The Galápagos Islands, part of the Republic of Ecuador, are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, 906 kilometres (563 miles) west of continental Ecuador. The islands are known for their large number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

Dear Alicia,

It’s November and you have been gone for about two months. Even though that does not seem like a significant amount of time, I have come to miss your presence very much, since we’ve been friends for over a decade! I hope you are enjoying yourself at the University and making good progress with your project work. You have been very lucky to get a scholarship for such a sought-after program and I am sure you will make the most of it.

Before you left I promised to call you often, but one doesn’t realize how much the time difference actually matters. By the time I’m finished work for the day, you’re in bed, and before you go off to class, its 5:00 a.m. here. We should make the most of our weekends and make sure we stay connected.

I enjoy watching your videos of the University you’re at and all of your college adventures. I am happy to see that you have made a lot of new friends too! I always look forward to hearing about all the other countries you have travelled to while you’re away, and I love seeing what a great time you are having in this amazing chapter of your life. These experiences will nurture you and prepare you for what the future has to offer.

Besides being happy for you, I am also extremely amazed. You are almost fluent in another language and you could immerse yourself in another culture. The greatest challenge is being separated from your family and friends, something that you coped with really well. While I consider myself to be independent, travelling to a foreign country would be a big leap for me. I wish I could be as fearless as you are. You saw the opportunity to travel, and you went for it without letting anything hold you back. As one of your best friends, I am so proud of you and I am waiting for you to be back after your course is completed next year!

Best wishes,

Molly

A. The groundhog is normally brown in colour but can be completely black or completely white. It is one of Canada’s largest true hibernators. The groundhog is the major hole-digging mammal over much of eastern North America, and in some places in the west, providing all sorts of animals with shelter. The groundhog spends much of its time eating and sunning when not hibernating or caring for young. Groundhogs are widely distributed in North America and are particularly common in the east where they are found from Alabama and Georgia in the United States to northern Quebec and Ontario. In the west, their range extends northward to Alaska and through southern Yukon and Northwest Territories. Groundhog distribution can be spotted everywhere on the edges of the range.

B. Groundhogs prefer open areas such as fields, clearings, open forests, and rocky slopes. They generally dig their burrows in areas where luxuriant grasses and other short-growing plants provide food. They tend to avoid damp or swampy areas. Summer burrows are often in the middle of pastures and meadows, and the animals will have a denning burrow, used only in the winter, in woody or brushy areas nearby. Winter burrows, whether separate or part of a groundhog family’s main burrow system, are usually deep enough to be located below the frost level.

C. Groundhogs prefer to eat fresh green vegetation. They eat a wide variety of wild plants, clover and alfalfa, and garden vegetables,if they can get them. On rare occasions, they eat snails, insects, or young birds that they come upon by accident. Early in spring they eat bark and small branches. They are able to climb trees, though they prefer spending their time on the ground. They typically don’t stray too far from their burrow, making sure they can scurry to safety in the event of an oncoming predator such as a red fox, coyote or dog. Groundhogs are also important prey for animals such as bobcats, bears and wolves.

D. Young groundhogs are born in April and May following a gestation, or pregnancy, period of 30 days. One litter, usually with four young, is produced per year. Groundhogs are blind and helpless at birth, about 10 cm in length and about 30 g in weight. At about 28 days old, their eyes are open, and they are covered with short hair. They are weaned, or have made the transition from mother’s milk to solid foods, when they start to emerge from the burrow at five to six weeks of age. Groundhogs grow rapidly. They weigh 570 g at eight weeks of age and become very fat for hibernation. Groundhogs have been known to live for 10 years, although the average life span is probably much less.

E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Tattoos are lasting ink images sealed forever on a person’s body and are used to symbolize the characteristics of the wearer or his allegiance to a group or an idea. It helps them to convey their thoughts and beliefs through tattoos they hold sacred. However, it is this expression that can attract both positive and negative responses.

According to leading psychologist, Macy Jones, ’Wearing apparel or accessories that promote or express one’s beliefs or ideas is commonly acceptable, but to deviate as far as getting a tattoo may not always be the best option. Not only that, but once obtained, one can sometimes feel regretful of the choice they have made, but the scars of tattoos never fade.

’ One can take off a T-shirt, but a tattoo is extremely difficult—if not impossible—to remove it. If one has a tattoo that is offensive to some people, he could be isolating himself from others who do not appreciate his tattoo, which may include his own family or intimate partner. For example, an interviewee recalls an experience with his partner, ’She didn’t want her parents to know that I had a tattoo. She let me know she didn’t like it and she would prefer that I didn’t have it.’

In the book, Mistaken Marks, Beatrice Miller, notes that, ’Although the idea of tattoos tied to bikers is a stereotype, by all means, that does not disprove it. Bikers often wear tattoos to show allegiance to a clan or a gang. Having tattoos should not ’mark’ you as a part of some group. On the flipside, what if you get a tattoo that represents a group that you do not consent with. You will be posed as a member of that group by the outside, even if that was not your intention. Tattoos can lead to misassumptions to loyalty of groups or to ’marking’ to join a group.’

Unfavourable designs, location, quality, effect, and the initial step of getting a tattoo could be the roots of one’s regret. And although there are procedures to ’undo’ a tattoo, they can be risky and/or ineffective. Wearing an undesired tattoo can often cause grief. The risk involved in getting a tattoo may not be important, but the permanence that it will stay with you forever, is.