Polly Helps a Friend

Polly pedaled her bicycle swiftly as Mother trotted alongside her. Mother had to hurry to keep up with Polly. They were on their way to the park for their weekly outing. Polly's big blue bag with pink pockets was slung over Mother's shoulder. It held many of Polly's favorite things that she used to create wonderful pictures that Mother would fasten to the refrigerator door for everyone to see. Wonderful things were a part of these trips, wonderful sunshine, wonderful breezes, wonderful colors and most importantly, the big wonderful silver slide.


     Polly was as happy as she could be today. The pink ribbon from her yellow pig-tails flew in the breeze behind her. Today, Polly felt more special than ever. Mother let her wear her new shorts outfit with the blue and pink flowers. Polly promised to be careful not to soil it. Polly loved Mother and always tried to make her proud. She wanted to be just like her when she grew up. Being outside today was like being in a beautiful dream of many colors. The windy sunshine was the yellowiest of yellows. It flooded Polly's smiling blue eyes and pink face as she looked at everything there was to see.

     A tall, green Elm bowed its head to Polly and her mother as they passed. Several feet away, two young boys and a red, curly haired girl tossed a big green and white striped beach ball back and forth. The ball had just gone over the head of one of the boys. He scampered to get it before the red haired girl. Their happy yelps rode on the wind to Polly's ears. They only made Polly feel happier. Polly found the slightly off-key tunes of the ice-cream truck a special treat today. The truck was parked at the far side of the park's edge. Two teenagers dressed in white with tennis rackets raced to get ice cream and cold drinks.

     Everything was wonderful today, even the birds sounded cheerier than ever. They whistled from nearby trees.

     Polly's bicycle barely stopped as she jumped off. They had arrived at the special place in the park where the giant silver slide lived. Polly loved the slide; she got a shivery joy each time she slipped along its long slender back. She ran over to the slide.

     "Slow down, Polly," shouted her mother, smiling at her young daughter.

     Barbara enjoyed these outings as much as Polly. She loved to just relax and visit with the other women she would meet there. They would trade stories about their children. When she felt like it, Barbara tucked her knitting or an interesting novel into Polly's bag. She felt a little tired from her brisk jaunt and plopped down at the nearest picnic table. Soon Carol, one of her friends, wandered over to her.

     Polly watched her mother and the other woman. Polly liked it when her mother chatted or visited with other women. It gave her extra long playtime.

     The slide was cold today, but this did not stop Polly from whisking down its bare back. The cold metal sent shivers of fun through her. Faster and faster she slid each time she climbed the endless steps. Up, up, up she went eager to swoosh along the cold, silver slide. Polly loved to daydream while she rode on the slide. She would close her eyes and think of herself as a lovely princess on a white horse. Some days, she would pretend that she was either a lost puppy or a lost kitten looking for its mother. She would crawl around while she meowed or whimpered sadly. Polly had heard her mother say that she had a good imagination. She wasn't really sure what this meant. She guessed that it meant that she was really great at pretending things.

     Polly continued her trips up the stairs and down the slide. On what was maybe her twelfth trip, a strange sound shot into the air. It was a very painful groan. "What's that?" she asked, jumping off the end of the slide.

     "Oh, thank you!" came the answer over her shoulder.

     "Who said that?" Polly asked again, looking round and round.

     "I did."

     Polly bent at the waist, jumped to one foot and spun around. She was staring right at the slide. Two very, very sad eyes stared back at her. "Thank you for getting off," said a giant mouth just below the teary eyes.
     "My back aches really badly today."

     Polly rubbed her eyes. Was this really happening? Could she believe her ears? Quickly, she looked over to where her mother sat with her friend. The two women were laughing and talking. Everything seemed okay. Polly looked back at the slide. "Excuse me", she said, "did you speak to me?"

     "Why yes I did," answered the silver slide. "I'm sorry if I startled you, but I can't take it anymore. Each and every day children jump on me and race down my back. It was fine when I was young, but I've grown so old and weary. I'm not nearly as strong and in the great shape I used to be. I love the children, especially you Polly, but I shudder when they dig their feet into my back. What can I do? Can you help me, Polly?" With that, the poor old slide began to cry loudly. His steps shook with each large, wet tear. He pulled a large white handkerchief from his back step and blew his nose sadly. "If this keeps up, I will have to be turned into a pile of steel and thrown onto the junk heap. I know all I need is a little rest. In time I will be okay. The park is putting in a new slide soon. Guess until then, I will have to be brave."

