Name ______________ Score_________/40Part one:Passage one: Words: 169 Readability: 4.7Saving Stamps for FunDo you ever send letters to your friends? Before you mail a letter, you must put a stamp on the envelope. But some people save stamps instead of putting them on letters. These people are called stamp collectors. Stamp collectors save stamps for many reasons.Many people collect stamps just because stamps are pretty. Some stamps have pictures of birds and animals on them. Other stamps have pictures of great people. Stamps can be many shapes, too. Some stamps look like triangles or stars. One country even makes a stamp shaped like a banana.Other people save old stamps. Old stamps sometimes are worth a lot of money. Stamps with mistakes on them are worth a lot of money, too. People who save these kinds of stamps may spend a thousand dollars to buy just one stamp!But collecting stamps doesn’t have to cost you too much money. When you get a letter, you can save the stamp on the envelope. Then you will be a stamp collector, too.A.Another good title for this passage is ______ (1’)a) Stamps Are Fun to Saveb) Stars and Trianglesc) Many LettersB.Underline the right answers.(1’)Stamp collectors save (letters, stamps). Some stamps with (milkshakes, mistakes) on them are worth a lot of money.C.Answer questions with complete sentences. (3’)1.What are on some stamps to make them pretty?_______________________________________________________________2.Who are stamp collectors?_______________________________________________________________3.How do we collect stamps without spending a lot of money?_______________________________________________________________Passage two: Words: 225 Readability: 3.8The Wise Monkey and the OgreOnce in India, there was a magic forest. In the middle of the lake in this forest lived a terrible ogre. Whenever any animal tried to drink from the lake, the ogre would jump out andgobble the animal up.One day a band of monkeys came to the forest. Their leader was a wise old monkey who knew about the ogre. So he warned the others, “If he catches you, he will eat you. Don’t drink any water from the lake until I tell you it is safe.”The monkeys listened to their leader. They grew very thirsty, but they stood back from the lake. Then the wise old monkey went near the lake and waited to see if the ogre would appear.When the ogre saw the old monkey, he stuck his head out of the water and said, “Come down to the water and drink.”“No,” said the monkey. “If I come to the water, you will eat me.”“Yes,” said the ogre. “But there is no other water in the forest. Soon you and your friends will have to come here to drink. Then I will eat you all.”The old monkey thought and thought. Then he saw some long hollow reeds growing near the lake. He picked the reeds and gave them to the other monkeys. Each monkey put one end of the reed in its mouth and the other end in the water. Then the monkeys sucked the water through the reeds and gave them to the other monkeys. So they stayed away from the lake and still drank their fill. The ogre was so furious when he saw this; he disappeared into the lake with a roar. And none of the monkeys ever saw him again.A. Number the events below in the order that they happened.(0.5’*4)________ The wise monkey waited for the ogre.________ The ogre disappeared with a roar.________ The monkeys drank through hollow reeds.________ The ogre said he would eat all the monkeys.B. Fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases.(0.5’*4)Once in ___________ (where), there was a magic forest. In the middle of the forest wasa lake that was the home of a terrible ogre. ______________ (when) a band of monkeyscame to the forest. The wise old monkey went to the lake and waited ____________________ (why).When the monkeys drank through the hollow reeds, _______________ (who) disappeared with a roar.C. Answer the question in complete sentence. (1’)1) What would the ogre do if an animal wanted to drink from the lake?_____________________________________________________________________ % Correct ____________ =Mastery of Level_________(Yes/No)Part two:Passage one: Words: 292 Readability:3.9When the Sun Went AwayLong ago, people believed the sun goddess and the god of night were sister and brother. The sun goddess made everything grow, so the people loved her. But the god of night brought wicked spirits to harm the land, and the people feared him.Soon the god of night grew jealous of his sister. He wanted her to go away so that he could keep the earth dark forever. Then, he thought of a plan. One day, he crept into the sun goddess' room with a big bag. When he opened the bag, a huge snake crawled out and wound itself around the sun goddess’ chair. She wa s so frightened that she ran into a cave and would not come out at all.Then, the earth was always dark. The god of night ruined the crops and frightened the people. Children were afraid to go out to play. So the people went to the cave to ask the sun goddess to come back to them.“Please come out,” they begged. “Your brother is destroying us.” But she would not come out. So the people asked a wise man what to do.“Make noise,” he said. “Maybe she will be curious and come out to see what is happening.”So the people gathered at the cave. They beat drums, rang bells and sang. The goddess heard the noise and became curious. Finally she crept to the mouth of the cave and peeked out. When the people grabbed her hand and pulled her out, the earth became bright again and the people danced for joy. When the god of night saw how happy the people were, he felt bad for having frightened his sister. And he promised never to do it again.A. Number the events below in the order that they happened.(0.5'*4)_______ 1. The god of night put a snake around his sister’s chair._______ 2. The sun goddess became curious and crept out of the cave._______ 3. People gathered at the mouth of the cave and made noise._______ 4. The sun goddess ran into a cave to hide.B. Answer questions in complete sentences.(1'*2)1.How did the god of night make the sun goddess go away?________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________2.Why did people want the sun goddess to come back to them?________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________C. Please use another word to show the meaning of the underlined word.