We use the ‘Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula’ to present scores as per US grade level. See all the grade levels here. Following articles, stories and features are appropriate for people at reading level of Grade 7 (Age 12-13 years). More information about Flesch–Kincaid readability tests can be found here.
267 items in this section. Displaying page 21 of 27
Tourists Stranded in Machu Picchu
Where: Lima, Peru February 1, 2010 :Heavy rain and landslides destroyed the only land link to the ancient Inca* site of Machu Picchu in Peru’s Andes mountains. Around 20 people died in the floods, and 40,000 others were affected. This includes the 4,000 tourists who were visiting Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is famously known as the lost city of the Incas. This architectural marvel is situated on a mountain ridge high above the Urubamba River Valley....
Eastward Ho!
Britain wants Indian engineers to help modernise their London-Glasgow railway link, and that’s a real about turn! Nearly 150 years ago, Britain was the first country to use steam locomotives. The British also built the first rail tracks in India and set up India’s railway network with one purpose – they wanted to collect raw material such as cotton from different parts of the country so that they could be shipped to Britain. And later, when the ready-made products came back to India, they used the rail network to sell them by reaching different corners of the country....
Shopping for Buyers
August 5: In June, German carmaker Volkswagen opened Autostadt, Europe’s first automotive theme park on cars. The company spent $424.4 million to build the complex. Situated in Wolfsburg, the park features displays, events, a motor museum, special areas for kids, special chambers to check how your car fares against wind and vibration, and even a section where you can design your own car. All this merely to persuade customers to buy a VW car. Companies are going out of their way to lure customers to buy their wares....
No marks for mother tongue
August 18: What’s the most difficult subject for students in Uttar Pradesh? Is it Maths, English or Science. Surprisingly, it’s none of these, it’s Hindi! According to a Press Trust of India report, it’s Hindi that lets them down when it comes to examinations. Nearly 50 per cent of the class X students failed in Hindi in the UP Secondary School Board Examinations. And Hindi is the language they speak – for most people in the state it is their mother tongue....
The Baby Current Which Destroys
Did you know that the period between November 1997 and November 1998 was the hottest year recorded on earth? In fact, six of the first eight months of the year were the warmest since humans began recording temperatures on earth in 1866. Weather experts say one of the causes behind the warming of the earth’s atmosphere, or global warming, is El Nino, a water current in the Pacific Ocean. But why should a water current create heat in the earth’s atmosphere, one would ask....
The Flood
Where: New Delhi, India Every day, Indian newspapers carry reports that large parts of Bihar, Bengal and north-east India are flooded, causing loss to human and animal lives, and property. This happens year after year. What is the reason for these floods? An indepth report from ‘Gobar Times’, a children’s magazine on the environment brought out by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. The Flood May 12, 2000: The mighty Himalayas get knocked out by the monsoon system every year....
The Actor
October 6 : Dhanna wants to become an actor. His dream is to star in a film with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, two famous actors of Bollywood, Mumbai’s hugely popular film industry. Seventeen year-old Dhanna is the son of a rexine bag-maker. He lives with his family in a narrow by-lane of a poor colony in Delhi. The journey from here to the bright lights of Bollywood appears to be very long indeed. The journey becomes even more convoluted given the fact that Dhanna is also mentally challenged....
World Environment Day on June 5: Become an Earth Warrior
Where: Worldwide June 4, 2009 : World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. The guiding principle is that people have to take responsibility for the environment. The earth’s rain forests are disappearing, chemicals have poisoned our air, marine life is dying in our polluted seas, and harmful waste and toxins have reached even the least populated corners of the globe. The wake up call for earth’s citizens for 2009 is “Your Planet Needs You — UNite to Combat Climate Change”....
Gunning for Clouds
Where: Beijing, China July 19: The photograph in the newspaper shows a soldier handling an anti-aircraft gun. At once, an image flashes across your mind: the gun moving left to right and firing away with a deafening, staccato noise, with an aircraft bursting into flames and somersaulting to the ground. Good powers of imagination, fed on Hollywood films, but, unfortunately, completely off the mark. The anti-aircraft gun shown in the Hindustan Times is used for the purpose of cloud seeding, or making rain....
Smart Future
August 12: Do you know that there’s a possibility you may live forever? And that you will have computers that are 1,000 times more intelligent than Albert Einstein, generally known as the smartest scientist ever! That all these miracles may happen in 15 years or more? These are the predictions of Ian Pearson, a top British futurologist. A futurologist is a person who tells what life will be in the future. He is a kind of professional day-dreamer....