The
Statue of Liberty
Every American is proud of the Statue of
Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of friendship from the people of
France to the people of the United States, as a symbol of freedom. It is in the
liberty Island in New York and it has been a welcoming signal to immigrants who
arrived from abroad.
Friedrick Bartholdi built the Statue of
Liberty in 1875. The 100-meter monument is made of copper plates on a steel
frame. It shows a female figure in a robe. She represents Libertas, the Roman
goddess of freedom. She holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet with the
inscription “July 4, 1776” in her left hand, the date of the Declaration of
Independence. On her head, she wears a crown with 7 spikes as a symbol of seven
continents and seven seas. A broken chain lies at her feet as a symbol of
broken tyranny.
The statue has been a major tourist
attraction in the United States.
Sharks
Shark is a meat-eating fish and one of the
most feared animals in the sea. There are over 300 types of sharks that live in
oceans all over the world. Most of them in warm seas but some sharks prefer
colder places like the seas around Antarctica.
Sharks have various sizes and habits. The
largest of them is the whale shark, which can grow up to 15 m long and weight
twice as much as an elephant. The smallest sharks are only about 16 cm long and
weight about 28 grams. Some kinds of sharks live in the deepest parts of the
ocean, others are found near the surface. A few types of sharks even live in
rivers and lakes.
Even though all sharks are meat eaters, they
seldom attack people. In fact, more than half of the sharks in the world are
not dangerous to people. Most of them eat other fish. They also eat dead
animals, plankton, crabs, sea turtles, seals, sometimes whales. Among the most
dangerous is the great white shark, a fish with sharp teeth that can rip off
chunks of flesh from animals. They hunt for large animals, such as sea lions,
tuna and other sharks. They have even attacked human beings, especially when
they are hungry or worried. Movement, noises, or blood in the water can provoke
sharks and make them attack.
Cactus
A cactus is a kind of plant. The plural forms
of cactus are cacti or cactuses or cactus. Most cacti are native to the
Americas, even though one also grows in Africa and Sri Lanka. Many cacti live
in dry places, such as deserts. Most cacti have sharp thorns and thick skin.
There are many shapes and sizes of cacti. Some are short and round; others are
tall and thin. Many cactus flowers are bigand beautiful. Some cactus fruits are
brightly coloured and good to eat. Goats, birds, ants, mice, bats and people
eat cactus fruits.
