalie rambled on.
01:00:25 Her mom just calmed her down and said,
01:00:28 "Take one day at a time, Natalie.
01:00:31 Worry only about today."
01:00:33 "Hm, you're right, Mom. Thanks."
01:00:37 Natalie was very scared on the first day of school.
01:00:41 She made sure she had all of the books she needed
01:00:44 and lots of pens, pencils, and erasers.
01:00:47 She walked into the front of the building
01:00:50 and went on her way to try and find her classroom.
01:00:53 Natalie got through her classes and met a lot of new people, nice people.
01:00:59 Her classes seemed to go by really fast,
01:01:02 and the day went by even faster.
01:01:05 When Natalie got home, she was so excited.
01:01:08 She told her mom that classes weren't all that scary.
01:01:11 The students and the teachers weren't scary either.
01:01:15 Natalie knew that the schoolwork would be hard,
01:01:18 but she felt good about the people she had met that day.
01:01:21 She knew she'd have a good year.
01:01:24 Chicago
01:01:29 Chicago is one of the most famous American cities.
01:01:34 Some cities in the United States, such as New York,
01:01:37 Los Angeles, and San Francisco, may be more glamorous,
01:01:41 but many people agree that Chicago is the city
01:01:44 that best represents the United States.
01:01:47 Located in the middle of North America,
01:01:50 Chicago has derived much benefit from its geography.
01:01:54 The city's central location has made its O'Hara International Airport
01:01:58 the hub for most airlines in the United States.
01:02:02 Its location on the shores of Lake Michigan
01:02:04 has made it a major port and business center
01:02:07 where the agricultural and industrial products
01:02:10 of the American Midwest are shipped overseas.
01:02:14 Until about the 1830s, Chicago was a minor trading post,
01:02:19 but then it grew rapidly as the most important town
01:02:22 in the rapidly developing areas of the Midwestern United States.
01:02:26 In 1871, the city was destroyed by a fire.
01:02:31 It is often said that the fire started
01:02:33 when a cow knocked over an oil lamp.
01:02:36 It took about 20 years for the city to be completely rebuilt,
01:02:40 but it continued to expand.
01:02:43 In 1882, the first skyscraper was built in Chicago.
01:02:48 Around the turn of the century,
01:02:49 the population of Chicago was growing quickly.
01:02:53 Many African American people moved to Chicago
01:02:56 from the southern United States,
01:02:58 and many immigrants from Eastern Europe
01:03:00 also arrived in Chicago during this time.
01:03:03 Because of the busy and active atmosphere of the city,
01:03:06 an American poet described Chicago as
01:03:09 "the city of broad shoulders."
01:03:12 Chicago became notorious for organized crime
01:03:15 during the Prohibition era of the 1920s,
01:03:19 when the sale of alcohol was illegal.
01:03:22 Mobsters such as Al Capone became rich by smuggling liquor,
01:03:27 and many people were killed in conflicts
01:03:29 between rival gangs of criminals.
01:03:32 But the influence of organized crime later became weaker.
01:03:37 In the decades following World War II,
01:03:39 Chicago experienced some problems with crime,
01:03:42 poverty, and racial conflict.
01:03:45 However, the city has recently prospered,
01:03:47 and social conditions have improved
01:03:49 for many people in Chicago.
01:03:51 Compared with other large cities,
01:03:53 Chicago is viewed as an affordable place to live
01:03:56 with a high quality of life.
01:03:59 The city has efficient transportation
01:04:01 and many beautiful parks along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
01:04:06 Chicago is famous for its many attractions,
01:04:09 including the Art Institute of Chicago,
01:04:12 the Field Museum of Natural History,
01:04:14 the Shedd Aquarium,
01:04:16 the Sears Tower,
01:04:17 and the Miracle Mile Shopping District.
01:04:20 Indeed, Chicago is one of the most interesting cities
01:04:23 in the United States.
01:04:28 Women and the Right to Vote
01:04:33 In most countries today,
01:04:34 people think it is obvious that all adults
01:04:37 should have the right to vote in democratic elections.
01:04:41 But it was not so long ago that women did not have this right.
01:04:45 Only after a long struggle did women gain the right to vote.
01:04:50 By the early 19th century,
01:04:52 modern democratic forms of government
01:04:54 were appearing in the United States,
01:04:56 Great Britain, and some European countries.
01:04:59 In these countries,
01:05:00 most adult men had the right to vote in democratic elections.
01:05:05 Some men were denied this right if they were poor
01:05:08 or if they belonged to a racial minority group,
01:05:11 but gradually this right was extended to all men.
01:05:14 It took much longer for women to gain the right to vote.
01:05:18 Only in special cases,
01:05:20 such as that of a widow who owned land,
01:05:23 could a woman be allowed to vote.
01:05:26 Many men believed that it was not necessary for women to vote,
01:05:29 because they assumed that the husband
01:05:31 should decide on behalf of his wife.
01:05:34 Some men believed that women did not possess the intelligence
01:05:38 or the discipline to vote carefully.
01:05:41 Some women also believed
01:05:43 that women should not be involved in politics,
01:05:45 but many others wanted the right to vote.
01:05:49 By about the year 1850,
01:05:51 some women began to organize in an effort to change the laws
01:05:55 regarding women and the vote.
01:05:58 This movement was known as the "woman suffrage" movement,
01:06:02 because the word "suffrage" means voting.
01:06:06 Leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
01:06:10 brought attention to this issue
01:06:12 and persuaded many people that women should vote.
01:06:16 The first part of the United States
01:06:18 to recognize women's right to vote was Wyoming in the year 1869.
01:06:24 During the following decades,
01:06:26 many other states recognized women's right to vote,
01:06:30 particularly in the western part of the country
01:06:32 where women had a high social status.
01:06:35 However, the United States was not the first country
01:06:38 to recognize women's right to vote at the national level.
01:06:41 The first country to recognize women's right to vote
01:06:44 was New Zealand in 1893.
01:06:47 Soon after, Australia also allowed women to vote,
01:06:51 and so did the Scandinavian countries of Northern Europe.
01:06:55 But in countries such as the United States, Canada,
01:06:59 and Great Britain, women could not yet vote.
01:07:03 Women in those countries struggled to gain the vote.
01:07:06 For example, in Great Britain, Emmeline Pankhurst
01:07:10 and her daughters participated in hunger strikes.
01:07:13 During World War I, 1914 to 1918,
01:07:17 women's work efforts were very important to winning the war,
01:07:21 and people's attitudes were increasingly in favor of women
01:07:25 having the right to vote.
01:07:27 Women then gained the right to vote in Canada,
01:07:30 the United States, and Great Britain.
01:07:32 Gradually, other democracies around the world
01:07:35 also recognized women's right to vote.
01:07:39 Today, it seems difficult to believe that women
01:07:42 were not allowed to vote only a few generations ago.
01:07:46 But there is still progress to be made.
01:07:49 In most countries, women are underrepresented
01:07:52 among political leaders.
01:07:54 Perhaps the day will soon come when women
01:07:57 are elected as often as men.
01:08:00 Charles Dickens is considered one of the greatest writers
01:08:10 in the history of English literature.
01:08:13 Dickens wrote his many novels during the 19th century,
01:08:17 but those novels remain popular even today.
01:08:20 Literary experts admire his genius at describing
01:08:23 the lives and personalities of the many characters in his books.
01:08:28 Charles Dickens was born in England in 1812.
01:08:32 His father was a clerk who worked for the Navy.
01:08:35 Unfortunately, his father was not good at managing money,
01:08:38 and the family soon went deeply into debt.
01:08:42 In those days, people who owed money were sent to prison,
01:08:45 and their families were sent to places called "workhouses."
01:08:50 When Charles' father was unable to pay the debts,
01:08:53 Charles was sent to a workhouse, where he had to work long hours,
01:08:58 and Charles' father was sent to prison.
01:09:01 After a few years, the family regained its freedom,
01:09:04 but the experience had a lasting effect upon Charles.
01:09:09 As a young man, Charles Dickens worked as a journalist
01:09:12 in the law courts and in Parliament,
01:09:14 but he soon began writing stories for newspapers.
01:09:18 These stories were very popular with the readers.
01:09:21 Soon, Dickens began writing entire novels for the newspapers.
01:09:25 Each month, the newspaper would publish another chapter
01:09:29 of Dickens' latest novel.
01:09:32 One of Dickens' most famous early novels is called "Oliver Twist."
01:09:37 This is the story of a young man who is poor and alone
01:09:40 in the city of London, and becomes involved in criminal activities
01:09:44 to support himself.
01:09:46 The characters in this novel have a very wide range of personalities,
01:09:51 but seem very real to the reader.
01:09:54 The book exposed the conditions that faced the poor people of London,
01:09:58 and helped to encourage reforms aimed at improving those conditions.
01:10:03 Perhaps Dickens' most popular novel is "A Christmas Carol."
01:10:07 In this story, a rich but stingy old man, Ebenezer Scrooge,
01:10:12 refuses to give his employee a day off at Christmas,
01:10:16 and refuses to donate money to help the poor.
01:10:20 But while sleeping, Scrooge is visited by ghosts from his past, present, and future.
01:10:26 These ghosts show Scrooge how badly he has behaved.
01:10:30 When Scrooge wakes up, he becomes a kind and generous man
01:10:34 who fully appreciates the spirit of the Christmas holiday.
01:10:39 Another famous novel of Dickens is "A Tale of Two Cities."
01:10:43 This is a story of the violence and upheaval during the French Revolution.
01:10:48 The story is famous for the heroic act of sacrifice
01:10:52 that is made by one character for the benefit of the others.
