NARRATIVE TEXT

Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely.

The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the country; come with me and I will show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life."

No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's residence late at night. "You will want some refreshment after our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice.

Suddenly they heard growling and barking. "What is that?" said the Country Mouse. "It is only the dogs of the house," answered the other. "Only!" said the Country Mouse. "I do not like that music at my dinner."

Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other. "Yes," he replied; "Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear."

RECOUNT TEXT

Maria’s hand glided through the warm clear water. Stroke after stroke she moved lazily in the Australian summer. She wasn’t a good swimmer; swimming in the shallow creek brought both fear  and  excitement.  She  didn’t  bother  with  bathers,  she  just threw on a t-shirt and some shorts.

She cracked her neck and fingers and lay back floating on the water.  Closing  her  eyes  she  started  humming,  forgetting  her life, forgetting about her parents arguing, forgetting about her loss and sorrow. Forgetting everything.

Maria’s  heart  skipped  a  beat  when  a  dark  shadow  lurked slowly around her. She stayed on her back not daring to move.

The  possibility  of  sharks  was  high.  Her  heart  stopped.  What was she supposed to do? The shark would either attack or not, she was doomed if it did. Tears rolled down her cheek as she felt something brush against her left shoulder. 

Maria felt herself flying through the water. She gulped for air as she screamed. Falling she grabbed a tuft of grass at the edge of  the  bank.  Maria  heaved  herself  up  and  coughed  out  some water.  Rolling  over  she  peered  into  the  water,  adrenaline pumping her veins.

She nearly kicked herself, a dolphin was grinning  at  her,  its  eyes  sparkling.  A  huge  grin  spread  across her face, she had never seen such a magical creature so close before. 

The  dolphin  echoed  and  splashed  a  huge  gust  of  water  at Maria. Giggling she reached over and patted the slippery latex like surface of its head.  Dolphins were  always  happy;  they  needn’t  worry  about trouble.  Maria  played  with  her  little  friend  for ages until the horizon made a beautiful orange colour. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow!” she whispered.

 It appeared as if the dolphin knew what she had said. Maria would wait for another day of play and wonder.  By Emma Parker 7A

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

I remember one statement that some people often say, “my house is my heaven”. For some people, house is the most comfortable place to do some activities or just to take a rest. Especially for us students, we will always miss our lovely house in our hometown. Of course I do too. Now, I will tell you about my lovely house. My lovely house is located in Tuban. You will find a house with green fence at Jalan Pramuka 9 number 1.

            My lovely house is not big, but large enough. From the front, there is a small garden on your right side and a garage on your left side. The small garden makes my house looks more beautiful and fresh with some flowers and trees. My mother and I always maintain this garden because we love planting and gardening. The garage is not large. It just enough for three motorcycles. In front of my house, there is also a small terrace. In this terrace, my family and I usually enjoy fresh air in the morning.

            From the front, I will invite you to enter my house. Just one step from the terrace, you will look a simple living room. In this room, there is just a carpet, not sofa. On your right corner, there is an ancient wooden handicraft. There are three calligraphies on the wall. This room is often used as a place to gather with my big family in every special moment.

            Beside the living room, there is a large family room. There is a television in front of your side. There are two big wardrobes on your left side and four wooden chairs beside those wardrobes. My mother and I always keep tidy and clean this room to make our family feel comfort when they stay in this room. We usually use this room for discussing anything with family and for watching television together.

            Next to my family room, there are three bedrooms on your right side. They are mine, my brother’s and my parent’s. Our bedrooms are not large, but so simple. There are one bed, one small wardrobe, and one calligraphy in every bedroom. This simple bedroom makes us feel comfort to take a rest.

            Then, the last is the back side of my house. There is a large kitchen. You can find one cupboard to save many plates, glasses, spoons and ext on your left side. Beside the cupboard, there is a gas stove. This kitchen always looks clean. Beside of the kitchen, there is a bathroom.

            These are all areas of my lovely house. Although my house is not luxurious, it is comfortable for me and my family because we always keep it clean and tidy.  By Prisca Rizki Khalifah

PROCEDURE TEXT

Charging an laptop battery is as easy as plugging the laptop into an electrical outlet and leaving the machine off for a span of time. If the computer and battery are operating properly, the battery will charge during this process. However, if the laptop is in use and the battery requires a charge, there are a few steps to take to decrease the power demand from using the laptop and increase the power available to the battery charging mechanism. The laptop’s “Power Plan” may be changed or customized with just a few simple steps.

1 Right-click on the Power icon in the system tray at the bottom right of the Windows desktop. The Power icon looks like a D-cell battery and may appear to have a power cord connector in front, if the laptop is currently plugged into AC current.

2 Select “Power Options” from the context menu. The Power Options settings page will appear. Three power plans are provided by default: Balanced, Power Saver and High Performance.

3 Click the radio button in front of the “Power Saver” option to increase power to the battery charger while the laptop is in use.

4 Close the Power Options window by clicking the “X” in the top right corner. The selection will save on exit. By Tammy Clevenger

REPORT TEXT

There are about 5,000 different species of ladybugs in the world. These much loved critters are also known as lady beetles or ladybird beetles. They come in many different colors and patterns, but the most familiar in North America is the seven-spotted ladybug, with its shiny, red-and-black body.

The name "ladybug" was created by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This eventually was shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug."

In many cultures, ladybugs are considered good luck. Most people like them because they are pretty, graceful, and harmless to humans. But farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime!

Most ladybugs have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle. They have a black head with white patches on either side.

Ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their markings tell predators: "Eat something else! I taste terrible." When threatened, the bugs will secrete an oily, foul-tasting fluid from joints in their legs. They may also play dead. Birds are ladybugs' main predators, but they also fall victim to frogs, wasps, spiders, and dragonflies.

Ladybugs are happy in many different habitats, including grasslands, forests, cities, suburbs, and along rivers. Seven-spotted ladybugs are native to Europe but were brought to North America in the mid-1900s to control aphid populations.

Ladybugs are most active from spring until fall. When the weather turns cold, they look for a warm, secluded place to hibernate, such as in rotting logs, under rocks, or even inside houses. These hibernating colonies can contain thousands of ladybugs.