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1. lesson35
Some Tall Tales "Do you think it is possible to defeat an opponent so fierce that a glance at her turns one to stone? This was the fate of anyone who looked upon the Medusa, a dreaded monster whose hair was made of hissing serpents. The brave Perseus undertook to fight the Medusa, but he was compelled to do battle in a most awkward manner. To help Perseus in his venture, the goddess Minerva had lent him her bright shield, and the god Mercury had given him winged shoes. Cautiously he approached the awesome monster. Using the image of the Medusa in his shield as a guide, he succeeded in cutting off her head and fixing it to the center of Minerva's shield. Perseus then flew to the realm of King Atlas whose chief pride was his garden filled with golden fruit. Thirsty and near collapse, he pleaded with the king for water to quench his thirst and for a place to rest. But Atlas feared that he would be betrayed into losing his golden apples. He uttered just one word, ""Begone!"" Perseus, finding that he could not pacify Atlas, responded by beckoning him to look upon Medusa's head. Atlas was changed immediately into stone. His head and hair became forests, his body increased in bulk and became cliffs, and the gods ruled that the heaven with all its stars should rest upon his shoulders. Can there be a worse calamity than that which befell Atlas?"
love and Marriage The famous architect Melville Fenton grew tired of matrimony and devised a scheme to free himself of his spouse. He told her he had been engaged by an American company to design its new office building in Paris. Packing his baggage, he left his home and proceeded to cut all his ties with his former life. He changed his name, secured a new job, and quickly forgot his faithful wife. Not having any responsibilities, he began to squander his money and energy. He married another woman, believing he was safe from the law. But his first wife had grown suspicious and resentful. She learned from his employer that he had not gone abroad, that in fact he had left the firm altogether. With a little detective work, she soon discovered her husband's whereabouts. He had become a fugitive from justice and one calamity after another overtook him. He lost his job, became a pauper and was no longer the envy of his acquaintances. Then his second wife grew ill and died. After the collapse of his plans, there was only one logical step for Melville to take. He embraced his wife and asked for her forgiveness. Much to his relief, she decided not to prosecute him for bigamy.
Safety in the Air The most persistent plea of weary pilots has always been for a machine that would warn them that they were about to collide with an oncoming airplane. Studies of landing patterns confirm that the number of collisions is increasing each year, and pilots verify hundreds of reports of near misses. Recently a system that would electronically anticipate oncoming airplanes was devised, and the pilot's dilemma to dive or to climb, to detour to left or right, may be solved. The system has merit, though, only if every plane is equipped to transmit and receive a signal to and from an oncoming plane. But most aviation experts feel that only a system that watches every airplane in the sky will relieve a problem that tends to baffle everyone who attempts to find a solution.
Summer Travel If you are tired of making vague excuses for another dull summer at home, here is a thought to elevate your spirits. You do not need anything so radical as winning a lottery to finance a trip to Europe. A student identity card that can be obtained for a few dollars from the Council on International Educational Exchange entitles you to discount tickets on certain charter flights to London and Paris, as well as reduced admission to many museums, cinemas, and musical events. Once in Europe, you can stretch your budget by staying at approved youth hostels for about ten dollars a night. So don't discard your hopes of becoming an international traveler. Soon you can be soaring into the skies or skimming over the waves to new adventures that you will subsequently relate to your stationary friends.
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