01:10:56 Dickens was famous as a public speaker,
01:10:59 and large crowds assembled to hear his performances.
01:11:03 When he died in 1870, he was a very famous man.
01:11:08 The novels of Charles Dickens allow the reader to experience the life of 19th century London,
01:11:14 showing the poverty and injustice that were so common.
01:11:18 The characters of these novels show the range of human behavior,
01:11:23 from cruelty and selfishness to kindness and love.
01:11:27 It is no surprise that Dickens is viewed as one of the great figures of English literature.
01:11:34 Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain
01:11:40 Mark Twain was the author of some of the greatest works of American English literature,
01:11:46 such as "Tom Sawyer," "Life on the Mississippi," and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
01:11:52 Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
01:11:56 He used Mark Twain as his pen name.
01:12:00 Samuel Clemens was born in the American state of Missouri in 1835.
01:12:05 As a child, he enjoyed many outdoor activities, such as swimming and fishing.
01:12:10 When Samuel was 11 years old, his father died, and he began working to help support his family.
01:12:17 As a young man, Samuel Clemens began to write stories for newspapers.
01:12:22 However, he took a job working as a navigator on the steamboats that traveled up and down the Mississippi River.
01:12:29 Clemens greatly enjoyed this period of his life, during which time he gained much knowledge about life on the river.
01:12:36 He also learned much about human behavior by observing the many people on the boats and along the river.
01:12:43 It was as a result of this time that Clemens began using his pen name, Mark Twain.
01:12:50 This name is taken from a term that was used by the men who worked on the river.
01:12:55 It is used to describe water that is just deep enough to be navigated safely.
01:13:01 The earliest of Mark Twain's really famous novels was "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."
01:13:07 This novel describes a boy who engages in much mischief, but who has a kind heart.
01:13:13 The story contains several scenes that are quite funny.
01:13:17 In one of these, Tom's working at the boring task of painting a fence.
01:13:22 He persuades several other boys to help him by pretending that painting the fence is a fun and enjoyable activity.
01:13:30 Another famous novel by Mark Twain was "Life on the Mississippi."
01:13:35 This book describes many interesting characters similar to those that Twain actually observed while working on a steamboat.
01:13:42 This story gives the reader a vivid image of the people who lived and worked along the Mississippi River.
01:13:49 Probably the best novel by Mark Twain was "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
01:13:55 This novel tells the story of a boy who runs away from his violent father.
01:14:01 The boy, whose name is Huckleberry Finn, is joined in his escape by a man named Jim.
01:14:07 Jim is a slave who has decided to run away from his owners.
01:14:11 Huck and Jim travel north along the Mississippi, hoping to reach the areas where slavery is not allowed.
01:14:18 In this story, the reader can experience the moral sense of Huckleberry, who must make several important decisions during the escape.
01:14:27 Mark Twain died in 1910, after writing many more novels and many stories of his travels around the world.
01:14:35 Twain's works are still widely read today.
01:14:39 His books are appreciated for their humor, for their interesting descriptions of life in 19th century America,
01:14:46 and for showing both the good and evil that people can do.
01:14:50 Many critics consider Twain to have been the greatest American writer.
01:15:03 The Caribbean Sea is the large body of water that lies north of the northern tip of South America.
01:15:10 Within the Caribbean Sea are many islands that have played an important role in the history and culture of the Western Hemisphere.
01:15:17 By far the largest island in the Caribbean is Cuba.
01:15:22 Cuba was formerly a colony of Spain, but became independent in 1902.
01:15:28 Cuba became a communist country in 1959, when a revolution overthrew an unpopular government.
01:15:36 After the revolution, many Cubans fled to the United States.
01:15:40 Today, the American city of Miami in the state of Florida has been greatly influenced by Cuban culture.
01:15:47 Tobacco is widely grown in Cuba, and the country is famous for the cigars that are produced in the capital city, Havana.
01:15:57 The island of Hispanola is located just east of Cuba.
01:16:01 This island is divided into two countries.
01:16:04 In the west is Haiti, where the people speak a variety of the French language that has been influenced by African languages.
01:16:11 In the east is the Dominican Republic, where the people speak Spanish.
01:16:16 Another important Caribbean island is Puerto Rico.
01:16:20 This was previously a Spanish colony, but is now governed by the United States.
01:16:25 Many people from Puerto Rico have moved to the mainland United States, especially the New York area.
01:16:32 In many other islands in the Caribbean, English is the main language.
01:16:36 The largest of these islands is Jamaica, which is located just south of Cuba.
01:16:42 Most Jamaicans are the descendants of African people who were brought to work as slaves on sugar plantations.
01:16:49 Jamaica is famous as the birthplace of the style of music called reggae, which was popularized in other countries by Bob Marley, a famous Jamaican musician.
01:17:01 Another important English-speaking Caribbean island is Trinidad.
01:17:05 This island is located just north of South America.
01:17:09 The population of Trinidad is very diverse.
01:17:12 The largest groups of people are descended from people who came from Africa and India,
01:17:17 but there are many other nationalities also.
01:17:20 Trinidad is famous for a style of music known as calypso,
01:17:25 and for musicians who produce pleasant sounds by playing steel drums.
01:17:31 There are also many other smaller islands in the Caribbean, each with its own unique features.
01:17:37 Many of these islands possess fine beaches and are popular tourist destinations.
01:17:42 The warm weather of the Caribbean makes it a popular place for North Americans who must live through cold winters.
01:17:50 The first people who lived in North America were the Indians.
01:18:01 The name Indians is actually not very accurate because the people are not from India.
01:18:07 But when the first Europeans came to North America, they mistakenly believed that they had reached India,
01:18:14 so they referred to the people as Indians.
01:18:17 In different parts of North America, the Indians had very different cultures and very different ways of making a living.
01:18:25 On the west coast of North America, many large rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean.
01:18:30 In these rivers is an abundance of fish, such as salmon.
01:18:34 The Indians in these areas obtained much of their food by fishing.
01:18:38 They lived in settled villages and became experts in carving wood from the tall trees of the area.
01:18:45 They carved large canoes for traveling on the rivers and oceans, and they also carved tall totem poles.
01:18:52 Totem poles were carvings of various animal or human figures,
01:18:57 and often the poles had a mythical or spiritual significance for the people who carved them.
01:19:04 Many beautiful totem poles can be seen in cities, such as Vancouver or Victoria,
01:19:09 in the Canadian state of British Columbia, or Seattle in the American state of Washington.
01:19:16 The Plains Indians lived in the central prairie of North America.
01:19:20 The various nations of the Plains lived by hunting large animals called buffalo or bison.
01:19:27 Horses were brought to North America in the 16th century by the Spanish.
01:19:31 The Indians who lived in the prairie areas had learned to become experts at riding horses,
01:19:37 and on horseback they could hunt the giant herds of bison.
01:19:41 They followed the buffalo from place to place.
01:19:44 The Plains Indians lived in portable houses called teepees, which were made by sewing together buffalo skins
01:19:52 and holding them in place with wooden poles.
01:19:55 In the southwestern United States, some Indians lived by farming.
01:20:00 In this dry area, the Indians raised several crops, such as corns, beans, and squash.
01:20:07 Many of the Indians in these areas lived in large settlements
01:20:11 where the houses were made from stone or dried mud.
01:20:15 The people were experts at weaving, and they made clothing and blankets that had beautiful artistic designs.
01:20:23 Near the eastern coast of North America, many Indians lived by a combination of farming and hunting.
01:20:30 These people lived in fortified villages, some of which were inhabited for many years at a time.
01:20:36 In some places, they built large earthworks that can still be seen today.
01:20:42 In the forests of northern Canada, the Indians lived primarily by hunting, fishing, and gathering.
01:20:49 Like the Indians of the prairie regions, they often moved from place to place in search of game animals to hunt.
01:20:57 Today, the Indians of North America no longer live in their traditional ways.
01:21:03 However, several Indian languages are still spoken by many thousands of people.
01:21:08 Also, many Indians in the United States and Canada are very interested in maintaining the cultural traditions of their ancestors.
01:21:18 How the First World War Started
01:21:24 During the summer of 1914, many people in Europe felt very optimistic about the future.
01:21:30 Modern technology was improving people's lives.
01:21:33 Political freedom was gradually increasing in many countries.
01:21:36 New artistic styles and scientific discoveries were being made.
01:21:40 But later that summer, a terrible war began.
01:21:44 In the early 20th century, the various countries of Europe competed with each other in an attempt to be the most powerful country on the continent.
01:21:52 In each country, many of the political leaders wanted to control more land, more people, and more resources.
01:21:59 The First World War began when the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated.
01:22:05 Austria-Hungary wanted to punish the assassin who was from the small country of Serbia.
01:22:10 This led to a serious dispute, and soon other countries were involved.
01:22:15 Within a few weeks, a war had begun.
01:22:18 On one side were Germany and Austria-Hungary, and on the other side were Russia, France, and Britain.
01:22:24 Many people were intensely patriotic and supported the war effort without thinking carefully about the reasons for the war.
01:22:31 Some people thought that war would bring adventure and glory to their lives, and they cheered enthusiastically in the streets.
01:22:38 After the war started, it soon became clear that it was a terrible disaster.
01:22:44 In the western part of Europe, the opposing sides fought many bloody battles.
01:22:49 Soldiers on both sides lived in filthy trenches that had been dug out of the ground.
01:22:54 Sometimes hundreds of thousands of men were killed in battles that lasted only a few days.
01:22:59 In most cases, these battles did not result in large gains or losses of territory.
