Making Inferences Level Four Mrs. Hunsaker

Going Shopping Supermarkets are an American invention. In most other countries, they are found only in the biggest cities, in these countries, people must make several stops. They’ll go to one store for meat, another for bread, a third for vegetables, and a fourth for dairy foods. Some cities have market areas, where a different kind of goods will be sold on each street. In some parts of the world, there are no fixed prices. The buyer and seller will bargain, each trying to make the best deal. This is called haggling. People have to be good at haggling to earn a living. But in some ways it’s also like a game.

Supermarkets are found in all big cities. not found in all countries. found only in America.

Haggling means the same as buying. stealing. bargaining.

If the buyer isn’t good at haggling, he or she will probably pay more than the goods are worth. make the best deal. go to a supermarket next time.

Haggling is like a game because you play with a board, playing pieces, and dice. each person is trying to win. there are a lot of rules.

About Our Calendar As everyone knows, “Thirty days hath September,” and so on. But have you ever wondered why some months have 30 days, others 31, and poor February only 28? Until about 2,000 years ago, most people used a lunar calendar, based on the moon. A lunar calendar isn’t very accurate. Each month begins on the day of the new moon. At the end of 12 months there are always a few days left over. When Julius Caesar was ruler of Rome he decided that the calendar should be made more accurate, so that a year would come out to 365 days. He gave each moth 30 or 31 days, and named one of the 30 day months after himself - July. Then he had a second thought. He gave July a 31 st day, taking the extra day away from February. When Caesar’s adopted son, Augustus, became ruler of Rome, he renamed a month after himself, too. Of course he thought his month should also have 31 days. And so another day was taken from February!

Our calendar is based on the phases of the moon. one invented by Julius Caesar. a mistake.

From this story, we know that Augustus was ruler of Rome before Julius Caesar. after Julius Caesar. for 365 days.

Julius’ calendar all months had 31 days. August had 30 days. July had 32 days.

Augustus was the man August was named for. Julius Caesar’s father. the man who invented the calendar.

Mountain Men The 1820’s and ’30s were the years of the mountain men. They were trappers and traders in the Rocky Mountains, the first people other than Indians to live there. People have long been fascinated by the mountain men. Stories about them have been told in many books and movies. But it’s hard to day what they were really like. They were men who chose to live in the wilderness, winter and summer. Often they would go for months without seeing another human being. Sometimes mountain men fought with Indians. But many lived among Indians, and married Indian women. All took on the Indians’ way of life. Many mountain men couldn’t read or write. But if someone with books came into their camp, they liked having stories read to them as much as any child at bedtime. Many of the earliest maps of the West were made by mountain men. Years later, these same men guided wagon trains across the country that they had once shared with the Indians.

The mountain men earned their living by fighting with Indians. cutting wood. catching animals.

The first people in the Rocky Mountains were Indians. mountain men. trappers and traders.

The mountain men probably got most of their food by hunting. farming. shopping.

The mountain men probably got other things they needed by stealing. trading animal furs. writing stories for money.

About the Midnight Ride Every American knows the story of Paul Revere and his famous midnight ride. Everyone knows that he rode out of Boston to warn the people of Lexington, shouting, “The British are coming!” What many people don’t know is that Paul Revere never made it to Lexington. He was stopped by British soldiers and turned back. A second rider, Will Dawes, got through with the message. Why is Revere famous, and Dawes all but Forgotten? Besides being a patriot, Paul Revere was also a silversmith. His beautiful silver pieces were greatly prized, especially after his death. If he hadn’t been known as a craftsman, he might have been forgotten too. Then Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” The poem became very popular. Generations of school children were required by their teachers to memorize it. The story Longfellow told in his poem is known much better than the true facts.

Paul Revere made his living as a rider. patriot. silversmith.

For a while after the American Revolution, Will Dawes was famous as a silversmith. Paul Revere’s ride wasn’t remembered as an important event. Revere’s silver work was more valuable than it was later.

The famous poem about Paul Revere was written by Will Dawes. has long been forgotten. doesn’t tell the true story.

If the poem had never been written no one would have ever heard of Paul Revere. Paul Revere would still be remembered as a silversmith. Will Dawes would have been forgotten.

A Matter of Taste A TV commercial makes the observation, “Everybody doesn’t like something.” It’s probably also true that someone, somewhere, likes something that you don’t. Most North Americans would never eat raw fish. But in Japan nearly everyone does. What about raw hamburger? That’s probably not a favorite of yours, either. But a popular dish in Germany is steak Tartar, which is nothing other than – you guessed it-raw ground beef. In some countries, people of all ages drink milk. But most Chinese would be disgusted by the very thought. And then there was the American vacationing in France, who noticed that there was no popcorn in French movie theaters. Here, he thought, was a chance to make some money. Back in the United States he bought 120 popcorn machines and shipped them to France. He didn’t sell a single one. To the French, he discovered, corn is fit only for pigs.

Steak Tartar is a dish that’s really raw fish. raw hamburger. not good to eat.

Raw fish is a popular dish in France. Germany. Japan.

In China nobody drinks milk. only babies drink milk. very few people drink milk.

The man who shipped 120 popcorn machines to France probably wanted to move to France. was a farmer who grew corn. lost money.

You are ready to move to the next level!