THE MOON: A NICE PLACE TO VISIT?

THE MOON: A NICE PLACE TO VISIT?

Read the passage.
 

          The moon has been described by songwriters and poets as a place for a romantic escape. We know of course that the moon is actually a very hostile environment for human beings.

The moon is completely devoid of water because the force of gravity on the moon is much less than on the earth. (The moon is much smaller; its surface is about as large as Africa.) The lack of a strong gravitational pull has caused any water the moon may have had to leak out into space over the 4.6 billion years that it has been in existence. Of course, since there is no water, there is also no vegetation. So if you go, bring your lunch.

           There is no air on the moon because its gravity is insufficient to retain an atmosphere. Accordingly, travelers to the moon require not only oxygen and water but also protection against cosmic rays that are unfiltered by an atmosphere. No atmosphere also means no weather - no wind, no rain, no cloud.

Temperatures on the moon are quite extreme, ranging from 110°C to –173°C. This occurs because there is no atmosphere to filter the sun's rays when it is shining and then to blanket in warm air when the sun goes down. These extremes of temperature are particularly striking during a solar eclipse, when the earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, temporarily blotting out the sun's light.  At such times the temperature on the moon dips very rapidly and then rises immediately as the sun emerges from the earth's shadow. The change in temperature may be as much as 200°C in one hour! This sudden change can cause rocks to shatter due to the alternate expanding and contracting. Thus if you visit the moon, deciding what to wear could be a problem.

           There is no twilight or dawn on the moon. Like the earth, the moon does not shine by its own light; it reflects the light of sun. Unlike the earth, however, there is no atmosphere to diffuse the light as day becomes night and night turns into day. Changes from light to dark and dark to light occur suddenly.

The lunar sky is black.  (Blue sky on the earth is produced by the scattering of blue light in the spectrum by particles of air.)  On the moon stars are visible in the daytime, but you would have to shield your eyes from the unfiltered sunlight to view them.

           There is no sound on the moon. Sound travels on waves of air molecules.  Since there is no air, there is nothing to transmit sound. Leave your transistor home. Also, the moon is not a magnet the way the earth is. You can leave your compass home too.

            The moon is a satellite of the earth, revolving around the earth once every twenty-nine and a half days. The moon itself rotates, but it does so very slowly. Therefore the same side of the moon is always visible to us. To get to the moon, you would have to travel 240,000 miles, a distance that is about the same as circling the earth at the equator ten times.

           It is clear that if you were making a trip to the moon, you should need to pack more than a toothbrush and a change of underwear. Its adverse conditions would make it very difficult for a visitor from the earth.

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TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE MAKETH FOOLS

TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE MAKETH FOOLS

Read the passage.

          Once upon a time, there were four youths studying under the famous professor Disaparmauk of Taxila. They all came of rich families from different lands.  Each followed his natural bent and specialized in different branches of study. One studied music and dancing; another studied medicine; another studied astrology; and the fourth, philosophy.

           After studying for three years they were considered proficient in their respective subject, and the time came to say good-bye to their professor and return to their respective parents. As a parting gift the professor gave them a cooking pot, as well as some grain, in order that they would have something to cook and eat should their dry rations runs out before they reached home.

          Then, as his final gift to his students, the professor gave them a piece of advice. "Remember," he said to them," the four of you may be proficient, each in your own subject, but if you don't have the sense to act suitably to the time and circumstance of situation, you may have to go hungry."

Not quite comprehending what the great teacher meant, they looked at one another, but said nothing, and great teacher meant, they looked at one another, but said nothing, and after paying their respects to their professor, set forth on their journey home.

             After travelling for a number of days their dry rations ran out and the pot and the grain given to them by their professor came in very useful indeed. "How thoughtful our great teacher is!" they felt and got down to the business of cooking themselves a meal. There was rice enough for all four of them all right, but they would have to do something about the curry. So they drew lots for the different tasks to be carried out in order to get a decent meal.

             Thus, the man of music and dancing was to cook the rice. The medico was to buy meat and fish; the astrologer was to gather vegetables; and the philosopher was to get some ghee (which is clarified butter) to cook the curry in. And they each set out to do his task.

            The medico went to the nearest village and there in the bazaar he found various kinds of meat and fish. He looked around for some time and found that nothing suited him. His medical knowledge now seemed to warn him which meat or fish was indigestible, which not nutritious, which unseasonable, which would cause what disease, which would upset the stomach and which the bile, till finally he left without buying any meat or fish!

           The philosopher, however, got the required ghee, which he packed in a green leaf, and retraced his steps. On the way he soon became lost in philosophical speculations. "Ghee," he said to himself, "comes from cow's milk. Cow eats grass, and yes, leaves, too. Ah then, in a way, ghee comes from cow's milk, and cow's milk comes from leaves, and so the ghee and the leaf are related!"On and on he philosophized, quite happily unaware of the ghee in the leaf in his hand melting gradually and dripping.

            By the time he met the medico, who was coming back empty-handed from the village market, there was nothing left of the ghee he had bought!  He, too, was now empty-handed. The two of them looked at each other, not knowing whether to smile or weep and each recounted to the other what had happened to him, as they walked back to where the man of music and dancing was supposed to be cooking the rice. But there, to their horror, they found their friend looking as disconsolate as ever, moping beside a broken pot with the rice strewn all over the fire-place.

           "Soon after the three of you left," wailed the cook,"  I built a fire, rinsed the rice, put it in the pot, added the required amount of water, and placed the pot on the fire. After some time, the pot began to simmer, and then it started to boil. I watched and could not help but hear the bubbling noise of the boiling rice. To my ears, it sounded so much like the rhythmic beats of music coming from a drum that I started dancing to it. And, … and …"

             "And what happened?" asked his two friends. " And," continued the cook," one backward kick of my right heel caught the pot. And there, as you can see, is the end of our rice!"

The other two, who had come back empty-handed, now found it quite easy to admit to the cook that they, too, had failed to accomplish what they had set out to do. Suddenly, they remembered their astrologer friend, who was to get some vegetables. Off they went to look for him in the forest, and there atop a tall bael tree was their friend, sitting tight.

             Before they could say anything, the astrologer called out to them. "Hey, I've got all the tender bael leaves that should go well with our meal. See!" he said, holding up the leaves he had plucked.

"Then why are you still there astride that branch? What are you staying on there for?"

"Ah," replied the astrologer, "the climbing up was easy because at that moment I was under the influence of an ascending constellation. But now, the climbing down is quite a different matter. You see, the stars are not just right as yet and I am waiting for the moment when I'll be under the influence of a descending constellation."

               "Oh, to hell with your stars and constellations!" the three on the ground yelled, almost in unison. "Just come you down!"

             The poor astrologer was frightened out of his wits. He started to climb down slowly, shakily. But he was trembling so much that he half-slipped and half-fell, and lay in a stunned heap on the ground. His three friends lifted him up and all he had were bruises and cuts. No tender bael leaves!

             Now with no meal in sight, each began to realize how and why he had failed in carrying out his lot. Then, slowly, the wisdom of the parting advice given to them by their great teacher dawned upon them.

"Remember, the four of you may be proficient, each in your own subject, but if you don't have the sense to act suitably to the time and circumstance of a situation, you may have to go hungry."

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