main idea
Do you remember when Mom, Dad, you, and I used to gather around the radio after dinner? That was the best. We would listen to all those great shows with our favorite superheroes. We'd sing along to the theme songs we used to know by heart--in fact, I still know most of them. Then there were the science-fiction shows, with all their marvelous sound effects and crazy situations. The comedy shows were always Dad's favorite. He would laugh enormously at every joke, and get the whole family laughing, too.
the whole family enjoyed listening to the radio together
Before the sun had even risen, I bundled up for a walk on a brisk winter morning. I put on my warm boots, heavy jacket, and fur hat. It was refreshing to get up early and be outside in the crisp mountain air. I always felt so happy and alive during those early morning walks where I could appreciate nature all by myself.
What does brisk mean?
Erin and her mother were busy making sugar cookies for a party. Erin's mother was focused on mixing ingredients, while Erin was carefully cutting out various shapes in the rolled-out dough. Once Erin's mother had finished mixing the second batch, she put the cookies in the oven, as Erin once again cut shapes into the cream-colored dough. They smiled at each other. There was nothing Erin loved more than cooking with her mother.
a. Erin and her mother bake cookies.
b. Cookies are great at parties.
c. Erin and her mother get ready for dinner.
d. Family activities are important.
Princess Mysoon sighed as she stroked the fur of Pax, her unicorn. The animal was as white as snow, with a single horn reaching skyward from the space between his forgiving eyes. He sensed Mysoon's fear.
Lately a wicked troll had been kidnapping the beautiful unicorns from the forest, and Mysoon was sure that her unicorn was in danger. There must be some way to save him from the terrible fate that awaited him. Though she loved the animal dearly, she knew that if Pax stayed here with her, he might be hurt. So Mysoon decided to send Pax far away. The kind princess would miss him, but at least her much-loved pet would be safe.
She will go to see her pet again after the troll is gone.
Do all artists paint in the same style? Do you have the skills to paint like other artists?
Some kinds of paintings are called landscapes, or pictures of the countryside. Landscapes, and paintings of houses and people, were very popular kinds of painting in the 1800s.
In the 1900s, painting began to change. People began to paint colors and shapes. This kind of painting is often called abstract.
If you look at paintings by Piet Mondrian, you can see examples of abstract painting. In his paintings, he uses bright colors and lines, rectangles and squares. But that wasn't always the case. When he was young, he studied how to paint landscapes.
inform
Last summer, Alphonse worked at a bakery. He had to get up early in the morning, before sunrise, and walk to the bakery when the streets were still empty. His job was to help bake rolls and pastries. After Alphonse and the baker put the large metal trays in the oven, the rich smell of rolls baking would fill the shop and make them hungry. Then they would eat their breakfast together. The baker was a kind man, and the pastries Alphonse learned to make were delicious!
What is a good title for the text?
Alphonse’s Job Last Summer
One day, a lion caught a mouse and was about to eat it. Just when the huge teeth were closing over the little mouse, the mouse squeaked, "Wait! If you allow me to live, I will one day do you a great favor."
The lion laughed at the thought that a weak little mouse could ever aid the king of beasts. But since the lion was not too hungry, and since the mouse's suggestion amused him, the lion smiled and let his dinner go.
Several days later, the lion was trapped in a great net laid down by hunters to trap him. The lion roared and struggled, but could not escape. Even his might could not break the bonds that held him.
The mouse heard the lion's cries and ran to help. He gnawed at the net's ropes until they parted and the lion was free. As the lion stepped away from the broken net, he thought to himself that even a small mouse could do a big favor.
what is an syonoym for the word aid?
Jamal walked up the steps to the library, then stopped at the doors and sighed. The small red book seemed heavy in his hand. He looked up at the sky, then took a deep breath, pushed the doors open, and went inside.
Jamal slowly walked to the circulation desk. Without looking at the librarian, he placed the book on the desk. "Jamal Curtis?" she said, while he stared at his shoes. "You do realize," she said, "that this book isn't due for another week, right?" Jamal looked up, his face spreading into his usual outgoing smile.
