The banker and the pauper

Once upon a time, there lived a poor pauper and a rich banker. So it was inevitable that the rich man would be happier than the pauper. However, their natures were opposite, for the poor man was happy whereas the banker was not. The banker was annoyed by the fact that when he tossed and turn in his bed at night, the pauper slept peacefully and always awoke rested and full of energy.

One day the banker could stand it no longer. He decided to find out why the pauper was happy in spite of his poverty. So he summoned him to his house and asked him his yearly income because he believed that happiness could only be measured in terms of wealth.

“i don’t count too well, nor do i really care. I live each day as it comes and never worry about the next”

“well then, just tell how much you earn in one day,” insisted the rich man.

“i earn what i need”

The banker liked the pauper. He wished to thank him for coming to his house, so he presented the poor man with a bag of hundred gold coins.

Now, these coins, which meant so little to the banker, seemed a great fortune to the pauper. He decided to hide the bag , so that he would have the money if ever he should need it. So, when he returned to his house, he dug a big hole in secluded corner of the garden, threw the bag into it, and covered it with the dirt.

However, from that day on the poor man’s life changed. He began to worry about the safety of his money. Every night he slept a little less, and each time he heard the slightest sound, he became anxious about the safety of his coins.

Finally, he could bear his happiness no longer. He went to the garden, dug up the coins and returned them to the banker.

The pauper had learned an important lesson, and so had the banker.

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How the beggar boy turned into count Piro

Once upon a time there lived a man who had only one son, a lazy, stupid boy, who would never do anything he was told. His name was Piro. When the father was dying, he sent for his son and told him that he would soon be left alone in the world, with no possessions but the small cottage they lived in, and a pear tree which grew behind it, and that, whether he liked it or not, he would have to work, or else he would starve. Then the old man died.

But the boy did not work; instead, he idled about as before, contenting himself with eating the pears off his tree, which, unlike other pear trees before or since, bore fruit the whole year round. Indeed, the pears were so much finer than any you could get even in the autumn, that one day, in the middle of the winter; they attracted the notice of a fox that was creeping by.

The fox asked the pears to the boy and the fox gave it to the king. The fox said it was a prince who gave the pears. The fox gave the pears to the king for several times before he asked the king to marry his daughter to Piro. By tricking the king, the fox tried to convince the king that prince Piro was a very rich person. The fox showed a big castle which actually belonged to an Ogre to the king and said it belonged to count Piro. The fox had tricked the ogre too by locking them in an underground prison so the count Piro can get all the castle and all the wealth that the ogre had before. 

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For the next trick, i’m going to.....

You are sitting on an outdoor theater. On the stage you see a man selling hot dogs, some children playing, a group of tourists listening to a tour guide, and even a clown with a  sad face. In the background is the statue of liberty. It’s a normal day in New York City. Then you hear an amazing statement, “and for my next trick, i’m going to make the Statue of Liberty disappear.” Impossible, you think. How could anyone do that?

A curtain closes, hiding the stage. The magician talks to the audience for a few minutes. The statue won’t be easy to move, he says. The music get louder. You can feel the tension in the air. The curtain slowly opens...and you can’t believe your eyes. The Statue of Liberty is gone!

So how does the magician do this trick? Easy! While he’s talking, the hole theater moves very, very slowly to a different position. The people in the audience can’t feel the movement. Behind the curtain, the “actors” quickly move to a replica of the scene and stand in the same positions, but in front of an empty sky. When the curtain opens, you see the same hot dog seller, the same children, the same tourists, the same clown, all are actors. Everything is the same, but the statue of liberty isn’t there. That’s magic!

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The Bronx zoo

What to see: Over 4,000 animals

How to get there: 2 or 5 train to East Tremont Ave/West farm Square. At street level, walk straight ahead on Boston Road 2  blocks to the Zoo’s Asia gate entrance (Gate A).

Admission:

                  Adult                                 $14

                  Children (3-12)              $ 15

                  Senior (65+)                   $ 12

Opening Hours:

                   The zoo is open 365 days a year!

                   Monday- Friday 10:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M

                   Weekends and Holidays  10:00 A.M – 5:30 P.M

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Tree

Tree is the largest plant of all plants. The tallest tree grows over 61 metres in height. Many trees also live longer than other plants. Some trees sometimes live over thousand of years. They are the oldest living things that men know.

People think that trees are different from other plants. Most of other plants grow only for short time and then die. People think of trees as a permanent part of the landscape.

Trees continue to grow as long as they live. They grow new leaves and flowers. Leaves of a tree make food. The food makes the tree alive and help it grows. The flowers grow into fruit. The fruit contains seeds for making new trees.

Trees are different from other plants like herbs and shrubs. Most teees grow at least 4.6 to 6.1 metres but herbs and shrubs are much shorter than trees. Trees have one wood stem, which is called a trunk. Herbs have soft and juicy stem. Shurbs are like trees, they have woody stem but one shrub has more than one stem, and none of the stem of the shrubs grows so thick or tall as a tree trunk.

