NJ Physics Professor Has the “Right Stuff” · NJ Physics Professor Has the “Right Stuff” Valorie Sands In 2005, Dr. Greg Olsen became the third person ever to travel into

NJ Physics Professor Has the “Right Stuff”

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NJ Physics Professor Has the “Right Stuff” Valorie Sands

In 2005, Dr. Greg Olsen became the third person ever to travel into outer space as a private citizen. Unlike NASA astronauts who earn a generous salary, he bought his own ticket into space. He paid about $20 million for the trip, a ten‐day orbit aboard the Expedition 11 Russian Soyuz rocket, which docked at the International Space Station. He also took responsibility for his own training. The space flight was the achievement of a lifetime for the New Jersey entrepreneur and college physics professor.

Olsen's fascination with outer space and astronomy began when he was still a boy. He was born in 1945, years before space travel was close to becoming a reality. In fact, space exploration did not really heat up until the post‐WWII rivalry known as the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. Both countries fought to win the race to space. The Race to Space

In 1957, the Soviet Union took the lead when it sent Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, into space. But by 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy made it clear that the nation would not take a backseat to Russia. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade... because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win,” said Kennedy.

When asked why he loved space travel, Dr. Olsen talked about his professional crewmates, NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev. “For the same reason they love it ‐‐ to be weightless, to see the awesome sight of Earth from space,” he said. Spaceflight Training School

Going to space school for the Expedition 11 spaceflight “was also like being a college student again,” said Dr. Olsen. That is, except for some of the training, which involved zero gravity flights and spins around in a centrifuge of up to 8 Gs acceleration (eight times Earth’s gravitational pull). However, most of Dr. Olsen's training was spent in classrooms and in flight


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simulators. He was expected to know his way around the Soyuz vehicle, the space station, and to help with day‐to‐day routines. Yet neither NASA nor the Russians assigned him to heavy‐duty responsibilities during the space flight.

According to Olsen, the most physically challenging part of the training was the water‐landing exercise to practice “splash down.” This is a demanding and dangerous method of landing a spacecraft by parachute into a body of water. To prepare for the grueling task, Olsen and his crewmates wore wet suits and other protective survival gear. During just two hours of practice, he sweated off more than three pounds from his 170‐pound frame. Learning Russian

Despite demanding tests of endurance, Olsen described the physical training as the easiest part of preparation for the experience. He said that for him the hardest part “was trying to learn Russian. I love Russians and the Russian culture… but I’ve never been good at languages since I was a young person.”

Dr. Olsen learned Russian well enough to succeed in bonding well with his Russian crewmate and training personnel. “I’m just in awe of them,” he said. “When I watched them operate the Soyuz spacecraft and the simulators, they seemed to know every nut and bolt on the vehicle. I just tried to soak up the knowledge.”

Overcoming fear was no problem for Dr. Olsen. He was “very, very confident” about space travel aboard the Russian Soyuz vehicle. “It has a great safety record, and I have no qualms about doing this whatsoever.” The main goal of the Soyuz mission was to switch crews, and to replace emergency capsules that must always be attached to the space station in case of an emergency escape. A Smooth Launch

Olsen’s launch from the Cosmodrome, a space launch facility in Kazakhstan, went smoothly. He reported that one of the most unforgettable highlights of his ten‐day trip was the lift‐off experience during takeoff. He was also awed by the sight of Earth passing by in the rocket's window and the memorable feeling of floating around the space station. Radio Broadcast from Space

A licensed ham radio operator, Dr. Olsen spoke to New Jersey students from space via a ham radio. In the first of three broadcasts from the International Space Station (ISS) Olsen said, “Welcome to space. It's really nice here. It's nice and roomy."

"In some ways it's like camping out, because we have no running water, no sinks, and we kind of have to fend for ourselves for food," said Dr. Olsen. He reported that the professional astronauts had made him feel welcome aboard the space station.


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Olsen expressed appreciation to many of his teachers, colleagues, and family in his space broadcast. He thanked his professors at Fairleigh Dickenson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Physics. He also thanked engineering students and former classmates at the University of Virginia, the school where he earned his doctorate. It was with their support that he was able to first build a spectrometer that became the basis for his New Jersey company, Sensors Unlimited. Spectrometers are sophisticated space age tools that use light to help astronomers and astronauts collect information. Using a spectrometer, astronauts can calculate the temperature of an object in space, learn which direction it’s moving, calculate its speed and weight, and find out what it is made of. Scientific Studies from Space

Olsen had planned to take an infrared spectrometer built by his Princeton, New Jersey firm with him on his space trip. However, it failed to pass through U.S. Export Customs, so the project had to be shelved. Instead, he conducted three medical experiments designed to study the human body's reaction to the absence of gravity. He also conducted studies on bacteria growth in zero gravity, and on how spaceflight affects the lower back and inner ear. He contributed his scientific findings to the European Space Agency. The Journey Home

During Olsen's return trip to Earth, there were pressurization problems aboard the Soyuz TMA‐6 spacecraft carrying him and his crew home. Overcoming the difficulties at undocking and during the descent tested the astronauts' skill, emotional strength and mental capability. In fact, at a press conference, a Russian News Agency announced that it had been a fairly serious situation. Fortunately, disaster was avoided because the Expedition 11’s astronauts all kept their cool and monitored the glitch very closely during re‐entry. All three space travelers wore Russian‐built Sokol spacesuits, a standard precaution, for an extra layer of protection, according to Olsen.

“At no time was there panic or alarm, or anything of that sort,” said Olsen about the pressurization problems during re‐entry. He added that at one point during the descent, he needed to add more oxygen into the Soyuz cabin. “We had practiced this many times during simulation practice, and I thought everyone handled it like pros.” Ten days after liftoff, the Soyuz crew landed safely back on Earth, in a desert in Kazakhstan.

Questions: NJ Physics Professor Has the “Right Stuff”


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Name: _____________ Date: _______________________ 1. Who is Greg Olsen?

A a man who used to be the president of the United States B a student at Fairleigh Dickenson University in New Jersey C a NASA astronaut aboard the Expedition 11 Russian Soyuz rocket D a physics professor who traveled to outer space in 2005

2. What does this passage describe?

A This passage describes the classes that Olsen took to earn his Master’s Degree in Physics.

B This passage describes the results of Olsen’s studies on bacteria growth in zero gravity.

C This passage describes the trip that a private citizen took into space and his preparation for it.

D This passage describes what the desert in Kazakhstan looked like when the Soyuz crew landed.

3. Training for spaceflight takes a lot of physical effort. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

A Olsen tried to learn Russian even though he has never been good at languages since he was a young person.

B During just two hours of practice, Olsen sweated off more than three pounds from his 170 pound frame.

C While NASA astronauts earn a generous salary, Olsen had to pay $20 million for his trip into space.

D After World War Two, the U.S. and the Soviet Union fought to win the race to space during the Cold War.

4. How did Olsen feel when he was up in space?

A nervous and scared B foolish and embarrassed C sad and disappointed D happy and thankful

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A Greg Olsen’s preparation for a flight into space and his experience in space B the pressurization problems aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft C the infrared spectrometer that Greg Olsen planned to take on his space trip D three ham radio broadcasts from the International Space Station



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6. Read the following sentences: “In 2005, Dr. Greg Olsen became the third person ever to travel into outer space as a private citizen. Unlike NASA astronauts who earn a generous salary, he bought his own ticket into space.” What does the word “astronauts” mean?

A people who teach physics B people who travel into space C people who like to wear wet suits D people who build spectrometers

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Greg Olsen enjoyed his trip into space _______ preparing for it was not easy.

A second B currently C although D specifically

8. What language did Olsen learn during his training? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________



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9. For Olsen, what result did learning Russian have? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. Explain how Olsen’s training prepared him for his trip into space. Give one example of something he learned during training that he used while in space. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

conduct con · duct

Definition

noun

1. the way a person acts; behavior.

People expect good conduct from leaders in government.

verb

1. to lead or guide.

She conducted a tour of the museum.He conducted the orchestra.

2. to carry electricity through or along something.

Copper conducts well.Plastic does not conduct electricity.

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the way one acts; behavior.

He was let out of prison for good conduct.The defendant's conduct during the grueling trial was admirable.

2. guidance or course.

The article gives a detailed account of the administration's conduct of the war.

transitive verb

1. to comport or keep control of (oneself).

Utterly bored, the children nonetheless conducted themselves well.She was nervous, but she conducted herself very professionally at the interview.

2. to manage and direct.

Some of the staff are critical of the way the boss is conducting the business.He conducts his affairs in a tightly organized manner.

3. to guide and lead.

Every summer, she conducts tours to Italy.

4. to do or carry out.

The police are conducting an investigation into the man's death.The woman on the phone was conducting a survey.

5. to direct (a musical group or the playing of a piece of music).

She conducted the orchestra in its summer concerts this year.This is the first time that he will be conducting Beethoven's ninth symphony.

6. to allow passage through or along, as of heat or electricity.

Those wires conduct electricity to the building.

intransitive verb

1. to lead.

2. to direct the performance of music.

Do you know who will be conducting in tonight's performance?

Spanish cognate

conducta: The Spanish word conducta means conduct.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. On February 2, NASA, the U.S. space agency, released its findings from Kepler’s sky search conducted between May andSeptember 2009.

2. Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of doctors. Conducting physical exams, interpreting tests,and writing prescriptions are all part of the job.

3. Toyota subsequently conducted a study of unintended acceleration in its vehicles. It concluded that the problem may havebeen caused by “sticky pedals,” possibly ones catching on floor mats.

4. “You can get within two meters of a beaver if you conduct yourself properly,” Coco says. “Don't walk on your heels or your toes,”he instructs, “keep your feet flat on the ground.”

5. So, lawmakers began to create protective measures in favor of farmers. These are called “right to farm” laws, and they are nowenacted in every state. Essentially, they are what they sound like: laws that protect a farmer’s right to conduct his or herbusiness.

6. Duke Ellington was a composer. This means he wrote music. He also played the piano and conducted bands.

7. “I think I have a new lesson for you, though,” Dad said. “I want to show you how to conduct an experiment.”

8. He became a professor at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. There, he was a leading expert in agriculture. He conducted lotsof experiments.

9. The conductor stands with his or her back to the crowd and conducts all of the musicians. The conductor keeps rhythm with astick.

10. So DeSean decided to conduct an experiment of his own. "Hey, I'm going to ask the kitchen staff if we can weigh each plate

separately this time," he said. “Then we’ll know whose fault this is.”

endurance en · dur · ance

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the act, condition, or capacity of functioning under prolonged stress.

Great endurance is needed to run a marathon.

2. the capacity to last or persevere, or the condition or fact of lasting or persevering.


1. Sticking to a regular swim program will improve your aerobic, or cardiovascular, fitness. This means your heart and lungs willget better at doing their jobs. You will have better endurance so that you can play longer without getting tired.

2. U.S. scientists have bred a "Lance Armstrong" mouse. It can't pedal a bike, but it can run on a treadmill for more than six hoursbefore pooping out. What accounts for the mouse's amazing endurance? For one thing, its muscle cells have 10 times theusual number of mitochondria, according to the scientists, who work at Case Western Reserve University.

simulation sim · u · la · tion

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the act or process of pretending or imitating.

2. something that imitates or resembles, or the fact of resemblance itself.

At a museum in Indonesia, visitors can experience an electronic simulation of the 2004 tsunami wave.

3. a computer calculation that predicts the outcome of, or creates a model of, a real process.

Spanish cognate

simulación: The Spanish word simulación means simulation.


1. Sarah Stewart smashes things to learn how our solar system evolved. ... Sarah Stewart fires this 6-meter-long gun in her lab to simulate the effects of cosmic collisions.

