Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
CHAPTER III 

IN THE LOW COUNTRY 

Master Lirriper had stood apart while the boys were conversing with Francis Vere. 

"What do you think, Master Lirriper?" Geoffrey exclaimed as they joined him. "We have asked Mr. Vere to take us with him as pages to the war in the Low Country, and though he said we were not to be hopeful about his reply, I do think he will take us. We are to go round to Westminster at one o'clock to see him again. What do you think of that?" 

"I don't know what to think, Master Geoffrey. It takes me all by surprise, and I don't know how I stand in the matter. You see, your father gave you into my charge, and what could I say to him if I went back empty handed?" 

"But, you see, it is with Francis Vere," Geoffrey said. "If it had been with anyone else it would be different. But the Veres are his patrons, and he looks upon the earl, and Mr. Francis and his brothers, almost as he does on us; and, you know, he has already consented to our entering the army some day. Besides, he can't blame you; because, of course, Mr. Vere will write to him himself and say that he has taken us, and so you can't be blamed in the matter. My father would know well enough that you could not withstand the wishes of one of the Veres, who are lords of Hedingham and all the country round." 
1. Who were the boys talking to?
2. Before him, who were they talking to?
3. Name one of the boy?
4. Is the other boy's name known?
5. What did they ask Mr Vere?
6. Did Mr Vere ask them to be hopeful of his reply?
7. Where were they going to see him?
8. What time?
9. The father had given Geoffrey to whose charge?
10. Who are the lords of Hedingham?

Numbered answers:
1. Master Lirriper
2. Francis Vere
3. Geoffrey
4. unknown
5. to take them with him as pages
6. no
7. yes
8. one o'clock
9. Master Lirriper
10. the Veres


Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
Norfolk () is a county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the west and north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea and, to the north-west, The Wash. The county town is Norwich. With an area of and a population of 859,400, Norfolk is a largely rural county with a population density of 401 per square mile (155 per km²). Of the county's population, 40% live in four major built up areas: Norwich (213,000), Great Yarmouth (63,000), King's Lynn (46,000) and Thetford (25,000). 

The Broads is a network of rivers and lakes in the east of the county, extending south into Suffolk. The area is not a National Park although it is marketed as such. It has similar status to a national park, and is protected by the Broads Authority. 

Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times, with camps along the higher land in the west, where flints could be quarried. A Brythonic tribe, the Iceni, inhabited the county from the 1st century BC to the end of the 1st century AD. The Iceni revolted against the Roman invasion in AD 47, and again in 60 led by Boudica. The crushing of the second rebellion opened the county to the Romans. During the Roman era roads and ports were constructed throughout the county and farming was widespread.
1. When did the first people live in Norfolk?
2. Where in england is it?
3. Does it have coastline?
4. were the first settlements for farming?
5. what is north of it?

Numbered answers:
1. Rre-Roman times.
2. East Anglia in England
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. Suffolk.


Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
Today we bring you an old tale. It's the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also very environmental. 

Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material. During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw. 

Professor Walker: "One of the benefits is it's a relatively inexpensive renewable material that's readily available." He also agrees that straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows and helps the environment in other ways. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment. 

Professor Walker: "The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy." 

Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change. 

David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction. He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted. 

To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw. Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster. He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire. Mr. Lanfear says straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance. And he says his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain. 

David Lanfear: "We use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof."
1. Who is Pete Walker?
2. At what school?
3. Where?
4. What did he make?
5. With what materials?
6. Did he work alone?
7. Who helped?
8. Are they planning to study the house?
9. What about it?
10. For how long?
11. Is straw expensive?
12. Does it damage the environment?
13. Who owns Bale on Bale Construction?
14. How did he feel about building with straw at first?
15. Has he accepted the building material?
16. How many houses has he used it in?
17. Are they a fire hazard?
18. What kind of frame does the house have?
19. What are the straw walls coated with?
20. Does Walker feel these houses make the cost of operating a home less?


Numbered answers:
1. a professor
2. University of Bath
3. Britain
4. a house
5. straw bales and hemp material.
6. No
7. a team of researchers
8. Yes
9. the effectiveness of these materials
10. twelve months
11. No
12. No
13. David Lanfear
14. he laughed
15. Yes
16. more than ten
17. No
18. a wood frame
19. clay plaster.
20. Yes