Paraphrasing Exercise

1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.

Paraphrase: The Antartic supplies Earth with cool climate, as so does the Sun with warmth. These tempetrues are carried by the sea, the cold coming from the north, and the warmth from the south. They shall blend together to provide the atmosphere and the shallow water with an average and final temperture. But this efficient method is now being altered by Humanity. (Audubon: 17)

2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.

Paraphrase: It was in the Twenties, when the consuming of alcohol was illegal, but was ignored, because there happened to be well-knowned places were alcohol was given. During these times, it was hard for the police to do anything, as people seemed incontrolable. Music, mostly Jazz, became popular and Classical was left behind, and people such as Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong,and Count Basie became the new idols. The "flapper" arose, with short-haired woman and small clothes. This way of being, was a new style, unlike an earlier period. (Yancey: 25)

3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

Paraphrase: Most of the thousands of deaths one can suffer when "bicylcing", are because of abrasions in the head. And, most of the victims are children. It was derived from a certain testing that when one wears a helmet, chances for the person riding the bike to kill him/herself are much more less. It's the helmet, that is able to protect the head for an impact. (Consumer Reports: 348)

4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.

Paraphrase: The most talented artist, when talking about catching the observer's interest, is Matisse. Of all the other painters of this era, he surely represrents the reality best. In "The Casbah Gate", Matisse shows the commonly knowned entrance of Bab el Assa, within the wall located at the southern part of the city, near the palace. Using various tones of blue, Matisse representes a usual afternoon, in the painting included the "bowaab", seating and watching for everything to be in order, around the entrance. (Newsweek: 50)

5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

Paraphrase: It is said that the Sears Tower possibly is a major success within construction. But then again, it seems that builders and planners still want to go further. What is the maximum altitude a building can reach? William LeMessurier, builder, has considered and planned a building with the length of a mile and a half, which is two times the Sears Tower. Then, Robert Sobel, architect, assures that with today's machinery, a "5oo-story building" could be created. (Ron Bachman: 15)