Questions 1-4 are about the following schedule.

    Molly was having trouble finding time to do her schoolwork because of all her activities, so she decided to make a schedule showing when she has free time. Writing everything down showed her that she has more time than she thought. 
 

Molly's After-School Activities 

 
*signifies every other week 

Questions 1-4 are about the following e-mail.

Dear Mr. Stevens, 

    I'm proud to tell you that I've finally finished my essay for the city contest. I feel really satisfied with it. I was just about to submit it when I saw that I'm required to turn in a copy that's been graded by an English teacher.

    Since you recommended the contest to me, I was hoping that you'd be willing to take a look at the essay. The essay wasn't written specifically for your class, but I know you'll give me useful feedback. It's not very long and I'd really appreciate it.

    If you don't think you have time to do it, do you have any recommendations for a teacher that might? The contest rules aren't specific. They simply say that the essay has to be graded by an English teacher teaching in the Waring school system. I just moved to Waring at the start of this year, so I don't know any teachers besides you. I think my old teachers would be happy to grade it, but they don't work in Waring. Plus, I'm not in contact with them anymore.

    I'd be happy to e-mail you my essay or print out a copy and give it to you at school. I understand that you're busy, but hope that you can help me out. I'd really like to enter this contest. Thank you. 

Sincerely,

Jessica 

Questions 1-6 are about the following article.

    Last week, the Bromson Hill soccer team won the state championship, confirming that the team is the best in the league. This is the third year that Bromson Hill has won, exciting both the team and the fans. This year, the team was challenged in a close game against Freeport. The final score was 3-2. All three goals were scored by senior Alison Levin, who was elected MVP of the league after the championship. Indeed, Levin's four years at Bromson Hill have shown that she is a star.

    Levin is humble about her skill, making sure that everyone knew it was the team, not her, who led Bromson Hill to victory. "We couldn't have done it without each other," she said. "There are 11 players on the field and each one is important." As for the MVP award, Levin simply felt ecstatic. "My eyes teared up when they called my name," she said. Once she was on the stage to collect her award, she announced to the audience, "I'd like to thank my team and my coach for this honor. It's been a great year?" 

    Bromson Hill's coach Jessica Wallis along with Levin's teammates feel a bit differently about Alison, whom they call "Al." "Al is number one in the league. She'll be shy about it, but we owe this win to her. She's been an inspiration to all of us on the team. It will be sad to see her go next year," said Brittany Clark, a defender that plays for Bromson Hill.

    Although Alison will miss the Bromson Hill team, she's excited about the prospect of playing in college. Alison will be playing for the University of Virgil women's team, which is one of the best in the country. 

Questions 1-6 are about the following story.

   Sandy and I could not believe how lucky we were to get picked for the dance team. We both tried out but never expected to make it.

   Sandy was so excited that when she saw the roster she dragged me across the whole school and made use late for math class just to show it to me.

   "I'm so happy. I'm so happy!" she kept saying over and over and I was too.

   Being on the dance team was a lot of hard work. We had tough practices every day after school for three hours. We would start with stretches and then go into our routines.

   "Let's go! Move it!" our coach would yell.

   He was a good coach but he was strict. He made all of us work very hard. Over time, Sandy and I improved. Our coach noticed.

   "You girls have done a great job so far this year. I want to send you to New York City to represent our school in the state championships. I think you will be a great team, but I need you to keep working hard," he said smiling.

   We both stalled shouting in exultation and the other girls congratulated us. It was a big moment.

   Through the next weeks we trained harder than ever before and pretty soon it was the weekend of the championships.

   "Are you ready?" Our coach asked us on the trip to the city.

   "I am feeling great!" I said, but Sandy did not say anything.

   We both waited for a moment and then she said, "I am very nervous. What if we make a mistake?"

   Our coach laughed and said, "Of course you will make a mistake but just try hard, do the best you can, and I will be happy. Mistakes happen but you need to keep going. That's what is important."

   The tournament was great but there were a lot of really good dancers so we didn't win. Our parents were still excited though, and our coach was happy. After the competition we got to have dinner in the big city and our coach gave us medals, even though we didn't win anything.

