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All Summer in a Day Comprehension
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All Summer in a Day
ALL SUMMER IN A DAY by Ray Bradbury
Vocabulary and Figurative Language - Priscilla and the Wimps/All Summer in a Day
Commas Directions: Correct the sentences by adding commas where needed. 1. After the sound of the bell we realized it was a false alarm. 2. Mr. Yoshino the head of the department resigned yesterday. 3. The gentleman with the black umbrella who is an ambassador to the United States said hello to us as we were entering the hotel. 4. Even though we won the game the players unfortunately did not play their best. 5. Heather walked quickly up to the door and knocked hoping that someone would answer. Authorās Purpose 6. An author writes a story about a boy who saves his town from a flood by using his quick thinking. The author includes exciting descriptions of the boy's bravery. What is the authorās most likely purpose for writing this story? A. To inform readers about the dangers of floods B. To entertain readers with a heroic tale C. To explain how to prevent floods D. To persuade readers to prepare for emergencies 7. Which of the following is an example of an author writing to persuade? A. A science textbook chapter explaining the water cycle B. A commercial encouraging people to adopt shelter pets C. A short story about a girl who finds a magical necklace D. A recipe for making chocolate chip cookies 8. Read the following sentence: "Studies show that students who read for 20 minutes a day score higher on tests. Reading is one of the best habits you can develop for success in school and life." What is the authorās purpose in this passage? A. To entertain readers with a fun story B. To persuade readers to read more often C. To inform readers about how books are written D. To explain how to find books to read 9. An author writes a how-to guide titled 10 Easy Steps to Plant a Garden. What is the authorās primary purpose? A. To persuade readers to grow their own vegetables B. To inform readers how to plant a garden C. To entertain readers with funny garden tips 10. Read the excerpt: "Long ago, in a village surrounded by mountains, the people discovered a secret about their water well. Every full moon, the well water turned to gold for just one night. But no one knew why. This mystery brought travelers from far and wide, hoping to uncover the truth." What is the authorās purpose in this excerpt? A. To persuade readers to visit the village B. To inform readers about a historical event C. To entertain readers with a mysterious tale D. To explain the science behind the water Main Idea When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman--- he looks tough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad. I have light-brown, almost-red hair and greenish-gray eyes. I wish they were more gray because I hate most guys that have green eyes, but I have to be content with what I have. My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut. Besides, I look better with long hair. 11. What is the main idea? The narrator likes movies. The narrator wishes he was Paul Newman. The narrator is content with his appearance. The narrator looks better with long hair. 12. The narrator believes. . . looks are important. he should get a haircut. green eyes are bad. that he has red hair. Once there were four girls who shared a pair of pants. The girls were all different sizes and shapes, and yet the pants fit each of them. You may think this is a suburban myth. But I know it's true, because I am one of them, one of the sisters of the Traveling Pants. We discovered their magic last summer, purely by accident. The four of us were splitting up for the first time in our lives. Carmen had gotten them from a secondhand place without even bothering to try them on. She was going to throw them away, but by chance, Tibby spotted them. First Tibby tried them; then me, Lena; then Bridget; then Carmen. By the time Carmen pulled them on, we knew something extraordinary was happening. If the same pants fit and I mean really fit the four of us, they aren't ordinary. They don't belong completely to the world of things you can see and touch. My sister, Effie, claims I don't believe in magic, and maybe I didn't then. But after the first summer of the Traveling Pants, I do. 13. What is the main idea? Four friends were connected through a special pair of pants. A pair of pants called the Traveling Pants. Carmen finding a pair of pants from a second-hand shop. The girls believing in magic. 