Dead Horse and Talents

During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), the State of Yan was defeated by the State of Qi. When King Zhao was crowned as the king of Yan, he was determined to make his state strong to remove the humiliation. Yet he complained that he did not have real talents to assist him.
One day, he said to Guo Wei, a minister, "Can you tell me how I can get great talents?" Guo Wei replied by telling a story.
"Once there was a king who offered hundreds of ounces of gold for a winged steed, a horse which can run 500 kilometers a day. He sent one of his men to search through the country but the man only brought back a pile of bones of a dead steed for half of the gold. The king got outraged. But the man said, 'When people learn that you have paid so much for a dead horse, they will certainly offer to sell you a steed if anyone has got one.' As was expected, the king got three steeds in less than a year. If you are sincerely seeking top talents, why don't you treat me as a dead horse of that sort now?"
King Zhao did build Guo Wei a very expensive villa and regarded him as a teacher. Also he built a platform on which he placed a lot of presents for guests from different parts. Soon his sincerity was spread to every corner of the land. In a couple of years, great talents such as Ju Xin, Su Dai, Zou Yan, Le Yi all came from different states to gather around King Zhao. Very soon, with the assistance of them, Yan became a powerful state and defeated Qi. King Zhao accomplished his dream of revenge.
02.40 | Category: | 0 komentar

Never too Deceitful in War

In 383 AD, King Fu Jian of the state of Qianqin in North China led an army of 870,000 men to invade the Eastern Jin (317-420). Emperor Xiaowu ordered three generals, Xie Shi, Xu Yan and Xie Xuan, to lead 80,000 warriors to resist the invaders.
In November, the enemy reached the Fei River in Eastern Jin and began to set up defenses at the riverside. Across the river was Eastern Jin's troop. As there was a great disparity of strength, Xie and his comrades in arms had hardly any hope of victory if they started a face-to-face battle. Then they had an idea. They sent a herald to take a message to Fu Rong, the king's major general, "You are setting up defenses along the river, so it is quite obvious that you are planning for a long war. But as you are far from your country and supplies cannot be timely guaranteed, you are no doubt putting yourselves in a very disadvantageous situation. Why don't you let your troop retreat a few hundred yards so that we can cross the river to fight a decisive battle with you?"
This message was taken to King Fu Jian. He laughed and said, "How silly those generals are! How dare they wade across the river to fight against a troop of 870,000 men! They surely overrate themselves. Let's retreat so that they can come across. But we will return and wipe them out when they are in the middle of the river."
The retreat started. In a few seconds, there suddenly came a roaring cry from behind, "The king is defeated!" As the purpose of the action had not been properly declared, many men mistakenly believed that they were truly defeated. Therefore, they ran faster until the whole troop became beyond control. The Jin's troop immediately crossed the river and attacked the enemy from behind. General Fu Rong attempted to give a counterattack, but it was too late. His troop was already in a thorough confusion and no one would hear his order. This invading Titanic was at last sunk by a much smaller group of fighters.
King Fu Jian's mistake lies in the fact that he only knew that an army in water is easy to defeat. Yet, he should have also known that when two armies confront each other, the one who first retreats tends to lose.
02.39 | Category: | 0 komentar

Give the Enemy a Ray of Hope

In 206 B.C., Cao Cao (155-220), a great statesman, artist of war and man of letters, led his army to attack the city of Huguan. As the city was strategically located and very difficult to access, Cao's army could not take it in spite of great efforts. Cao got extremely outraged and said, "Once I get into the city, I will have all those in it buried alive."
Soon his words were spread throughout the city. As the defenders in the city feared that it would really happen to them, they waged a desperate resistance. As a result, Cao's army found it even harder to win the battle. They made months of attempts to get in but in vain. Cao became more uneasy and consulted with his generals for a scheme.
At a meeting, General Cao Ren rose from his seat and said, "The art of war tells us that we should not put the enemy in too tight a ring, that the enemy should be left a way to survive. But now we have been trapping our enemy in a deadly corner. What's more, you have declared to have them all buried alive. This will only make them battle desperately against us, for they would rather fight to death than be buried alive. As I estimate, the enemy has almost run out of supplies. If we now give them a ray of hope by leaving an open in the ring, they are very likely to surrender to us, for they would rather survive than fight to death for nothing."
Cao Cao thought the idea quite sensible and ordered to do as the general said. As had been expected, the defending troops in the city soon crossed over to Cao's side. The city was finally seized without a cruel fight.
02.38 | Category: | 0 komentar

