Ancient Egypt and India used tattoos as methods of healing and as methods of religious worship. They were also marks of a status in a society but also a punishment. Tattoos in Philippines were marks of the rank and accomplishments and people there believed that they have magical properties.
When Christianity appeared, tattooing was considered a barbaric tradition and it slowly faded in Europe to return with transoceanic travels in 16th. At first, tattooing was “reserved” for sailors and lower classes but in time, as tattoo artists became more and more proficient, tattooing became hobby of aristocracy which had money to pay high prices of professionals. As the tattooing became cheaper it again was seen as a mark of a lower class. 

healing - исцеление
worship - поклонение
accomplishments - достоинства
barbaric - варварский
proficient - опытный
aristocracy - аристократия


#intermediate

Backpacking is a very loose definition. There are backpackers who go tramping in the forests sleeping in tents and on the beach, and hitchhike their way around the world.
And there are those who backpack with roller-bag suitcases, sleep in hotels and rent a car to get around a country.
These are two completely different types of traveling, but they both like to call themselves backpackers.
A backpacker is a person who is taking a vacation or traveling for whatever reason but instead of carrying a suitcase and luggage, is carrying everything in a backpack. They are likely someone who would be staying in a hostel rather than in a hotel. They will be more likely to take public transportation and walk than to rent a car.
Backpacking is considered to be an inexpensive way of traveling.

loose - обширный
tramping - бродить
hitchhike - путешествовать автостопом
roller-bag suitcases - чемоданы на роликах
vacation - отпуск
considered - считается
inexpensive - недорогой


#elementary

Without light, there is no color. When people see colors, they are really seeing different types of light bouncing off objects.
Three colors of light—red, blue, and green—can combine to make any other color. For example, if a beam of green light shines over a beam of red light, yellow light appears. Red, blue, and green are called primary colors of light. Mixtures of the primary colors of light produce all the other colors.
Cells in the eyes called cones make it possible for humans to see color. Different types of cones absorb different colors. Some people are color blind. This does not necessarily mean that they cannot see any color at all. More commonly, people with color blindness think certain colors, such as red and green, look the same.

bouncing off - отскакивая от
combine - соединять, объединять
beam - луч
primary - первичный
cells - клетки
absorb - поглощать
color blind - дальтонизм, дальтоник


#elementary

The marine animals known as sea urchins look something like globe-shaped pincushions. There are more than 900 species, or types, of sea urchin. They live in all seas except those of the polar regions. They are found on the ocean floor, usually on hard surfaces.
Sea urchins mainly eat plant material. The mouth contains a strong jaw piece called Aristotle’s lantern, which is made up of five bony teeth. The teeth can be pushed out of the mouth to scrape algae and other substances off rocks.
Sea urchin eggs are prized food in some countries. Sushi and seafood recipes often contain sea urchins. Many of the sea urchins caught in the United States are sent to Japan. Some conservation groups monitor the catching of sea urchins to make sure that enough of the creatures remain in the water to reproduce.

sea urchins - морские ежи
pincushion - игольница
ocean floor - дно океана
lantern - фонарь
algae - водоросли
prized food - ценная еда
conservation groups - природоохранные группы


#intermediate

Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being.
Stress can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, and experiencing a great deal of stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Experiencing anxiety can make it more difficult to cope with stress and may contribute to other health issues, including increased depression, susceptibility to illness, and digestive problems.
Stress and anxiety contribute to nervousness, poor sleep, high blood pressure, muscle tension, and excess worry. In most cases, stress is caused by external events, while anxiety is caused by your internal reaction to stress. Stress may go away once the threat or the situation resolves, whereas anxiety may persist even after the original stressor is gone.

anxiety - беспокойство
contribute - способствовать
susceptibility - восприимчивость
digestive - пищеварительный
nervousness - нервозность
muscle tension - мышечное напряжение
resolve - решать