     Polly stepped back as she was puzzled. It took her long minutes to understand. This poor old slide that had given so many children so much fun over the years was asking her for help. She felt sad and important all at once.

     "I'm sooooo sorry you are feeling bad" she heard her small voice say. Her tiny hand gently patted the aching steel. "There must be something I can do." Polly thought and thought for some time. She walked to a swing and started to sit down, but stopped. She then started to go to her mother for help, but again stopped. "Would mother believe her?" Polly wondered aloud. "A talking slide?" Polly did not know what to do to help her friend.

     As she returned to the slide, Polly saw two workmen fixing one of the park benches. The workman dressed in gray coveralls nailed a brand new wooden arm to the bench. The second workman, who wore a white cap, took brushes and two cans from the back of his truck. Polly watched. He dipped his brush in one can of paint and stroked the wooden arm. Polly saw the green paint go on the arm and cover the wood. It looked new and shiny. People would have to wait to a couple of days to sit on that bench she thought.

     Suddenly her face lit up. She raced to her bicycle. "I've got it," she yelled. She grabbed for her big blue bag that was slung over the handlebars of her bicycle. Quickly, she sifted through it. She loved this bag; it had all of her favorite things. Polly pulled out a big, fat red crayon.

She then snatched up a yellow sheet of drawing paper. Before a bird could eat a worm, she knelt and scribbled something on the paper. With that, she grabbed once more into the bag and was off in a race to her weary, waiting friend. "I have just the thing," she called to him, as she got nearer. The slide looked so unhappy. His big tears had made quite a large pool at his feet. Polly leaned over him. Her little hands worked quickly. She tucked and taped and finished. "There", she said, as she stepped back to see her work. Not too bad! This will work!

Polly felt all warm and soft and good inside like she did when Mother hugged her. Just then she heard her mother's call that it was time to go home. "Don't worry, now you can get the rest you need to feel better." Polly called over her shoulder to the slide as she ran happily off to her mother.

     Polly's arms waved to her mother. Barbara had been picking up the blue bag with its spilled crayons while she waited for her young happy daughter. She wondered why all the crayons were on the ground in such a hurried mess. 

     "What went on here?" she asked her daughter. 

     "A good thing." answered Polly, hugging her mother. Polly felt proud and happy. Mother would have been proud of her too. Polly wanted to walk her bicycle home so she could think about her special day and how she had made the slide happy. She really had done a good thing. 

     Mother and daughter left the park, arms around each other. They passed a bench where a mother sat holding her young son. The little boy seemed very sad. He asked his mother, "But Mummy, why can't I go on the slide?" 

     Polly heard his mother's answer; "You must stay off the slide for a few days, honey, the sign says "WET PAINT." 

     Polly smiled her biggest smile and hugged Mother tighter. 

source from : http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/PollHelp.shtml
                     by :Susan A. Candela

Negative Side of Online Games

 Online gaming is a phenomenon that is able to defeat the existence of social networking sites. Along with the development of gaming technology, today a lot of online games that provide features "online community". This is enough to make some children and even adults are long-lasting play online games, to get their inner satisfaction.


  Addictive online games for children, because the game even began to be regarded as something that causes addiction, where gamers can linger after the game and stay there without wanting a disorder that can break the concentration in the online gaming.

  Playing online games to make the players lose track of time. From online games that have been incarnated as a lifestyle is the use of excessive playing time. I think we all know that everything that is not excessively profitable. So few cases on record, there are some online game players spend time in vain for the sake of the game and are willing to not shower, do not eat, let alone to do positive activities and carry out tasks that are not obligations.
 

  Playing online games can make children apply wasteful. Using the Internet, the exact cost. Especially if you used to play games online. Although there is little likelihood of children allowed to play online games at home. But it did not rule out the kids prefer to play games online at internet cafes. Because in the cafe, they are more flexible in playing games online. Still have to spend extra money.