14. The narrator included that the pants fit all of them to emphasize how the girls become friends. the girls are different sizes. why the pants are special. where the pants came from. If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire were intelligent children, and they were charming, and resourceful, and had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky, and most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair. I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes. 15. What is the main idea? description about the story to come. A warning about the story and its sad content. A declaration about the Baudelaire family. A beginning for the end of the story. 16. The narrator believes the reader does not like sad stories. likes stories with happy endings. canāt enjoy the story. will find the story unhappy. 17. Read the following sentence: Of course you can exaggerate your story, but what you say must be based on truth. Which word means the same as exaggerate? repeat reveal overstate increase 18. What is the meaning of the word inaugurated, used in the following sentence: Less than two months after Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President in 1861, he encountered one of the most difficult tasks ever experienced by a United States leader: civil war. elected by a vote brought into office identified by name viewed as an authority 19. What does the phrase āpractice your presentation so much that you could do it in your sleepā suggest in the following sentence: The best advice is to practice your presentation so much that you could do it in your sleep. get plenty of sleep the night before giving a presentation give their presentations in front of a small audience first take advice from their teachers on how to write a presentation memorize their presentations before they give them 20. Read the following sentence: The Phoenix Mars Lander is a NASA spacecraft that landed on the Red Planet in May 2009 to study the history of water and potential for life on the planet. What is another word for potential? existence situation possibility qualification
Name: Marco Ramirez - āI Am Not Batmanā TW: language Itās the middle of the night. And the sky is glowing like mad radioactive red. And if you squint, you could maybe see the moon through a thick layer of cigarette smoke and airplane exhaust that covers the entire city like mosquito net that wonāt let the angels in. And if you look up high enough you could see me-standing on the edge of a eighty seven story building. And up there-a place for gargoyles and broken clock towers that have stayed still and dead for maybe like a hundred years-up there is me. And Iām freakin Batman. And I gots Bat-mobiles and Bat-a-rangs and freakin Bat-caves like for real, and all it takes is a broom closet or a back room or a fire escape and Dannyās hand-me-down jeans are gone. And my navy blue polo shirt? ā The one that looks kinda good on me but has a hole on it near the butt from when it got snagged on the chain linked fence behind Arturoās but it isnāt even a big deal cause I tuck that part in and its like all good? āthat blue polo shirt? ā Itās gone too. And I get like, like transformational. And nobody pulls out a belt and whips Batman for talking back ā-Or for not talking back āAnd nobody calls Batman simple ā- Or stupid ā- Or skinny ā- And nobody fires Batmanās brother from the Eastern Taxi Company ācause they was making cutbacks, neither, ācause they got nothing but respect, and not like afraid-respect. Just like respect-respect. āCause nobodyās afraid of you. Cause Batman doesnāt mean nobody harm. Ever. Cause all Batman really wants to do is save people and maybe pay Abuelaās bills one day and die happy and maybe get like mad famous. For real.ā¦And kill the Joker. Tonight, like most nights, Iām all alone. And Iām watchingā¦And Iām waiting⦠Like a eagle. Or like a āno, yea, like a eagle. And my cape is flappinā in the wind (ācause itās freakinā long), and my pointy ears are on, and that mask that covers like half my face is on too, and I got like bulletproof stuff all in my chest so no one could hurt me and nobody ā nobody ā is gonna come between Batman, And Justice. From where I am I could hear everything. Somewhere in the city thereās a old lady picking Styrofoam leftovers up outta a trash can and sheās putting a piece of sesame chicken someone spit out into her own mouth. And somewhere thereās a doctor with a whack haircut in a black lab coat trying to find a cure for the diseases that are gonna make us all extinct for real one day. And somewhere thereās a man, a man in a janitorās uniform, stumbling home drunk and dizzy after spending half his paycheck on forty-ounce bottles of twist-off beer and the other half on a four hour visit to some ladyās house on a street where the lights have all been shot out by people whoād rather do what they do, in this city, in the dark. And half a block away from JanitorMan thereās a group of good-for-nothings who donāt know no better waiting to beat JanitorMan with rusted bicycle chains and imitation Lousiville Sluggers, and if they donāt find a cent on him