Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today. What is the main idea?

One the most popular musical instruments is the piano. In the traditional musical instrument classifi cation system of string, woodwind, percussion and brass, the piano falls into two categories. It is considered a string instrument because the sound comes from the strings inside the piano. It is also considered a percussion instrument, since the player strikes the keyboard, which signals an internal hammer to strike the strings.

Irish immigration to the U.S. began during the early development of the American colonies. It is estimated that 200,000 Irish came to the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The numbers swelled from 1820 to 1850 to almost 2 million Irish immigrants. Most of these were fleeing the potato famine from 1845 until 1852. Steady numbers continued to arrive during the late 19th and 20th centu-ries. Today, over 36 million Americans claim some level of Irish ancestry.

There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mammals. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pain. Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception. What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey. The platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an odd creature indeed.  What is the main idea?