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Narrative Kelas XII smt 1

The Slippers of Buffalo Skin
Once, in a time long past, there were a pair of slippers made of buffalo skin belonging to a prince. When the prince took them off, he put them on a rack in the kitchen, where the kitchen mice stared at them hour after hour, for they wished to eat them.
These were no ordinary slippers, since they had the power of speech, and they spoke to one another exactly like husband and wife. One day the Husband Slipper said to his spouse, “Wife, if the mice stare at us this way, day and night, in the end we are going to be devoured by them. What do you think? Could we perhaps change ourselves into mice?”
The wife only replied, “As you wish, Husband.”
The Husband Slipper sent up a prayer to the Almighty for them to become mice, and at once their prayer was heard and their wish granted.
As mice, however, they discovered that their slightest movement caught the attention of the cats, which made them feel very unsafe, and so they asked to become cats.
This request too was granted them; but as cats, hardly had they set their paws outside the house when they were set upon by dogs. They therefore sent up an entreaty to become dogs, and as before, they were granted their wish.
When the newly created dogs came in the vicinity of men and women who were stamping rice, they were immediately beaten with the rice stampers and chased away. They decided then that it would be more advantageous to become human beings, and this too they were allowed to become.
They were then called upon by the village chief to perform a variety of tasks for him, among others, to carry heavy loads of rocks. Their dissatisfaction increasing, they asked to become courtiers; and the very next moment they were courtiers, in which capacity they had to carry out the commands of the Prince, night and day. They were even awakened from a deep sleep to perform some duty or other for His Majesty.
Of course the courtiers now felt how convenient it would be to become Prince and Princess, for then there would be no one over them to issue commands – and this too they became. But they were not at peace, for a Prince from another principality attacked their princedom, and they were continually surrounded by enemies.
More concerned than ever, the Slipper Prince said to his wife, “My fear is great that we will be defeated, and if, we are, we will be imprisoned and ordered to cut grass for the horses. What shall we do? If I could become God, we would have no enemies, and we would be all-powerful.”
And the wife replied, as always, “As you wish, Husband!”
But that was the limit. At the very moment that the Husband asked to become God, both he and his wife became slippers again, back in the kitchen, on the rack, as when their story began!
Adapted from: Alibasah, 1999

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Discussion

A Ban on Cell Phone Use at the Wheel:
Motorists to Face Jail Terms for Using Cell Phones

There have been changes in the policy of charging careless drivers (in London). Motorists caught talking on a hand-held mobile phone or sending a text while driving could be jailed under the charge of careless driving. In the most serious cases they could be charged with dangerous driving, which carries a twoyear minimum sentence and unlimited fine. Such a type of charging is applied in response to growing public concern over drivers using hand-held phones.
Against the ban, some people believe that driving while calling is generally a safe practice. Then, it is a bit difficult to charge one caught talking on a handheld mobile phone or sending a text while driving to face jail terms. They argue that cell phones are no different from any other distracted driving – like eating, drinking, putting make-up, shaving, smoking, and talking to back seat passengers.
In spite of this, the ban needs to be enforced. It is according to the fact, stated by Department for Transport, that drivers are four times more likely to crash if they are holding a mobile or sending a text while at the wheel. The ban does not cover hands-free phones, but drivers who use them can still be charged if police think they’re not in control of their vehicle. Statistics already show that the real distraction is the conversation, even if it is hands free. As it has been statistically proven that hands free conversation is a distraction, so the current laws is toughened.
Along with the debate on banning cell phone use at the wheel, there has been made a system called ‘Cell Phone Block While Driving’. This system is a device that prevents people from using a cell phone by the driver while car is moving. If the car is stopped for any reason, (red light, parking, etc.) a cell phone will work. If in motion, a cell phone doesn’t work. It is believed that the best use of the resources is in making cars safer and implementing auto reactive features that can take over for the driver, not in limiting the driver’s options.

Adapted from: http://www.halfbakery.com;http:// blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com; The Jakarta Post

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Explanation


Acid rain is rain that is highly acidic because of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and other air pollutants dissolved in it. Normal rain is slightly acidic, with a pH of 6. Acid rain may have a pH value as low as 2.8.
Acid rain can severely damage both plant and animal life. Certain lakes, for example, have lost all fish and plant life because of acid rain.
Acid rain comes from sulphur in coal and oil. When they burn, they make sulphur dioxide (SO2 ). Most sulphur leaves factory chimneys as the gaseous sulphur dioxide (SO2 ) and most nitrogen is also emitted as one of the nitrogen oxides (NO or NO2 ), both of which are gases. The gases may be dry deposited–absorbed directly by the land, by lakes or by the surface vegetation. If they are in the atmosphere for any time, the gases will oxidise (gain an oxygen atom) and go into solution as acids. Sulphuric acid (H2 SO4 ) and the nitrogen oxides will become nitric acid (HNO3 ). The acids usually dissolve in cloud droplets and may travel great distances before being precipitated as acid rain. Catalysts such as hydrogen peroxide, ozone and ammonium help promote the formation of acids in clouds. More ammonium (NH4 ) can be formed when some of the acids are partially neutralised by airborne ammonia (NH3 ). Acidication increases with the number of active hydrogen (H+) ions dissolved in acid. Hydrocarbons emitted by for example, car exhausts will react in sunlight with nitrogen oxides to produce ozone. Although it is invaluable in the atmosphere, low level ozone causes respiratory problems and also hastens the formation of acid rain. When acid rain falls on the ground it dissolves and liberates heavy metals and aluminium (Al). When it is washed into lakes, aluminium irritates the outer surfaces of many fish. As acid rain falls or drains into the lake the pH of the lake falls. Forests suffer the effect of acid rain through damage to leaves, through the loss of vital nutrients, and through the increased amounts of toxic metals liberated by acid, which damage roots and soil micro organisms.
Taken from Science and Technology Encycopedia, 1998

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