ā which they wonāt ā theyāll just pound at him till the muscles in their arms start burning, till thereās no more teeth to crack out. But they donāt count on me. They donāt count on no dark night (with a stomach full of grocery store brand macaroni-and-cheese and cut up Vienna sausages), Cause theyād rather believe I donāt exist, And from eighty-seven stories up I could hear one of the good-for-nothings say āGimmethecashā real fast (like that) just āGimmethefuckingcashā and I see JAnitorMan mumble something in drunk language and turn pale and from eighty-seven stories up I could hear his stomach trying to hurl its way out of his Dickies. So I swoop down like and fast and Iām like darkness. Iām like SWOOSH ā- And I throw a Bat-a-rang at the one naked lightbulb ā- And theyāre all like āwhoa-motherfucker-who-just-turned-out-the-lights?ā āāWhatās that over there?ā ā-āWhat?ā ā- āGimme whatchou got old manā ā- āDid anybody hear that?!ā ā- āNo, reallyā ā- āThere aināt. No. Bat.ā ā But then ā- One out of three good-for-nothings gets it to the head! And number Two swings blindly into the dark cape before him but before his fist hits anything I grab a trash can lid and ā-- Right into the gut, and number One comes back with a jump-kick but I know judo-karate too so Iām like ā-- Twice ā-- but before I can do any more damage suddenly we all hear a CLIC ā CLIC āAnd suddenly everything gets quiet And the one good-for-nothing left standing grips a handgun and aims straight up, like heās holding Jesus hostage, like heās threatening maybe to blow a hole in the moon. And the good-for-nothing who got it to the head who tried to jump-kick me and the other good-for-nothing who got it in the gut is both scrambling back away from the dark figure before him. And the drunk man the JanitorMan is huddled in a corner, praying to Saint Anthony ācause thatās the only one he could remember. And thereās me, Eyes glowing white, cape blowing softly in the wind. Bulletporoof chest heaving. My heart beating right through it in a Morse code for āfuck with me, just once, come on, just try.ā And the one good-for-nothing left standing, the one with the handgun, he laughs he lowers his arm, and he points it at me and gives the moon a break, and he aims it right between my pointy ears, like goalposts and heās special teams. And JanitorMan is still calling Saint Anthony but he aināt pickinā up, And for a second it seems likeā¦maybe Iām gonna lose. Naw. SHOO ā SHOO! FUACATA! --āDonāt kill me man!ā āāSNAP! ā Wrist CRACK ā Neck ā SLASH! ā Skin ā meets ā acid ā āAHH!!ā āAnd heās on the floor. And Iām standing over him. And I got the gun in MY hands now. And I hate guns, I hate holding āem cause Iām Batman, and āBatman donāt like guns ācause his parents got iced by guns a long time ago ā but for just a second, my eyes glow white, and I hold this thing, for I could speak to the good-for-nothing in a language he maybe understandsā¦CLIC ā CLICā¦And the good-for-nothings become good-for-disappearing into whatever toxic-waste-chemical-sludge-shit-hole they crawled out of. And itās just me and JanitorMan. And I pick him up. And I wipe sweat and cheap perfume off his forehead. And he begs me not to hurt him and I grab him tight by his JanitorMan shirt collar and I pull him to my face, and heās taller than me, but the cape helps so he listens when I look him straight in the eyes and I say two words to him: āGo home.ā And he does, checking behind his shoulder every ten feet. And I SWOOSH from building to building on his way there, ācause I know where he lives. And I watch his hands where he lives. And I watch his hands tremble as he pulls out his keychain and opens the door to his building. And Iām back in bed before he even walks in through the front door. And I hear him turn on the faucet and pour himself a glass of warm tap water And he puts the glass back in the sink. And I hear his footsteps, And they get slower as they get to my room. And he creaks my door open like mad slow. And he takes a step in, which he never does. And heās staring off into nowhere, his face the color of sidewalks in summer, and I act like Iām just waking up, and I say, āWhatās up, Pop?ā And JanitorMan says nothing to me. But I see, in the dark, I see his arms go limp and his head turns back, like towards me, and he lifts it for I could see his face, For I could see his eyes, And his cheeks is dripping but not with sweat. And he just stands there, breathing, like he remembers my eyes glowing white. Like he remembers my bulletproof chest. Like he remembers heās my pop. And for a long time I donāt say nothing. And he turns around, hand on the doorknob, and he aināt looking up my way but I hear him mumble two words to me. āIām sorry.ā And I lean over and open my window just a crack.⦠If you look up high enough you could see me. And from where I am? I could hear everything.