01:23:05 The war continued for more than four years.
01:23:09 When the war was finally over, millions of people had been killed.
01:23:13 Many people realized that their eagerness to fight against other countries had led them into a great disaster.
01:23:19 This disaster did not end when the war ended in 1918.
01:23:23 During the next thirty years, there would be many violent revolutions in Europe,
01:23:28 and a second major war that would be even worse than the first.
01:23:32 Today, people in most European countries no longer view other nations as enemies.
01:23:38 They have no interest in fighting wars with their neighbors.
01:23:41 Instead, they are interested in trading with the other countries, and in visiting those countries as tourists.
01:23:47 The lessons of the twentieth century have reminded people that wars can have terrible consequences.
01:23:53 Abraham Lincoln
01:23:57 When historians are asked to choose the greatest presidents in the history of the United States,
01:24:05 one of the names most frequently mentioned is Abraham Lincoln.
01:24:09 Lincoln was president during the greatest ordeal that ever faced the United States, the Civil War.
01:24:15 Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in the state of Kentucky,
01:24:20 but when he was a child, the family moved to the state of Indiana.
01:24:24 Abraham's parents, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, were farmers who were very poor,
01:24:30 and they received only a few years of education.
01:24:33 When Abraham was only nine years old, his mother became ill and died.
01:24:39 About one year later, Abraham's father remarried.
01:24:43 As a young man, Abraham continued to work on the family farm, and he also worked as a laborer.
01:24:50 During this time, the Lincolns moved to the state of Illinois.
01:24:54 Abraham became known to the local people as an excellent athlete and storyteller.
01:24:59 He educated himself by reading many books, most of which he borrowed from neighbors.
01:25:05 Lincoln was interested in politics, and when he was in his mid-twenties,
01:25:09 he was elected to the Illinois state legislature.
01:25:13 During that time, Lincoln also studied law and soon became known as an excellent lawyer.
01:25:19 People called Lincoln "Honest Abe" because of his personal integrity.
01:25:24 In 1842, Lincoln married a woman named Mary Todd.
01:25:29 During the 1850s, Lincoln became strongly opposed to the expansion of slavery
01:25:35 into the western parts of the United States.
01:25:38 Lincoln held several famous debates against a supporter of slavery named Stephen Douglas.
01:25:44 In 1860, Lincoln was a candidate in the election for President of the United States.
01:25:50 During this election, the issue of slavery and its expansion was very prominent.
01:25:56 Lincoln won, but soon after, several of the southern states decided to secede from the United States
01:26:03 and form their own country.
01:26:05 A few months later, fighting started between those southern states and the federal government,
01:26:10 which was supported by the northern states.
01:26:13 Lincoln managed the Civil War with skill and determination.
01:26:17 Gradually, the North began to win the war.
01:26:20 In 1863, Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves.
01:26:26 Later that year, Lincoln gave his most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address.
01:26:32 The Civil War had brought terrible suffering to many Americans,
01:26:36 and people were very bitter after the war.
01:26:39 But Lincoln wanted the country to become united again, and he urged people to forgive.
01:26:45 However, in April of 1865, only months after the war ended, Lincoln was shot and killed by an assassin.
01:26:54 Many people, even Lincoln's critics, mourned his death.
01:26:58 In the generations that have passed since Lincoln's death, he has continued to be viewed as a great president.
01:27:05 Some historians have criticized Lincoln for not being more strongly opposed to slavery,
01:27:11 but others have defended him, saying that Lincoln's approach to the issue was realistic and humane.
01:27:17 But nearly all historians agree that Lincoln was an honest and brave leader
01:27:22 during the most difficult period in American history.
01:27:26 Two great musicians, Mozart and Beethoven
01:27:33 Much of the music of 18th and 19th century Europe is still enjoyed by many people.
01:27:40 Two of the greatest musicians of that time were born only 34 years apart,
01:27:45 and actually knew each other for a short time.
01:27:48 These great musicians were Mozart and Beethoven.
01:27:52 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Austria in the year 1756.
01:27:58 As a child, Mozart was a music prodigy.
01:28:02 He began composing music before his fifth birthday,
01:28:05 and by the time he reached his teenage years, Mozart had already written many symphonies and other musical works.
01:28:13 As a young man, Mozart worked as a concertmaster for the Archbishop of Salzburg in Austria.
01:28:20 He also traveled to various European cities.
01:28:23 When he was in his mid-twenties, Mozart moved to the city of Vienna.
01:28:28 Mozart had difficulty earning a living,
01:28:31 but during this time he wrote some excellent operas and string quartets.
01:28:36 Many people did not yet appreciate the greatness of Mozart's music.
01:28:41 In his early thirties, Mozart became the court musician for the Emperor of Austria,
01:28:47 and during the next few years, Mozart continued to write many beautiful works of music.
01:28:53 Mozart died in 1791,
01:28:57 but although his life was short, his productivity had been enormous.
01:29:02 The beauty, grace, and technical precision of his music is still greatly admired,
01:29:08 and he is considered one of the greatest musicians of all time.
01:29:13 When Mozart was in Vienna, he met a young musician named Ludwig van Beethoven.
01:29:19 Beethoven performed some music for Mozart,
01:29:22 who was greatly impressed by the talent of this young man.
01:29:26 Beethoven had been born in Germany in 1770,
01:29:30 and from an early age he had displayed a great aptitude for music.
01:29:34 Beethoven moved permanently to Vienna in 1792.
01:29:39 He studied music under some famous composers
01:29:42 and became known for his outstanding skill in playing the piano.
01:29:47 Beethoven began to compose more of his own music, and these works became very popular.
01:29:53 When in his late twenties, Beethoven began to lose his hearing.
01:29:57 He continued to compose excellent music,
01:30:00 but he became more withdrawn and performed less frequently.
01:30:04 By the year 1817, Beethoven had become completely deaf,
01:30:09 and he could no longer perform music.
01:30:12 However, his creative genius did not deteriorate.
01:30:15 Instead, Beethoven created many of his greatest works despite his deafness.
01:30:21 It was Beethoven's influence that began the Romantic era of music,
01:30:26 which followed the Classical era of the 19th century.
01:30:29 Beethoven died in 1827, but his music remains famous for its beauty and originality.
01:30:36 His greatest symphonies, such as the Fifth Symphony,
01:30:40 are among the world's best-known works of music.
01:30:43 Today, the works of Mozart and Beethoven are still popular among those who appreciate great music.
01:30:50 Music fans can look back with wonder at the musical creativity
01:30:54 that flourished in Vienna more than two centuries ago.
01:30:59 Amelia Earhart was one of the most famous airplane pilots of all time.
01:31:10 She is famous for the impressive travels that she made in her airplane,
01:31:14 for the mystery surrounding her death,
01:31:17 and for showing that women could perform great feats of aviation.
01:31:22 Amelia Earhart was born in the American state of Kansas in the year 1897.
01:31:28 After graduating from high school, Earhart decided to become a nurse.
01:31:33 She worked as a military nurse in Canada during World War I, treating injured soldiers.
01:31:39 After the war, she returned to the United States and became a social worker.
01:31:44 But in 1920, she saw airplanes in a stunt-flying exhibition,
01:31:49 and early the next year, she took her first ride in an airplane.
01:31:54 It was then that Amelia Earhart decided to become a pilot.
01:31:58 Within a few months, Earhart saved her money and bought a small airplane.
01:32:03 She flew frequently and improved her skills as a pilot.
01:32:07 In 1928, she joined two men in a flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
01:32:12 But Amelia Earhart's greatest exploits were still to come.
01:32:16 In May 1932, she attempted to become the first woman to fly solo, or alone, across the Atlantic Ocean.
01:32:25 She flew east from the island of Newfoundland and faced cold weather, high winds, and dense fog.
01:32:32 But she successfully crossed the ocean and landed her airplane in a farmer's field in Ireland.
01:32:38 When news of her flight reached the United States, Amelia Earhart had become very famous.
01:32:45 Later flights by Amelia Earhart were equally impressive.
01:32:48 She became the first person to fly from Hawaii to California, across 4,000 kilometers of Pacific Ocean.
01:32:56 She also became the first person to fly from Mexico City to the New York City area.
01:33:02 But in 1937, she planned her most ambitious flight, a journey around the world.
01:33:09 On June 1, 1937, Amelia Earhart took off from Miami, Florida.
01:33:15 She was accompanied by her navigator, Fred Noonan.
01:33:19 They flew east, making stops along the way.
01:33:22 Within one month, they had flown across three-quarters of the globe, reaching the Pacific island of New Guinea.
01:33:29 On July 2, Earhart and Noonan took off from New Guinea, flying toward Howland Island.
01:33:36 This very small island was over 4,000 kilometers from New Guinea
01:33:41 and was very difficult to find in the middle of the vast ocean.
01:33:45 During this flight, Earhart and Noonan were in radio contact with some ships from the U.S. Navy.
01:33:52 However, bad weather made it impossible to see the stars at night, so navigation was very difficult,
01:33:58 and the plane became lost.
01:34:01 Earhart and Noonan never arrived at Howland Island.
01:34:05 The U.S. Navy undertook a massive search, but they never found the lost airplane.
01:34:10 Earhart and Noonan had been lost at sea.
01:34:13 Amelia Earhart's death was a great tragedy, but she had lived an exciting life that was full of achievements.
01:34:20 She had helped to show that very long flights could be made
01:34:23 and that women could perform feats of flying that were equal to those of men.
01:34:28 Even today, many people are inspired by the courage and endurance of Amelia Earhart.