   "What are these for?" I asked.

   "For being great dancers and for all of the hard work that you girls have done," he said beaming. "and for making me the happiest coach in the State of New York. I cannot wait for next year's oompetition." 

Questions 1-6 are about the following passage.

    Big Bend National Park in the southwest of Texas is one of the most majestic desert areas in the United States. It is part of the Chihuahua, which is one of the largest deserts in North America and stretches over both America and Mexico.

    Big Bend Park is home to mountains, rivers, basins, valleys, as well as many plants and animals. It is not as popular of a national park as some others. This may be because it takes an extremely long time to get there. Big Bend National Park is hundreds of miles from the nearest legitimate town or airport. When people go there, they need to make sure that their cars have plenty of gas. There is a large risk of running out.

    When visitors get to the park, they are usually happy that they drove all the way. The park is 1,252 square miles of desert beauty. There are beautiful cactus blooms as well as glorious sunsets. The hiking trails are magnificent. Visitors can stay in a lodge that is run by the park or camp with their own equipment. However, visitors should be careful. Even though the park is incredibly hot during the day, the lack of moisture in the air makes the heat dissipate at night. The nights at Big Bend are surprisingly cold. It's important to bring a warm sleeping bag. 

Questions 1-8 are about the following passage.

    Dolphins are one of the most intelligent species on the planet, which makes them a very interesting animal to scientists. In their natural habitats, dolphins use various vocalization techniques. They whistle and squeak to recognize members of their pod, identify and protect their young, and call out warnings of danger. They also make clicking sounds used for echolocation to find food and obstacles in dark and murky waters.

    Amazingly, the whistling sound that the bottlenose dolphin makes has been found to have a similar pattern to human language. They always make conversational sounds when they greet each other. If you listen to dolphins' squeaks and squeals, it will sound like they are having a conversation.

    Dolphins usually use both sound and body language to communicate with each other. It is through gesture and body language, however, that most of their communication with humans comes. Dolphins can be trained to perform complicated tricks. This suggests they have a high level of intelligence and communication capacity. If they work for a long time with a trainer, they are able to recognize and understand human commands.

    A lot of dolphin communication has been studied using dolphins in captive environments. These studies have been criticized because some marine biologists believe that dolphins living in aquariums or research centers cannot be considered "normal." Even so, most believe that studying dolphin communication in captivity is useful for beginning to understand the complexity of dolphin communication. After all, dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals. Their ability to communicate is impressive and worthy of study.

Questions 1-8 are about the following passage.

    Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the first United States expedition to the Pacific Coast. She acted as an interpreter and guide for William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, who were sent to explore the Western United States by President Thomas Jefferson.

    It is believed that Sacagawea was born in a Shoshone village located near today's Idaho in 1788. She was kidnapped at age 12 by a tribe called the Hidatsa who lived near today's North Dakota. When she was 13 years old, she was married to a Canadian trader named Toussaint Charbonneau who was living in the village.

    During the winter of 1804, Lewis and Clark arrived near the Hidatsa village and built a fort. There, they tried to find people who could help them on their journey. Lewis and Clark decided to hire Charbonneau, knowing that his wife Sacagawea spoke Shoshone. They knew that she could help them when they met the Shoshone later on in their trip. At this time, Sacagawea was pregnant with her first child. She gave birth to a little boy just before embarking on the journey. He would participate in all of the travels and later be adopted by William Clark.

    Sacagawea was able to reunite with her people during the expedition. When the group reached the Shoshone village, she found that the chief was her long-lost brother. Clark's journal entry tells of their powerful reunion. Indeed, Clark's journal hints many times that Sacagawea had a profound effect on the expedition. Clearly, her presence as native guide and as the trip's only woman was very important to both Lewis and Clark.

    It is known that she overcame a lot of obstacles and served as a loyal and keen interpreter for Lewis and Clark. In fact, not much is known about Sacagawea except her role in the expedition. There is little hard evidence to support various beliefs about how she lived after the journey and how and when she died. Sacagawca, however, was used as an icon of American feminism in the early 20th century to arouse the sense of self-worth of women. Because of her ability and accomplishments, she is still admired in the United States today.