"A Summer All in One Day"
Escape from Unsuitable Conditions Some species can survive unfavorable environmental conditions by escaping from them temporarily. For example, desert animals usually hide underground or in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Many desert species are active at night, when temper- atures are much lower. A longer-term strategy is to enter a state of reduced activity, called dormancy, during periods of unfavorable conditions, such as winter or drought. Another strategy is to move to a more favorable habitat, called migration. An example of migration is the seasonal movements of birds, which spend spring and summer in cooler climates and migrate to warmer climates in the fall. THE NICHE Species do not use or occupy all parts of their habitat at once. The specific role, or way of life, of a species within its environment is its niche (NICH). The niche includes the range of conditions that the species can tolerate, the resources it uses, the methods by which it obtains resources, the number of offspring it has, its time of reproduction, and all other interactions with its environment. Parts of a lionās niche are shown in Figure 18-6. Generalists are species with broad niches; they can tolerate a range of conditions and use a variety of resources. An example of a generalist is the Virginia opossum, found across much of the United States. The opossum feeds on almost anything, from eggs and dead animals to fruits and plants. In contrast, species that have narrow niches are called specialists. An example is the koala of Australia, which feeds only on the leaves of a few species of eucalyptus trees. Some species have more than one niche within a lifetime. For example, caterpillars eat the leaves of plants, but as adult butter- flies, they feed on nectar. Plants and animals are able to share the same habitats because they each have different niches. FIGURE 18-6 niche from the Old French nichier, meaning āto nestā Word Roots and Origins www.scilinks.org Topic: Niche/Habitats Keyword: HM61029 mb06se_iecs02.qxd 5/24/07 10:25 AM Page 365 366 CHAPTER 18 ENERGY TRANSFER All organisms need energy to carry out essential functions, such as growth, movement, maintenance and repair, and reproduction. In an ecosystem, energy flows from the sun to autotrophs, then to organisms that eat the autotrophs, and then to organisms that feed on other organisms. The amount of energy an ecosystem receives and the amount that is transferred from organism to organism affect the ecosystemās structure. PRODUCERS Autotrophs, which include plants and some kinds of protists and bacteria, manufacture their own food. Because autotrophs cap- ture energy and use it to make organic molecules, they are called producers. Recall that organic molecules are molecules that con- tain carbon. Most producers are photosynthetic, so they use solar energy to power the production of food. However, some autotrophic bacteria do not use sunlight as an energy source. These bacteria carry out chemosynthesis (KEE-moh-SIN-thuh-sis), in which they use energy stored in inorganic molecules to produce carbohydrates. In terres- trial ecosystems, plants are usually the major producers. In aquatic ecosystems, photosynthetic protists and bacteria are usu-
Broken windows are covered. Floorboards are patched and doors screwed back on. The road that was ruined by German tanks is shovelled and raked smooth. Boot-shaped bruises turn yellow then fade and disappear. Flowers grow and spread across the ugly German footprints stomped into garden beds. The village looks pretty once more. School stops for the summer and everyone is put to work on the kolkhoz, the village farm. Women and big boys begin harvesting the barley crops in the outer fields. The biggest girls milk the cows, morning and night, and keep the barns clean. Old Nikolay mends ploughs, horse harnesses, pitchforks and scythes in his workshop. Anna Pushinka teaches Yelena and her friends how to get the honey from the beehives that are scattered through the orchards. I am in charge of collecting eggs. My friends Olga and Nina help. Olga and Nina are five, a year younger than me. They are twins and look exactly alike, except Ninaās nose is a little bit crooked from when she fell out of bed and squashed it sideways on the floor. The hens, ducks and geese wander free in the summer, so collecting eggs is like a treasure hunt and takes hours. Catching the hens for their daily hugs