IN FOCUS
 

Win a valuable book from books.lk
 

"Reading maketh a full man," it is said and the importance of reading need not be reiterated. And, with the objective of promoting the habit of reading among children the Junior Observer in collaboration with Bookazone (Pvt.) Ltd; the innovators of the country's first web portal (www.books.lk), will launch a competition starting next week to coincide with the literary month - September.

We give a lucky reader an opportunity to win a valuable book priced at Rs 1000 from books.lk. All you have to do is answer a question and mail it to the address given, on or before Friday of that week. The name of the winner will be published later.

Here is how Bookazone will help you enter the magical world of books, to not only entertain yourself but also enhance your knowledge.

It allows you to purchase any title of book regardless of the author, publisher, or the country of origin. Although Bookazone web portal was limited to English users since 2009, the latest additions of Sinhala and Tamil is also accessible on www.poth.lk and www.puththagama.lk listing a wide range of books written and published in local languages in addition to what is offered in English apart from magazines, CDs and DVDs. It is easy to access, as these sites are incorporated into their main site.

They also have more to offer with the adding of varied and popular categories on a regular basis.

Once you place an order at Bookazone and make your payment,the deliveries are made free of charge using the best secured mode to any part of the island. In case you don't see the title listed in the Bookazone web portal a simple email can be sent to inquire the availability, price, and the number of days that it will take to source the book.

So, keep improving your general knowledge to answer the question posed every week. And what better way to do so than by READING!

1929:

Don't tolerate abuse, call the hotline

Child abuse is taking place in many parts of the country today. Even while you read this article a helpless child is being subjected to abuse, somewhere in this land. Perhaps he or she is suffering silently, unable to cry out for help, out of fear. You can be their voice.

No child should be robbed of his/her childhood or innocence because of an immoral or cruel act of a heartless adult. If you are a victim of abuse or know of any child who is being abused, pluck up courage and reach out for that phone. A hotline has been set up by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) especially for YOU. However, don't be hasty to mix up discipline with child abuse. So, be aware, be alert and be protected. Do not tolerate abuse any more.

Human body

1. The air that we breathe in goes down into the lungs through a tube. What is this tube known as?

2. At which rate does our hair grow?

3. In the tissue of human skin there are certain colour bases called chromogens which are actually colourless. But when certain ferments or enzymes act on them they take on a definite colour. True/false?

4. The human skin itself is a creamy white and there are three other colours which contribute to make the individual skin colour of a person. What are these three colours ?

5. Most people are able to detect about 4,000 different smells with chefs and people who make perfume able to detect about a 10,000 different smells. True/false?

Space

1. Apart from the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest planet.What is this brightness due to ?

2. Why is Planet Venus' rotation on its axis considered strange?

3. A star is a huge ball of bright, hot gases which contains hydrogen(its main source of energy) and other chemicals such as helium,nitrogen,oxygen,iron, nickel and zinc.True /false?

4. When did Gemini, a series of space flights launched by the USA to explore the Moon make its first space docking?

5. Mercury is the second smallest planet and it is closer to the Sun.What is the distance between the Sun and Mercury?

Science and technology

1.What is the upward push on a floating object known as?

2. Sound waves do not travel smoothly through water like in air. True/false?

3.Who is known as the father of helicopters?

4. Name the four main colours used in colour printing.

5. Mirrors are pieces of glass coated with a reflective material on the back so that when a beam of light strikes the surface,none of it is absorbed.True/false?

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Answers

Human body

1. It is called the trachea. This forks itself to form other smaller tubes called bronchi which leads to the lungs.

2. The growth rate has been measured as about 1.5 cm (half an inch) per month.The hair does not grow at the same rate throughout the day.However, scientists say it seems

to follow a certain system. It grows at a slow pace at night but faster during the day, especially between 10 to 11 a.m and 4 to 6 p.m

3. True.

4. A tinge of yellow, due to the presence of yellow pigments in the skin, black, due to the presence of tiny granules of melanin and red colour of the tiny vessels of the skin.The final skin colour depends on the combined proportions of the four tones (creamy white ,yellow,black and red)

5. True.

Space

1. The brightness is due to the fact that Venus is covered with an unbroken blanket of clouds which reflects most of the sunlight.

2. Venus' rotation on its axis is considered strange because unlike other planets it rotates from east to west . It also takes longer to spin on its axis than it does to orbit the Sun.

3. True.

4. The first space docking was made by Gemini 8 in March 1966.

5. It is 46 million miles away from the Sun. It is so near to the Sun that its days are very long and it has extreme temperatures.

Science and technology

1.The upward push on a floating object is known as buoyancy or the buoyant force.

2. False. Sound waves travel smoothly through water.

3. Igor Sikorsky is known as the father of helicopters.

4. The four main colours used in colour printing are cyan,magenta,yellow and black.

5 . True.