01:34:35 Fall fairs have been a feature of North American life since early in the 19th century.
01:34:47 At the end of the harvest, people from rural areas have come together to celebrate.
01:34:52 Usually, these fairs take the form of a competition regarding the best of all farm products of that year.
01:34:59 Depending on the part of the country and its most important crop,
01:35:03 fall fairs can begin as early as August or as late as November.
01:35:08 They usually last several days.
01:35:10 When the United States and Canada were organized, they were divided into small units called counties.
01:35:16 Larger units were called states or provinces.
01:35:20 Many of the best-known fairs are county fairs or state fairs.
01:35:25 There are also smaller local fairs and larger ones too,
01:35:29 like the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario.
01:35:33 Since these fairs are usually annual events, many have developed permanent buildings over the years.
01:35:40 Most of these are large barn-like structures.
01:35:43 These buildings are used to display new products for farm life,
01:35:47 such as tractors, home furnishings, and water systems.
01:35:51 Several barns are usually necessary to house all the horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens,
01:35:59 and other animals in competition.
01:36:01 There must also be room to display all the vegetables, berries, and fruits in competition.
01:36:07 Finally, there is space for handicrafts, artwork, baked goods, and jams and jellies.
01:36:14 Usually there is a grandstand, which is a stage with wooden seats around it.
01:36:19 Here, entertainers perform for an audience during the fair.
01:36:23 Country and Western singers are usually popular at fairs,
01:36:26 but so are comedians, clowns, dancers, and musicians.
01:36:31 There may also be other contests, such as a beauty competition for queen of the fair,
01:36:36 tests of strength for the men, or pie-eating events.
01:36:40 Most fairs also have a racetrack, which is used for horse racing, or in some cases, auto racing.
01:36:47 Fairs have helped to improve animal breeds, and races encourage the breeding of fast horses.
01:36:54 Plowing contests test the strength and steadiness of horses, and so do pulling contests.
01:37:00 This spirit of competition has led to improvements in all areas of farming.
01:37:05 Every kind of grain, fruit, vegetable, berry, and animal is tested, and only the best win a ribbon.
01:37:12 This encourages fairness to improve their products.
01:37:16 Farm women compete to produce the best homemade food and crafts.
01:37:20 Many kinds of fruit and vegetables are stored in glass jars for the winter.
01:37:25 The best of these also receive prizes.
01:37:28 Most fairs have a dining area, where there is good food served to the public.
01:37:33 The goal of improving farming is sponsored by the governments of Canada and the USA.
01:37:39 4-H clubs are youth organizations that encourage farm children to take an interest in farming.
01:37:46 4-H clubs aim at improving the heads, hearts, hands, and health of their members.
01:37:52 There are also women's organizations, such as the Women's Institutes in Canada,
01:37:57 which work to make the life of farm families better.
01:38:01 Fall fairs have taken over the idea of the Midway from the circus.
01:38:06 The Midway has rides like Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, and roller coasters.
01:38:11 It also has games of chance and skill, such as trying to throw a small hoop over a large bottle.
01:38:19 One nice thing about fall fairs is that they are fun for the whole family.
01:38:24 Children enjoy the Midway and the farm animals, women like the crafts, food, and household exhibits,
01:38:30 men like the machinery, the horse races, and the crop exhibits.
01:38:34 Everyone likes the grandstand shows.
01:38:37 Nowadays, not so many people live on farms, but people from towns and cities still enjoy going to fall fairs.
01:38:45 They are part of our North American heritage.
01:38:49 North American children know about Hiroshima.
01:38:59 They are taught about the dangers of nuclear war.
01:39:02 Sometimes, they learn the details of the damage that was done.
01:39:06 They learn about what happened at 8.15 a.m. on August 6, 1945.
01:39:12 People were eating breakfast, children were going to school, and adults going to work.
01:39:17 There was a blinding flash of light, a scorching heat, and a mushroom cloud rose up.
01:39:24 People close to the explosion were instantly vaporized.
01:39:27 Many of those further away would die from burns and radiation.
01:39:31 Sixty thousand houses were destroyed immediately.
01:39:35 One concrete structure remained standing, although it was damaged.
01:39:39 The local government left the atomic dome standing as a memorial to the explosion.
01:39:44 Even those who were not seriously injured in the explosion later became very ill.
01:39:50 They became very sick from radiation poisoning.
01:39:53 Many developed leukemia.
01:39:55 Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the bomb exploded.
01:39:59 She was apparently uninjured and grew up normally until she was twelve.
01:40:03 Then, she developed leukemia, a disease of the blood and bone marrow.
01:40:08 Sadako began to fold paper cranes to protect her from the illness.
01:40:13 However, she died in 1955 before she reached one thousand paper cranes.
01:40:19 Her example inspired the Children's Monument at Hiroshima.
01:40:24 There is a peace museum in Hiroshima which has objects left by the explosion.
01:40:29 These include bottles, metal, stones, and tiles twisted into strange shapes by the heat.
01:40:36 There are objects on which people were vaporized so that their shape appears like a shadow on the material.
01:40:42 There are bits of burnt clothing and many photographs.
01:40:46 Why was the bomb dropped?
01:40:49 World War II was a long and bitter war.
01:40:52 The rules of war which said not to kill civilians were forgotten.
01:40:56 Hitler bombed London hoping to break the spirit of the English.
01:41:00 Then, England bombed Germany to destroy the factories and kill the people who worked in them.
01:41:06 Americans wanted revenge for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
01:41:10 The U.S. government had spent six billion dollars developing the A-bomb and wanted to use it.
01:41:16 Some say that they also wanted to warn the Russians not to cause trouble for America.
01:41:22 When American forces advanced on Japan in 1945, they had to decide what to do.
01:41:28 Would Japan surrender or would they fight to the last soldier?
01:41:32 American leaders feared that they might lose many men by an invasion.
01:41:37 Dropping the atomic bomb would end the war very quickly.
01:41:41 President Truman made the decision to use it.
01:41:45 Since then, most people have felt that this decision was wrong.
01:41:49 It was such a terrible thing to do to people, children, old people, women, men and babies.
01:41:55 Hiroshima inspired many people to try to ban the bomb.
01:41:59 They wanted to ensure that atomic bombs would not be used again.
01:42:03 Even some of the scientists and air crews involved in making and dropping the bomb at Hiroshima wanted it banned.
01:42:10 Perhaps if we can all remember what happened that day, there will be no more Hiroshimas.
01:42:17 Niagara Falls
01:42:22 Niagara Falls is one of the world's leading tourist attractions.
01:42:27 Millions of people around the world visit here each year.
01:42:31 Summers at the falls are especially busy, with traffic jams and parking problems.
01:42:37 However, the falls are beautiful in winter, too.
01:42:41 Many have asked why people travel so far to see water falling over a cliff.
01:42:47 The size and beauty of Niagara Falls help to make it special.
01:42:51 While many falls are higher than Niagara, very few are as wide or have such a volume of water.
01:42:58 It also helps that Niagara is relatively easy to travel to.
01:43:03 When the first Europeans came to Niagara, the falls were surrounded by forest.
01:43:08 The noise of the falls could be heard miles away before they were actually seen.
01:43:13 The first visitors were filled with horror at the sight.
01:43:17 Later, fear ceased to be the main emotion inspired by the falls.
01:43:22 Later, visitors were impressed by the beauty and grandeur of the falls, which overwhelmed them with wonder.
01:43:29 By the 1830s, people were able to come to the falls by railway.
01:43:34 As more and more people came, the tourist industry developed.
01:43:38 Early tourism was not well regulated, and there were many complaints about cheats and swindles.
01:43:43 Today, there are similar complaints about tourist junk and high prices.
01:43:48 The majority of tourists stay on the Canadian side.
01:43:52 There are two falls, separated by an island.
01:43:55 Since the Niagara River forms the boundary here between Canada and the United States, each country has one of the falls.
01:44:03 The Canadian Horseshoe Falls is wider and more impressive than the American Rainbow Falls.
01:44:08 About nine times more water goes over the Canadian Falls.
01:44:12 Nonetheless, there is much to be seen on the American side.
01:44:16 The island in the middle, Goat Island, is one of the best places to view the falls and rapids.
01:44:22 It is on the American side.
01:44:25 Newly married couples began coming to Niagara Falls when it was still a secluded, peaceful and romantic spot.
01:44:32 It is still popular with newlyweds as a relatively inexpensive and convenient place to spend their honeymoon.
01:44:39 Besides being beautiful, Niagara Falls is also very useful.
01:44:44 Their falling water is the power behind several of the largest hydroelectric stations in the world.
01:44:50 Much of the electric power used in this part of North America comes from Niagara Falls.
01:44:55 In order to harness this power, half of the flow of water is channeled away from the falls during the night and during the non-tourist season.
01:45:04 Probably most visitors don't notice the difference.
01:45:08 Niagara has attracted many kinds of people over the years.
01:45:12 Businessmen have come to profit from the tourists.
01:45:15 Daredevils have come to make a name for themselves.
01:45:18 Some have gone over the falls in a barrel, while others have walked above the falls on a tightrope.
01:45:25 Poets and artists have visited here to capture its beauty.
01:45:29 Lovers have come to gaze on its romantic scenery.
01:45:32 All of these, and many others, have helped to make Niagara Falls world famous.
01:45:37 Cowboys
01:45:44 The golden age of the American cowboy was short-lived.
01:45:47 It began in the 1860s with the great cattle drives from Texas north to Kansas.
01:45:53 By 1890, when railroads had reached remote areas, there was no more need for large-scale cattle drives.