There are thousands of kinds of trees. But most trees belong to one of two main groups. They are boarfleaf trees and needleleaf trees. These two tipes of trees grow in many parts of the world. Most other types of trees, such as palms and tree ferns grow mainly in warm region.

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Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy. It is the capital of region Veneto. Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area. Venice has been known as the “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Bridges”, and “The City of Light”. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.

Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot.

You can ride gondola there. It is the classical Venetian boat which nowadays is mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Now, most Venetians travel by motorised waterbuses (“vaporetti”) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city’s islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.

You can see the amusing city’s landmarks such as Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, Saint Mark’s Cathedral or villas of the Veneto. The villas of the Veneto, rural residences for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside.

They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. The city is also well known for its beautiful and romantic view, especially at night

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Report Text - Penjelasan & Contoh

Secara umum, report text adalah salah satu jenis teks yang masuk kategori  "factual texts." Teks jenis ini sering dikatakan sebagai "saudara kembar"descriptive text sehingga wajar banyak siswa "bingung" cara membedakan kedua teks tersebut.

Sebelumnya, secara singkat dan sederhana, sudah memberikan penjelasananeh mengenai perbedaan keduanya [baca: bingung report text atau descriptive text]; lagi-lagi itu cuma perbedaan kecil dan hampir semua siswa bisa mencerna. Oleh karena itu, untuk mendalami apa itu report text, yuk kita simak bersama-sama keterangan di bawah ini:

• Pengertian Report Text
• Generic Structure Report Text
• Ciri-Ciri Report Text
• Contoh Report Text : Thanksgiving Day
• Contoh Report Text : Venice

Pengertian Report Text

Istilah report text sering juga dikenal dengan sebutan informational report. Report, dalam Concise Oxford Dictionary Edisi 10, diartikan sebagai 1) an account given of a matter after investigation or consideration. 2) a piece of information about an event or situation. Jika disimpulkan, secara bahasa report text adalah teks yang berfungsi untuk memberikan informasi tentang suatu peristiwa atau situasi, setelah diadakannya investigasi dan melalui berbagai pertimbangan.

Definisi report text ini juga hampir mirip dengan apa yang sering disebutkan dalam berbagai buku bahasa Inggris di tingkat menengah, "Report is a text which present information about something, as it is. It is as a result of systematic observation and analyses." [Report adalah sebuah teks yang menghadirkan informasi tentang suatu hal dengan apa adanya. Teks ini adalah sebagai hasil dari observasi dan analisa secara sistematis.]

Dengan demikian, sebenarnya teks report dan descriptive mempunyai perbedaan yang cukup jelas, meski nampak keduanya dikatakan sebagai "saudara kembar" sekalipun.

Intinya, dalam report text itu biasanya berisi dengan fakta-fakta yang bisa dibuktikan secara ilmiah, Oke..

Generic Structure Report Text.

Seperti halnya dengan descriptive text, Report text juga hanya memiliki dua struktur umum [generic structure] yaitu :

1. General Clasification; Pernyataan umum yang menerangkan subjek laporan, keterangan, dan klasifikasinya. 
2. Description: tells what the phenomenon under discussion ; in terms of parts, qualities, habits or behaviors; Pada bagian ini biasanya memberikan gambaran fenomena-fenomena yang terjadi; baik bagian-bagiannya, sifat-sifatnya, kebiasaannya, ataupun tingkah lakunya. Intinya adalah penjabaran dari klasifikasi yang disajikan dengan ilmiah.

Ada juga beberapa keterangan mengenai generic structure report text, yang meliputi :

1. General information
2. Bundles of Specific Information

General information adalah bagian yang menyebutkan informasi umum dari tema tulisan yang. Sedangkan Bundles of specific information, adalah penjabaran dari informasi umum tersebut.

Saya sendiri lebih cenderung setuju dengan generic structure kedua; karena hal ini bisa membuat siswa lebih paham akan cara menulis report text.

Tujuan Report Text

Setiap tulisan pasti memiliki tujuan mengapa tulisan itu ditulis. Begitu juga dengan report text. Beberapa pakar menyebutkan bahwa tujuan teks report adalah :

Its social purpose is presenting information about something. They generally describe an entire class of things, whether natural or made: mammals, the planets, rocks, plants, countries of region, culture, transportation, and so on. 

Jika disimpulkan, tujuan report text adalah untuk menyampaikan informasi hasil pengamatan dan analisa yang sistematis. Informasi yang dijelaskan dalam report text biasanya bersifat umum, baik itu alamiah ataupun buata seperti binatang mamalia, planet, bebatuan, tumbuh-tumbuhan, negara bagian, budaya, transportasi, dan lain sebagainya.