takes even longer, but I think itās important because hugs make everyone happy and happy hens lay bigger eggs. Olga says Iām the best hen-hugger in all of Russia. Nina says Iāll be the best cow-hugger, too, when my arms grow longer. But good hugs have nothing to do with the size of your arms. Itās all to do with the size of your heart. When we are done with the hens, Olga, Nina and I can spend the rest of the day doing whatever we like. We climb the apricot trees, chase squirrels, lie in the meadow marvelling at how hot Ushankaās black fur becomes in the sunshine, make daisy chains and race little boats of bark in the stream. I teach Olga and Nina the alphabet and we use charcoal to write our letters and our names all over the village ā on doors and walls and the freshly cut ends of firewood. In between, I practise my knots. In case the German princemonsters return. I slip into Old Nikolayās workshop and tie knots in the harnesses hanging on the walls. I wander into gardens where the washing is hung out to dry and tie knots in the laces on pants and smocks. I creep up behind Anna Pushinka and tie knots in her apron strings. I find baling twine in the hay shed and tie my own ankles together. I do such a good job of these last knots that I canāt get them undone. I have to jump all the way to Olga and Ninaās house and ask them to cut me free with their mamaās knife. At the end of each day, Ushanka and I run out into the distant barley fields to meet Mama. This is my favourite part of the day, because Mama always shouts, āLittle Rabbit!ā and smothers my head with kisses. And as we walk home, we sing. Everyone ā women, big boys and me. I love to sing. Almost as much as I love to be kissed by Mama. Sometimes one of the boys, Mikhail, has his balalaika with him. He takes the instrument out from beneath the sheaves of barley piled high on the wagon and plays music. We sing about forests and orchards and people who find their true love. As we walk home, arm in arm, my heart fills with happiness and my belly swells with pride that I am allowed to sing along with the big boys. And I can almost forget about the German prince-monsters and their lies about Russia and their big ugly boots. Almost. But today, when Mikhail reaches for his balalaika, I see other things hiding beneath the barley sheaves. Three of the mamas rush forward and cover them up, but itās too late. I know they are there. Iāve already seen them. Rifles. Lots of rifles. Mikhail hugs his balalaika to his chest and blushes. āSo play!ā cries Mama, her voice oddly loud and high. āLetās play Sashaās favourite song, āThe Little Birch Treeā.ā So Mikhail plays and everyone sings about the lovely birch tree with its curly leaves and the branches that will be turned into silver flutes. They sing too quickly, too loudly, and as they sing and walk, they cast nervous sideways glances at me. āItās alright,ā I say, when the song comes to an end. āI didnāt see the rifles.ā Mama nods and smiles, and I know it was the right thing to say. But I did see the rifles. And I think about Yelena wanting to get lots of guns and dynamite for the Partisans so they can shoot the Germans and blow them into thousands of tiny pieces, and Mama looking as though she agreed, and I know this is what the mamas and the big boys are doing. As well as harvesting, they are helping the Partisans. Three days later, I wake before dawn and I am all alone. Yelena is always here beside me when I wake. But not this morning. I climb down from our bed above the stove. Mama is filling a cloth sack with bread. She ties it closed with a piece of string and hands it to Yelena. āStay out of sight,ā says Mama. āAnd donāt return until after dark.ā āWhereās she going?ā I ask. āNowhere,ā snaps Mama. āThen why does she need all that bread?ā I ask. āThereās nothing left for us.ā Mama baked four loaves last night and she has stuffed them all into the sack. Yelena opens her mouth, but before she can speak, Mama shoves her out the door and sends her on the way to nowhere. Mama turns and stares at me, her blue, blue cornflower eyes wide with worry. āI know,ā I say, flopping down on the bench. āI didnāt see any bread.ā Mama sits beside me and takes my hand. āAnd . . .?ā she prods, obviously waiting for more. I puzzle for a while, then say, āAnd I donāt have a sister called Yelena.ā Mama laughs, softly and with a little bit of sadness around the edges. āSweet Little Rabbit! You do have a sister called Yelena.