01:46:01 Of course, cowboys have a history before 1860.
01:46:05 In fact, there were Mexican cowboys long before that.
01:46:09 The Spanish conqueror of Mexico, Hernan Cortes, brought cattle with him in 1521.
01:46:16 Cortes also branded his cattle with a three-cross design.
01:46:20 The Spanish sharp-horned cattle roamed the deserts and prairies freely.
01:46:24 Eventually, they found their way to Texas.
01:46:27 American settlers in Texas interbred their animals with the Spanish breed.
01:46:32 The Texas longhorn cow was the result.
01:46:35 It was famous for its bad temper and aggressiveness.
01:46:39 The longhorn was a dangerous animal, with each of its horns measuring up to three and one-half feet long.
01:46:46 After the American Civil War ended in 1865, disbanded soldiers who were former black slaves and young men seeking adventure headed west.
01:46:56 At that time, there were about five million cattle in Texas.
01:47:01 Back in the east, there was a big demand for beef.
01:47:04 By this time, railways from the east extended as far west as Kansas.
01:47:09 It was still more than 600 miles from south Texas to the railway.
01:47:14 Between the two places, there were rivers to cross, Indian tribes, badlands, and other problems.
01:47:21 A fur trader named Jesse Chisholm had driven his wagon north in 1865.
01:47:26 Cowboys and cattle followed the Chisholm Trail north to Abilene, Kansas.
01:47:31 This cattle trail became the most famous route for driving cattle, until it was barred with barbed wire in 1884.
01:47:39 In 1867, cattle dealer Joseph G. McCoy built pens for 3,000 cattle in the little town of Abilene.
01:47:47 Soon, Abilene was the most dangerous town in America.
01:47:51 After the long cattle drive, cowboys who had just been paid went wild.
01:47:55 Sheriff Wild Bill Hickok tamed Abilene in 1871 by forcing cowboys to turn over their guns when they arrived in town.
01:48:04 Other towns replaced Abilene as the wildest town in the west, Newton, Wichita, Ellsworth, and Dodge City.
01:48:12 In Kansas, a herd of 3,000 Texas Longhorns might sell for $100,000, making the rancher rich.
01:48:20 The cowboys might get $200 in wages, which often disappeared on drink, women, and gambling.
01:48:27 Getting cattle to Kansas was far from easy.
01:48:30 One of the biggest difficulties was getting the herd across rivers, especially when the river was high.
01:48:35 There were no bridges.
01:48:37 In 1871, 350 cowboys driving 60,000 cattle waited two weeks for the water level in the Red River to go down.
01:48:47 Food for men and animals was also difficult to find at times.
01:48:51 An early cattleman developed the chuck wagon, which were both a supply wagon and a portable kitchen.
01:48:58 In the 1870s, there were probably 40,000 cowboys in the west.
01:49:03 After the prairies were fenced in, there was less work.
01:49:06 Large ranches still employ cowboys to round up the cattle for branding or for sale.
01:49:11 Even today, about 20,000 cowboys still work in North America.
01:49:17 George W. Bush Jr. was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20, 2001.
01:49:33 Of course, people knew that he was the son of the 41st President, George H. W. Bush.
01:49:39 He had also been Governor of Texas since 1994.
01:49:43 However, aside from this, he was not very well known outside of Texas.
01:49:47 Why, then, did so many people want him to run for President in 2000?
01:49:53 Many Republicans thought that the Democrats could be defeated in 2000,
01:49:57 but they themselves lacked a candidate with strong appeal.
01:50:01 As the election approached, leading Republicans worried about whom to support.
01:50:06 Some of the most powerful Republicans were state governors.
01:50:09 They began to look around at each other for a possible candidate.
01:50:13 Most eyes turned to George W. Bush, the Governor of Texas.
01:50:17 In November 1998, Bush was re-elected as Governor by an impressive margin.
01:50:23 By now, Bush was the leading Republican candidate in the polls.
01:50:28 Of course, one advantage that Governor Bush had was a familiar name.
01:50:32 In fact, when he did well in some early polls, it is likely that some people really voted for his father.
01:50:39 They thought that George H. W. Bush was running again.
01:50:43 The Bush family was able to swing a lot of support to George W.
01:50:48 It also helped that his brother, Jeb, was now Governor of Florida.
01:50:52 Parents George and Barbara were both born in eastern United States.
01:50:57 But in 1948, George moved to Texas where he made a fortune in the oil business.
01:51:03 He went into politics in the 1960s and 70s and served in a number of important positions.
01:51:09 He was Ronald Reagan's Vice President from 1981 to 1989 and President from 1989 to 1993.
01:51:17 George W. was born in 1946, the oldest of the Bush children.
01:51:22 Three more brothers and two sisters were also born.
01:51:25 The youngest sister died of leukemia as a child.
01:51:29 George W. attended the same prestigious eastern colleges as his father.
01:51:34 Then he came back to Texas and was a fighter pilot with the Texas Air National Guard.
01:51:39 During the early 70s, he wandered from place to place trying different jobs.
01:51:43 After attending Harvard Business School from 1972 to 1975,
01:51:48 he came back to Texas and started his own oil exploration company.
01:51:52 Although it wasn't as profitable as his father's company,
01:51:56 he eventually sold his stock shares for a considerable amount of money.
01:52:00 In 1978, he ran for the Senate of the United States but was defeated.
01:52:06 He became closely involved in his father's campaign for President in 1988.
01:52:11 Here he developed a lot of the political skills he was later able to use to run for office himself.
01:52:17 In 1989, back in Texas, George W. organized a group that bought the Texas Rangers baseball team.
01:52:24 He later sold the team in 1998 and made a $14 million profit.
01:52:30 In 1994, he surprised the political world by defeating the incumbent governor of Texas.
01:52:37 As governor, he pushed ahead with an energetic program which reflected neoconservative values.
01:52:43 However, George W. did not appear as an ideologist to people.
01:52:47 Even his opponents were willing to work with him.
01:52:50 When he ran for President in 2000, Bush described himself as a "compassionate conservative."
01:52:56 Only time will tell how successful Bush will be as U.S. President.
01:53:09 George Frederick Handel was a native of Germany and spoke with a German accent all his life.
01:53:15 Most of that life, however, was spent in London, England.
01:53:18 As a young musician, Handel's sponsor was the Elector of Hanover.
01:53:23 Later on, when the Elector became King George I of England, he continued to sponsor Handel.
01:53:29 The young Handel went to Italy to study opera.
01:53:33 Opera had become a very fashionable entertainment for the upper classes.
01:53:37 Handel traveled to England in 1711 and made an immediate success with his operas.
01:53:43 Queen Anne granted him a royal pension for life in 1713.
01:53:48 Because of this initial success, Handel tried to start a permanent opera company in London,
01:53:54 but this failed and Handel lost money.
01:53:57 Since operas used full stage settings with costumes, scenery, and props, they were expensive to produce.
01:54:04 Handel decided to produce oratorios in which the parts were simply sung without actions.
01:54:10 On August 22, 1741, Handel began to work on his oratorio "The Messiah."
01:54:17 The text was made up of passages from the Bible relating to the birth, life, and death of Jesus.
01:54:23 Handel worked on it feverishly, missing meals and going without sleep.
01:54:27 He finished it 24 days later.
01:54:30 When he was asked how he felt on completing it, Handel said,
01:54:34 "I thought I saw all heaven before me and the great God himself."
01:54:39 In the fall of 1741, Handel received an invitation from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to present operas and concerts there.
01:54:48 Handel traveled from London to Dublin with his entire luggage and many of his singers.
01:54:53 However, in order to rehearse on the way, he had to hire local people to fill in.
01:54:58 Once, the composer soundly criticized one local singer who failed to meet his standards.
01:55:04 Handel was warmly received in Dublin, where his concerts were sold out.
01:55:09 Even his rehearsals were considered newsworthy by the local papers.
01:55:13 "The Messiah" was first publicly performed on April 13, 1742.
01:55:18 Seven hundred people squeezed into a six hundred seat theater to hear it.
01:55:23 A notice had requested that ladies attend in hoopless skirts and that gentlemen come without their swords.
01:55:29 A Dublin paper reported, "Words are wanting to express the exquisite delight it afforded to the admiring crowded audience."
01:55:37 All proceeds were donated to charity, as the church choirs had refused to participate except on those conditions.
01:55:44 Handel returned to London in August 1742 and prepared the oratorio for the London stage.
01:55:51 "The Messiah" made its London debut on March 23, 1743, with King George II in the audience.
01:55:58 It was during the "Hallelujah" chorus that the King jumped to his feet and so initiated a tradition that has lasted ever since.
01:56:06 With such oratories, Handel was able to re-establish his popularity and restore his finances in London.
01:56:13 "The Messiah" continued to be performed.
01:56:15 After conducting it on April 6, 1759, the old composer collapsed and had to be carried home.
01:56:22 He died eight days later.
01:56:24 "The Messiah" remains Handel's most popular work, combining wonderful music with inspiring religious sentiments.
01:56:31 The biblical text speaks of hope and salvation, and the music allows the text to soar into angelic songs.
01:56:42 Ireland
01:56:46 Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, just west of Britain.
01:56:50 For much of its history, it has been an advantage to Ireland to be far from the mainland.
01:56:55 The Romans or the other early empires never conquered Ireland.
01:57:00 It was the remoteness of Ireland that helped preserve much of Christian and classical culture.
01:57:05 After the fall of the Roman Empire, wandering tribes destroyed much of what remained on the continent.
01:57:12 Finally, it was Ireland's turn to be invaded.
