Honey bees travel up to four miles to find nectar for honey. When a bee finds nectar, it does a wiggle dance to tell the other bees where the nectar is. Other worker bees then head out to the source. All in all, a hive of bees can travel up to 55,000 miles and visit 2,000,000 plants to produce one pound of honey. What is the main idea: Honeybees are hard workers. It was the end of May, and Li still hadn't made a real friend. li was shy and self conscious about his neight. At his old school, he'd been on the basketball team and knew a few of the players, but when he enrolled at Dunbar, basketball season had ended. Li planned to go out for the team next year, but that didn't help his sisutation now. What is the main idea: Li is having a hard time making friends. Can insects be trained? Researchers placed checmicals into bee feeders. the checmicals are often found in explosives, such as bombs. Within two days, the bees connected the smell of the checmicals with food. They were then able to lead researchers to buried explosives by scent alone. Researchers hope to use honeybees to locate buried land mines, which are used as weapons of war. What is the main idea: It may be possible to change insect behavior. Scotland's Loch Ness has been making headlines for more that 70 years. In 1933, two people reported seeing a huge animal swimming in the lake. two more claimed they saw the same creature moving across land. Some people said it had a hump. Others said it had flippers and a long neck. Despite more than 4,000 sightings, no one knows for sure if "Nessie" exists. What is the main idea: Rumors of a strange creature have made Loch Ness famous. Unicorns were once common in folktales. Unicorns resembled horses with a single horn on their foreheads. They lived deep in the forest and were rarely seen. the only way to capture one was to send a maiden alone into the forest. Upon seeing her, a unicorn would approach. It would then lie down beside her allowing itself to be captured. What is the main idea: Imaginary creatures called unicorns were popular in folktales.. Tattoos might be "in," but they can also be dangerous. Dirty needles are sometimes used to puncture the skin. These needles can spread deadly diseases. It is important for people to research tattoo parlors for their cleanliness. Because, being "in" could just mean being in the hospital. What is the main idea: Tatoos come with health risks. How are colds spread? Picture this: Jeremiah coughs and covers his mouth with his hand. Then Ming borrows his highlighter. Ming yawns and rubs her eyes. She forgets to return Jeremiah's highlighter. She gives it to Valerie, who will see Jeremiah next period. Valerie holds it in her teeth while opening her locker, and now, instead of one person with a cold, there are three! What is the main idea: Colds are spread by human contact . The Vietnam War was an unpopular war. One reason was the draft, which forced young men to join the military. Many didn't want to risk their lives for a country they'd never heard of. Others weren't willing to fight against a country that wasn't attacking the United States. In protest, some burned their draft cards, even though punishment was five years in jail and a $10,000 fine. What is the main idea: The Vietname War was an unpopular war because of the draft. English is a hard language to learn. That is because so many english words are actually not English. Our language has about one million words. Eighty percent of those words are borrowed from other languages. The effect? Eighty percent of our words don't follow the rules of the English language. That would make any language hard to learn! What is the main idea: borrowed words make English difficult to learn. The Colossus of Rhodes was a huge statue of the Greek Sun god. Built in 282 B.C., it stood 110 feet high and weighed 225 tons. For years, it stood on the island of Rhodes. but an earthquake shook the area around 226 B.C., causing the statue to topple and break. Some say it took 900 camels to haul the pieces away. What is the main idea: A Greek statue was toppled by an earthquake. Is dodgeball fun for everyone? In dodgeball, a player is out of the game if he or she is hit with a ball. Many fell this keeps kids who are not good at sports from getting physical activity. Others feel dodgeball send that message that it's OK to use humans as targets. With this in mind. some school have banned dodgeball. What is the main idea: Dodgeball might not be a good game for all kids to play. During both world wars, Mexican immigrants filled an important need in this country. Many American men were overseas fighting. This caused a huge shortage of workers. Mexicans filled in as farmhands and factory workers. They helped produce food for soldiers as well as the supplies necessary to win the wars. What is the main idea: Mexican immigrants have done their part to help the United states win wars.. In Greek mythology, Pandora was a woman who let her curiosity get the best of her. Pandora opened a box she was told not to open. This released many ills, such as war and sorrow on the world. The phrase "Pandora's box" is still used today. It refers to something that could have many bad effects and would be better left alone, or "unopened." What is the main idea: The phrase "Pandora's Box" comes from Greek mythology. In 1987, war in Africa caused thousands of boys to leave their villages. The boys walked across Africa, through swamps and jungles. Half died before reaching safety. In 2001, 4,000 of these "Lost Boys of Sudan" came to the United states. Here, they're going to school and trying to build new lives. Some hope to return to Sudan to help the people they left behind. What is the main idea: The Lost boys of Sudan came to America to start new lives. In the 1830's, an Irish scientist said trains would never be able to travel very fast. before 1900, people didn't see a need for telephones. in 1894, a British scientist said people would not use radios. In 1943, the chairman of IBM computers was asked how many computers the world needed. His answer? Five! What is the main idea: People cannot always predict how things will turn out. On Monday, Jonelle failed her science test. She'd intended to stud over the weekend, but by Sunday evening, she still hadn't opened her science book. Plus, her favorite show was on from 8:00 to 10:00. Then, before she realized it, it was time for bed. jonelle swallowed hard as she opened the front door. She hoped her mother wasn't home. What is the main idea? : Jonelle didn't study and failed a test. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, young Huck runs away from home with a slave named Jim. They head north so Jim can be free, but on the way, Huck feel s guilty. He knows it's against the law to help Jim escape slavery. he thinks about turning Jim in, but he also thinks about what a good friend Jim is, so they keep going. What is the main idea: A good friend is worth taking risks for