2. Robert Hazen looks into the pressure bomb that he uses to simulate the chemical environment that might have given rise to life on Earth. Hazen uses small metal cylinders called pressure bombs to blastminerals with insanely high pressures and temperatures. It’s all done in the hopes of answering one of the biggest questions in science: How did life begin on Earth?

3. Sandes’s performance in those races scored him an invitation to compete in the racing series’ most extreme leg--the Last Desert Race in Antarctica. Sandes, with his eye on winning all four of the races in the series, trained for the Antarctic conditions by running in a large freezer. Temperatures in the freezer could be set as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit). A fan was adjusted to simulate the wind chill Sandes would experience during the race.

4. Computer simulations of the tower confirmed that it was so delicately balanced that even a bad storm might tip it over. The simulations also confirmed why it leans. The main reason is the soil’scompressibility—how easy it is to squash. Pisa stands on a layer of soft, compressible silt (rock grains finer than sand) that sags under a great weight. The tower turned out to be at a critical height betweenstable and unstable, according to the simulations. “If the tower had been built 2 meters shorter, it would have leaned a little but not much,” says Burland. “One meter taller, it would have fallen over.” As it was,the tower was unstable, so once it began leaning it kept toppling.

5. The second part of the so-called black box is the flight data recorder, or FDR. This piece of equipment does not record the people onboard, but all technical aspects of a flight. Sensors all over the plane detect and send information to a flight data acquisition unit which, in turn, is hooked up to the FDR. The FDR is usually attached to the plane’s tail, where it’s least likely to be damaged in case of an accident. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration requires FDRs to record at least 88 parameters, or aspects, of a commercial flight. As a few examples, these parameters can include the time, altitude, airspeed, direction, movement of the flaps on the wings, the flow of fuel, and use of autopilot. Then, in case something happens, investigators can use this information to recreate a simulation of the entire flight, from takeoff to the incident. In conjunction with the information from the cockpit voice recorder, they can get a picture of what happened.

Mission to Mars

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Mission to Mars By Sheela Raman

It had taken decades of hard work, but at long last the day arrived. Hundreds of spectators gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Air Force Base to watch the Orion 254 shuttle shoot up into outer space, headed for Mars. Almost everyone in the world had tuned in to watch live footage of the launch on their smartphones or on TV. Onboard the shuttle two astronauts, dressed in puffy white spacesuits, patiently waited for blastoff. Roy and Ciara Thomas were a married couple NASA had specially selected to undertake this risky mission. In just a few minutes, they would begin an adventure that would carry them further away from Earth than anyone else in human history. A voice came over the speakers that hovered above the excited spectators. Suddenly the crowd hushed. “In 1969, human beings walked on the moon for the first time,” said the deep, confident voice, “and now, in July of 2020, we expand our frontier to Mars. Please send your salutations and blessings to our brave astronauts as they embark on this groundbreaking mission. ” Everyone erupted into cheers and whistles, and Ciara and Roy smiled as they heard these expressions of support over their shuttle radio. Family and friends of the astronauts stood at the front of the crowd. Tears streamed down their faces. They were proud of Roy and Ciara, but they did not know when or if they would ever see them again. The voyage would take at least a year to complete, and it involved many risks. Although Earth was now at its closest possible distance to Mars, the famed Red Planet was still 34 million miles away. The moon, which is 240,000 miles away from Earth, seemed a walk around the block by comparison. “Ten,” counted the deep voice, “nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!” And with that, colossal fuel jets attached to the shuttle shot white‐hot streaks of fire into the ground, and the shuttle and tanks immediately shot upward into the sky. In order to generate enough

Mission to Mars

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force to propel the shuttle from the earth’s surface all the way into outer space, the shuttle’s fuel tanks had to send an enormous amount of opposite pressure against the ground. That’s why NASA scientists designed the jets to be so big and powerful. The jets created a great show of fire and smoke when they released. Within minutes, Roy and Ciara passed through the top layers of the earth’s atmosphere. The fuel jets, which were no longer necessary, broke away from the shuttle and drifted off into the vastness of outer space. Roy and Ciara began to float inside the shuttle because Earth’s gravitational pull no longer weighed them down. Oxygen tanks fed air into their surroundings so that they could breathe. Roy and Ciara took their first deep breaths in space and gazed out the window. A brilliant blue sphere rose before them amid the blackness like a giant, shimmering jewel. That was Planet Earth, home to their fellow men and women, and they were now hurtling away from it at 75,000 miles per hour. “Ground control to Roy and Ciara,” said a happy voice on the radio from Mission Control. “Roy Thomas to Mission Control,” replied Roy. “That was a textbook takeoff,” the officer said. “Congratulations!” “Thanks,” said Roy. “We’ll keep you posted as we move along.” NASA chose Roy and Ciara for the Mars mission not only because they were both very intelligent and physically fit, but also because they were happily married. Over such a long trip, NASA felt it was better to send people who would not easily get into fights. If anything went wrong on board the spacecraft, Roy and Ciara would have to work as a tight team to fix the problem. For an entire year they would have to survive without a single freshly cooked meal—all their food was stored on the craft in vacuum‐sealed packs and tubes. A finite cargo of oxygen tanks contained their air supply. If at any point the mission stalled for too long, they ran the risk of running out of air to breathe. To maintain a good attitude amidst these challenges, the two astronauts really had to enjoy each other’s company. The risks of the Mars voyage did not seem to faze either Roy or Ciara. They were excited about the contribution they would make to human understanding of the universe. Roy was tall and broad‐shouldered, and had been an Air Force captain before joining the team at NASA. Ciara was a petite, fine‐boned woman, who worked as an astrophysicist for most of her career before volunteering to train as an astronaut.

Mission to Mars

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For one whole quiet year the couple sailed across space. Every now and then Roy grew claustrophobic inside the small craft, but when this happened he exercised on the special fitness machines, or donned his spacesuit and opened the door of the craft, climbing on top of its surface to check that all parts were running smoothly. Ciara wrote in a journal about the beautiful sights she saw out the window—distant galaxies and stars, a giant asteroid not so far away. By the time Orion 254 finally approached the arid, rust‐colored surface of Mars, people on Earth had almost forgotten about them. But as the craft got closer and closer to the red surface, news channels on Earth started buzzing. “Humans on Mars, at long last! Another giant leap for mankind!” they proclaimed. Roy manned the gears of the craft now, directing it to a flat plain on the surface of Mars, just between two deep craters. He was an expert pilot, and he landed the spacecraft with a gentle thud. “Bravo!” shouted Mission Control. Everyone was clapping in the background. “You’re about to make history!” With great care and attention, the astronauts put their spacesuits back on. On top of these suits they strapped an extra layer to protect against radiation, much like a doctor puts a protective layer over a patient before performing an X‐ray. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a very thick atmosphere or an ozone layer, so the radiation from the sun is many times stronger there. In a pouch attached to her spacesuit, Ciara carried jars and a small shovel to collect samples of Martian soil. She would be the first person to bring this precious material back to Earth. What would they discover in it? Alien bacteria? Some powerful, indestructible metal? Roy switched on the television monitors outside the spacecraft, so citizens of Earth could watch this historic, first walk on Mars. The two astronauts fixed microphones to the insides of their suits so that they could talk to each other, Mission Control, and the rest of the earthly world. They fastened their spacesuits to cords inside the craft and stepped out into the swirling dust. As he took his first steps, Roy saw a flicker of silver out of the corner of his eye. It seemed to move through the air and settle behind a rock to his right. Forgetting for a moment that he had to move slowly, Roy dashed forward to catch a better glimpse. In that one moment the cord attaching him to the spacecraft suddenly snapped, and he went floating into the air. People watching from Earth gripped their chairs in fear. There was not enough gravity on Mars to hold Roy steadily on the ground. Ciara saw what happened and immediately shouted to him over the intercom. “Throw something out in front of you! As hard as you can!”

Mission to Mars

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Roy knew when to listen to his wife. He removed a big hammer from his tool belt and hurled it with all his might directly ahead of him. The force of his throw generated an equal and opposite force that sent Roy hurtling backwards—right back into the spacecraft. He grabbed hold of the doors of the craft to steady himself and then looked at the broken cord. Fortunately they had the materials to fix the tear, and Ciara and Roy worked together quickly to patch it up. Within fifteen minutes they were back out on the surface. Mission Control and most of planet Earth cheered them along. “Mars landing, take two,” said Roy, to Mission Control. “What happened?” asked the commander at Mission Control. “Why did you rush forward like that?” “You’re not going to believe this,” said Roy. “But I swear I saw something silver, moving behind that rock just ahead.” “Are you saying . . . that you might have seen a life form?” asked the commander in a serious, quiet voice. “Could be,” said Roy. “Won’t know for sure until we explore a bit.” “Indeed,” said Ciara. “We’ll have to be very quiet and slow.” Side by side, tools in hand, Roy and Ciara Thomas ventured forth into the mysterious red landscape.

embark em · bark

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to put or take aboard a ship or aircraft.

More cargo was embarked when the ship made its stop in Le Havre.

2. to involve or invest in a venture.

intransitive verb

1. to board a ship, esp. to begin a voyage.

The passengers embarked at Southampton and then sailed to New York.

2. to set out on or begin some venture (usu. fol. by on).

He embarked on a political career.

Spanish cognate

embarcarse: The Spanish word embarcarse means embark.


1. In 1777, Lafayette embarked on his ship La Victoire and sailed for 54 days across the Atlantic to arrive in South Carolina.

2. During this period the American people, their government, and various companies across the country, embarked upon severaldifferent, untested courses of action to combat the Great Depression, and lift the country out of a downward spiral.

3. Leaders of the National Woman's Party announced tonight that they would at once embark upon a campaign to obtainratification of the amendment by the necessary three-fourths of the States so that women might have the vote in the nextPresidential election.

4. Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge andpeace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatestadventure on which man has ever embarked.

5. “See you later,” she said to the statue as they disembarked. “Maybe next summer.”

6. Tomorrow, the author embarks on another adventure down the Yangtze River in the hope of discovering more about China.

frontier fron · tier

Advanced Definition

noun

1. a border between two countries, or the area close on either side.

There have been reports of fighting along the frontier between the two countries.

2. (sometimes pl.) the outer or furthest reaches, as of settlement, exploration, or knowledge.

The frontier held out the promise of prosperity for many settlers.These scientists are exploring the frontiers of biology.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, or typical of human settlements at the edge of the wilderness.

This structure is typical of a frontier fort.

Spanish cognate

frontera: The Spanish word frontera means frontier.


1. Still, the idea of the imperative for space colonization has been around for centuries. As long as man has been able to imaginea frontier, he has wanted to conquer it. This is no less true for the space outside our planet.

2. He was born on Feb. 12, 1809 in a Kentucky log cabin. When he was eight, his family moved to the wild Indiana frontier.Shortly afterward Lincoln’s mother died. Lincoln helped his father farm and work the fields.

3. Discovering so many unknown species was thrilling for Jean Krejca. She is a scientist with Zara Environmental, the Texas-based group that led the project. "You get the feeling that you’re Lewis and Clark charting undiscovered territory," says Krejca."Caves are one of the last frontiers."

4. His efforts got Great Britain to set a boundary line between the United States and Canada. They got Spain to give up its claimto Oregon in 1819. Monroe was also able to purchase Florida from Spain. These agreements helped America’s frontier expandquickly west and south.


Paired Text Questions

Part 1: Use the article “NJ Physics Professor has the 'Right Stuff'” to answer the following questions:

1. What was the main goal of the Soyuz mission that Dr. Olsen went on?

2. What went wrong on Dr. Olsen’s return trip to earth?

Part 2: Use the article “Mission to Mars” to answer the following questions:

3. What is the goal of Roy and Ciara's mission?

4. What goes wrong on Roy and Ciara's trip to Mars?

Part 3: Use the articles “NJ Physics Professor has the 'Right Stuff'” & “Mission to Mars” to answer the following

questions:

5. A) Compare Roy and Ciara’s mission with the Soyuz crew’s mission.

B) Contrast Roy and Ciara’s mission with the Soyuz crew’s mission.

