Read the passage “Rachel Carson, Friend of Nature” and

then answer Numbers 1 through 3.

Rachel Carson, Friend of Nature

1 Rachel Carson grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. When

Rachel was a child, she and her dog Candy took long walks

through the woods and fields near the farm. They looked

at the plants. They listened to the sounds of birds and other

small animals. Rachel’s mother, Maria Carson, encouraged

her daughter’s curiosity and love of nature. She helped Rachel

understand that people are a part of nature. They are not

separate from it.

2 Maria did a good job. Years later, Rachel Carson wanted

to learn more about nature. She took classes in biology. She

spent many hours walking through forests and fields with her

teacher, Mary Scott Skinker. She studied plant and animal life

there. Before long, she knew that she wanted to be a scientist.

3 Carson’s work soon led her to the Massachusetts coast.

She had never before seen the ocean. It was so different from

the woods and fields of her Pennsylvania childhood! The

movement of the sea birds and the fish filled Rachel Carson

with wonder. She spent many weeks near the tide pools.

There were so many things to see, smell, and touch.

4 Later, when she took trips to the Maine coast, she began

to write a book about the sea. One of her friends was an

artist named Bob Hines. He drew many beautiful pictures

for this book. The sea meant a lot to Carson. She wanted this

book to help people learn about it. She wanted to help them

understand the great beauty of the sea and the life it sheltered.

Rachel Carson wanted people to know that human life on

land depended on the sea.

5 All through her life, Rachel Carson helped people to

understand that they should work with nature. They should

not work against it. Later, she spoke out against people

hurting the environment. She fought against the use of

dangerous chemicals that could hurt the planet.

6 One of her books made people aware of how important

it is to protect the environment. She called the book Silent

Spring. In it, she warned that we needed to take better care

of the fragile and delicate environment; otherwise, we could

lose many animals. She felt that if animals slowly died off,

it would lead to a “silent spring” in which there would be no

birds to sing. Today, many people feel that this book started the

movement to save the environment.

7 People did not always agree with Rachel Carson. But she

fought for what she believed. In time, more and more people

came to understand her point of view.



Which word in paragraph 6 helps you understand what the word [u]fragile[/u] means?

Read the passage “A History of the Bicycle” and then

answer Numbers 4 through 6.

A History of the Bicycle

1 The bicycles that we ride today are light, safe, and fast. They

are an enjoyable form of exercise. However, this has not always

been so.

Hobbyhorse

2 The first bicycles were built in Europe and the United States

in the early 1800s. They were heavy, slow, and dangerous.

These early bicycles were called Hobbyhorses. They had

heavy wooden frames and two wooden wheels. Riders had to

push them forward with their feet. Using one of these vehicles

was more like running than riding. In fact, the German word

for these early bicycles means “running machines.”

Macmillan’s Model

3 Soon, some people began to improve the Hobbyhorse

by adding pedals and a crank. In Scotland, in about 1839,

Kirkpatrick Macmillan added foot pedals. They were

connected to the rear wheel by long rods. In 1861, Ernest and

Pierre Michaux, working in France, improved the foot pedals.

They added a crank to the front wheel. Their bicycle made

these new machines popular. Some people have called Ernest

Michaux the “father of the bicycle.”

Boneshaker

4 Even so, the bicycle would need a lot more work before it

would really be helpful to people. The Michaux bicycle had a

front wheel that was much larger than the rear wheel. It was

faster than earlier bicycles had been. It fell over very easily.

Also, the Michaux bicycle was uncomfortable. It ground

along the roads making a loud noise. The heavy, wooden wheels rimmed with iron made for a very rough ride. The

Michaux bicycle soon became known as the Boneshaker.

Penny Farthing

5 In the early 1870s, a high-wheeled bicycle was developed

in England. It was called the Penny Farthing. This bicycle

had one very large front wheel and two small back wheels.

On some of the bicycles, the front wheels were five feet high.

These high-wheeled bicycles could go quite fast, but they

were difficult to handle. They often threw their riders!

6 Later inventors, however, had the wisdom to make

noticeable, visible improvements to the bicycle. In the 1880s,

bicycle makers stopped making the front wheels so large. The

bicycle as we know it came into being.

7 It is lucky for us that people continued to improve the

bicycle. Today’s safe, comfortable bicycles are enjoyed by

people all over the world. These wonderful machines are

widely used for transportation and for exercise. Inventors of

the bicycle should take a bow.

The Hobbyhorse bicycle had no pedals,

springs, or brakes. It must have been

quite a ride!



REad this sentence from paragraph 6: Later inventors, however, had the wisdom to make noticable, [u]visible[/u] improvements to the bicycle.



Which word in this sentence helps you figure out the meaning of the word visible?