#advanced

A map is a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface. Maps present information about the world in a simple, visual way. They teach about the world by showing sizes and shapes of countries, locations of features, and distances between places. Maps can show distributions of things over Earth, such as settlement patterns. They can show exact locations of houses and streets in a city neighborhood.
Mapmakers, called cartographers, create maps for many different purposes. Vacationers use road maps to plot routes for their trips. Meteorologists—scientists who study weather—use weather maps to prepare forecasts. City planners decide where to put hospitals and parks with the help of maps that show land features and how the land is currently being used.

representation - представление
features - особенности
distributions - распределения
settlement patterns - схемы расселения
vacationers - отдыхающие
to plot routes - для построения маршрутов 


#intermediate

Over 200 years ago, when locomotives were first being developed, people worried their speed would make passengers “unable to breath” or that “they would be shaken unconscious by the vibrations.”
Clearly, trains have changed dramatically since they first took to the rails. Like any other mode of transportation, trains, as we know them today, have been centuries in the making!
Today, it’s relatively simple to purchase a train ticket and travel freely—depending on what part of the world you’re in.
Railways existed as early as 1550, in Germany. These pathways of wooden rails called “wagonways” were the beginning of modern rail transport, making it easier for horse-drawn wagons or carts to move along dirt roads.
By the late 1700s, iron replaced the wooden rails and wheels as wagonways evolved into “tramways” and became popular throughout Europe.

unable - не в состоянии
unconscious - без сознания
dramatically - резко, сильно
relatively - относительно
pathways - пути
cart - тележка


#elementary

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have needed to maximize the usefulness of water resources and minimize destruction from floods and drought. To this end, dams have been used for millennia, providing storage for drinking water and irrigation, flood control, and open water for navigation and recreation as well as improving water quality and generating electricity.
While dams are essential components of our infrastructure systems, they also present potential hazards. The mass and potential energy of the water impounded by a dam can be devastatingly destructive if the dam were to fail and the water were to be released uncontrolled.
When properly constructed, designed, and maintained, dams pose a very low risk of failure. Poor design, neglect, and catastrophic natural events such as massive rainstorms or earthquakes can cause dams to fail.

destruction - разрушение
millennia - тысячелетия
irrigation - орошение
hazards - опасности
devastatingly - разрушительно
neglect - пренебрегать


#advanced

Cactuses, or cacti, are desert plants. They grow in dry places where other plants have trouble living. Their ability to store water keeps them alive. Cacti are also protected by sharp spines, or needles. These discourage animals from eating them.
Cacti are known for their pointy spines. These grow in different patterns on the plant’s surface. Some cacti also have flowers and branches. Most do not have leaves. If a cactus has leaves, they are very small and fall off as the plant grows.
Cacti are often grown for decoration. Many unusual and beautiful varieties are prized as houseplants. In South America cacti are sometimes used as fences. Arizona has adopted the saguaro as its state flower.
Some types of cacti are also grown for food. The egg-shaped fruit of the saguaro can be eaten. People also eat the fruit of the prickly pear.

trouble living - проблемы с проживанием
store - хранить
spines - шипы
discourage - обескуражить
houseplants - комнатные растения
fences - заборы
prickly pear - опунция


#elementary

Whatever kind of man you are, whether you have a full-grown beard or are shaven clean, you know how important it is to have a good razor.
Cartridge razors are often seen as an essential part of men’s shaving kits. They are available in a wide range of blade counts. They even come with soothing aloe strips to protect your skin from irritation.
Each package of heads may be disposed of according to your preferences. This makes them very convenient for traveling business travelers, making them the most popular type of razor.
Pros:
Cartridges are changed as needed. Each cartridge provides three to four shaves.
In addition to being safe to use, they take only ten minutes to do a good shave.
Cons:
The blade gets stuck in the hair follicles as it goes through the beard, so it takes multiple passes to shave cross-sections of stubble, leading to irritation and ingrown hairs.

razor - бритва
kit - комплект
soothing - смягчающий
irritation - раздражение
preferences - предпочтения
blade - лезвие


#advanced