6. Who are more successful in achieving the goal of their mission, Roy and Ciara or Dr. Olsen and the Soyuz crew?

Support your answer with evidence from both texts.

Portrait of a Journalist


Portrait of a Journalist By ReadWorks

Peter Smith is a science journalist in Brooklyn, New York. He travels the country to report stories for national newspapers and magazines. Since he doesn’t work for a single publication, however, he does not have an office. He works out of his apartment, coffee shops, and the local library. Being a journalist is his dream job. He only wishes it paid a bit more money. “That’s the one big downside of working as a journalist these days,” Smith says. “There are so many stories out there, and so many people to write about. But fewer places are willing to give you money to write about them.” Smith was sitting in a coffee shop in Red Hook, the neighborhood in Brooklyn where he lives. Last year, he and his girlfriend moved there from Portland, Maine. The two of them loved the summers in Maine and the lobster that came with it. But the winters were simply too cold to bear. “I couldn’t believe how cold it got in Maine during the winter!” he says, shivering at the thought. “Being from upstate New York, I thought I knew what cold meant. But I had no idea.” New York winters are not exactly mild, he admits. But they’re warmer than Maine. More importantly, New York was a place where Smith could meet other writers. Being a journalist can be a solitary profession. To succeed, it is important to make friends in the field.



“It was much quieter in Maine,” he says with a laugh. “It was definitely easier to concentrate. But I didn’t have many other journalists to talk to and share ideas with. After a while, it got pretty lonely.” New York City, he says, is the opposite of lonely. “I can’t walk from my apartment to the subway without bumping into another journalist.” Smith grew up near Beacon, New York and graduated from Hampshire College in Western Massachusetts. From age 20, he knew he wanted to be a writer. The question was: What kind of writer? He got his first job as an intern at the Christian Science Monitor, a national newspaper. A few years later, he started writing a column for a magazine that focused on health and the environment. It was that experience—writing about science on a weekly basis—that inspired him to become a science journalist. Asked why he liked to write about science, Smith said it offered the best way to satisfy his endless curiosity. “To me, science is the best possible subject for a journalist,” he says. “Scientists make major discoveries every day. And unlike music or art, these discoveries often have the potential to save hundreds, thousands, even millions of lives. It’s a pretty great feeling to study and write about research that will affect so many people.” To find his stories, Smith often spends days digging through scientific journals and blogs on the Internet. He reads at least two newspapers every morning: the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. On occasion, he will call up a scientist he knows and ask what she or he has been working on lately. When he finds what looks like a story, that’s when the real work begins. “I spend a lot of my time doing research to see what other people have written about the subject I’m interested in,” he says. “Then I start contacting sources to see if they will agree to an interview. If they say yes, we usually talk over the phone. If necessary, and if I think they’re a good character, I will travel to meet them in person.” “In‐person reporting,” he adds, “is my favorite part of the job. If I have the chance to meet someone I’m writing about face‐to‐face, it always improves the story. And it’s fun, too.”



For Smith, working as a “freelancer”—as opposed to a “staff writer,” or someone who writes for a single publication—has both benefits and drawbacks. He doesn’t have a boss, for one. This means he can write about whatever he wants. And he is not expected to show up to an office every day at a certain time. He wakes up when he wants to, and sets his own schedule each day. Not reporting to a boss, however, means there is no one there to help him. At newspapers, editors will often assign story ideas to a writer. As a freelancer, Smith has to come up with all his own ideas. This can be exhausting, he admits. “There are weeks when I just can’t seem to find anything to write about,” he says. “It’s at those times I wish I had a nice cozy desk somewhere and an editor looking over my shoulder, giving me ideas.” For the most part, though, he likes the freedom that freelance journalism entails. “I’m the kind of person who likes to do things my way,” he says with a smile. “I have a bit of a problem with authority. If someone tells me what to do—even if it’s in my best interest—I tend to ignore him. At an early age, I knew that working at a desk job was probably not for me.” As a boy, Smith was always examining bugs and asking his mother questions like how ocean waves form. His parents figured he would grow up to be a scientist. For someone with his background, I ask, what made him choose writing about science instead of conducting actual scientific research? Smith laughs at the question. “I didn’t want to take organic chemistry in college,” he says. “That prevented me from applying to medical school.” But more than that, he adds, writing about science instead of practicing it allows him to learn about a wider range of subjects. “Had I gone to medicine and become a doctor, I probably would have wound up studying the same thing for ten, fifteen, or even twenty years,” he says. “As a journalist who writes about science, I can write about dozens of different things every year. Sure, it doesn’t pay as well as being a doctor and doesn’t have the same prestige. But I’m satisfying my curiosity about the world. For me, that’s what really matters.”

Questions: Portrait of a Journalist


1

Name: Date: 1. What is Peter Smith’s dream job?

A scientist B novel writer C journalist D newspaper editor

2. How does the author describe the profession of journalism?

A solitary; satisfies one’s curiosity B requires a graduate education C a well-paid, steady desk job D only done by freelancers

3. Finding things to write articles about is a challenging process. What evidence from the passage best supports this conclusion?

A Smith contacts sources to see if they will agree to an interview, either by phone or in person.

B Scientists make discoveries every day, which have the potential to save lives. C On occasion, Smith will call a scientist he knows and ask what she or he has

been working on lately. D Smith digs through scientific journals for days, and reads at least two

newspapers every morning. 4. Which of the following conclusions about Peter Smith’s personality is supported by the passage?

A Smith is motivated mainly by prestige and money. B Smith is independent and loves to learn new things. C Smith would enjoy writing about art as much as science. D Smith is not a social person and prefers to work alone.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A the life story of Peter Smith B the pros and cons of freelancing C the job of a science journalist D why science is more important than art



2

6. Read the following sentences: “‘I’m the kind of person who likes to do things my way,’ he says with a smile. ‘I have a bit of a problem with authority. If someone tells me what to do—even if it’s in my best interest—I tend to ignore him.’” What does “authority” mean as used in this sentence?

A somebody with official power B the editor of a newspaper C somebody who takes orders D somebody who talks a lot

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Peter Smith was interested in science from a young age; ________, he decided to become a journalist instead of conducting scientific research.

A therefore B however C particularly D meanwhile

8. Why does Smith like to write about science? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________



3

9. What are the benefits and drawbacks of being a freelancer, according to Smith? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. Explain whether Peter Smith would enjoy working as a staff writer at a science magazine. Support your answer using information from the passage. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

satisfy sat · is · fy

Definition

verb

1. to give everything that is wanted or needed.

The small snack didn’t satisfy her.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to fulfill or gratify the needs or expectations of.

The meal didn't satisfy him.

2. to fulfill.

She satisfied the requirements of the job.

3. to dispel doubts of or give assurance to.

We cannot satisfy her as to his intentions.

4. to repair or repay (a wrong, debt, or the like).

She soon satisfied the loan.

intransitive verb

1. to give satisfaction.

a wine that does not satisfy.

Spanish cognate

satisfacer: The Spanish word satisfacer means satisfy.


1. Now we can send robots to Mars, but that just wouldn't satisfy the human desire to want to expand our horizons.

2. They were given barely enough rice to satisfy their hunger after a day of hard labor. The rice often had dirt in it, but theprisoners still ate it.

3. He did not worry that others did not like his music. He just said, "If you cannot please all by your art or your work, satisfy thefew. To please many is bad."

4. Enjoying a diet soft drink once in a while is OK. More than that and you’re probably not drinking as much water or calcium-andvitamin-rich milk as you should be. Satisfy your sweet tooth with artificially sweetened products and you might be skippingother sweet and nutritious foods, such as fruit.

5. At the end of a day of waiting tables, Ms. Gladstone’s feet hurt from climbing up and down the stairs carrying dishes of food.She has to do a lot of running back and forth to make sure the customers don’t wait too long for their meals. But Ms. Gladstoneenjoys her job. It is satisfying to see people enjoying delicious, healthy food that she helped prepare.

assign as · sign

Definition

verb

1. to choose someone to do a particular thing.

His boss assigned him to work the night shift.

2. to give a particular thing for someone to do.

The teacher assigned homework.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to set apart for a particular use or for use by a particular person.

I'm assigning this closet for winter clothes only.The gym teacher assigned us each a locker.

2. to appoint or choose, as for a duty.

She assigned her son to watch the baby while she took a shower.

3. to give as a task.

The teacher assigned a lot of homework over the weekend.

4. to set precisely.

With law, we assign limits to our behavior.

intransitive verb

1. to legally transfer interest, property, or rights.

noun

1. in law, a person to whom some property, interest, or right has been transferred.


1. She then assigned the student to act out that role in the class role-play. Miss Blake thought it would be fun, and it was!

2. “Folks, you've been assigned our airline's very best crew. But they decided to stay in New York, so you're stuck with us!” This

one got the Texan chuckling.

3. A lot of the time, I just wrote what my editor, the fifth-grade English teacher, assigned me. That meant I interviewed a lot of kidsabout band concerts, soccer games, and art shows.

4. On her first day, the teacher welcomed her to the class and assigned a “buddy” to help her find her way around. This time, itwas a girl named Marley, or Carly, or something.

5. It didn't matter what his friends thought, or what homework his teachers assigned him, or how many laps he had to run in gymclass that day. Robin closed his eyes and told himself that school would soon be over, and he'd be home before he knew it!

break

Definition

noun

1. a period of time when something stops.

We took a break from our work to eat lunch.

verb

1. to make something come apart into pieces.

She broke the candy into two pieces for the children.

2. to damage something so that you cannot use it.

He broke his arm when he fell.If you hit the TV, you’ll break it.

3. to stop operating because of damage.

My watch broke.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to cause to separate suddenly or forcefully into pieces; smash.

2. to crack, destroy, or make inoperative or unusable.

3. to forcefully overcome the strength or resistance of.

She broke his spirit.The company broke the strike.

4. to move suddenly or forcefully out of; escape from.

5. to end the sameness of; interrupt.

A change breaks the monotony.

6. to make bankrupt.

7. to make known.

The papers broke the story.

8. to fail to act in accordance with.

They broke the law.

9. to soften the impact of.

The bushes broke his fall.

10. to outdo.

She may break the world record.

intransitive verb

1. to become separated into pieces; shatter.

2. to become ruined or unusable.

3. to burst or collapse.

4. to stop or disappear suddenly.

The fever has finally broken.

5. to suddenly erupt, as a storm.

6. to come into public notice, as news.

7. to move away suddenly and rapidly.

The deer broke from cover.

8. of a pitch in baseball, to curve sharply.

noun

1. the act or result of breaking or separating into pieces.

2. a rapid movement away; escape.

3. a suspending of activity; interruption.

4. an opportunity.

The film was a big break for her.

5. a severed connection.

a break in relations.

6. a sudden change, as in pitch or direction.

a break in his curve ball.a break in his voice

7. the first shot in a billiards game, which scatters the balls.


1. She needed to take a break.

2. Your saliva helps break down food.

3. Tiny blood vessels under the skin break.

4. It can also hit old satellites and break them apart.

5. Rocks break apart and form cracks in the volcano.

6. That added pressure can make the old snow break loose and start sliding.

7. Your digestive system works to break down food, and your body burns the calories from food.

Breaking


Breaking By ReadWorks

I’m a hard‐nosed reporter. I ask all the tough questions. I intimidate crooks. I warm over

the coldest sources. I get the impossible interviews. My stories are gripping, and to my editor’s delight, I always file them on time.

My name is Oliver Acton, and I’m a fourth‐grade journalist with the Mars Hill Elementary school paper.