(0.5'*2)1.So the people asked a wise man what to do.wise:_______2.When the god of night saw how happy the people were, he feltbad for having frightened his sister.bad:_______Passage Two: Words: 196 Readability: 4.9The Polar BearThe polar bear is a very big white bear. We call it the polar bear because it lives inside the Arctic Circle near the North Pole. There are no polar bears at the South Pole.The polar bear lives in the snowand ice. At the North Pole, there is only snow, ice, and water. There is not any land. You cannot see the polar bear easily because its coat is yellow-white. It has a very warmcoat because the weather is cold in the Arctic Circle.This bear is three meters long, and it weighs 450 kilos. It can stand up on its back legsbecause it has very wide feet. It can use its front legs like arms. The polar bear can swim very well. It can swim 120 kilometers out into the water. It catches fish and sea animals for food. It goes into the sea when it isafraid.People like to kill the polar bear for its beautiful white coat. The governments of Canada, the United States and Russia say that no one can kill polar bears now. They do not want all of these beautiful animals to die.Answer questions in complete sentences.(1'*5)1.Why is it hard for people to see the polar bear?________________________________________________________________________ 2.What does the polar bear eat?________________________________________________________________________ 3. Why doesn’t a polar bear eat fruit and vegetables?________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. What should we do to the polar bears?________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. What animals do you like?( Give me at least 5 examples except dog, cat, pig, and horse) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ % Correct ____________ =Mastery of Level_________(Yes/No)Part Three:Passage One: Words: 280 Readability: 5.5Frozen In TimeThe AndesMountains are in the country of Peru. One day not too long ago, people found something wonderful there. They found a perfect mummy of a 12 year old girl. They called her Juanita.The girl was from the Inca tribe. The Incas ruled part of South America long ago. They were there long before the Spaniards arrived to take over the land.Juanita’s body was frozen into the ice. Because of this she is very well preserved. Scientists say we will be able to learn a lot from her. They can learn about the health of the ancient Inca people by studying her organs.Johan Reinhard is from America. He found Juanita. He and his friends worked hard to get the mummy down the icy slope. They found two more mummies, too.They also found some very old statues. They were made of gold, silver and shell. Clothing and feather headdresses on the statues were in perfect shape. When he saw them, he said, “Holy smokes! The statues are just sticking out of the ground.”The three mummies may have been sacrificed by the Inca. This means they were killed in a religious ceremony. The Incas believed that mountain gods caused natural disasters. They thought the gods would stop disasters if they sacrificed people. People who were chosen to be killed saw it as a great honor.A force of nature uncovered the treasures. A volcano blew up. It caused the ice to melt. This exposed the statues and the mummies. Scientists think that it was a lucky accident. The Incas might have said the gods finally decided to show the world more of the amazingInca culture.Answer the following questions in complete sentences5’1. Why was Juanita’s body so well preserved? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________2. Why did the Incas sacrifice people to the mountain gods? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________3. What is the meaning of exposed?a. uncoveredb. coveredc. workedd. erupted4. Complete the sentence with a phrase beginning with because of, due to…Juanita’s mummy was well preserved________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 5. Do you think it would be an honor to be chosen as a sacrifice to the gods? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Passage Two: Words 330 Readability 5.8Cleaning Up – How Soap WorksHow many times have you come in from outdoors with dirty hands and dirty clothes? Without even thinking, you go the sink and wash your hands with soap and water. Then you put your clothes in the washing machine. Magically, everything is clean again. What is the magic of soap? How does it take away dirt that water by itself won’t remove?When soap is added to water, it works in two ways to get rid of dirt and grease. First, water by itself does not mix well with dirt. It floats on top or around. But water by itself won’t wash most dirt away. Water needs to be mixed with soap. The soap then makes the water “wetter”. Although it sounds strange, wetter water is able to flow around and under dirt particles and float them away.Second, soap makes the dirt stick to water because soap has a special shape. Each particle of soap is a long, thin rod with a head end and a tail end. When soap is mixed with water, the head end of the soap particle attaches itself to a water molecule. Then the tail end of the soap buries itself in a dirt or grease particle. Now the dirt particle and the water particle are joined together. In a single tub of water, many soap particles may stick to one dirt particle, so the dirt becomes surrounded by soap and water. The dirt then floats away in the water, and your hands or clothes are clean.Soap works well in most water no matter if it is hot or cold. When the dirt or grease is too strong, detergents take over. They do the same job as soap, but they can work in water that makes soap lose its cleaning power. Soap and detergent are two of the most important products in the world. If there was no soap, how could you ever wash up before eating dinner?Answer the following questions in complete sentences1. What must we use if soap does not work well? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________2. How does soap actually remove the dirt from your hands or clothes? ________________________________________________________________________3. What is another word for particle?a. detergentb. productc. small pieced. soap4. Complete the chart to show the correct forms of the adverbs. Remember the rules about adding endings.5. In your opinion, what is the most important product in the world? Tell why you think so. