Marsupials and Platypus

Marsupials are mammals that give birth to tiny young, which spend the first part of their lives in their mother’s pouch – such as the kangaroo with her young (called a ‘joey’) in the picture on the right6 The baby kangaroo measures only 2.5 cm at birth, and is carried in the mother’s pouch for 6-8 months. Half of the world’s species of marsupials are found only in Australia or Papua New Guinea. Other Australia marsupials include wombats and koalas. Koalas live, eat and sleep in the braches of eucalyptus trees, only coming down to move to another tree. Eucalyptus leaves are the koalas’s main source of both food and water.
Platypus
The platypus is only found in Australia and Tasmania and it must be one of the world’s strangest animals. In fact, the first time the preserved body of a platypus was taken to Britain, scientists there refused to believe that it was real!
Strang – but true …
• It’s a mammal – but it lays eggs
• It eats its own weight in food, every day! It swims underwater to catch frogs, shellfish and worms on the bottom of rivers and streams
• It has a bill and webbed feet, like a duck; soft fur and a flat tail; and the male has claws on back legs tipped with a powerful poison.

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Theatre in Shakespeare’s Time

The Globe theatre was built in 1599, burned down in 1613 and was rebuilt in 1614.It stood on the bank of the River Thames in Southwark, London,near several other famous theatres of the time. In those days,people from all levels of society,rich and poor,used to go to the theatre. The poorer people stood near the stage,with no covering against the sun or rain, while wealthier people sat in rows of seats around the inside of the walls.Plays were performed in the daytime,because there was no artificial lighting.The stage had no curtains,and scenery was not often used,but the actors wore colourful costumes.In Shakespeare’s times,women were not allowed on stage,so the women’s parts were played by boys dressed up in women’s costumes.
The Roof of the World
Mount Everest is the highest point on the surface of our planet,rising 8,848 metres above sae level. It is part of the Himalayas, the mountain range between Nepal and Tibet. It was first climbed by New Zealander,Sir Edmund Hilary,and his Nepalese guide, Tenzing Norgey,on 29th May,1953.

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