Driving a Wedge between the Enemy

General Liu Yu of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) betrayed his country and surrendered to the emperor of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in the north.
In 1137, General Yue Fei of the Southern Song got an order to stage a war against the Jin army. Yue Fei knew that there would be a rough battle now that Liu and his new master formed an alliance. But he also knew that there was a conflict between General Liu and Jinwuzhu, a general of Jin. Yue Fei would take advantage of this and weaken the enemy force by driving a wedge between the two generals. But how?
It so happened that Yue Fei received a report that a spy sent by Jinwuzhu was captured. Hearing this, Yue had an idea. He sent a word that he would see this spy.
When the spy was called in, Yue pretended to know the spy and said to him reproachfully, "What has happened to you, Zhang Bing? A few days ago, I ordered you to take Liu Yu a message expecting to collaborate with him to kill Jinwuzhu, but I haven't got any information from you. Where have you been? I am thinking of sending another man to complete the mission."
The spy felt puzzled, but he soon believed that Yue Fei had mistaken him for someone else. He said to himself, "Why don't I make the best of this mistake by taking this important message to my general?" He suddenly knelt down and said beseechingly, "Pardon me, General. Give me one more chance and I promise to hand the message to General Liu this time."
"Well, I pardon you", replied Yue Fei, "I give you another chance. But if you fail again, you can't escape bad luck." He picked up a writing brush and wrote a letter including an elaborated false scheme to kill Jinwuzhu. To make the wedge plan more credible, Yue wrapped the letter in a wax ball. Then he cut open the skin on the spy's leg and put the ball in the cut.
The enemy spy was so excited to get the information. He eagerly ran to Jinwuzhu and handed the letter to him. Jinwuzhu was greatly shocked when he learned that Liu Yu had been plotting to kill him. He immediately reported the message to the emperor. Very soon, Liu Yu was deposed and Yue Fei succeeded in weakening the enemy force and paved the way for his defeating the enemy.
02.38 | Category: | 0 komentar

A Foolish Man Buys Shoes

In the past there lived a foolish man in a small kingdom called Zheng. One day he wanted to buy himself a pair of new shoes. He measured his feet with a ruler first and wrote down his size. But he was in such a hurry to set out that he left it at home.
When he arrived at a shoe shop, he felt in the pocket only to find that it was not there. So he said apologetically, 'I have left the measurement at home and don't know the size. I'll fetch it in one minute.' With these words he hurried off as fast as his legs could carry him.
He ran back home, found it and then to the shop again. But still it took him quite a while and the shop was already closed then. He had gone to all this trouble for nothing and did not get his shoes.
Then someone asked him, 'Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else?' 'For myself, of course.' he answered. 'Then why don't you try the shoes on by yourself?'
02.37 | Category: | 0 komentar

The Donkey of Guizhou

Once upon a time there was no donkey in Guizhou. So someone officious shipped one there, but finding no use for it, he set it loose at the foot of the mountain.
A tiger ran out from the mountains. When he saw this big tall thing, he thought it must be divine. He quickly hid himself in the forest and surveyed it from under cover. Sometimes the tiger ventured a little nearer, but still kept a respectful distance.
One day the tiger came out again. Just then the donkey gave a loud bray. Thinking the donkey was going to eat him, the tiger hurriedly ran away. After a while he sneaked back and watched the donkey carefully. He found that though it had a huge body it seemed to have no special ability.
After a few days the tiger gradually became accustomed to its braying and was no longer so afraid. Sometimes he even came near and circled around the donkey.
Later the tiger became bolder. Once he walked in front of the donkey and purposely bumped it. This made the donkey so angry that it struck out his hind legs and kicked wildly.
Seeing this the tiger was very gleeful, 'Such a big thing as you can do so little!' With a roar he pounced on the donkey and ate it up.
02.36 | Category: | 0 komentar