It all started back in the second grade. Mom used to read the newspaper out loud at the breakfast table, all the stories that weren’t too sad or scary, so I could learn something about the world before I went to school to learn other things. Sometimes I got so into listening that I forgot about my cereal. Some of the stories were big, about things happening in places really far away, like Egypt or Ohio. Other times the stories were about my hometown, depending on what section Mom read from.

I’d always ask who wrote the story when Mom finished reading one. “A reporter,” she’d say, and I’d ask again. “I know but who was it?” And she’d squint her eyes and make a joke like she couldn’t read the name, and then

she’d tell me it was George Limerick or Sharon Newry or Sidney Alexander or Blaine Whiting. And I wondered who those people were and how they got their jobs.

And I decided to write my own stories. At first I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just made up lots of fake news. I wrote in crayon on white paper and drew lines for columns, and when I showed it to my mom, she laughed and said “how cute.” When I got mad at her for saying my newspaper was “cute,” she explained to me that news was true, and that I needed to write about real things.

That was back in the second grade. I’ve practiced a lot since then, and I know how to find stories instead of making them up. I can spell better, too. When I started out, I was just writing little things at home—about the bird that met its demise at the teeth of my cat, Jasper, or the tragedy of the flowers: when every single one of Mom’s paper‐white bulbs got washed out in a storm. (Mom stood in the mud when the rain stopped, crying.)

When I turned eight, I started writing articles during class, usually about something that happened at recess, like the amazing game‐winning home run Karen Madison made during a kickball game, when she was always the last person picked to be on teams because she’s tiny and really quiet. My teacher caught me doing it instead of classwork one afternoon and sent me to the principal’s office, but I didn’t get in trouble there.

“Oliver, you’ve got talent,” Dr. Reed told me. “And better yet, you’ve found something you really like to do.”

Breaking


“Yes Ma’am, I do really like to tell stories, but I like telling real ones.” “And that’s great, Oliver. I want you to do that. You just can’t do it in class when you’re

supposed to be paying attention to the lessons at hand.” She cleared her throat, and reached for a stack of papers on her windowsill. “But I want you to keep writing. And I think you’d be perfect for this.”

That’s when I found out that my school had a newspaper. “It’s mostly written for and put together by the fifth graders,” Dr. Reed said, “but I think

you’d be a welcome new voice.” And that was that. I left the office without so much as detention! I was eight years old

and a brand‐new reporter. I started with small stories. A lot of the time, I just wrote what my editor, the fifth‐grade

English teacher, assigned me. That meant I interviewed a lot of kids about band concerts, soccer games, and art shows. It wasn’t until this year, in the fourth grade, that I got my big breaking story.

From the Mars Hill Elementary Gazette, week of October 21‐25:

The playground is a noisy place. Everyone is doing something, and most of those things make sounds. Balls hit the ground with a hollow thud; kids yell and laugh; the swings squeak like mice; and whenever people kick gravel, it hits the slide with a PING PING PING! On Thursday, October 17th, a different sound hit the playground of Mars Hill Elementary.

A splash and a scream came from the duck pond just outside the baseball diamond. Darren Fitch, a fourth‐grader, who was playing kickball, missed his pitch. “I turned to look and see who screamed.” His teammates yelled at him for getting a strike, but he knew something was wrong.

It was Kami Phillips, a second‐grader. She had fallen into the water. There is fencing all around the pond, but a recent thunderstorm knocked a heavy branch into the fence which broke a section. “I didn’t see her fall in, but I heard her yell, and then I saw her splashing,” said Darren.

And then everyone went running. Soon, the pond was surrounded by students. They were all shouting and trying to figure out how to help Kami. “She was yelling for help, but I think we all knew better than to jump in, too,” said fifth‐grader, Ann Berkowitz.

But Kami couldn’t swim, and she needed someone to get her, and fast. That’s when recess officer, Ms. Belfast, came running. The third‐grade teacher has recess duty every Tuesday and Thursday, keeping an eye on all the kids to make sure no one gets hurt. She got to do her job to the extreme on Thursday.

Breaking


“Ms. Belfast just ran up, dove in, and swam over to Kami,” said Ann. “It was awesome!” In a moment, both Kami and Ms. Belfast were sitting on the side of the pond, and sirens in the distance got louder. An ambulance showed up, and a rescue crew took it from there, wrapping Kami in a blanket.

“I really want to thank Ms. Belfast!” Kami said, in a thank‐you note her mom brought to the school the next day. It seems Mars Hill has a hero.

Questions: Breaking


1

Name: Date: _______________________ 1. Who is Oliver Acton?

A a journalist at a television network B a reporter for the school paper C a famous journalist for the New York Times D a talented boy in the second grade

2. A key moment in the story is when Oliver is sent to the principal’s office for writing articles during class. What is the result of this?

A Oliver keeps writing articles in class instead of paying attention. B Oliver gets detention for not paying attention in class. C Oliver gives up on writing and becoming a journalist. D The principal tells Oliver to join the school newspaper.

3. In order to become a better reporter, Oliver practices writing a lot of articles. What evidence from the passage best supports this conclusion?

A “I’m a hard-nosed reporter. I ask all the tough questions. I intimidate crooks. I warm over the coldest sources. I get the impossible interviews.”

B “That was back in the second grade. I’ve practiced a lot since then, and I know how to find stories instead of making them up. I can spell better, too.”

C “I wrote in crayon on white paper and drew lines for columns, and when I showed it to my mom, she laughed and said ‘how cute.’”

D “And that’s great, Oliver. I want you to do that. You just can’t do it in class when you’re supposed to be paying attention to the lessons at hand.”

4. How can Oliver best be described?

A talented but lazy B athletic and busy C curious and inquisitive D intelligent and friendly

5. What is this story mostly about?

A Oliver Acton wants to become a reporter and joins the school paper. B Oliver Acton sees Kami Phillips fall in the lake and he helps save her. C Oliver Acton has been interested in newspaper reporters since second grade. D Oliver Acton does not pay attention in class and gets sent to the principal.

Questions: Breaking


2

6. Read the following sentence: “When I started out, I was just writing little things at home—about the bird that met its demise at the teeth of my cat, Jasper, or the tragedy of the flowers: when every single one of Mom’s paper-white bulbs got washed out in a storm.” As used in this sentence, what does the word “demise” most nearly mean?

A birth B father C song D death

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Oliver Acton really wanted to be a reporter, _____ he wrote lots of articles to practice.

A but B so C also D like

8. What is the name of the newspaper that Oliver writes for? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Questions: Breaking


3

9. What started Oliver’s interest in newspapers and reporters? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. What might be the main theme or message of the story? Support your argument with information from the story. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Texts: “Breaking” “Portrait of a Journalist”



Part 1: Use the article “Breaking” to answer the following questions:

1. Why does Oliver like being a reporter?

2. What are two character traits that make Oliver a good reporter? Use details from the story to support your answer.

Part 2: Use the article “Portrait of a Journalist” to answer the following questions:

3. Why does Peter like to write about science?

4. What are two character traits that make Peter a good reporter? Use details from the article to support your answer.

Part 3: Use the articles “Breaking” & “Portrait of a Journalist” to answer the following questions:

5. What traits do Oliver and Peter have in common? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

6. What traits make a good reporter? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

The Unknown Hall of Famer


The Unknown Hall of Famer Michael Stahl

New York City is famous for many things: pizza, Broadway shows, skyscrapers, and baseball. The New York Yankees are possibly the best‐known sports team in the world. Baseball has been so popular in New York City that there have been four professional major league baseball teams, including the Yankees, that have made their homes in New York City since the beginning of the 20th century. So many kids in New York have always wanted to play baseball. However, playing baseball can be difficult in such an urban setting if the game is going to look like the real thing. There needs to be a large grass field with a dirt diamond. The players need bases, bats, balls, and gloves to play with. In order to get a game of baseball going without having all of the required items, many New York City boys created their own version of baseball, one that would be played on the hard concrete streets. They would call it “stickball” because it could be played with a simple broomstick handle instead of a large, heavy bat. They’d use small, pink rubber balls instead of expensive hardballs made of leather and twine. Those kids, who were good, would incredibly one day find themselves in an actual Hall of Fame. George “Lolin” Osorio is one of those players. Osorio’s family moved to Manhattan from his home in Puerto Rico when the ink on World War II peace treaties was still wet. In Puerto Rico, he was given his nickname because, as a very young boy, he was known to chase after a girl named Lola, so neighbors took to calling him the masculine form “Lolin” since the two always seemed to be together. At nine years old in New York City, he did not hesitate to immerse himself in the king of the street games—as long as his homework and chores were done. He and the other kids on his block would take to the streets in t‐shirts and cut‐off shorts to enjoy the “cheap game.” All they needed was one broomstick, a few rubber balls, and nine or so other guys from another block to prove themselves against. “We’d play for a little money, five cents a game or a quarter when I was about ten years old,” Osorio says, recalling that if his team won, they’d often use their money to see a movie. Sometimes kids would save their winnings to buy two‐dollar Puma sneakers, which were more desired than one‐dollar Converses because they were better for running; plus, everyone knew they were twice as expensive.



“But really we played for bragging rights,” Osorio insists. “You were on the team from your block. You played for pride.” “Lolin was one of the best because he always hit the ball hard on the ground, and was so fast that nobody could throw him out,” remembers Carlos Diaz, the curator of New York City’s Stickball Hall of Fame, of which Osorio is an esteemed member. “He was also very clutch and reliable. He could get a hit just about any time,” Diaz adds. Osorio and his friends, who were all of Puerto Rican descent, would play stickball for hours; that is, until the Irish cops would show up. Though there were few cars driving through the city streets in those days and the rubber balls with which they played were as harmful to windows as a summer wind, many of the police officers would discover games and immediately order the kids to hand over their makeshift bats. “I could never understand why they’d break up our stickball games,” Osorio says. “We played to stay out of trouble.” For a time, Osorio remembers the cops slipping the sticks down into the sewer. But after the officer had moved along and the boys had faked disappointment long enough, one of the smaller kids would climb beneath street level into the muck and come up with the bat, covered in sludge. There was always an open fire hydrant somewhere they’d use to clean off the grime from both the bat and the brave boy. “Then the cops got smart,” Osorio says. “They started taking our bats, hold them halfway down in the sewer’s grating and snap them in two.” Still unafraid, Osorio and his block mates continued to play throughout their adolescence, traveling farther away from their neighborhood with each passing year, challenging players in various neighborhoods and having tons of fun. A frequent teammate of Osorio’s, Alfred Jackson, another Stickball Hall of Fame member, remembers one particularly incredible shot struck by a rival of theirs named Tony Taylor. “He crushed the ball,” Jackson begins. “He hit it so hard that it went off the third‐floor siding of a building, came down, bounced off a car, hit the building again. Then it hit a lamppost and ricocheted to one of our outfielders who caught it for an out. The ball was in fair territory the whole time!”



As Osorio’s clan got older, more and more money was bet on their games. They can recall games played for upwards of three to five thousand dollars, with the victorious team getting a cut. Some players depended on winnings as a sort of additional income, so some teams felt pressured to win for their players’ financial stability. Fans who had their own best interests in mind heckled batters trying hard to focus on a potentially game‐changing pitch. Still, money was not as important as the feelings of self‐respect and community, which truly compelled Osorio to go outside and play each and every Sunday, even 24 hours after his wedding. “I got married on a Saturday,” Osorio says. “We had a bunch of leftovers from the wedding in the refrigerator. The players’ wives always made food for all of us, so I woke up and packed the leftovers to bring to the game,” he laughs, adding with a shake of his finger, “My wife wasn’t very happy about that.” In the late 1950s and throughout the ‘60s, Osorio made a living building clock radios—and, briefly, delivering zippers—but always found time to participate in the first organized stickball leagues that were emerging throughout Manhattan and beyond. Though he has continued to play, Osorio and his friends have seen the game nearly completely disappear. “Not as many guys play anymore,” says Carlos Diaz, who has tried for many years to revitalize stickball in New York City. “And most of the young ones that do play are sons and grandsons of the guys who played fifty or sixty years ago.” Diaz’s efforts include opening a gallery this past winter, giving the Stickball Hall of Fame a more permanent home. No matter what, Osorio still finds himself out on the streets of New York City every Sunday playing the game he loves, around the guys that he loves, all of whom have respected, and even honored him, for decades.

rival ri · val

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the person with whom one is competing; competitor.

