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Reader's Bank_Level 4_Unit 08                                    Reading Text

One day, a man was eating oysters at a restaurant in New York City. While chewing, he felt something hard in his mouth. He thought he broke a tooth. But to his surprise, it was a pearl! Pearls are shiny jewels that grow inside oysters. But how are they made? Sometimes, a tiny grain of sand gets into the oyster. It hurts the oyster. To protect itself, the oyster covers the sand with a smooth layer. It keeps adding more layers over time. After a few years, these layers become a pearl. The man may be glad to find a pearl, but he may not know how hard the oyster worked to make the pearl.

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The sea level is rapidly rising because of global warming. If it keeps rising, many places in the world may sink. A company named Oceanix came up with a good idea to solve this problem. The idea was to build a floating city on the ocean. The city would have six man-made islands. About 10,000 people could live there. People wouldn’t need to worry about food. They could grow crops on the islands. The city could also move to different places each season. In summer, it could move to a cooler place. In winter, it could go to a warmer place. Will this city be the solution to  rising sea levels? No one knows for sure. But we should act now—before it’s too late.

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There was an American designer named Patricia Moore. One day, she had a fun idea: She decided to act like an old woman. Although she was only 26, she dressed up like an 80-year-old grandma! For three years, Patricia went to many places to see what the world was like for older people. During her journey, she found that many things were hard for them. Sometimes it was difficult to open doors. Other times, it was hard to pull a cart in stores. Patricia wrote everything down in her diary. Then, Patricia had a great idea to help. She designed jars that were easy to open. She made chairs that were easy to sit in. Patricia’s ideas were great! Now, people understand that good design is not just about looking pretty. It is also about making life easier for everyone.