Wu Yan and Su Liu Two Ugly Imperial Concubines

In ancient China most men chose their wives by appearance, let alone the emperors. But during the Spring and Autumn Period, two ugly but virtuous and able women became imperial concubines in succession in a kingdom called Qi.
It is said there was a girl so ugly that her eyes sank deep in her face, sparse hair could hardly cover her head, and her skin was as dark as pitch. Born in Wu Yan, she was called after the place. Since she was so bad looking, she lived alone until her 40. At that time wars surged up between the kingdoms from time to time. One day Wu Yan summoned up courage and went to see the Emperor Xuan. When she was presented at court, she said, 'Your majesty, I would like to be at your service since our country is in great danger.' Of course, she was asked to explain why, 'It is in a chaotic state at home with two strong kingdoms, Qin and Chu, surrounding us. But your majesty haven't sensed the slightest danger at this moment of life and death.' The emperor was struck dumb with her words and gave up his luxurious life and put himself in efforts to make the country prosperous. Wu Yan was not only the spouse, but also a straight friend to the emperor.
Things came not singly but in pairs. Several generations later there lived in Qi another ugly girl. Since she had a tumor in her neck, she was named Su Liu. It was goiter in fact. Because of it, people kept away from her. Once Emperor Min went on a sightseeing tour to the suburbs. All the people crowded along the road while Su Liu concentrated on picking mulberry leaves. As she was called before the emperor, she explained she was doing her job wholeheartedly and not noticing things else. Emperor Min thought her a virtuous woman and wanted to take her back. And unexpectedly, she refused and said she should ask her parents' permission first. The emperor respected her will and held a grand marriage for her. Later she assisted in governing the country and brought peace and prosperity to people.
02.35 | Category: | 0 komentar

Soal IPA Paket 2
1.   Bentuk paruh burung yang panjang dan tebal menunjukkan adanya adaptasi secara ........

A.fisiologi
B.morfologi
C.tingkah laku
D.biologi

2.   Di bawah ini merupakan bahan yang diperlukan dalam fotosintesis kecuali ........

A.cahaya
B.air
C.oksigen
D.karbon dioksida

3.   Perkembangbiakan tidak kawin pada tumbuhan disebut perkembangbiakan secara ........

A.generatif
B.seksual
C.melahirkan
D.vegetatif

4.   Suatu penyakit yang akan timbul bila kekurangan vitamin A (thiamin) adalah ........

A.rabun senja
B.rakitis
C.beri-beri
D.dermatitis

5.   Hewan yang memiliki dua alat kelamin sekaligus seperti cacing dan bekicot dinamakan hewan ........

A.isogami
B.hermaprodit
C.ovipar
D.vivipar

6.   Berikut ini termasuk kelompok karnivora ........

A.elang, ular dan kucing
B.kelelawar, ulat dan anjing
C.buaya, banteng dan burung pipit
D.katak, cicak dan keluwing

7.   Perkawinan silang dengan hanya melibatkan satu sifat beda disebut perkawinan secara........

A.trihibrid
B.monohibrid
C.hibrid
D.dihibrid

8.   Di bawah ini termasuk alat-alat pernapasan pada tubuh manusia, kecuali ........

A.hidung
B.laring
C.hati
D.paru-paru

9.   Hasil persilangan bunga pukul empat merah dengan putih yang memiliki sifat intermediet, maka perbandingan fenotip pada F2-nya ........

A.1 : 2 : 1
B.9 : 3 : 3 : 1
C.3 : 1
D.9 : 1

10.   Minuman yoghurt dibuat dari ........

A.susu yang dipasteurisasi
B.glukosa yang difermentasi
C.susu yang diasamkan mikroorganisme
D.buah anggur yang difermentasi

11.   Faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan jumlah kelahiran berkurang adalah ........

A.bencana
B.kejahatan
C.mempercepat usia kawin
D.keluarga berencana

12.   Tanaman pengganggu yang tumbuh di sekitar atau di sela-sela tanaman pangan disebut........

A.saprofit
B.hama
C.gulma
D.parasit

13.   Seorang ahli yang pertama menerangkan tentang genetika adalah ........

A.Charles Darwin
B.JB. Lanmarck
C.Gregor Mendel
D.C. Linnaues

14.   Perbandingan fenotip F2 dari persilangan monohibrid adalah ........

A.1 : 1 : 1
B.1 : 2 : 1
C.1 : 1
D.3 : 1

15.   Perpindahan penduduk dari tempat yang padat penduduknya, ke tempat yang jarang penduduknya disebut ........

A.migrasi
B.imigrasi
C.transmigrasi
D.emigrasi

16.   Kegiatan pengukuran yang menggunakan satuan baku adalah ........

A.panjang meja dengan jengkal
B.volum benda dengan gelas
C.luas tanah dengan tombak
D.waktu dengan stopwatch

17.   Gaya yang menyebabkan benda jatuh ke bawah yaitu ........

A.gaya gravitasi bumi
B.gaya dorong bumi
C.gaya kimia
D.gaya otot

18.   Gaya 500 N bekerja pada permukaan seluas 2,5 m². Tekanannya ........

A.20 Pa
B.200 Pa
C.2000 Pa
D.2 Pa

19.   Pada peristiwa pengereman terjadi perubahan energi ........

A.listrik menjadi panas
B.kinetik menjadi panas
C.kinetik menjadi potensial
D.listrik menjadi kinetik

20.   Sebuah balok kayu didorong dengan gaya 200 N sehingga berpindah sejauh 2 m, usaha yang dilakukan balok kayu tersebut ........

