1Wasabi is a root vegetable known as ‘Japanese horseradish’ in English. 2It has a strong, hot flavor, and yet it doesn’t leave a strong burning sensation in the mouth. 3According to some Japanese historians, wasabi was discovered hundreds of years ago by a farmer in a remote mountain village. 4The farmer reportedly showed it to Tokugawa Ieyasu, a Japanese warlord at the time. 5Ieyasu liked wasabi so much that he declared it a treasure only to be grown in the Shizuoka area. 6Since then, the consumption of wasabi has spread to countries all over the world. 7Today, a number of small farmer grow wasabicommercially in mountainous areas mainly in Shizuoka Prefecture and in Nagano Prefecture. 8Visitors can tour these farms and then purchasewasabi-flavored products such as chocolate, noodles, and even beer. 9Although some farms have turned into popular tourist destinations, the actualwasabi farming techniques are carefully-guarded secrets. 10Wasabi has a well-deserved reputation for being tricky to grow, largely because it requires cold, clear water with an almost perfect balance of minerals. 11Hence, there are few producers, and the supply of wasabi is quite limited. 12This could become problematic in the future if the demand for wasabicontinues to increaseworldwide.
1Professor Arthur Goldstuck studies trend in publishing for a company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. 2He says that electronic bookstores are growing in popularity and are threatening the future of traditional bookstores. 3Goldstuck believes that many smaller traditional bookstores are closing down because they simply cannot compete with larger bookstores or with the digital book market. 4His researchsuggests that electronic books are the future of the publishing industry in South Africa, but he hopes that there will always be a place on people’s bookshelves for printed books. 5Goldstuck explains, “I’ve read many books on an e-reader, but I still prefer a printed book. 6The ability to easily go back andforth between the pages of a printed book to quickly check something just isn’t as convenient in an electronic book.” 7Kate Rogan, the owner of Love Books in Johannesburg, agrees with Goldstuck. 8She says many of her customersown e-reading devices while at the same time they remain loyal to printed books. 9The customers enjoy the feel of them; they love flipping through the pages and seeing them on their shelves. 10Surprisingly, Rogan says her store has not lost business because of the recent popularity of electronic books. 11In fact, her store’s sales have actually increased in the last five years. 12She says printed books and traditional bookstores offer a personal experience that electronic books and online bookstores cannot.
1In the early 1960s, only men were given the opportunity to go into space as part of the United States’ space program. 2In 1983, however, Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel into space. 3After studying physics at college and graduate school, Ride was accepted into NASA’s astronauttrainingprogram in 1978. 4Five years later, she journeyed into space as one of the crew of the Challenger space shuttle. 5In 1984, Ride was able to return to space for a second time. 6In total, she spent 343 hours in orbit. 7After completing her missions and returning home, she remained involved with the space shuttle program and worked to share her passion for science with children. 8She wrote five science books for young readers and started her own science education company. 9Following Ride’s historic trips, more than 40 other American women have traveled into space. 10They all have Ride to thank for breaking the genderbarrier in space exploration and for inspiring young women toreach for the stars.
1Chopsticks are important part of Asian culture. 2Their popularity and widespread use across Asia have a long and rich history. 3It is believed that the first chopsticks were used over 5,000 years ago in China. 4By 500 A.D., the use of chopsticks had spread from China to other countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. 5Chopsticks are usually made of bamboo. 6This is bacause there is a lot of bamboo in Asia, it is easy to split, and it is resistant to heat. 7Other popular materials used to make chopsticks have included plastic and bone. 8In addition, in ancient times, gold and silver chopsticks were commonly used among the wealthy. 9It was even once thought that silver chopsticks would turn black upon contact withpoisoned food, although this has since been disproved. 10Regardless of the material, chopsticks have evolvedinto an important part of Asian culture.
1Many variety of papaya are consumed in the United States, and two of the most popular are the Hawaiian papaya and the Mexican papaya. 2Hawaiian papayas are commonlystocked in supermarkets. 3These pear–shaped fruits weigh about half a kilo on average and have yellow skin when they are ripe. 4The fruit inside is bright orange or pink, depending on the variety, with small black seedsclustered in the center. 5Hawaiian papayas are easier for farmers to harvest because the plants seldom grow taller than two meters. 6Mexican papayas are much larger and may weigh up to four kilos and may be more than 45 centimeters long. 7The fruit inside may be yellow, orange, or pink. 8The flavor is less intense than that of the Hawaiian papaya, but it is still delicious. 9Mexican papayas are slightly easier to grow than Hawaiian papayas. 10Regardless of the origin, both kinds of papaya are widely enjoyed across the United States.