What was the conflict in this passage?
Renae flopped down on the steps of the porch. Her history test drooped in her hand like a wilting flower. Renae's teacher, Ms. Lin, handed back the paper hours ago; Renae held on to it all the way home. Every once in awhile she unfolded it and stared miserably at the grade branded across the top of the page.
"I meant to study for the test," Renae thought to herself as she dragged her feet along the sidewalk. The days leading up to the test had raced by, and Renae kept putting off studying. The night before the test, scared of what might happen the following day, Renae crammed so much information into her head, she felt as if her brain would burst! This last-ditch effort certainly did not pay off. Renae was now very disappointed.
What can you infer about Renae?
She wants to do well in school.
What do you do with aluminum cans? Do you throw them in the trash, or do you recycle when you are finished with them? At the rate we are filling our landfills, we will not have anywhere else to put our trash. If you recycle, you will help the environment. The next time you throw away your Coke can, think about putting it in a recycling bin. Your effort will help save your community.
persuade
Dear Mom,
I'm writing you from the fabulous city of Santiago. It's amazing to see the Andes Mountains covered in snow in June.
I am so happy to be staying with the Alero family. Their house is on the outskirts of town, and it has a large yard where we can play outside on the days it isn't raining.
Outside my window I can see a beautiful persimmon tree. The persimmons look like orange balls hung all over the tree. I tried to eat a persimmon for dessert one night, but it made my tongue go numb! I don't think I'll try it again, but it was fun to taste something that I'd only read about in books. It's not too cold here yet, but we've had a lot of rain.
I can't wait to see you again when I get home. I hope your summer is warm and sunny!
With love from Chile,
Renata
What is the main idea of the letter?
She is telling her mom about her visit in Santiago.
Shane and Luis decided to take a shortcut home from school. There was a path that led through the woods, right into Shane's backyard. Most of the boys (and all of the girls) in their class were afraid to take the path. The trees at its entrance stood like soldiers guarding a castle. And when the wind blew, it seemed that their arms could reach out and grab you!
But, they had no time to waste. If they were going to make it to Julie's party, they had to get home as fast as possible and get all their homework done. So they mustered up some courage and headed into the woods. They ran as fast as cougars and made it home in record time.
What are the trees compared to in the passage?
Dear Bian,
I never got a chance to thank you for the video game you gave me for my birthday. It's so much fun. I've been playing it for millions of hours,and it's one of my favorite gifts.
By the way, I'm moving! From now on, I'll be living on 223 Terrace Ave. near Third St., only about five minutes away from my old house. I'm so excited to live in the new house. It's a big, new, green house, and I'll get my own room. If you want to call me, my new number is 555-7294.
Thanks again,
Lester
Where is there exaggeration? What form of figurative language is this?
Ever since I was a little kid, I've always loved going to movies. The first movies I ever saw were old black-and-white movies. My favorite stars were Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Buster Keaton. Since then, I've seen hundreds of movies. As much as I love reading books and going to see plays and concerts, there's something magical in a movie--something that will hopefully still be around for years to come.
What can you infer about Buster Keaton?
The impressive eagle is a national symbol in the United States for patriotism and freedom. Because the bald eagle was once hunted for sport, it is on the verge of extinction. If you kill a bald eagle, you can go to jail. Unfortunately, the bald eagle still maybe become extinct.
My friend Randolph plays in the school band with me and he is a lot of fun to have in class. He distracts me from playing sometimes and makes our teacher, Mr. Antonio, get angry with us. But he makes me look forward to band rehearsal, which is not an easy thing to do at all.
Randolph and Mr. Antonio don't get along very well because of Randolph's antics. Just yesterday, Tammy, the girl that plays trumpet with me and Randolph, was being noisy in class. Instead of blaming Tammy for distracting the class, he kept scolding my friend. I didn't think it was very fair, and neither did Randolph.