 

  As noted by the Park Association in his research entitled "The Casual Gaming Market Update". The study found that two-thirds of adult Internet users and children in the United States always play games online. While 29 percent and 19 percent respectively of information claimed to routinely watch online video and visit social networking sites.

Therefore, some parents began to fret if their children begin to know about online gaming. It's just learn from some of the cases, there should be supervision from parents to children are not too addicted to online games and to devote himself to learning.

 

picture source from:

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TUGAS SOFTSKILL BHS INGGRIS

QUESTIONS :

1. Bob said to me,"Mary is crying on my shoulder at the moment."
2. Tom said to me,"I don't want to eat this food."
3. Mary said to me,"I called my friend yesterday."
4. Bill said to me,"The children are planning to go to that new museum now."
5. Tom said to me,"I haven't called Mary since yesterday."
6. Joe said to me that he had been sitting there next to my house since two hours before.
7. John said to Mary that he had written all of their stories in his new book.
8. Jane said to me that she created her new painting in my room.
9. Tom said to me that he spent his time in this room.
10. Bob said to me that Anne didn't put the dictionary on that table.

ANSWERS :

1. Bob said to me that Mary was crying on his shoulder at the moment.
2. Tom said to me that he didn't want to eat that food.
3. Mary said to me that she had called her friend the day before.
4. Bill said to me that the children were planning to go to this new museum then.
5. Tom said to me that he hadn't called Mary since the previous day.
6. Joe said to me,"I have been sitting here next to your house since two hours before."
7. John said to Mary,"I written all of their stories in my new book."
8. Jane said to me,"I create my new painting in your room."
9. Tom said to me," I spend my time in that room."
10. Bob said to me,"Anne don't put the dictionary on this table."

ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

Adverbial Clause (Using before, after, when and while)

Study the following examples.
 a.  When the baby was in his bed, the big snake approached him.
                (adverbial clause)                      (independent clause)

 b.  She locked the door to make the gold inside safe before the woman left the house.
                 (independent clause)                                               (adverbial clause)

Notes :
-   Adverbial clauses are dependent clauses which cannot stand alone. The big snake approached him is
    the independent (main) clause.
-   The time introducers of adverb clause can be put either as the first or second clause (see example a and  
     b).
-   The punctuation: if the adverb clause comes first, a comma is needed to separate clauses (see example 
    a). 
    If the adverb clause comes the second, a comma is not necessary (see no. b).
-   Adverb clauses introduced by before, after, when, and while are adverb clause of time (meaning that 
    the clause explain the time of events).

Time Introducer After
ex: The dog was killed by the villagers after it wounded the baby.
mean: After means happening at that time subsequent to a certain time.

Time Introducer Before
ex: Before he died, he said some important words to his sons.
mean: Before means earlier in time or previously.

Time Introducer When
ex: When I was a child, I went to the jungle with my uncle.
mean: When means 'at that time'.

Time Introducer While
ex: While she was sitting at the porch of her house, a big frightening man came.
mean: While means 'during that time'.

Adverbial Clause to Show Cause-effect Relationships (Using because, since, as, for, and because of)

Adverbial clauses to show cause-effect relationship are usually necessary in the analytical and hortatory expositions. Therefore, it is very important to understand the use of conjunctions of cause-effect relationship.

A.  The uses of because, since, as, and as long as
      Study the following examples.
      a.  Flood happen regularly because the rivers cannot accommodate the great amount of
                                                                    water.
             (independent clause)   because +                        (adverbial clause) 
            Subject + Verb/to-be                                    Subject + Verb/to-be

      b.  Because the rivers cannot accommodate the great amount of water, floods happen
           regularly.
           Because +    (adverbial clause)                               (independent clause)
      c.  The prices of basic commodities rise as the fuel prices increase.
      d.  You should study more intensively since the exam will come soon. 
      e.  They won't go to school as long as they can't afford to pay school fee and the 
           expensive books.

Note:
1.  as and since mean the same: "because". As long as means "but only if".
2. The conjunctions (because, as, since, as long as) may come before or after the independent (main)
     clause. Compare examples a and b.
3. When the conjunctions come before the independent clause, a comma is needed.
4. Both independent clause and adverbial clause consist of a subject and predicate (verb/to-be).