ā āI do?ā I ask, now confused. āI havenāt seen the rifles or the bread, but I have seen Yelena?ā āYes.ā Mama smiles and the magic makes me smile, too. And I am glad that Yelena is real because I love her very much. āYelena is real,ā Mama explains, ābut she does not carry sacks of bread into the forest for the Partisans.ā āOf course not!ā I shout, slapping my forehead. āBecause there is no bread!ā Mama laughs loudly now, with not a hint of sadness. She hugs me, pressing me against her warm, loving heart, covering my head with kisses. āClever Little Rabbit,ā she murmurs, and then, in barely a whisper, āYour papa would be so proud.ā When I wake the next morning, Yelena is sleeping beside me, her mouth open, her braided hair unravelling. Mama is serving kasha to a strange woman seated at our table. I crawl down from above the stove and slide along the bench beside her. I stare at her pants, her tunic, the rope she is using as a belt and her big boots. Sheās dressed like a man! And thereās a rifle leaning against the wall near the door. āHello,ā I say. āIām Sasha.ā The woman doesnāt reply. She just shovels down her kasha. I line my four wooden bears along the table in front of her bowl and say, āThese are my bears: Big Bear, Medium Bear, Little Bear and Even Littler Bear.ā āHello, Sasha. Hello, bears.ā She smiles but she doesnāt tell me her name. āWhy are you dressed like a man?ā I ask, tugging at the sleeve of her tunic. āBecause menās clothes make it easier to run and climb and crawl and shoot,ā she says. āYouāre a Partisan!ā I gasp. āBut sheās not real,ā says Mama, placing a bowl of kasha before me. āIs the kasha real?ā I ask. Mama laughs. āYes, Little Rabbit.ā Iām glad the food is real, because Iām hungry. But Iām disappointed that the woman is not real. I was going to ask if I could use her rope-belt to tie her ankles together. For practice. But if sheās not real, then the rope and her ankles arenāt either. The woman finishes her kasha, hangs her rifle over her shoulder, kisses Mama on the cheek then slips out the door. I run to the window to watch her leave, but by the time I get there, sheās gone. Vanished. āBecause sheās not real,ā I whisper. A week later, Mama and I are working in the garden. We sing as we weed between the flowers and pluck caterpillars from the vegetables. Anna Pushinka is picking strawberries in her garden and wanders over. āTaste these,ā she says, holding out the basket. Mama reaches in and takes out a fat strawberry and a tiny piece of folded paper. The strawberry goes into her mouth, the paper into her pocket. āWhatās on the paper?ā I ask. āPaper?ā Anna Pushinka replies with a wave of her hand. āGoodness, Sasha! Who has money for paper? These are lean times. We must choose between paper for writing and noodles for our soup. And I always choose noodles.ā She chuckles and I know the paper is yet another thing that is not real. That night, Mama slips the paper to Yelena, but she drops it on the floor. I pick it up for her, and I see that there are tiny words and numbers written all over it. I wish I could read better. Iām desperate to know what it says. Or rather, what it doesnāt say, because itās not real. Later, when Mama has tucked us into our bed above the stove and Ushanka has wrapped herself around the top of my head, I ask Yelena, āWhatās on the paper?ā āWhat paper?ā says Yelena. āThe paper that isnāt real,ā I reply. Yelena stares at me, nibbling her lip, then whispers, āA message for the Partisans. Stuff about where the Germans have their headquarters and when their trains are travelling and where they store their ammunition.ā āWhy?ā āSo the Partisans can blow them up.ā Yelena grabs my arm. āBut donāt tell anyone. Itās a secret.ā āWhatās a secret?ā I ask. āThe message.ā āWhat message?ā I say, my eyes wide. Yelena laughs. āGood boy, Sasha.ā My belly swells with pride. I know how to play this game. āHow are your knots coming along?ā asks Yelena. āGood! Yesterday, I crept into the dairy and tied knots in the apron strings of all the girls who were milking and only one of them noticed. Today, I tied Olgaās ankles together with Mamaās embroidery thread and just now, while you were taking a bath, I tied the sleeves of your blouse together in an enormous knot.ā Yelena rolls her eyes, then says, āIāll see if I can find you some rope for practising.ā āPractising what?ā I ask. āYour knots,ā she says. āWhat knots?ā Yelena, my big sister who is twelve and always serious t