Pola Tata Bahasa Dalam Report Text

Setiap tulisan pasti memiliki ciri bahasa tersendiri; jika recount text dan narrative text cenderung memiliki ciri menggunakan simple past, lalu bagaimana dengan report text? Oke berikut adalah pola grammar yang umum digunakan dalam teks report, yang meliputi :

• Use of general nouns, eg hunting dogs, rather than particular nouns, eg our dog;
• Use of relating verbs to describe features, eg Molecules are tiny particles;
• Some use of action verbs when describing behaviour, eg Emus cannot fly;
• Use of timeless present tense to indicate usualness, eg Tropical cyclones always begin over the sea;
• Use of technical terms, eg Isobars are lines drawn on a weather map;
• Use of paragraphs with topic sentences to organise bundles of information; repeated naming of the topic as the beginning focus of the clause.

Keterangan :

• General nouns, maksudnya adalah, suatu benda (baik itu hidup atau mati) yang bersifat umum. Coba bandingkan : Hunting dogs >< My dog. Hunting dogs bersifat umum; sedangkan my dog bersifat khusus. 
• Relating verbs, dalam grammar disebut juga dengan linking verbs. Seperti to be [is, am, are: present], seem, look, taste dan lain sebagainya. 
• Timeless present tense adalah salah satu penanda waktu dalam simple presentseperti "often, usually, always" dan lain-lain. 
• Technical terms, maksudnya adalah istilah-istilah yang meliputi teks report tersebut. Misalnya tentang "music" maka, istilah-istilah musik harus ada.

Contoh Report Text : Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is a celebration of harvest, thankfulness for peace, and the attempt of Native Americans. It is usually celebrated in late autumn. 

In the past, Thanksgiving was celebrated for their rich harvest in New England. In North America, however, it was originally held to thank God for their survival in the new land which was not easy for them. However, in Canada, it had been celebrated as in New England. Thanksgiving now is celebrated in United States of America and in Canada. Thanksgiving festivals are held every fourth Thursday of November in the U.S and on the second Monday of October in Canada. It is usually celebrated in four to five days in the North America and for three days in Canada.

It is celebrated through families and friends gathering to eat and give good luck. Turkey is the main dish in the thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving parades are also usually held. In Thanksgiving homes are decorated with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers. Lamps are lighted to brighten the environment. Tables are decorated with best china and antique silver dishes to mark the occasion.

Contoh Report Text : Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy. It is the capital of region Veneto. Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area. Venice has been known as the “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Bridges”, and “The City of Light”. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.

Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot.

You can ride gondola there. It is the classical Venetian boat which nowadays is mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Now, most Venetians travel by motorised waterbuses (“vaporetti”) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city’s islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.

You can see the amusing city’s landmarks such as Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, Saint Mark’s Cathedral or villas of the Veneto. The villas of the Veneto, rural residences for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside.

They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. The city is also well known for its beautiful and romantic view, especially at night.

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The Stone Cutter

Once upon a time there lived a stone cutter ,in a small village. All day long he worked hard, cutting the hard stones and making the shape which were needed by his customers. His hands were hard and his clothes were dirty.
One day he went out to work on a big stone. It was very hard to work and the sun was very hot. After spending several hours cutting the stone, he sat down in the shade and soon fell asleep.
After sometime, he heard sound of somebody coming. Walking up he saw a long procession of people. There were many soldiers and attendants and in the middle, in a palanquin, carried by strong people at the king .
How wonderful it must be to be the great king thought the stone cutter . How happy I would be if i were the king instead of a poor stone cutter.
As he said these words, a strange thing happened. The stone cutter found himself dressed in silk clothes andshining jewels. His hands were soft and he was sitting in a comfortable palanquin.
He looked through the curtains and thought, How easy it is to be a king, these people are here to serve me.
The procession moved on and the sun grew hot. The stone cutter ,now the king ,became too warm for comfort. He asked the procession to stop so that he could rest for some time .
At once the chief of the soldiers bent before the king and said Your Majesty, only this morning you swore to have me hanged to death if we did not reach the palace before the sun set.
The stone cutter felt sorry for him and ordered the procession to go on its way again.
As the afternoon wore on, the sun grew hotter, and the king became more and more uncomfortable.
I am powerful, it is true, but how more powerful the sun is, he thought I would rather be the sun than a king .
At once, he became the sun ,shining down on the earth.
His new power was hard to control.
He shone too strongly, he burned up the fields with his rays and turned the ocean into vapour and formed a great cloud which covered the land.
But no matter how hard he shone, he could not see through the clouds.
It is obvious that the clouds are even stronger and more powerful than sun said the stone cutter, now the sun, I would rather be a cloud.
Suddenly he found himself turned into a huge dark cloud.
He started using his new power. He poured rain down on the fields and caused floods. All the trees and houses were swept away but a boulder, which once he had been cutting when he was a stone cutter was unmoved and unchanged.
However much he poured down on the stone it did not move.
Why that rock is more powerful than I am said the stone cutter now a cloud. Only a stone cutter could change the rock by his skill. How I wish I were a stonecutter.
No sooner he said the words that he found himself sitting on a stone with hard and rough hands.
He picked up his tools and set to work on a boulder, happily.


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