Articles for Grade 7

It all began innocently enough. On Thursday, February 26th, 21-year-old Scottish singer Caitlin McNeil posed a simple question along with a photo of a dress on the social media website, Tumblr. It said, “Guys, please help me - is this dress white and gold, or blue and black?”...

With winter drawing to a close, at least according to the calendar, it is time for North Americans to "spring forward." This means that on Sunday March 8th, most residents will move their clocks ahead by an hour. Known as Daylight Saving Time, this age-old ritual dates all the way back to World War I....

Asian countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam are teeming with ancient statues of Buddha. Some are famous for their size, others because they are carved from solid gold and precious stones. However, very few can lay claim to being the final resting place of a 1,200-year-old mummified monk....

Seadragons may sound like mythical creatures from a fairy tale, but these tiny fish that are close cousins of seahorses and pipefish do exist. Found in the coastal waters off southern and western Australia, the gorgeous creatures that feed off tiny crustaceans, plankton, and larval fishes, do not have teeth or a stomach. They therefore, have to eat constantly and are always scouring the oceans in search of prey....

When Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried not only the city of Pompeii, but also the nearby resort town of Herculaneum. In 1752, an excavation team discovered a large number of papyrus scrolls inside an entombed Herculaneum villa. Though the exterior of the scrolls that were rolled up for storage are carbonized and resemble pieces of charred wood, the interior is remarkably well preserved....

Like most Asian countries, China has numerous festivals. However none is celebrated with as much enthusiasm as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, which begins on Thursday, February 19th. The age-old tradition that will usher in the year 4713, was started to celebrate the advent of spring. Today it is the longest and the most significant of all Chinese festivals....

At first sight Whittier, which lies 65 miles southeast of Anchorage, looks just like any other picturesque town in Alaska. However, look closer and you will notice that there are no cute little homes scattered around. The only structures you will see are a few buildings, the most prominent ones being the Buckner Building and the Begich Towers....

As our world goes increasingly digital, kids are spending an inordinate amount of time with their electronic devices - smartphones, computers and tablets. This has raised concern among experts who believe that this habit is detrimental to children's well-being. Now the government of one country has taken an unusual measure to try curb this "harmful" activity....

It's Friday the 13th! While a select few like Taylor Swift will simply "shake it off" and even release a new music video, there are millions of others that will not step out of their homes today. That's because when the 13th which is already considered unlucky by many, falls on a Friday, the fear factor rises exponentially. While nobody knows for sure why the combination of the 13th with Friday is so feared, there are many theories....