B.  The use of "because of"
      Study the examples.
      a.  Because the quality is low, the product cannot be sold at a good price.
           Because + adverbial clause, Independent Clause

      b.  Because of the low quality, the product cannot be sold at a good price.
           Because of + Noun            , Independent Clause

Adverbial Clause of Time (Using by the time, until, once, as and as soon as)

To make texts, especially narratives become coherent, it is necessary to use adverbial clause of time. Some of the common words to introduce adverbial clause of time are: until, as, by the time, once and as soon as.
Study the following examples.
a.   I stayed in the house until the rain stopped.
b.   As the woman was waiting for her husband in front of the house, the child began crying.
c.   By the time the man arrived, the child had already slept.
d.   Once he got the chance, he hit the big man in the head.
e.   As soon as the rain started, he stopped his car.

Notes:
-  Until or till means "to that timeand then no longer" (till is used usually in speaking).
-  As means "while", during that time.
-  By the time means "one event is completed before another event".
-  Once and as soon as means the same, "when one event happens, another event happens soon afterwards"

*  Adverb clauses are sub (dependent) clauses which are used before or after the
    independent (main clauses).
    E.g. Once he finished his food, he ran to the jungle to hunt wild animals.
                   Adverbial clause                                 Main clause

            He ran to the jungle to hunt wild animals as soon as he finished his food.
                   Main clause                                                Adverbial clause

Taken from:
Kistono, dkk. 2007. The Bridge English Competence. Jakarta: Penerbit Yudistira.

Very Adverse Textile Waste Pollution

Textile waste containing hazardous materials. When reviewed in the chemical, the waste consists of organic and inorganic chemicals. Most of the textile wastewater containing inorganic chemicals. Chemicals used in textile manufacturing process is a starch, gelatin glue, resin, Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).

Textile waste production source, which is when the process of eliminating starch. Solvent removal is usually discarded and the kanji contain chemicals starching and relievers starch, PVA, CMC, enzymes, acids. Removal of starch base gives BOD compared with most other processes. Meriseration cooking and bleaching of cotton and all fabric is an important source of liquid waste, which produce acids, alkalis, COD, BOD, suspended solids and chemicals. These processes generate large volumes of liquid waste.

Signs of textile waste pollution. Usually textile waste water that has not been processed and has a pH outside the neutral pH, will change the pH of river water and can interfere with living organisms in there. Wastes with a pH of acid / low is corrosive to metal. Change the color, smell and taste is one of the signs that water has been polluted. The textile waste in the form of solid, if not dissolve completely will settle in the riverbed.

Impact of textile waste pollutions to the environment. With concentration and a certain quantity, the presence of waste can have a negative impact on the environment to human health, so necessary to the handling of textile waste.

 

Noni Fruit Efficacious Overcoming Diabetes Mellitus

Noni Fruit contains lots of vitamin C in high concentrations, vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, niacin, E and K, minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, and so forth.

All components of the noni can be used, such as leaves for vegetables is also used as medicines because of his usefulness, the flowers used for medicinal and pharmaceutical raw materials, especially for inflammation of the lining of the eye, scabies, boils, sore throat and cough, skin for leather tanning and dye batik .

Noni fruit is a natural medicine. Drawn from nature and can be directly consumed. Despite the stinging smell, the taste is very delicious and frothy, therefore this fruit is not much in demand by many people. However, the higher the odor contained in the fruit, of course, will be more efficacious.

Noni fruit is safe for consumption. Because the noni fruit was also declared safe for consumption by pregnant women and who are breastfeeding. As long as the processing of noni fruit is processed carefully, would not be able to cause health problems.

Evidently, noni efficacious overcome diabetes mellitus. As has been proven through excellent research and various research continuously. Patterns of treatment with a drop down Morinda performed Polynesian nation as well as support and recognition of Dr. Isabella Abbott, a professor of botany at the University of Hawaii in 1992 which states that noni juice is used more and more people to cope with diabetes / diabetes mellitus, has provided very strong evidence about noni that has the ability to control blood sugar / diabetes mellitus safely.

Source from : Noni Fruit Magazine