He studied his rival in hope of finding a weakness.

2. a person or thing that is capable of being a competitor.

As a pianist he has few rivals.

adjective

1. being or capable of being a rival; competing or competitive.

rival companies in the same business

transitive verb

1. to attempt to outdo; compete with or against.

They strongly rivaled all their competitors.

2. to be as good as; equal.

The sequel rivals the original film.

Spanish cognate

rival: The Spanish word rival means rival.


1. In recent years, drug violence in Mexico has spiraled out of control. Rival gangs fight one another for a larger share of the drugmarket.

2. Scientists knew a lot about the Mayas from earlier discoveries. They knew, for example, that the Mayas constructed greatpyramids that rivaled those of ancient Egypt.

3. In televised remarks, Putin strongly criticized Clinton for encouraging the protesters. He said the United States is spending“hundreds of millions” of dollars to influence Russian politics and to weaken a rival nuclear power.

4. Olsen's fascination with outer space and astronomy began when he was still a boy. He was born in 1945, years before spacetravel was close to becoming a reality. In fact, space exploration did not really heat up until the post-WWII rivalry known as theCold War between Russia and the U.S. Both countries fought to win the race to space.

urban ur · ban

Advanced Definition

adjective

1. of or pertaining to a city or town.

2. situated or living in a city.

3. typical of or accustomed to the city or city life.

Spanish cognate

urbano: The Spanish word urbano means urban.


1. The number of humans living in urban areas, or cities, is increasing.

2. Every year, the Everglades lose some of their water to the coast simply by draining from the wetlands to the sea. The water lossis more than the ecosystem can keep up with; urban and agricultural systems suffer from water shortages, too.

3. But industrialization also had a negative side. Large factories sprung up in cities. Many people left their farms and rural homesto work in the factories. This movement from the countryside to the cities is called urbanization. Industrial cities grew veryquickly.

4. More and more architects and urban planners are incorporating solar energy into their designs of homes and office buildings.These methods, which were first employed by the Chinese and Greeks, are used to capture solar energy and then providebuildings with light and warmth.

5. Certainly, soil has been covered by concrete and iron, but there are plenty of places in nature where there is no rich soil, likeAntarctica, for instance. The previously hilly island that had thousands of trees on it has simply been exchanged for an urbanecosystem containing different things that serve the same function as many others that are called more “natural.” In addition,skyscrapers still must be built with respect to many laws of nature.

6. As of 2013, in this neighborhood, a rise in gentrification coexists with the area’s history of poverty, homelessness, and streetcrime. As is not uncommon in affordable, residential, semi�urban areas by large cities, an influx of creative professionals hasbegun to change the character of the neighborhood.

7. The deadly poison cannot be removed easily, and has contaminated the water in crowded urban areas of Bangladesh wherepeople move to find work. The World Health Organization has described the arsenic contamination in Bangladesh as “thelargest mass poisoning of a population in history.” The problem is further exacerbated in Bangladesh and in other poor urbanareas dealing with contaminated water by overcrowding, poor housing, and unsafe trash disposal.

The Postcard Collectors



When you go on vacation, it is often customary to send friends and families postcards from the places you visit. The postcards not only let them know where you are and how you’re doing, but they provide them with a keepsake from your vacation. Today, the ritual of sending postcards has been somewhat supplanted by posting vacation pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites. Not long ago, however, it was not uncommon for people to amass many hundreds of postcards received from acquaintances. As these collections grew, a hunger for more postcards arose, and some people became amateur postcard collectors. As postcard collecting became more popular, many collectors sought out one another to buy, sell, and trade cards. Some of them formed clubs, which gathered regularly. In New York City, the oldest and largest such club is the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York. The club meets every month, usually in a small conference room in a hotel, where members can examine one another’s collections. Most of the members of the club are middle‐aged or elderly, but there are some young collectors as well. They bring their card collections in shoeboxes. The collectors sit at folding tables and spend many hours flipping through cards, pulling out the ones they like. Every collector looks for something different. Some collectors look for cards from a specific place. Often, people like to collect postcards from the place where they were born or grew up. Others like to collect cards showing certain buildings. One man claims to have 200 different postcards of the Empire State Building. Some collectors like postcards with photos on the front, while others prefer illustrations. A lot of the collectors specialize in postcards from New York, but many have postcards from all over the world. Some organize their collections by state, while those with lots of foreign postcards organize them by country.



While we may typically think of postcards as showing places, old postcards can actually show many different subjects. In particular, there is a specific type of postcard called a “real photo postcard” that is particularly valuable to collectors. These postcards, popular in the early part of the 20th century, were produced by amateur photographers, mostly residents of small towns. The photographers would take photos and produce them as postcards in very small quantities, usually only several hundred cards per photo. Instead of advertising a place, the postcards show scenes from small town life. There are photos of celebrations, disasters, and visits from famous people, as well as portraits of the photographers’ friends and family. These cards give a sense of what American life was like during that time. Every six months, the club holds a big show in which many collectors gather together to talk about postcards and view each other’s collections. In October of 2012, the convention was held in the ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel. Dozens of collectors had brought their collections with them. Some were very broad, while others were very specialized. One collector had only postcards of animals, while another had only ones of famous people. The collectors who were there to buy cards would sometimes walk up to the collectors selling cards and ask them if they had a particular type of card.

“Excuse me,” an old woman asked a man. “Do you have any postcards of a hotel?”

“I do,” said the man. “From where?”

“Miami Beach,” said the woman.

“Darn,” said the man, throwing up his hands. “I’m all out.”

The woman scowled.

All the collectors said they were drawn to collect postcards for different reasons. Some said they liked collecting postcards as a way of understanding American history. Others said they had started out collecting stamps, but then they had grown more interested in the cards the stamps were attached to. A few said they collected all kinds of photographs, but that real photo postcards offered scenes they couldn’t find anywhere else. A couple of collectors said they didn’t have any special interest in postcards. They were buying cards as an investment, like some people buy financial stocks or pieces of art.

One collector, named Lisa, explained that she got into postcard collecting when she was very young. As a child, her father liked to wake her before dawn and schlep her from their home in Old Bridge, New Jersey, to the sprawling flea market in Englishtown, to forage for old postcards.



For three decades, his collection grew. When he died, he left behind more than 100,000 cards, cached at random in a jumble of albums, envelopes, and shoe boxes, all crammed into a special annex to the garage, built explicitly for their preservation.

Several years ago, doctors told Lisa, then a spritely 48‐year‐old, that a tumor was growing in the pituitary gland of her brain. One night, unable to sleep, she went out to the garage, gathered up the postcards, and spread them across her dining room table. For the next 18 months, the family ate dinners in the kitchen while Lisa organized the cards, first by geographic region, then by topic.

“My brother said, ‘Of course you have a brain tumor,’” Lisa recalled. “‘No sane person would do this.’”

Her brain tumor having been safely removed, Lisa brought a small portion of her collection—a mere 10,000 cards—to the hotel with her. All day, she had been trading with other collectors. Lisa liked to collect postcards with cats, as well as cards that related to Halloween. She loved the postcard show, but she was worried because the crowd was smaller than in previous years. Young people were not as interested in collecting postcards as their elders, and those who were tended to buy and sell their cards on the Internet rather than in person.

“I think it’s a shame,” said Lisa. “Part of the fun of collecting is all the people you meet. The cards all have their own history, but so do the collectors.”

amateur a · ma · teur

Advanced Definition

noun

1. one who pursues an activity or is devoted to a study purely for intrinsic reward rather than monetary gain.

Her teacher thinks she's good enough to be a professional violinist, but she is happy being an amateur.

2. an athlete who receives no monetary prize, salary, or other payment for competition.

Olympic athletes, in general, are no longer required to be amateurs.

3. one who is unskilled in a given area or activity.

Don't trust your electrical work to amateurs; call in someone who knows what he's doing.

adjective

1. of or pertaining to an amateur or amateurs; not professional.

He loves to be involved in amateur theater and has no desire to be a professional actor.Our town's amateur theater puts on ten plays a year.

2. lacking or not demonstrating skill or competence.

It seemed like an amateur performance for a theater group supposedly made up of professionals.I apologize for that amateur rendition of a great song.

Spanish cognate

amateur: The Spanish word amateur means amateur.


1. Foke was an amateur linguist, a person who studies words and language. Foke realized that for a long time, there had onlybeen 26 letters in the alphabet. Foke thought it might be time for a new letter to be added.

2. The next morning, when Jonathan came downstairs for breakfast, there was a cardboard box sitting on his placemat where hisbowl of cereal usually waited for him. The top of the box read “AMATEUR PALEONTOLOGIST – FIND YOUR OWN FOSSIL.”Jonathan picked up the box.

3. Until recently, virtually all cases of CTE were found in pro athletes. The early evidence of damage to Thomas’s brain wasalarming because Thomas was only in his early 20s and an amateur athlete. His case suggests that pros aren’t the only oneswho should be concerned about CTE.

4. Some teens train to help during an emergency. For instance, volunteer radio operators, such as 16-year-old Andrea H. ofGrayson, Ga., often pitch in. Andrea, a member of the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Emergency Service, sent messages to areas in

which Hurricane Katrina had downed traditional phone lines and overwhelmed Internet and cell phone systems.

5. “Don’t go to anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing,” Savanna says. “They have to be in a shop.” Keep in mind that moststates have laws that protect customers of businesses that provide piercings or tattoos. If you try to cut corners by going to anamateur, you could expose yourself to serious infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis.

6. Don't toss dodgeball to the sidelines, say others. Nick Troy is a director with the National Amateur Dodgeball Association.Although his group is not connected with schools, he points out that the game has benefits.

convention con · ven · tion

Definition

noun

1. a formal meeting where people discuss particular issues.

There is a convention for doctors this weekend.

2. a way of doing something that is accepted by most people.

It is a convention to say “You’re welcome” when someone thanks you.

Advanced Definition

noun

1. a formal meeting or assembly called together to discuss or pursue common interests.

Members of the medical association will be having their convention in Chicago next month.We saw some fabulous exhibits at the convention and heard some interesting speakers.

2. the delegates or members of such a meeting or assembly.

He addressed the convention in a confident tone.

3. a practice or procedure that is established by usage and widely accepted; custom.

She rebelled against the conventions of society in those days by wearing trousers and smoking.It is one of the conventions of letter writing in English to begin the greeting with "Dear."

4. an international agreement or compact, usu. one concerned with a particular subject or issue.

Treatment of the prisoners was in accord with the Geneva Conventions.

Spanish cognate

convención: The Spanish word convención means convention.


1. Elizabeth Cady Stanton helps organize the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

2. Know whether to use the microwave or the conventional oven. Not all frozen foods can be cooked safely in the microwave.

3. Now Shakespeare may be long dead, but some of the conventions from his time are with us even to this day. Television has itsroots in theatre, and so does film. The tradition of cross�dressing is alive and kicking even today.

4. As New Horizons zoomed ahead, the world’s top astronomers voted to demote, or lower the status of, Pluto. The decision was

made at a convention of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague, Czech Republic. Now there are eight "classical"planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

5. In one cartoon, artist Michael Ramirez draws two huge faces of former president Bill Clinton and his wife, New York SenatorHillary Clinton. Both gave rousing speeches at the Democratic National Convention of 2004.

specialize spe · cial · ize

Advanced Definition

intransitive verb

1. to devote one's attentions to a specific pursuit or field of study.