01:57:15 First, the Norsemen or Vikings attacked during the 800s and 900s.
01:57:20 Then, in the 1100s, the English invaded Ireland.
01:57:24 Since that time, there has always been an English presence in Ireland.
01:57:28 The conflict between the English and the Irish grew worse in the 1500s.
01:57:33 Then, the English became Protestant, and the Irish remained Catholic.
01:57:38 In the 1600s, Oliver Cromwell tried to make Ireland Protestant by driving out the Catholics and bringing in Protestant settlers.
01:57:46 In the centuries following, Irish Catholics had very few rights in their own country.
01:57:51 The Catholic Irish were not allowed to vote until 1829.
01:57:56 Since Irish Catholics were not allowed to own land, they were poor tenant farmers.
01:58:02 They were not able to pay the rent to the English landlords.
01:58:05 The main food crop in the 1840s was potatoes.
01:58:08 When these became infected by blight, thousands of Irishmen starved.
01:58:13 Many others were evicted from their dwellings because they couldn't pay the rent.
01:58:17 Hundreds of thousands of Irish took ship for North America.
01:58:20 The Catholic Irish preferred to go to the United States because Canada was under British influence.
01:58:26 However, many Protestant Irish went to Canada.
01:58:30 The influence of the Irish on North American culture has been very great in many areas.
01:58:35 Prominent Irish Americans include Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.
01:58:41 Meanwhile, in Ireland itself, a strong independence movement developed.
01:58:45 A rebellion against England in 1916 began a struggle that resulted in independence for most of Ireland.
01:58:51 Some Protestant areas in Northern Ireland preferred to stay with England.
01:58:55 Countries such as the Irish Republican Army wanted to liberate the North from British rule.
01:59:01 Nowadays, conflict between Protestants and Catholics is limited to these northern counties.
01:59:06 Constant attempts are being made to bring the conflict there to an end.
01:59:10 Meanwhile, the Irish Republic of Ayr has become prosperous again.
01:59:15 It can sell its agricultural products to the European Common Market.
01:59:19 Irish beer and whiskey are sold all over the world.
01:59:23 Ireland is also becoming known for its high-tech industries.
01:59:26 Because of this relative prosperity, the population is increasing again after a century and a half of decline.
01:59:33 The Irish differ from other people because the vast majority of Irishmen live away from their homeland.
01:59:40 However, this exodus from Ireland has helped to spread Irish music, culture, and products around the world.
01:59:47 On St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, nearly everyone becomes Irish for the day.
01:59:53 Then there is a great party with Celtic music, Irish dancing, green beer, and the wearing of the green.
02:00:00 New England in the early and middle years of the 19th century had a flourishing culture.
02:00:12 People were passionately interested in ideas and education.
02:00:16 Most New Englanders were strongly opposed to slavery.
02:00:19 They were also concerned about other social issues.
02:00:23 New ideas resulted in new kinds of writing.
02:00:27 These ideas included the importance of doing what seemed right for them,
02:00:31 no matter how different it was from what other people thought.
02:00:35 People also believed that nature gave them guidance in our lives, and that it was important to live close to nature.
02:00:42 These and other ideas were expressed through teaching and writing.
02:00:46 Bronson Alcott was one of those who looked at the world in a new way.
02:00:51 He looked for work as a teacher so that he could pass on his ideas to others.
02:00:55 However, very few parents wanted Mr. Alcott to teach their children,
02:01:00 and very few people were interested in hearing his speeches or reading his books.
02:01:05 As a result, the Alcott family was very poor.
02:01:09 Fortunately for Bronson, he married a very capable and energetic woman.
02:01:13 Mrs. Abigail Alcott helped to earn money to support the family,
02:01:17 and did most of the work involved in looking after the four Alcott girls.
02:01:22 The oldest daughter, Anna, was quiet and serious.
02:01:25 She rarely got into trouble, and was a good helper at home.
02:01:29 The second daughter was Louisa May Alcott, who became a writer.
02:01:33 She was adventurous and cared very little for rules.
02:01:37 She was always saying and doing things that got her into trouble.
02:01:41 The third daughter, Elizabeth, was very kind and good-natured.
02:01:45 All the others loved her.
02:01:47 As a young woman, Elizabeth had a severe case of scarlet fever and never fully recovered.
02:01:52 She died at age 23.
02:01:54 The youngest sister, May, was talented, but she was rather spoiled.
02:01:59 Because there was never enough money, the Alcott girls felt pressure to work at an early age,
02:02:04 but this did not stop them from having fun.
02:02:07 Louisa wrote little plays that she and her sisters performed at home.
02:02:12 They all enjoyed the woods and ponds around Concord, Massachusetts,
02:02:16 where they lived most of these years.
02:02:18 When they moved back to Boston in 1848,
02:02:21 Anna took a job looking after other people's children, and Louisa looked after the house.
02:02:27 Meanwhile, their mother worked outside the home.
02:02:31 While working on laundry or sewing, Louisa was thinking up stories.
02:02:36 At night, she would write them down.
02:02:38 When she was 18, she began selling poems and stories to magazines.
02:02:43 Within ten years, Louisa was earning a substantial income from writing.
02:02:47 One day, her publisher suggested that she write a story for girls.
02:02:52 At first, Louisa didn't like the suggestion, but when she started to write, the ideas came rapidly.
02:02:59 Her book was based on her own family and her own childhood.
02:03:04 "Little Women" was published in 1868 and was an immediate success.
02:03:10 The March family was very much like the Alcotts.
02:03:13 Mrs. Alcott resembles Marmee.
02:03:16 Meg is like Anna, and Jo is like Louisa herself.
02:03:21 Beth is based on Elizabeth, and Amy on May Alcott.
02:03:26 Many of the situations in the book happened to the Alcott family.
02:03:30 Nonetheless, many characters and incidents were invented.
02:03:35 "Little Women" and its sequel opened up a new kind of writing for children.
02:03:40 While these books did have a moral, they were more lively and interesting than earlier children's writing.
02:03:46 "Little Women" inspired many writers later to write more realistic accounts of childhood.
02:03:55 Niagara-on-the-Lake
02:03:58 Niagara-on-the-Lake is a little town at the mouth of the Niagara River.
02:04:02 It is only 12 miles north of Niagara Falls.
02:04:05 It used to be true that very few tourists would bother to travel from the falls down to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
02:04:12 Nowadays, however, the little town itself is a major tourist attraction.
02:04:17 The town has a remarkable history.
02:04:20 The area played an important role in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
02:04:27 As a result, the little town has two forts, Fort George and Fort Mississauga.
02:04:33 When Fort George was reconstructed for the public in the 1930s, Niagara-on-the-Lake got its first big tourist attraction.
02:04:41 Because Niagara-on-the-Lake was the first capital of Ontario, it has many significant "firsts."
02:04:48 There was the first Parliament in the province, the first legal society, the first library, the first newspaper, the first museum building, and many more "firsts."
02:04:59 Besides its history, the town, which is bordered by Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, has beautiful scenery.
02:05:08 On a summer's day, visitors can watch the sailboats going out the river to the lake.
02:05:13 On the land side, Niagara is part of the Fruit Belt of Ontario. Peaches, pears, apples, cherries, and strawberries grow here in abundance.
02:05:23 There are also long rows of vines, and winemaking has recently become a major industry.
02:05:29 The mild, humid climate allows plants to flourish. The trees, especially the oaks, grow to remarkable heights.
02:05:38 Flowering trees and shrubs perfume the air in the spring. Gardens are often spectacular for much of the year.
02:05:45 Because of this, Niagara-on-the-Lake attracts many painters and photographers.
02:05:51 Many of the private homes also have a long history, and great care is taken to keep them looking their best.
02:05:58 The biggest single attraction is the Shaw Festival Theatre. The festival was founded in 1962 by a group of Shaw enthusiasts.
02:06:08 Early productions were often held in the historic courthouse on the main street, and plays still take place there.
02:06:15 In 1973, however, a new 861-seat Shaw Theatre was built at the south end of town.
02:06:23 Since then, traffic to Niagara-on-the-Lake has been steady all through the long summer season.
02:06:29 In 1996, Niagara-on-the-Lake was voted the prettiest town in Canada.
02:06:35 Partly, it is the scale of things that makes the Old Town so attractive.
02:06:40 The Old Town is only about eight blocks long by eight blocks wide. It has a population of little more than 1,000 people.
02:06:49 Nonetheless, there is a lot for people to do and see. There are many interesting shops, old hotels, bookstores, art galleries, museums, a golf course, a marina, historic churches and cemeteries, several parks, three theatres, and lots of restaurants.
02:07:07 Because it is small, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a good place to walk around or bicycle around. There are also horse and wagon rides.
02:07:16 Although the main street can be hectic in tourist season, one doesn't have to go far off the main street to get in touch with an older, slower time.
02:07:25 Most of the downtown buildings haven't changed much since the days of Queen Victoria, and tourists can still imagine that they are back in the days before computers and television.
02:07:36 Winston Churchill Braces - Britain's to Their Task
02:07:43 On Friday evening last, I received from His Majesty the mission to form a new administration.
02:07:48 It was the evident will of Parliament and the nation that this should be conceived on the broadest possible basis and that it should include all parties.
02:07:56 I have already completed the most important part of this task. A War Cabinet has been formed of five members, representing, with the Labour, Opposition and Liberals, the unity of the nation.
02:08:08 It was necessary that this should be done in one single day on account of the extreme urgency and rigour of events.
02:08:15 Other key positions were filled yesterday. I am submitting a further list to the King tonight.
