WARMING UP OR COOLING DOWN?

Some scientists warn that another Ice Age is on the way. In a thousand of years time Britain and much of northern Europe, America and Asia may be covered with snow and ice all round.

In the meantime the Earth is getting warmer. Cars, truck, factories and power stations are polluting the air with carbon dioxide. This gas hangs in the air and forms a warm blanket around the Earth keeping in the heat. But don’t think the weather will get better as the Earth warms up. There will be more storms, Hurricanes and droughts. Much of Southern Europe will become like the Sahara.

The highest winds are whipped up by tornadoes. In 1958 winds of 450km per hours (280 miles per hour) hit Wichita Falls in Taxes, USA. That is faster than the fastest passenger train and as fast as a racing car.

Tornadoes seldom last more than an hour and move very slowly across the country. Yet in that time they do tremendous damage. In 1925 a tornado killed 700 people in the southern-central United States of America.

The world’s worst hurricanes hit Bangladesh in November 1970. A million people were killed by the floods whipped up by the winds and the rain.

WHAT ARE TRUFFLES?

Truffles are an expensive food delicacy used in the very best French pates. They look like large spongy walnuts and grown in the ground. Because they like to eat them, pigs are often used to find truffles.

*what is the difference between rabbits and hares? The hare is often mistaken for its cousin, the rabbit, yet it is very different. Hares are larger with long legs; they do not live underground like rabbits and are immune to the disease myxomatosis that kills many rabbits.

*what are baby hares called? They are called leverets and are born with a full coat of fur.

*what is a Tasmanian Devil? The fierce animal used to live in Australia, but is now found in Tasmania. About 1m (40in) long form nose to tail, it only comes out at night. It feeds on small animals, birds, lizards and even wallabies if it can catch them.

*what makes bread rise? Bread dough is made to rise by the reproduction of minute fungus cells of yeast. Add yeast to a sugar solution and it multiplies rapidly. When flour is kneaded with yeast, water and salt, the yeast generates bubbles of carbon dioxide and makes the dough rise, which retains its shape when baked in the hot oven.

*what was tulipmania? Although still one of the world’s favorite flowers, when it was introduced into Europe 400 years ago the tulip caused ‘tulipmania’ Rare bulbs were worth as much as a house particularly in Holland.