19

Reader's Bank_Level 4_Unit 07                                    Reading Text

How old is the Earth? Scientists say that the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Let’s imagine the Earth is a 46-year-old person. What happened during those 46 years? For the first 7 years, we don’t know much. Life first appeared when the Earth was 42 years old. Dinosaurs came at age 45. Mammals appeared only 8 months ago. A week ago, some animals started to look more like humans. Modern humans have been here for only 4 hours. People began farming in the last hour. The Industrial Revolution started just one minute ago. And in the last sixty seconds? Technology helped people grow quickly, but it cost a lot. Humans have turned paradise into a wasteland.

20

According to an old story, swans sing only once in their lives. People say that swans try really hard to sing a beautiful song. When they finish singing, they get too tired to do anything else. So they fall down and die. Some people believed it was the best and last thing a swan could do. Like swans, some artists work very hard to make their art beautiful. They use all their time and energy. After they finish it, they are too tired. Some even die afterward. Today, pay attention when someone says “swan song.” It is not a real song by a swan, but an artist’s final greatest work.

21

Back in 1708, there was a big Spanish ship. Its name was San Jose. It was going to Spain with lots of treasure from Bolivia and Peru. But the ship was attacked by British ships. It sank near Colombia. People forgot about San Jose for a long time. Then, someone found it after about 300 years. Now, many countries want the treasure. Colombia says, “The ship is in our waters, so it is ours.” Bolivia and Peru say, “The treasure came from our lands, so we should get it back.”  Spain says, “The ship was Spanish, so it belongs to us.” The USA says, “We helped find it, so we should get some, too.” The ship has over 200 tons of gold and jewels. Countries are still fighting about it. Who will get the treasure? Which side are you on?