02:08:20 I hope to complete the appointment of Principal Ministers during tomorrow.
02:08:24 The appointment of other Ministers usually takes a little longer.
02:08:28 I trust when Parliament meets again this part of my task will be completed and that the administration will be complete in all respects.
02:08:35 I considered it in the public interest to suggest to the Speaker that the House should be summoned today.
02:08:41 At the end of today's proceedings, the adjournment of the House will be proposed until May 21st with provision for earlier meeting if need be.
02:08:49 Business for that will be notified to MPs at the earliest opportunity.
02:08:54 I now invite the House by a resolution to record its approval of the steps taken and declare its confidence in the new government.
02:09:01 The resolution. That this House welcomes the formation of a government representing the united and inflexible resolve of the nation to prosecute the war with Germany to a victorious conclusion.
02:09:13 To form an administration of this scale and complexity is a serious undertaking in itself.
02:09:19 But we are in the preliminary phase of one of the greatest battles in history.
02:09:23 We are in action at many other points, in Norway and in Holland.
02:09:27 And we have to be prepared in the Mediterranean.
02:09:31 The air battle is continuing and many preparations have to be made here at home.
02:09:35 In this crisis I think I may be pardoned if I do not address the House at any length today.
02:09:40 And I hope that any of my friends and colleagues or former colleagues who are affected by the political reconstruction will make all allowances for any lack of ceremony with which it has been necessary to act.
02:09:51 I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
02:09:59 We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind.
02:10:03 We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering.
02:10:08 You ask what is our policy.
02:10:10 I say it is to wage war by land, sea and air.
02:10:14 War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us.
02:10:19 And to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime.
02:10:26 That is our policy.
02:10:28 You ask what is our aim.
02:10:30 I can answer in one word.
02:10:32 It is victory.
02:10:34 Victory at all costs.
02:10:36 Victory in spite of all terrors.
02:10:38 Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.
02:10:45 Let that be realized.
02:10:47 No survival for the British Empire.
02:10:49 No survival for all that the British Empire has stood for.
02:10:53 No survival for the urge, the impulse of the ages, that mankind shall move forward toward his goal.
02:10:59 I take up my task in buoyancy and hope.
02:11:02 I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men.
02:11:06 I feel entitled at this juncture, at this time, to claim the aid of all and to say,
02:11:11 "Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength."
02:11:18 Lou Gehrig, Farewell Speech
02:11:22 Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got.
02:11:27 Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
02:11:31 I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
02:11:39 Look at these grand men.
02:11:41 Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day?
02:11:48 Sure, I'm lucky.
02:11:49 Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert,
02:11:53 also the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow,
02:11:57 to have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins,
02:12:01 then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology,
02:12:07 the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy.
02:12:10 Sure, I'm lucky.
02:12:11 When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat and vice versa, send you a gift, that's something.
02:12:18 When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something.
02:12:25 When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you and squabbles against her own daughter, that's something.
02:12:31 When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing.
02:12:39 When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know.
02:12:47 So I close in saying that I might have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.
02:12:53 John F. Kennedy
02:12:58 Ich bin ein Berliner
02:13:01 Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was "Sivis Romanis Sum."
02:13:06 Today in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner."
02:13:11 There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the communist world.
02:13:20 Let them come to Berlin.
02:13:22 There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future.
02:13:26 Let them come to Berlin.
02:13:28 And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the communists.
02:13:33 Let them come to Berlin.
02:13:35 And there are even a few who say that it's true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress.
02:13:44 Let them come to Berlin.
02:13:46 Freedom has many difficulties, and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put up a wall to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us.
02:13:57 I want to say on behalf of my countrymen who live many miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, who are far distant from you,
02:14:05 that they take the greatest pride that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years.
02:14:13 I know of no town, no city that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin.
02:14:25 While the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the communist system, all the world can see, we take no satisfaction in it,
02:14:35 for it is, as your mayor has said, an offense not only against history, but an offense against humanity,
02:14:43 separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together.
02:14:51 What is true of this city is true of Germany. Real, lasting peace in Europe can never be assured,
02:14:58 as long as one German out of four is denied the elementary right of free men, and that is to make a free choice.
02:15:06 In 18 years of peace and good faith, this generation of Germans has earned the right to be free,
02:15:13 including the right to unite their families and their nation in lasting peace with goodwill to all people.
02:15:20 You live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main.
02:15:25 So let me ask you as I close to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today to the hopes of tomorrow,
02:15:32 beyond the freedom merely of this city of Berlin and all your country of Germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere,
02:15:39 beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.
02:15:47 Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, who are free?
02:15:52 When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one,
02:15:58 and this country and this great continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe.
02:16:04 When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction
02:16:10 in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.
02:16:14 All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin.
02:16:19 And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner."
02:16:25 Robert F. Kennedy, Speech after assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
02:16:34 I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens and people who love peace all over the world,
02:16:43 that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.
02:16:47 Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings,
02:16:53 and he died because of that effort.
02:16:55 In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States,
02:17:00 it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.
02:17:06 For those of you who are black, considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible,
02:17:12 you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge.
02:17:17 We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization,
02:17:21 black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another.
02:17:27 Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend,
02:17:32 and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land,
02:17:37 with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
02:17:41 For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act
02:17:47 against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling.
02:17:53 I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.
02:17:58 But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand,
02:18:03 to go beyond these rather difficult times.
02:18:06 My favorite poet was Achilles. He wrote, "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget,
02:18:12 falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will,
02:18:17 comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."
02:18:20 What we need in the United States is not division.
02:18:23 What we need in the United States is not hatred.
02:18:26 What we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom,
02:18:31 and compassion toward one another,
02:18:33 and a feeling of justice towards those who still suffer within our country,
02:18:37 whether they be white or they be black.
02:18:39 So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King.
02:18:45 That's true. But more importantly, to say a prayer for our own country,
02:18:50 which all of us love, a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.
02:18:55 We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times.
02:18:59 We've had difficult times in the past.
02:19:01 We will have difficult times in the future.
02:19:04 It is not the end of violence. It is not the end of lawlessness.
02:19:08 It is not the end of disorder.
02:19:10 But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country
02:19:15 want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life,
02:19:19 and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.
02:19:23 Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago,
02:19:27 to claim the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world.
02:19:32 Let us dedicate ourselves to that and say a prayer for our country and for our people.
02:19:38 Ronald Reagan, Speech at Normandy
02:19:46 We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied peoples joined in battle
02:19:50 to reclaim this continent to liberty.
02:19:53 For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow.
02:19:58 Free nations had fallen. Jews cried out in the camps.
02:20:02 Millions cried out for liberation.
02:20:05 Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue.
02:20:09 Here in Normandy, the rescue began.
02:20:12 Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.
02:20:18 We stand on a lonely windswept point on the northern shore of France.
02:20:22 The air is soft.
02:20:24 But forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men,
02:20:30 and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon.
02:20:34 At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944,
02:20:39 225 rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs.
02:20:45 Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion.
02:20:50 To climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and to take out the enemy guns.
02:20:55 The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here,
02:20:59 and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.
02:21:03 The rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs,
02:21:07 shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades.
02:21:11 And the American rangers began to climb.
02:21:14 They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up.
02:21:18 When one ranger fell, another would take his place.
02:21:21 When one rope was cut, a ranger would grab another and begin his climb again.
02:21:27 They climbed, shot back, and held their footing.
02:21:31 Soon, one by one, the rangers pulled themselves over the top,
02:21:35 and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs,
02:21:38 they began to seize back the continent of Europe.
02:21:41 Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only ninety could still bear arms.
02:21:48 Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs.
02:21:54 And before me are the men who put them there.
02:21:57 These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs.
02:22:02 These are the champions who helped free a continent.
02:22:05 These are the heroes who helped end a war.
02:22:08 Gentlemen, I look at you, and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem.
02:22:14 You are men who in your lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with your honor.
02:22:21 Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here.
02:22:25 You were young the day you took these cliffs.
02:22:28 Some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you.
02:22:33 Yet you risked everything here.
02:22:35 Why? Why did you do it?
02:22:38 What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs?
02:22:45 What inspired all the men of the armies that met here?
02:22:49 We look at you, and somehow we know the answer.
02:22:52 It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love.
02:22:58 The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right,
02:23:02 faith that they fought for all humanity,
02:23:05 faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next.
02:23:10 It was the deep knowledge, and pray God we have not lost it,
02:23:14 that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation
02:23:19 and the use of force for conquest.
02:23:22 You were here to liberate, not to conquer.
02:23:24 And so you and those others did not doubt your cause, and you were right not to doubt.
02:23:31 You all knew that some things are worth dying for.
02:23:34 One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for,
02:23:39 because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.
02:23:44 All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny.
02:23:49 And you knew the people of your countries were behind you.
02:23:52 Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address
02:23:59 My fellow citizens, at this last presidential inauguration of the twentieth century,
02:24:05 let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the next century.
02:24:10 It is our great good fortune that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a new century,
02:24:16 in a new millennium, but on the edge of a bright new prospect in human affairs,
02:24:21 a moment that will define our course and our character for decades to come.
02:24:26 We must keep our old democracy forever young.
02:24:29 Guided by the ancient vision of a promised land, let us set our sights upon a land of new promise.
02:24:36 The promise of America was born in the eighteenth century out of the bold conviction that we are all created equal.
02:24:43 It was extended and preserved in the nineteenth century,
02:24:46 when our nations spread across the continent, save the Union, and abolished the awful scourge of slavery.