2. in biology, to change in order to adapt to a specific environment.

transitive verb

1. to endow with special functions or characteristics.

2. to adapt to particular conditions or situations.

Spanish cognate

especializarse: The Spanish word especializarse means specialize.


1. Toshie Takahashi, a professor who specializes in how young people relate to the Internet, spoke to WR News.

2. Darwin realized that the birds had grown beaks specialized for their environment because nature had forced them to over manygenerations.

3. For decades NASA has specialized in space launches, drawing on some of the brightest minds on the planet to determinewhat it takes to bring a spacecraft to the stars.

4. And yet many species are incapable of adapting to significant changes in climate. This is because those species had adaptedto specialized—or “niche”—environments. Once the environment changes, these species cannot handle the hardship andtypically die off.

5. Zoe had specialized in behavioral ecology during her studies at university, so when she applied for a job at the zoo, shespecified that she was very interested in the ways animals adapt their behavior to changing environmental factors.

6. No more than 2,000 giant pandas exist in the world. So Lisa Stevens has one of the most specialized and critical jobs in herfield. She is the curator of pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.

7. Sweat happens from the inside out. When the body gets too hot, it uses sweat to regulate its temperature. "Sweat is producedby specialized glands in the skin called eccrine glands," explains Dr. Joely Kaufman, assistant professor of dermatology at theUniversity of Miami.

Texts: “The Postcard Collectors” “The Unknown Hall of Famer”



Part 1: Use the article “The Postcard Collectors” to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York. Be sure to mention what members of the club do with

postcards.

2. People today are not as interested in collecting postcards as they used to be.

Support this conclusion with evidence from the article.

Part 2: Use the article “The Unknown Hall of Famer” to answer the following questions:

3. What is stickball? Include at least two details from the article in your answer.

4. People today are not as interested in playing stickball as they used to be.

Support this conclusion with evidence from the article.

Part 3: Use the articles “The Postcard Collectors” & “The Unknown Hall of Famer” to answer the following questions:

5. How have the levels of people's interest in collecting postcards and playing stickball changed over time?

6. How are the collectors described in “The Postcard Collectors” similar to the stickball players described in “The

Unknown Hall of Famer”?


The Night Before the Invasion Rachel Howard

Summers in Warsaw are relatively mild: a bit humid, not too warm. That summer, 1939, Eleanor’s family had spent all of July and August visiting her grandparents, who lived on a farm in the country. She and her older sister Mary had spent the month hiking all around their grandparents’ property and the surrounding farms, collecting leaves and flowers to dry and keep in their scrapbooks. Each evening, they would carefully hang the day’s treasures up on a nail in the loft where they slept. Their grandfather helped them label the plants with a piece of cloth that they tied to the nail. By the end of the month, they had quite a collection—the loft was fragrant with the smell of dried flowers and grass, and the shadows of the plants were stiff and looked like winter. At the end of August, they packed up their big trunk in preparation for returning to the city. Eleanor was sitting in the kitchen helping her mother and grandmother pack sandwiches and apples for the train trip.

“Are you sure you want to go back?” Eleanor’s grandmother asked her mother. “What else could we do?” her mother said. She shrugged. When Eleanor’s mother

shrugged like that, it meant that Eleanor’s father had probably made the decision. “Stay here, Rebecca. Stay with the children.” Eleanor’s mother shook her head. “Joseph has already decided,” she said. “We’re going

to wait it out.” Eleanor’s grandmother shook her head. “This is a bad idea,” she said. Eleanor’s mother did not respond. They finished packing the lunches in silence. That night in bed, Eleanor couldn’t sleep. They would have to leave the farm very early

the next morning, but Eleanor’s mind was busy—as her mother would say, it was whirring and stirring, mostly with questions. Why would it be a bad idea to go home? Why wouldn’t her mother want to go back? Her father was there, had been working all summer in the dental office he owned with his brother. She poked Mary to see if she was awake, but Mary just groaned and turned over in bed.

Eleanor stared at the wooden ceiling of the loft. For some reason, she felt scared. Maybe it was the way her grandmother’s voice sounded. Or the strange cryptic warning she had given her mother. At eleven years old, Eleanor knew some things about the world, but not much. She was just beginning to get a feel for the ways people spoke and the hidden messages in their words. Either way, Eleanor was not sure she wanted the summer to end.

The next morning, Eleanor’s mother woke them up gently. It was still dark out, and

Eleanor’s grandparents were asleep. Mary carried the basket full of food, their mother carried


their trunk with a sling, and Eleanor held her little brother Alfred’s hand as they walked a mile in the woods to the train station. On the train, all three children fell asleep. Eleanor woke up at one point to see her mother staring out the window, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed low over her eyes.

When they reached Warsaw, their father was at the train station with Uncle Abraham.

Eleanor was excited to see her father, and she ran into his arms when he held them out for a hug. He picked her up easily, and she felt immediately safe—all of her worries and fears from the night before melted away as he welcomed the rest of the family and they walked back to their home.

At the house, Mary went to her room to read and Alfred took a nap. Eleanor sat on the floor of the front room listening to the radio behind the couch as her parents talked. Eleanor was sure they didn’t realize she was there.

“I’m worried, Joseph,” her mother said. “I have very good sources who say that it’s going to be fine. Hitler signed a

nonaggression pact with us… He can’t flout international law and opinion so easily.” “Look what happened to Austria last year! And Czechoslovakia. Did you not hear about

this Eichmann person in Prague? Jews had to pay damages when their homes and businesses were vandalized! Do you not get the news in Warsaw?”

Eleanor turned the volume of the radio down and inched closer to the back of the couch. Maybe this is what her grandmother was worried about… This Eichmann person.

“Rebecca, please be realistic and calm. Has your mother put hysterical notions in your head?”

“This isn’t about my mother. This is about what’s happening in Poland.” Eleanor’s mother sounded furious. She stood abruptly and left the room.

Eleanor’s father sighed and leaned back into the couch so it creaked. He looked over the back of the couch and saw Eleanor lying on the floor.

“You little sneak,” he said, and smiled. “Don’t listen to your mother. Poland is a civilized country, just like any other.”

Eleanor nodded. She didn’t know what he was talking about, but she knew she had never seen her mother so angry.

The next morning, September 1st, Eleanor and Mary were playing in the street with their

friends who lived in the neighborhood. Suddenly, their mothers all ran out of their houses and called for the children to come back inside, immediately. Once inside, Eleanor’s mother locked the doors and closed the shutters on the windows. Planes screeched overhead, and on the radio, static was interspersed with German. Eleanor’s father came home from work early, and


the family ate boiled potatoes and cold meat for dinner—all they had left in the pantry, since the groceries had closed early.

That night, Eleanor and Mary held hands in their bed. “What happened today?” Eleanor said.

“The Germans invaded Poland,” Mary said. “We are going to war with them.” Eleanor was quiet. She had heard that in Germany, Jews were not allowed to work

anymore, and had to have a special stamp in their passport. She wondered what would happen in the morning.

invade in · vade

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to enter as an enemy, by force, in order to conquer or plunder.

The Mongols invaded Europe in the thirteenth century.

2. to intrude, encroach, or infringe upon; disturb or violate.

By reading that letter, you have invaded my privacy.The noisy newcomers have invaded our once peaceful neighborhood.

3. to overrun, overspread, or penetrate, esp. harmfully.

Mosquitos have invaded the camp.

intransitive verb

1. to enter a place as an invader or invaders.

Soon after the enemy invaded, the central government fell.


1. The larvae invade the ant's body.

2. The Pueblo tribes convened to invade the capital together.

3. What do you do when tarantulas invade your town?

4. Afterward, Lee decided that the time was right to invade the North again.

5. It is clear now that we will invade France on the beaches of Normandy.

6. The Spanish Armada was a fleet of over 130 Spanish warships sent to invade England.

7. Lee's army was so devastated by the fighting that the South would not invade the North again during the war.

8. The Soviets said they would remove the nuclear missiles if the U. S. promised not to invade Cuba and to remove its missilesfrom Turkey, one of the Soviet Union's neighbors.

civilized civ · i · lized

Advanced Definition

adjective

1. educated or refined; not impulsive or destructive; socialized or civil.

They believe that child abuse should never be tolerated by a civilized society.


1. They wore strange garments, not at all civilized or uniform, and treated the land like it was a person, not material to becontrolled and forced to yield life. De Vries had come to the new land hearing about New Netherland that Kieft was busily,ruthlessly developing.

2. The hiring of the Hessians draws even sharper comment, as Jefferson refers to "large Armies of foreign Mercenaries [coming]to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcelyparalleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation." Although a written document, theDeclaration of Independence was intended to be read aloud throughout the colonies as a way of inciting frustrated citizens torebel against their king.

pact

Advanced Definition

noun

1. an agreement, esp. a sworn promise.

We made a pact never to tell.

2. a formal compact or set of accords between or among nations; treaty.


1. "Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with us… He can’t flout international law and opinion so easily.”

2. “The thing is, I know I don’t want to do it, so when it does happen, I’m just going to stick up for myself and say no.” Make pactswith your friends to stay away from risky situations together and to support one another when the going gets tough. Talk withyour parents about ways they can “bail you out” if you need to save face with your peers.


The President Has Been Killed By Rachel Howard

On November 22, 1963, Michael’s father woke him up early. He opened Michael’s

bedroom door with a bang, holding an alarm clock shaped like a cat in his hand, a wake-up song trilling as he danced around Michael’s bed. “Time to get up, son! It’s a beautiful day.” Michael groaned and cracked his eyes open. His mother was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, smiling indulgently at her husband. She was still in her nightgown, but Michael’s father was already dressed in a suit and tie for work. “Happy birthday, Michael,” she said. “Thanks, Mom,” Michael said. “Dad, can you turn off that racket?” “You don’t like the alarm clock?” his dad said doubtfully, looking down at the tinny cartoonish thing. He cranked it to turn it off. “Anyway!” Michael’s mother said, “I have breakfast all prepared for you—chocolate-chip pancakes with bananas and syrup on top. Go ahead and get dressed, and we’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Michael’s father tousled his hair on his way out of the room, closing the door behind him. Michael stretched. He was fifteen today, only three months into high school. He got out of bed and pulled the shades up on his window: his father had been right; it was a beautiful day. The sky was a clear blue, and the tall pine trees in the backyard waved in a slight breeze. Los Angeles was a good place to have a birthday in November. Michael’s cousins lived in New Jersey, and their birthdays, in October and December, were always cold and wet. He whistled as he got dressed, and then walked through the long ranch-style house to the kitchen, where his mother was sitting with the baby and his father was standing by the sink drinking coffee out of a mug. “Ah, the sleepyhead finally rises!” his father said. Michael sat down to a plate of delicious-looking pancakes and immediately dug in. On a wood stand, the small black-and-white television was turned on. Walter Cronkite was talking about President Kennedy’s trip to Texas and what Mrs. Kennedy was wearing. “Oh, I love that little pillbox,” his mother said, as an image of the first couple walking down the steps of an airplane popped up on the screen. “That woman has more style than what-all,” his father said, taking a seat next to Michael at the table. “She really is the most elegant woman I’ve ever seen,” Michael’s mother said. “Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be her friend. You know, I bet she is the best


