Q: "The Lord of the Rings", one of the best sellers in the new millennium , was made up of three parts--"The Fellow Ship of the Ring", "Two Towers", and "The Return of the King". Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork. 

John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien's becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo--Saxon. 

After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien's imaginative work "The Hobbit". 

Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them,Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves . On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible. 

One of Tolkien's students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft . The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children's book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and "The Hobbit" was published in 1937. 

It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced "The Lord of the Rings", a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who wrote the  Lord of the Rings?
2. When was he born?
3. Where?
4. Who raised him
5. What did he do for fun with cousins?
6. What real languages did he learn?
7. What are the 3 sections of the Lord of the Rings?
8. Where did he go to school?
9. Did he leave before graduating?
10. What diid he teach?
11. What was his discussion group named?
12. What were hobbits?
13. Were they the same thing as dwarves?
14. Where were their homes?
15. What was one of the hobbits named?
16. What terrible creature did he meet?
17. How much did a child receive for reviewing The Hobbit?
A: 1. John Ronald Refuel Tolkien
2. 1892
3. South Africa
4. his aunt
5. made up play languages
6. Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo--Saxon
7. unknown
8. Oxford
9. no
10. Anglo-Saxon
11. the Inklings
12. half-sized members of the English rural class
13. no
14. hillside holes
15. Bilbo Baggins
16. Gollum
17. a shilling
Q: New York (CNN) -- Two men suspected of planning an attack on a Manhattan synagogue with guns and a grenade were arrested Wednesday, marking the end of a seven-month undercover operation by New York police officers. 

The suspects, Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, were detained in midtown Manhattan after buying two loaded Browning semi-automatic pistols, one Smith & Wesson revolver, ammunition and a grenade, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. 

At least a dozen police officers swarmed Ferhani, who was at the time placing the weapons in the trunk of his car. Mamdouh was arrested on a street nearby moments later. 

Each faces terrorism and hate-crime-related charges and, if convicted, could confront the prospect of life behind bars without the possibility of parole. 

Ferhani, a 26-year-old unemployed resident of Queens, is a native of Algeria who traveled to the United States in 1995, claiming asylum. 

"Muslims are abused all over the world, and I ain't going to take it," prosecutors quoted Ferhani as saying; his conversations with an undercover police officer were secretly recorded. 

Prosecutors say Ferhani sold narcotics in an effort to finance the planned attacks. 

His defense attorney, Stephen Pokart, told Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson that his client "hasn't committed any crime at all." 

Mamdouh, 20, also a Queens resident, was previously arrested on a pending 2010 burglary charge. He worked for a local delivery service and came to the United States in 1999 with his family from Casablanca, Morocco. 

Defense attorney Steven Fusfelda -- while not acknowledging the legitimacy of the charges -- asked for leniency given that the prosecutors' case appeared to hinge more directly on Ferhani, he said. 

Answer the following questions:
1. who is Ray Kelly?
2. How were the attacks going to be financed?
3. Who are the suspects mentioned in the article?
4. Which weapons did they buy?
5. how many police people were involved in the arrest?
6. Which building were the suspects planning to attack?
7. What are the charges against them?
8. What New York borough do they reside in?
9. Were they born here?
10. Who is Melissa Jackson?
11. Where did the arrest take place?
12. If the suspects are convicted how long will they spend in jail?
13. How old are they?
14. Who is Steven Fusfelda?
15. Were Farhani and Mamdouh together when they were arrested?
16. How do the police know what Ferhani said?
17. What is his religion?
18. What county did Ferhani come from?
19. What country does Mamdouh come from"
20. Does either of them have a criminal record?
A: 1. Police Commissioner
2. Ferhani sold narcotics
3. Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh
4. pistols, one revolver, ammunition and a grenade
5. At least a dozen
6. a synagogue
7. terrorism and hate-crime-related charges
8. Queens
9. no
10. a judge
11. Manhattan
12. life
13. Ferhani is 26
14. A defense attorney
15. no
16. his conversations were recorded
17. Muslim
18. Algeria
19. Morocco
20. yes
Q: Valentine's Day was coming. Helen felt hurt and lonely because this was her first Valentine's Day after the divorce . 

Helen's twelve-year-old son, Jack, looked at his mother, knowing that this was a difficult time for both of them. In order to make his mother happy, he prepared a present, and handed it to her on Valentine's Day. 

It was a beautiful gift package .Helen couldn't believe what was happening. She opened it and took out a lovely card and a small box. 

"Now," he said, "read the card." It read as follows: 

"I know that this isn't easy for you because it has been a hard year for both of us. I know that Valentine's Day is a special day for people in love. I want you to know that I love you. I know that Valentines are supposed to get chocolate. I went to the store today to buy some for you. Luckily, I got the last piece. I told the clerk it was just perfect." 

Helen stood there for a moment and looked at her son. Her eyes sparkled in the light as tears formed in each corner. Jack knew he had done the right thing. Slowly she opened the small box, careful not to tear the paper. She would never forget the moment. She found a chocolate heart that was broken into pieces along with a note: 

"I am so sorry that Dad left us, Mom. And all you were left with was a broken heart. But I just want you to know we still have each other. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Your son, 

Jack"

Answer the following questions:
1. Who was feeling alone?
2. Why?
3. Did she leave her husband or did he leave her?
A:
1. Helen
2. because this was her first Valentine's Day after her divorce
3. He left her