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ % Correct ____________ =Mastery of Level_________(Yes/No)Part Four:Passage One: Words: 387 Readability: 7.3The Rain Forest: What Is It Worth?In the rain forest of the Amazon, 50 to 150 plant species are being destroyed every day. Some people want to use the land, so they cut down some of the rain forest. They want the trees for wood to build houses. They want the land to grow grass for cattle. They want to build roads to areas for mining gold and other minerals. As a result, the forest and its plants are disappearing. Because native people live in and need the forest for survival, they too are disappearing.Some scientists and anthropologists are pointing out the importance of the plants and knowledge of the tribes. They say that it is time to put an economic value on the rain forest. It will show the peoples of the rain forests that the world values them, their knowledge of the plants, and the plants themselves. This might be the only way to save these people, the plants, and the forests.Some companies and organizations are also beginning to change. They are signing agreements with the native people. For example, native people collect plants in the rain forest for the national cancer institute. The institute is developing drugs from these plants. It now agrees to share a percentage of the money it receives from these drugs with the native people. A drug company in California also has promised to share profits with native collectors of drugs developed from rain forest plants. Some other groups are helping tribes sell rain forest products such as herbs and oils. These efforts are still unusual, but they are a start.What is the alternative? The alternative is that the plants will disappear, and the native people will disappear with them. The knowledge that might save you or me from cancer, heart disease, or AIDS might also disappear.The people who live in the rain forest countries are beginning to see that it is profitable and important to save these areas. The Jivaro, a tribe in the rain forest of northern Peru, recently told some scientists, “You are like babies in the rain forest, but we will teach you.”The Jivaro tribe knows the secrets and value of the plants and rain forest. Let’s hope that we and the scientists are smart enough to learn from them.A.Circle the best answer. (1’)(1) Which one of the following diseases that some forest herbs might cure is NOTmentioned in the passage?a) cancer b) cold c) heart disease d) AIDS(2) Why do scientists put an economic value on the rain forest?a) It shows the world that the peoples of the rain forests value themselves, theirknowledge of the plants, and the plants.b) It shows the peoples of the rain forests want to make money.c) It shows the world wants to give the native people money.d) It shows the world values the people of the rain forests, their knowledge of theplants, and the plants themselves.B. True or False questions. If it is true, write T; if it is false, write F.(1’)1. ______Some scientist and anthropologist are pointing out the importance of animalsand knowledge of the tribe.2. ______The Jivaro tribe does not know the secrets and value of the plants and rainforest.C. Using your own words to answer these questions in complete sentences.(3’)(1)Why are there a lot of species being destroyed in the Rain Forest now?_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________(2)Why do you think the rain forest is important to people of the whole world?_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________(3) What makes your country valuable in the world? Explain why you think so.________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Passage Two: Words: 401Readability: 6.0When the Flowers Ran AwayLong ago, in Australia, there was once a time called Dreamtime, when spirits loved on the earth. People say the Great Spirit Baiame made the world and all the animals in it. He made the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Baiame walked all over the earth and caused the rain to fall and the plants to grow. When he saw that the earth was green and beautiful and that the people were happy, he was content and knew that he could rest. So he made himself a home in the sky, which he called Pullima, where he could sit and look down at the prosperous earth.Everything seemed to be perfect. But soon the flowers on the earth grew dissatisfied, for they wanted to be with Baiame. So one night they softly climbed up the sky and settled in Pullima, which became even brighter and more beautiful. When the people on the earthwoke in the morning, they looked for the flowers, but they were nowhere to be found. The people were so unhappy that they began to cry. The bees could not make honey, so they starved, and the butterflies had nowhere to rest.Finally, some old men of the earth decided to try to find Baiame and ask for his help. They climbed for days up the side of a high mountain until they could see Baiame’s home in the sky. And there were the flowers, as beautiful as ever. Baiame looked down and invited the old men to his home to rest and talk to them. The men pleaded with him to give back the flowers so the earth could be beautiful again. When Baiame heard the men, he was sad. He didn’t want the earth people to be unhappy, but he didn’t want his home to be without flowers.Finally, Baiame told the men to pick as many flowers as they could carry. “These flowers”, said Baiame, “will roo t and grow on the earth. After the hottest days of summer have gone, the flowers will wither. Then they will be with me. But when spring comes again, I promise they will return.” The men did as Baiame told them, and found that he had told the truth. The beautiful flowers grew on the earth. Every year, at the end of summer, the flowers withered and died, but in the spring they came back again.A.Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase. (2’)Long ago in Australia, there was once a time called _________(what). Baiame made himself a home in the sky called Pullima. Soon the flowers grew dissatisfied, ______________________________ (why). Finally, ________ (who) of the earth decided to try and find Baiame. Every year, ____________________(when), the flowers wither and die.B.Answer the following questions in complete sentences. (3’)1. When the flowers moved to Pullima, what three problems happened on the earth? (1’)_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________2. What kind of person is Baiame? If you were him, what would you do?_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________3. Do you like flowers and how are flowers important to earth?_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ % Correct ____________ =Mastery of Level_________(Yes/No)。