confidante a woman could have. Remember that Christmas special? She makes just the most lovely home—so welcoming, too.” Michael’s mother had forced the whole family to watch the Christmas special a year earlier, when Mrs. Kennedy had welcomed a whole crew of cameramen into the White House to show off how she’d had it decorated. Michael’s Aunt Martha, who wasn’t much impressed by Mrs. Kennedy (she seemed to be the only one), said that wasn’t it odd that Mrs. Kennedy acted as if she herself had decorated the whole thing when clearly the servants had done it. “I better be off to work,” Michael’s father said. He rose from the table and kissed Michael’s mother and the baby. “Listen now, son: you have a terrific day. This is your fifteenth birthday, after all. It will never happen again! I’ll see you all at dinner tonight. Lobster, Karen?” he asked, looking to Michael’s mother, winking. “Have a good day, dear,” Michael’s mother said, rolling her eyes. Once he left, the kitchen was quiet but for Walter Cronkite’s voice and Michael’s baby sister’s cooing. Michael finished his breakfast quickly and shoved his school things into his bag. “See you later, Mom,” he said. “Get to school safe,” she said. “And happy birthday.” Michael’s bicycle was where he had left it at the bottom of their long hilly driveway. He scooped it up and careened off down the hill toward school, falling in line with other kids already on their way. At school, Michael locked his bike in the usual spot, where his best friend Freddy was waiting for him. “Happy birthday, Mikey!” Freddy said, giving him a one-armed hug. They walked into school together, discussing the astronauts and whether or not they were able to go to the bathroom in their space suits. “Ew, that is so gross,” Helen, Freddy’s twin sister said, overhearing them as they sat down in homeroom. “It’s a legitimate concern, Helen,” Freddy said, wide-eyed and innocent. The morning passed the way school mornings always did—like the drip-drip of a leaky faucet. Michael just couldn’t get the hang of school. He hid all of his report cards from his parents. At noon, Michael and Freddy were sitting at the lunch table in the far right corner of the cafeteria, where they always sat. The cafeteria was loud, screams and laughter reverberating off the cement walls. Michael’s mother had packed him a miniature cake with lemon frosting, Michael’s favorite. Suddenly, the principal’s voice crackled over the public address system, a not infrequent occurrence but one that always signaled something important. “Students, students—attention please.” As if the principal were standing right there in the cafeteria, telling them all to hush, the students became quiet.


“I regret to inform you that President Kennedy has been killed.” The silence in the cafeteria became thick with fear. Michael’s heart started pounding, and his arms felt like lead. He began to sweat. “Please return to your homerooms immediately for more information about this event from your teachers.” There was a rush to the cafeteria doors. President Kennedy was one of the most vital, wonderful men Michael had ever seen. His Boston accent had made Michael think of power and intelligence; he couldn’t believe he would never hear it again. Michael and Freddy sat down in their homeroom next to Helen, who was crying hysterically. Only then did Michael realize he had left his miniature cake in the cafeteria, the lemon frosting likely dripping all over the plastic table.

vital vi · tal

Advanced Definition

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of life.

The nurse checked the patient's heartbeat and other vital signs.

2. necessary to maintain life.

The heart and lungs are vital organs.These foods contain vital nutrients.

3. full of life, vigor, or energy.

My grandmother is still vital at ninety years of age.

4. of critical importance; essential.

It is vital that you get her to the emergency room immediately.This is a vital step in the process and must not be overlooked.

5. fatal; deadly.

The soldier dealt his enemy a vital blow.


1. As Melliar-Smith hooks Clara up to a machine that will deliver the sedative, Pratt monitors the cat's vital signs.

2. Utility companies tried to anticipate where the storm would hit vital infrastructures, and worked to either protect or disable themso there would be less damage.

3. “Coltan is vital to the function of modern society,” says Andrew Campbell, a professor of mineralogy at the New Mexico Instituteof Mining and Technology. “It is an incredibly precious mineral.”

4. Women have founded many of our philanthropic, cultural, educational, and charitable institutions. Women have served ourNation with valor and distinction during wartime, nursing the wounded, piloting airplanes, performing vital jobs in defenseplants.

5. Mannar is president of the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), a nonprofit organization based in Canada. He’s also a chemicalengineer and an expert in fortification, the process of adding nutrients to food. MI supplies vital micronutrients to about 500million undernourished people in developing countries, helping them survive and thrive.

6. Imagine we are building in an area known for having a high amount of rainfall. Since the city is covered with streets andbuildings, the rain isn’t absorbed by the ground. This may lead to flooding. When planning our building, it is vital to try toprevent flooding by absorbing storm water runoff.

7. Once cloud forests are cleared, the damage can be irreversible. The cloud cover, which is so essential to their livelihood,disperses. The soil degrades and erodes, washing down the mountain slopes. Many species vital to the ecosystem die off.

What is left behind is a barren, dusty slope unsuitable for farming and unable to support animals, plants, or even people.

regret re · gret

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to feel sorrow or remorse for.

He regretted the mistakes he made as a parent.It did not appear that the prisoner regretted his crime.As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted saying them.She always regretted not finishing high school.

2. to grieve or mourn for.

She regretted the loss of her youth.The old pastor died last year, and he is much regretted.

3. to be sorry.

I regret that we are not able to hire you at this time.We regret to inform you that your application has been denied.

noun

1. a sense of loss in relation to something or someone.

She hated the life she had chosen and she was filled with regret.

2. a feeling of sorrow or remorse about one's conduct.

His actions had hurt others, but he felt no regret.

3. (pl.) a polite refusal of an invitation.

Give the hostess my regrets.


1. "I regret that it is impossible for me to be present at your dinner. My compliments to your assembled guests."

2. “I see teens all the time who have what I call tattoo regret,” says Susan Bartell, a New York psychologist. “Something aspermanent as a tattoo may not be something you’ll like later on in life.”

3. Michael knew he would choose one and immediately regret his decision. No matter which queue you chose, the other one, theone you hadn’t chosen, would suddenly pick up speed, and begin to move at an incredible pace.

4. But his passion for the campsite grew each day, and he knew he would regret it if he didn’t give it a chance. So with the help ofLucy, he outlined his plans to build eight tents behind a well-known hotel in their town, one that was located on land that usedto be a farm, with a beautiful state park behind the property.

Texts: “The President Has Been Killed” “The Night Before the Invasion”



Part 1: Use the article “The President Has Been Killed” to answer the following questions:

1. What important news does the principal tell the students towards the end of the story?

2. Describe how Michael feels early in the day, before the principal tells the students what has happened. Use evidence

from the text to support your answer.

Part 2: Use the article “The Night Before the Invasion” to answer the following questions:

3. What important news does Mary tell Eleanor towards the end of the story, when they are lying in bed?

4. Describe how Eleanor feels in the story leading up to the point when Mary tells her about what happened in Poland.

Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Part 3: Use the articles “The President Has Been Killed” & “The Night Before the Invasion” to answer the following

questions:

5. Identify at least one similarity in the structures of these two stories. Use evidence from the text to support your

answer.

6. Suspense is a feeling of excitement or anxiety that comes from mystery or doubt. Which of these two texts creates a

stronger feeling of suspense? Explain your answer, using evidence from both texts.

Abraham


Abraham

Abraham, a 12‐year‐old, 22,000‐pound elephant, swam in the Ganges River for five hours before the giant pads of his feet finally touched land. His trainers with the Al‐Sindhu All Saints Circus and Touring Exposition would have been amazed and angry at the sight, but they were miles away at the time. During his years with the circus Abraham had learned a total of seven tricks, which included walking on a rubber ball, juggling dull machetes with his trunk, and using his tusks to toss a tiny acrobat 20 feet in the air. But Abraham refused to swim. This caused the elephant’s trainers and owners no small amount of consternation. Da’ud “Sammy” Shabazz, whose great grandfather started the circus with three monkeys and a black Russian bear in 1926, had spent more than 3 million rupees to build, maintain and fill a translucent, 700,000‐gallon water tank, which he transported at additional expense to every town and village along the Ganges. Abraham was gentle and a show‐off, a rare combination for an elephant, which made him the perennial crowd favorite of the show. It had been Sammy’s plan to capitalize on Abraham’s popularity by training him to become the first elephant in any circus in India that could juggle while swimming. The issue was Abraham’s pride. Juggling machetes was fine. But there were some things Abraham refused to do for applause or salted treats, and swimming was one of them.

Shabazz did not know his animal was capable of such thoughts, so he assumed the problem was stupidity on the part of the animal, the trainer or both. The fact that his biggest, most popular and most‐expensive‐to‐feed animal refused to go near any tank of water made Shabazz angry. “Enough!” the Shabazz said to Pawan Mehra, his lead animal trainer, as the two men boarded the river barge that carried the circus up and down the Ganges. “If you cannot get that animal into the tank by the time we dock in Mumbai, you can go back to where I found you—performing on the street with your little monkey!”

Later that night, as the barge puttered down the river, Abraham reached his trunk through the bars of his cage searching for a clutch of hay. To his surprise, the gate opened wide. Never in his dozen years of captivity had any of his cages or pens been left unlocked. As always, Abraham was hungry, so he pushed forward, expecting to step onto the barge’s wide wooden deck. Most nights, his cage faced toward the center of the barge. But tonight the door was aimed not inward toward the boat, but outward, toward the river. When Abraham stepped outside, his right foot touched only air and then water. Abraham trumpeted loudly when he fell, but his head was already below water, muffling the sound. By the time he rose to the surface, the barge was already floating away down the river. He paddled after it, but the red and yellow heap got smaller and smaller. Abraham stopped

Abraham


kicking, looked around, and saw a low rise of land far off to his left. He switched directions. Keeping his head underwater, he breathed through his trunk like a snorkel and paddled with his enormous legs. It took five hours. His legs were tired and his lungs burned when the pad of his foot finally brushed a rock along the bottom. Soon he could walk. He hurried up the bank and over a small hill. In the yellow sunrise light he found before him a broad rice paddy with green bristles poking from the water. Abraham sunk his snout into the water and started sucking up all the rice he could eat. He grazed for almost an hour before a man appeared on a nearby berm. The man carried a long stick like the ones Abraham’s circus trainers used to discipline him. By force of habit, training and fear, the elephant froze. The man was shouting, but he didn’t use any commands Abraham could recognize.

The man came closer and raised his stick to his shoulder. From the stick came a flash of light and a booming sound that scared Abraham. The elephant felt something hot hit his shoulder. The man took a few steps forward, raised the stick again, and Abraham felt another hot jolt, this time on his ribs.

Abraham’s hind legs jolted to life. He ran through the paddy, away from the man and his strange powerful stick. Abraham ran and ran. He felt slow, his belly sloshing with a heavy load of rice and water. Eventually he came to a clump of trees surrounded by tall grass. Abraham fell asleep before his body even touched the ground.

It was morning again when Abraham woke. He heard the grass around him swishing, felt the ground beneath him quiver. Then he heard an elephant’s trumpet. It was loud and close. He heaved himself to his feet and found himself face‐to‐face with a big male elephant. It stood a foot taller than Abraham. Abraham walked backwards, taking in the sight of this tall male. He had always been the only male elephant in the circus and had never been challenged like this before. He had to look up at the wizened wild elephant’s eyes, but as Abraham looked his challenger up and down, he was surprised by what he saw. The taller elephant looked ancient but, in fact, the old bull was just 10 years old. Repeated stretches of starvation had left his skin wrinkled and loose on his ribs. His left tusk was broken from so many fights for dominance. Abraham, fed grain every day of his life and strong from all the balancing tricks, noticed all of this instinctively. His fear turned to anger, and he stopped stepping backwards. He flared his ears and stomped the ground, making his strong leg muscles ripple. Finally he raised his head and trumpeted. It was the loudest sound he had ever made in his life.

The old‐looking alpha male stood his ground, but he did not charge. Instantly, Abraham knew he’d won. The wild one stomped and brayed and huffed. Eventually he looked away, and walked off toward the river. Two young females stepped toward Abraham and sniffed.

Abraham


Abraham’s first few months as a lower alpha male in the herd’s complex leadership structure were patchy. Whenever he saw a human, he would freeze in place. This annoyed the other elephants, who mostly ignored the humans and bumped into their big new friend every time he stopped suddenly.