02:24:53 Then, in turmoil and triumph, the promise exploded into the world stage to make this the American century.
02:25:01 And what a century it has been!
02:25:03 America became the world's mightiest industrial power,
02:25:06 saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long Cold War,
02:25:10 and time and again reached out across the globe to millions who, like us, longed for the blessings of liberty.
02:25:17 Along the way, Americans produced a great middle class and security in old age,
02:25:23 built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all,
02:25:28 split the atom and explored the heavens, invented the computer and the microchip,
02:25:34 and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for African Americans and all minorities,
02:25:41 and extending the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.
02:25:46 Now, for the third time, a new century is upon us, and another time to choose.
02:25:52 We began the nineteenth century with a choice, to spread our nation from coast to coast.
02:25:57 We began the twentieth century with a choice, to harness the industrial revolution to our values of free enterprise, conservation, and human decency.
02:26:06 Those choices made all the difference.
02:26:09 At the dawn of the twenty-first century, a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the information age and the global society,
02:26:16 to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and, yes, to form a more perfect union.
02:26:23 When last we gathered, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today.
02:26:29 We vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation.
02:26:33 In these four years, we have been touched by tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by achievement.
02:26:41 America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation.
02:26:45 Once again, our economy is the strongest on earth.
02:26:49 Once again, we are building stronger families, thriving communities, better educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.
02:26:56 Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts.
02:27:01 Our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work.
02:27:09 Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address
02:27:15 And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government.
02:27:20 Today we can declare, "Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution."
02:27:27 We, the American people, we are the solution.
02:27:31 Our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries,
02:27:36 flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day.
02:27:42 As times change, so government must change.
02:27:45 We need a new government for a new century, humble enough not to try to solve our problems for us,
02:27:51 but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves, a government that is smaller,
02:27:57 lives within its means, and does more with less.
02:28:01 Yet where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world,
02:28:04 and where it can give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives,
02:28:09 government should do more, not less.
02:28:12 The preeminent mission of our new government is to give all Americans an opportunity, not a guarantee,
02:28:18 but a real opportunity to build better lives.
02:28:22 Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us.
02:28:26 Our founders taught us that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship,
02:28:33 and we need a new sense of responsibility for a new century.
02:28:37 There is work to do, work that government alone cannot do, teaching children to read,
02:28:42 hiring people off welfare rolls, coming out from behind locked doors and shuttered windows
02:28:47 to help reclaim our streets from drugs and gangs and crime, taking time out of our own lives to serve others.
02:28:54 Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume personal responsibility,
02:28:59 not only for ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
02:29:04 Our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new century.
02:29:10 For any one of us to succeed, we must succeed as one America.
02:29:15 The challenge of our past remains the challenge of our future.
02:29:19 Will we become one nation, one people, with one common destiny or not?
02:29:24 Will we all come together or come apart?
02:29:27 The divide of race has been America's constant curse,
02:29:31 and each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices.
02:29:35 Prejudice and contempt, cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction, are no different.
02:29:41 These forces have nearly destroyed our nation in the past.
02:29:45 They plague us still.
02:29:47 They fuel the fanaticism of terror,
02:29:49 and they torment the lives of millions in fractured nations all around the world.
02:29:54 These obsessions cripple both those who hate and, of course, those who are hated,
02:29:59 robbing both of what they might become.
02:30:02 We cannot, we will not, succumb to the dark impulses
02:30:06 that lurk in the far regions of the soul everywhere.
02:30:09 We shall overcome them, and we shall replace them with the generous spirit of a people
02:30:14 who feel at home with one another.
02:30:16 Our rich texture of racial, religious, and political diversity
02:30:20 will be a godsend in the 21st century.
02:30:23 Great rewards will come to those who can live together,
02:30:26 learn together, work together, forge new ties that bind together.
02:30:32 Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address
02:30:36 As this new era approaches, we can already see its broad outlines.
02:30:44 Ten years ago, the Internet was the mystical province of physicists.
02:30:48 Today, it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren.
02:30:52 Scientists now are decoding the blueprint of human life.
02:30:56 Cures for our most feared illnesses seem close at hand.
02:30:59 The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps.
02:31:03 Instead, now we are building bonds with nations that once were our adversaries.
02:31:09 Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance
02:31:12 to lift the fortunes and spirits of people the world over.
02:31:16 And for the very first time in all of history,
02:31:19 more people on this planet live under democracy than dictatorship.
02:31:23 My fellow Americans, as we look back at this remarkable century,
02:31:28 we may ask, "Can we hope not just to follow,
02:31:31 but even to surpass the achievements of the 20th century in America
02:31:35 and to avoid the awful bloodshed that stained its legacy?"
02:31:39 To that question, every American here and every American in our land today
02:31:44 must answer a resounding "yes."
02:31:47 This is the heart of our task.
02:31:49 With a new vision of government, a new sense of responsibility,
02:31:53 a new spirit of community, we will sustain America's journey.
02:31:58 The promise we sought in a new land we will find again in a land of new promise.
02:32:04 In this new land, education will be every citizen's most prized possession.
02:32:09 Our schools will have the highest standards in the world,
02:32:12 igniting the spark of possibility in the eyes of every girl and every boy,
02:32:17 and the doors of higher education will be open to all.
02:32:20 The knowledge and power of the information age will be within reach
02:32:24 not just of the few, but of every classroom, every library, every child.
02:32:31 Parents and children will have time not only to work, but to read and play together,
02:32:36 and the plans they make at their kitchen table will be those of a better home,
02:32:40 a better job, the certain chance to go to college.
02:32:43 Our streets will echo again with the laughter of our children,
02:32:47 because no one will try to shoot them or sell them drugs anymore.
02:32:51 Everyone who can work will work, with today's permanent underclass
02:32:55 part of tomorrow's growing middle class.
02:32:58 New miracles of medicine at last will reach not only those who can claim care now,
02:33:02 but the children and hard-working families too long denied.
02:33:06 We will stand mighty for peace and freedom,
02:33:09 and maintain a strong defense against terror and destruction.
02:33:13 Our children will sleep free from the threat of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
02:33:18 Ports and airports, farms and factories will thrive with trade and innovation and ideas,
02:33:24 and the world's greatest democracy will lead a whole world of democracies.
02:33:29 Our land of new promise will be a nation that meets its obligations,
02:33:33 a nation that balances its budget, but never loses the balance of its values,
02:33:38 a nation where our grandparents have secure retirement and health care,
02:33:42 and their grandchildren know we have made the reforms necessary
02:33:45 to sustain those benefits for their time,
02:33:48 a nation that fortifies the world's most productive economy,
02:33:51 even as it protects the great natural bounty of our water, air and majestic land.
02:34:00 Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address
02:34:05 And in this land of new promise, we will have reformed our politics
02:34:08 so that the voice of the people will always speak louder than the din of narrow interests,
02:34:13 regaining the participation and deserving the trust of all Americans.
02:34:18 Fellow citizens, let us build that America,
02:34:21 a nation ever moving forward toward realizing the full potential of all its citizens,
02:34:27 prosperity and power.
02:34:29 Yes, they are important, and we must maintain them.
02:34:33 But let us never forget, the greatest progress we have made,
02:34:36 and the greatest progress we have yet to make, is in the human heart.
02:34:41 In the end, all the world's wealth and a thousand armies
02:34:44 are no match for the strength and decency of the human spirit.
02:34:48 Thirty-four years ago, the man whose life we celebrate today
02:34:52 spoke to us down there, at the other end of this mall,
02:34:55 in words that move the conscience of a nation.
02:34:58 Like a prophet of old, he told of his dream that one day America would rise up
02:35:03 and treat all its citizens as equals before the law and in the heart.
02:35:08 Martin Luther King's dream was the American dream.
02:35:11 His quest is our quest, the ceaseless striving to live out our true creed.
02:35:17 Our history has been built on such dreams and labors,
02:35:20 and by our dreams and labors we will redeem the promise of America in the twenty-first century.
02:35:26 To that effort I pledge all my strength and every power of my office.
02:35:30 I ask the members of Congress here to join in that pledge.
02:35:34 The American people return to office a president of one party and a Congress of another.
02:35:40 Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering
02:35:43 and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore.
02:35:46 No, they call on us instead to be repairers of the breach,
02:35:49 and to move on with America's mission.
02:35:52 America demands and deserves big things from us,
02:35:55 and nothing big ever came from being small.
02:35:58 Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bernardin when facing the end of his own life.
02:36:03 He said, "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time on acrimony and division."
02:36:09 Fellow citizens, we must not waste the precious gift of this time,
02:36:14 for all of us are on that same journey of our lives, and our journey too will come to an end.
02:36:20 But the journey of our America must go on.
02:36:23 And so, my fellow Americans, we must be strong, for there is much to do.
02:36:28 The demands of our time are great, and they are different.
02:36:31 Let us meet them with faith and courage, with patience and a grateful and happy heart.
02:36:37 Let us shape the hope of this day into the noblest chapter in our history.
02:36:42 Yes, let us build our bridge, a bridge wide enough and strong enough
02:36:46 for every American to cross over to a blessed land of new promise.
02:36:51 May those generations whose faces we cannot yet see, whose names we may never know,
02:36:56 say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century
02:36:59 with the American dream alive for all her children,
02:37:03 with the American promise of a more perfect union, a reality for all her people,
02:37:08 with America's bright flame of freedom spreading throughout all the world.
02:37:13 From the height of this place and the summit of this century, let us go forth.
02:37:17 May God strengthen our hands for the good work ahead, and always, always bless our America.
02:37:23 [ Silence ]