World Report: September 8, 2000 Vol.6 No.1
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Summertime News
So much for the lazy days of summer. The news never stops! While you were away at camp, vacationing with your family or just trying to keep cool, major events kept making headlines. Catch up quickly with TFK’s look back at some of the hot stories from this summer. See anything you missed? Can you name something important that we left out?
June
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft sent back images of deep channels and gullies on the planet’s surface. Scientists say rushing water must have made these marks. There may be liquid water just beneath the red Martian dust. Could this mean there’s a chance of life on Mars?
The scooter, motorized or foot-powered, has really caught on as the coolest way to get around. By June, it seemed every other kid—and plenty of grownups-had one.
Pro golfer Tiger Woods, 24, won the U.S. Open on June 18.
July
On July 2, with the election of Vicente Fox Quesada as its President, Mexico began an era of change. His election put an end to 71 years of rule by one political force, the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Fox, 57, vows to end corruption.
On July 6, sisters Venus, left, and Serena Williams faced each other in England’s Wimbledon tournament, the first sister-to-sister semifinals match in its history. Venus, 20, beat Serena, 18, and went on to win the tournament—the first African-American woman to do so in 42 years. Four days later, the pair teamed up to win the women’s doubles title.
A record 3.8 million copies of J.K. Rowling’s fourth Harry Potter book went on sale on July 8 at 12:01 a.m. Hours before the 752-page Goblet of Fire appeared, people filled bookstores dressed as the characters, waiting to buy the first copies. Many bookstores were decorated to look like Hogwarts.
Tiger Woods came out swinging again and won the British Open, July 23.
On July 25, Air France Flight 4590 crashed into a hotel outside Paris, killing 113 people. This was the first fatal accident in the history of the Concorde. The plane travels 1,500 miles per hour-Sfaster than the speed of sound. Shortly after the accident, officials determined that a ruptured tire caused the deadly crash. The world’s 12 Concorde jets were grounded for safety reasons after the accident.
Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met for peace talks with President Clinton. The Palestinian people want an independent nation, and both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital city. They couldn’t agree on any solutions, but talks will continue.
AUGUST
On August 15, families separated since the Korean War were briefly reunited, amid tears and hugs. Bad relations between North and South Korea-and a heavily guarded border-had kept husbands from their wives and children from their parents for 50 years. The historic reunion was a move to break down barriers between the two countries.
There were no surprises at this summer’s conventions. On August 3, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, above, were named as their party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates at the Republican Convention in Philadelphia. On August 17, al gore and joseph lieberman, left, won the Democratic nomination in Los Angeles.
Yep, it was tiger again, nabbing the PGA championship on August 20. He became the second player in history to win three professional majors in one season.
