In ancient times, scholars found that the information they needed was scattered in manuscripts and scrolls in various parts of the world. Some scholars made their own reference works by copying long quotations from the works of other authors. Others copie

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Tibet is a land in south-central Asia. It is often called the Roof of the World. Its snow-covered mountains and a windswept plateau are the highest in the world. The worlds highest mountain, Mount Everest, rises in southern Tibet. Ka-erh, in western Tibet, is believed to be the highest town in the world. It is more than 15,000 feet (4,570 meters) above sea level. Valley bottoms in Tibet are higher than the mountains of most countries.

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Olive is the fruit of a tree that grows in subtropical regions. Olives are cultivated chiefly for their oil, which is used in cooking. The fruit is also eaten whole after processing. People have grown olives since prehistoric times.

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Mummy is an embalmed body that has been preserved for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians believed that the dead lived on in the next world, and that their bodies had to be preserved forever as they were in life.

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Powerful forces within the earth cause volcanoes. Scientists do not fully understand these forces. But they have developed theories on how the forces create volcanoes. This section describes how most scientists explain the beginning and eruption of a vol

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World War II (1939-1945) killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and probably had more far-reaching consequences than any other war in history. It brought about the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The development of the atomic bomb during the war opened the nuclear age.

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Disabled is a term used to describe people who have a physical or mental impairment that interferes with their ability to lead a happy, productive life. Physical impairments include blindness, deafness, deformity, muscular and nervous disorders, paralysis

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Blake, William (1757-1827), was a brilliant and unconventional English poet, engraver, and painter. His symbolic pictures and visionary poems are not always easy to understand because Blake developed an elaborate personal mythology that underlies virtually all the symbolism and ideas in his works. Blakes writings and pictures reveal how a powerful artistic imagination can mold the world in its own image.

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Pipe is a device used for smoking tobacco. People have smoked tobacco in pipes for more than 2,000 years. Tobacco pipes were brought to Europe during the 1500s by explorers who learned about them from American Indians.

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Phobia is a persistent, strong fear of a certain object or situation. Common phobias include fear of crowds, darkness, heights, and such animals as cats, snakes, or spiders. Phobic individuals may spend much time worrying about their fears and may be too frightened to carry out normal activities. Psychologists and psychiatrists classify phobias as an anxiety disorder, a mild psychological problem.

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