A.20 J
B.100 J
C.200 J
D.400 J

21.   Suhu tubuh orang yang sehat adalah ........

A.43�C
B.40�C
C.37�C
D.35�C

22.   Suatu sumber getar menghasilkan frekuensi 20Hz. Periode getaran tersebut adalah ........

A.20 s
B.2 s
C.0,5 s
D.0,05 s

23.   
Satu gelombang yaitu ........

A.A-B-C-D
B.A-B-C
C.A-C-D
D.A-B-C-D-A

24.   Bunyi tidak dapat merambat melalui ........

A.benda padat
B.benda cair
C.gas
D.hampa udara

25.   Dua muatan yang sejenis jika didekatkan akan ........

A.bertolak belakang
B.menarik dan menolak
C.tolak menolak
D.tarik menarik

26.   Empat buah muatan A, B, C, dan D. A dan B tolak-menolak. A dan C tarik-menarik, sedangkan C dan D tolak menolak.
Jika B bermuatan listrik positif, maka ........

A.D bermuatan negatif, C positif
B.C bermuatan negatif, D positif
C.D bermuatan negatif, A positif
D.A bermuatan negatif, C positif

27.   Dua muatan listrik masing-masing 6 C dan 2 C, jarak antara kedua muatan adalah 3 m. Besar gaya tolak menolaknya ........ (k = 9 x109Nm²C-2)

A.12 x 107 N
B.12 x 108 N
C.12 x 109 N
D.16 x 109 N

28.   Satuan kuat arus listrik dalam SI ........

A.ampere
B.volt
C.coulomb
D.ohm

29.   Kuat arus di dalam sepotong kawat penghambat ialah 4 A. Apabila kedua ujungnya diberi potensial 12 volt. Berapa hambatan ........

A.2 ohm
B.3 ohm
C.4 ohm
D.5 ohm

30.   Berapa I2 pada rangkaian di bawah !

A.1 A
B.2 A
C.3 A
D.4 A

31.   Berapakah Rp pada rangkaian campuran di bawah ini ........

A.8 ohm
B.
C.1 ohm
D.7 ohm

32.   Benda yang ditarik kuat oleh magnet yaitu ........

A.paramagnetik
B.ferromagnetik
C.diamagnetik
D.elektromagnetik

33.   Kelompok benda berikut yang tergolong benda magnet adalah ........

A.besi, baja, tembaga
B.besi, baja, kaca
C.besi, nikel, kaca
D.besi, baja, kobalt

34.   Sebatang besi dapat dimagnetkan dengan cara berikut, kecuali ........

A.mendekatkan besi ke magnet
B.menggosok besi dengan magnet
C.memanaskan besi yang menempel pada magnet
D.mengalirkan arus listrik pada besi

35.   Penyimpangan arah jarum kompas terhadap arah arus listrik dapat ditentukan dengan aturan tangan kanan. Aturan ini ditentukan oleh ........

A.Oersted
B.Faraday
C.Ampere
D.Lorentz

36.   Insektisida adalah bahan kimia pembunuh ........

A.Tikus
B.Serangga
C.Kuman
D.Bakteri

37.   Bahan kimia yang sering ditambahkan pada sabun mandi adalah ........

A.pewarna
B.pewangi
C.antiseptik
D.semua benar

38.   Bahan-bahan berikut tergolong pewarna alami, kecuali ........

A.kunyit
B.tartrazine
C.karamel
D.daun suji

39.   Tanda atom unsur kalium, kalsium, belerang, emas berturut-turut yaitu ........

A.K, Ca, S, Au
B.K, Ca, Ag, S
C.K, Ca, Si, Ag
D.K, Ca, As, Ag

40.   Nama senyawa dengan rumus kimia PO5 adalah ........

A.posfor pentaoksida
B.diposfor pentaoksida
C.posfor oksida
D.posfor oksigen
02.11 | Category: | 0 komentar

Clock World