The birds from which penguins are descended initially had to fight a number of enemies in Antarctica
had flippers to enable them to swim easily
were as capable of flight as any normal bird
fled to Antarctica to escape from their enemies
were the first birds to lose the ability to fly
Penguins are especially well-suited to water because they. live in Antarctica, which is surrounded by water
have flippers, instead of wings, and streamlined bodies
have long feathers to protect them from the icy polar water
are simply no longer very good at flying
spend so much of their time living on the land
When penguins desire to get out of the water, they swim very fast in order to get above the surface
they move their wings and fly onto the nearest iceberg
their feet help them gain enough speed to leap above the waves
their streamlined bodies enable them to do so quite easily
they are capable of jumping nearly six feet high to do it
61 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN The composer of some of the most influential pieces of music ever written, Ludwig van Beethoven created a bridge between the 18th-century classical period and the new beginnings of Romanticism. His greatest breakthroughs in composition came in his instrumental work, including his symphonies. Unlike his predecessor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for whom writing music seemed to come easily, Beethoven always struggled to perfect his work. In the late 1700s Beethoven began to suffer from early symptoms of deafness. The cause of his disability is still uncertain. By 1802 Beethoven was convinced that the condition not only was permanent, but was getting progressively worse. He spent that summer in the country and wrote what has become known as the "Heiligenstadt Testament." In the document, seemingly intended for his two brothers, Beethoven expressed his humiliation and despair. For the rest of his life he searched for a cure, but by 1819 his deafness had become total.
Afterwards, in order to have conversations with his friends,
Beethoven had them write down their questions and replied orally.