But Abraham understood humans in ways the herd did not, and this became a major advantage. His understanding of humans became his biggest contribution to the herd. Abraham was able to find food in places none of the other elephants had ever thought to look. One day, a few dozen elephants tried slurping up the last stalks of rice from a paddy that had already been harvested. Some were growing testy from hunger. The dry season had been especially hot and long, and many of the grasslands the herd traditionally grazed were yellow and barren by the time they arrived.

As the others scrounged for whatever rice they could find, Abraham noticed a few huts rising along the berm. He walked to the closest hut, which smelled of grease and cooked lentils. He reared up on his hind legs and brought his front feet crashing down onto the hut’s mud walls, which crumbled. Lifting the corrugated metal roof off with his trunk, he found fat woven sacks of beans, lentils and salt.

Abraham ate for a few minutes, then stepped aside to make room for some babies. One baby ate so quickly she made loud snorts. The mother elephant swung her trunk around and patted Abraham on the head.

The wet season came and then the dry. Abraham never became one of the herd’s lead alpha males—he was too strange and his behavior around humans made the other elephants nervous.

Even though he was relatively short, Abraham was strong and fast, and he retained the graceful movements of a practiced dancer. The female elephants liked this, and during confrontations with humans or other herds, the different groups of males all competed to recruit Abraham to their team. Soon Abraham had a mate and baby elephants of his own.

One morning the herd was standing on the banks of the Ganges. Abraham watched his youngest offspring use his trunk to shoot his sister with water when he noticed a red and yellow barge motoring slowly upriver. There were humans on the deck of the barge and they looked at the herd, but did not point. They did not seem to recognize any of the elephants standing there.

Abraham felt the urge to stop grazing and stand motionless. He felt some fear, too, but he could not remember why. Sensing a fresh patch of grass beside him, Abraham turned his back to the barge and ate.

Questions: Abraham


1

Name: _____________ Date: _______________________ 1. Who is Abraham?

A a trainer B an elephant C a rice farmer D a circus ringmaster

2. How does Abraham change in the story?

A He was afraid of performing, then overcomes his anxiety. B He was afraid to swim, then decides to go into the circus tank. C He was unfamiliar with humans, but later learns their ways. D He was trained as a performer, then escapes into the wild.

3. Abraham’s life in captivity was very different from that of his wild peers, as he learns when he meets the wild elephant male. What evidence supports this?

A Abraham’s fear turns to anger when he meets the wild elephant male. B The wild elephant male looked ancient but was just 10 years old. C Abraham was healthy and strong, while the wild elephant was starved and

injured. D Abraham raised his head and trumpeted whereas the wild elephant stood his

ground but did not charge. 4. Based on the story, how did Abraham adjust to life in the wild?

A Abraham adjusted to life in the wild very easily. B Abraham found it very difficult to adjust to life in the wild. C Abraham was unable to adjust to life in the wild. D Abraham adjusted to life in the wild with some difficulty.

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A The life of an Indian villager. B The story of an escaped elephant. C The life of an Indian animal trainer. D The history of the Al-Sindhu All Saints Circus.

Questions: Abraham


2

6. Read the following paragraph, written from Abraham’s point of view. “The man came closer and raised his stick to his shoulder. From the stick came a flash of light and a booming sound that scared Abraham. The elephant felt something hot hit his shoulder. The man took a few steps forward, raised the stick again, and Abraham felt another hot jolt, this time on his ribs.” Based on the description above, what kind of “stick” was the man really holding?

A a club B a sword C a spear D a gun

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentences below. Abraham never became one of the herd’s lead alpha males—he was too strange and his behavior around humans made the other elephants nervous. __________, the different groups of males all competed to recruit Abraham to their team because he understood humans.

A Consequently B However C In summary D Moreover

8. The wild elephant herd eventually came to accept Abraham as one of their own. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Questions: Abraham


3

9. Describe how Abraham’s experience as a circus elephant helped him to survive in the wild. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. How do you think Abraham feels about his new life with the wild elephants at the end of the story? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

capitalize cap · i · tal · ize

Definition

verb

1. to write or print (something) using capital letters or using a capital letter as the initial letter.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to write or print (something) using capital letters or using a capital letter as the initial letter.

We always capitalize the names of the months.

2. to supply capital for or use capital in, as a business enterprise.

3. to take advantage of (usu. fol. by "on").

We capitalized on the opportunity.

4. in accounting, to treat (expenditures) as assets.

Spanish cognate

capitalizar: The Spanish word capitalizar means capitalize.


1. A muscular cow is valuable for the amount of meat found on its frame. A few hundred years ago, farmers capitalized on thisparticular cow’s muscle mass by trying to breed more of them. Over time, and with effort, a new breed of muscular cow wasborn.

2. In Wisconsin, just three years after the light bulb was invented, the first hydroelectric plant opened, proving that the technologyin the field of hydropower was being updated rapidly. Therefore, by 1900, the United States felt that action should be taken inthe Southwest in order to capitalize on the availability of these new advances, while improving life for both present and futuresettlers that were moving westward.

dominance dom · i · nance

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the state of being dominant.

2. control; authority.

Spanish cognate

dominio: The Spanish word dominio means dominance.


1. In the 700s, during the period of Islamic dominance known as the "Islamic Golden Age," Muslim armies stormed east fromArabia and came into contact with the Chinese empire.

2. “Why isn’t my hair red, like Mom’s?” asked Lily, pointing to one of the old photographs of her parents. She glanced in the mirror,trying to figure out whether any of her hair cells would ever turn red when they multiplied. Tom ruffled his fingers through thegirl’s hair. “You take after your old man,” he said with a chuckle. “I guess the redhead gene wasn’t exactly dominant.”

The Chicken Pen

1


The Chicken Pen By ReadWorks

Cathy noticed when I didn’t come into the house after a while so she came outside to

find me. She stepped inside the chicken pen and stood with her arms crossed, looking at the

dead hens and muttering about what it might have been that killed them all. She fed the

others and then picked me up over the fence, and we walked back with my hand in hers. She

didn’t cry. At the time, I remember wondering how on earth anyone could ever get used to her

own animals dying. “After farming for ten years, you look at things differently,” she told me.

“It’s not that I don’t care. I just think about chickens less as pets and more as…business, I

guess.” I sniffled into my cereal.

After the frosty chicken massacre, I started feeding the hens most mornings, and I

stopped crying when one of them got sick or disappeared overnight with only a puff of

feathers to announce its unfortunate departure. Not that it’s fun to deal with dying chickens; I

promise you, it’s not. I just mean that like everything else, I was able to handle that obstacle

after a little while.

I was adopted when I was nine. I moved from a really crowded, really noisy building in a

really crowded, really noisy city to a really quiet, really empty house in the middle of nowhere

in one day. One day full of driving and stinky rest stops, and I was at my new home. My

parents were Mainers, and they lived on a farm two hours north of anything that even

pretended to be a city.

At first, as you might guess, I hated it. I had no siblings, even foster siblings, and my folks

waited a week before sending me to school because they wanted us to have some bonding

time at home. When they did send me to school, my class was small, and I couldn’t take a bus

The Chicken Pen

2


there. Anson, my dad, had to drive me. I was used to being on my own as far as getting to

school, and I felt kind of like my freedom was being dug up from under me.

I stopped hating my new home after about a month of sleeping and waking and living on

the farm. It’s funny how adjustment works: we hate something at first, but it’s just because we

don’t know it, and then we start to get used to it, and sometimes after a while, we even start

to like or love it. After that first month, I was used to waking up to roosters screaming; waiting

for breakfast until Cathy, my mom, gave the hens theirs; and used to sitting in the backseat of

Anson’s car on the way to school.

I got used to one set of things, though, and then a new set of things came up, and I had

to start over. One morning, for example, Cathy asked me to feed the chickens, and while I’d

watched her do it a hundred times, I wasn’t entirely sure I could or wanted to do it myself. I

didn’t much have a choice, so I filled a bucket with feed and a bucket with water and waddled

around the back end of the barn to the chicken pen.

Autumn gets a lot colder a lot quicker in central Maine than it does in the city, so at that

point, in mid‐October (when I used to get by just fine with a hooded sweatshirt waiting at a bus

stop in the morning) I had on pink gloves and a winter jacket. The sun was coming up, but it was

still kind of dark outside, which made the little frosty patches of grass along the barn look like

they were glowing. It made me feel like I was still partly asleep. But then the dream got weirder.

I walked up to the chickens’ pen; some of them had woken up and hopped from their

roosts to crowd the spot in the fence I was heading toward. As a nine‐year‐old, I had to do

some gymnastic swings to get over the top of the mesh, and I nearly fell onto my knees doing

so. The water trough had frozen solid overnight, the grass in the yard was crowned with

white—I caught myself just before landing on frozen chicken poop. And when I stood up, I

noticed the first one: a little black hen, a feathery lump on the ground, covered like the grass

in a layer of frost.

I breathed in quickly, that sort of long hiccup people make when they’re surprised.

Bending over to make sure I wasn’t just looking at a fluffy rock, I noticed another hen to my

left, and another in front of me. There was no mess, no explosion of feathers, and no carnage.

The chickens looked like they’d just fallen asleep in the grass instead of their coop. But even at

nine, I knew better. I turned in a little circle and saw five more birds, and the sun cleared the

tree line and made them all glitter. I stood in the middle of it, surrounded by frost‐covered

dead hens, and sobbed.

adjustment ad · just · ment

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the act or process of adjusting.

The adjustment of your rear view mirror is important and takes only a moment.Since she lost some weight, her wedding dress needed some adjustments.

2. the state of being adjusted.

The zookeepers were pleased with the polar bear's adjustment to its new surroundings.

3. a means of adjusting, esp. a physical mechanism for regulating or correcting.

The adjustments are on the back of the device.


1. He attaches the hammer to the top of the tuning pin, sounds the note, listens and makes an adjustment with the hammer. Hemakes short, swift adjustments and always tests the note repeatedly.

2. It’s funny how adjustment works: we hate something at first, but it’s just because we don’t know it, and then we start to get usedto it, and sometimes after a while, we even start to like or love it. After that first month, I was used to waking up to roostersscreaming; waiting for breakfast until Cathy, my mom, gave the hens theirs; and used to sitting in the backseat of Anson’s caron the way to school.

3. Before he left on a climb, Dad would chew the stuff nonstop to thin his blood and ease his adjustment to the high altitudes. Iremember him in the living room, pacing back and forth, inspecting for the tenth time the climbing gear he lay out on the floor.

carnage car · nage

Advanced Definition

noun

1. the massive killing of people; slaughter.

World War II brought carnage and mass destruction.


1. There was no mess, no explosion of feathers, and no carnage. The chickens looked like they’d just fallen asleep in the grassinstead of their coop.

2. Rick whistled quietly as he walked to his bedroom, pausing in the dining room to inspect the scene of the carnage. In his head,he began imagining the way he would write this down in his journal of nasty tricks. Never before, he thought, has a birthdayparty been so thoroughly ruined. This one will go down in history.

Texts: “Abraham” “The Chicken Pen”



Part 1: Use the article “Abraham” to answer the following questions:

1. Abraham was originally part of a circus. How did Abraham's environment change in the story?

2. Did Abraham adjust to life with the elephant herd by the end of the story? Use evidence from the text to support this

conclusion.

Part 2: Use the article “The Chicken Pen” to answer the following questions:

3. According to the narrator, how does adjustment work?

4. What are two things the narrator gets used to while living on the farm?

Part 3: Use the articles “Abraham” & “The Chicken Pen” to answer the following questions:

5. What is one thing that Abraham and the narrator of "The Chicken Pen" both do when they move to new

environments? Use details from both texts to support your answer.

6. What is one theme that both stories share? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

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