What would be a good title for this text?
d. My Friend Randolph
Elle grabbed the pile of clothes that were sitting on her poolside lounge chair. She giggled as she held them in her arms and jumped into the pool. Her brother was getting out of the pool and saw Elle dunking his clothes in the water.
"What are you doing?" he yelled over Elle's laughing fits.
He yanked his clothes from her grasp and tried to wring the water out of them. When he untwisted his clothes, they were a little drier, but very wrinkled. He put his clothes back on the chair. Then, he grabbed Elle's towel and tossed it into the pool.
In paragraph 2, the word WRING means to:
I think the moon is very kind
To take such trouble just for me.
He came along with me from home
To keep me company.
How does the author feel the moon is kind?
My friend Randolph plays in the school band with me and he is a lot of fun to have in class. He distracts me from playing sometimes and makes our teacher, Mr. Antonio, get angry with us. But he makes me look forward to band rehearsal, which is not an easy thing to do at all.
What can you infer about the author?Randolph and Mr. Antonio don't get along very well because of Randolph's antics. Just yesterday, Tammy, the girl that plays trumpet with me and Randolph, was being noisy in class. Instead of blaming Tammy for distracting the class, he kept scolding my friend. I didn't think it was very fair, and neither did Randolph.
He thinks Randolph is funny.
This was Kathy's first baby-sitting job. She was so excited, but she was really nervous. Kathy's parents made her attend a baby-sitting workshop before she could baby-sit her neighbor's five-year-old son, Matthew. Kathy knew this was a lot of responsibility, but she thought she was ready. Kathy marched confidently to Matthew's house and waved goodbye to Matthew's parents. It seemed as soon as his parents left, Matthew fell and hit his chin on the coffee table. Without panicking, she remembered what she learned in her baby-sitting class and applied first-aid.
The author wants to show that
Do you enjoy ice cream? Many people over the ages have enjoyed ice cream. The ancient Greeks ate snow mixed with honey and fruit. It really took off as a dessert in the 18th century. Today, people all over the world enjoy the wonderful taste of ice cream.
What is the main idea of this passage?
An article in the newspaper says that the Harry Potter series is responsible for the DWINDLING number of wild owls in America. This is happening because the wild owls are being trapped and sold as pets to kids who are fans of the Harry Potter books. As you may already know, Harry has his own pet owl named Hedwig.
What does DWINDLING mean?
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. She was also the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone. She was born in Atchison, Kansas, and developed an interest in flying while working as a nurse's aide during World War I.
In 1937, Earhart tried to fly around the world. On the hardest leg of the trip, her plane vanished in the Pacific Ocean. No trace of Earhart, her navigator, or her plane has ever been found. Some people believe she drowned because her plane ran out of fuel. Others believe she was captured and killed. Even after all these years, there is no evidence to support either belief.
Which sentence is an opinion?
a. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone.
b. She was captured and killed.
c. She developed an interest in flying while working as a nurse’s aide.
d. She was born in Atchison, Kansas.
What are fossils? Fossils serve as a blueprint for what happened on the earth millions of years ago. By studying fossils, scientists can learn what kinds of animals and plants lived on the earth a long time ago. Fossils are the preserved remains or imprints of plants and animals that lived in other geological eras on earth. For a fossil to form, a plant or animal must have been buried, so that neither air nor other animals could get at it. Living things have always been buried or encased in mud. For example, have you ever seen a fish fossil? Scientists even discovered a wooly mammoth deep in the ice in North America. When fossils have been collected and categorized, it is called a geological record. As a result, we have a better understanding of what happened on earth.
You can tell that...
Tomatoes were once considered poisonous. Some brave people finally took a bite of a tomato, and they survived. Now, we use tomatoes in our salads and sandwiches. Do you ever use tomato sauce or ketchup? These products are made of tomatoes. If it weren't for these brave individuals, you might not be able to enjoy ketchup with your french-fries.
The author's purpose is to