Passage 1

Mount Rushmore
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Rising above the Black Hills of South Dakota, four faces stare in all directions. If you only
glance at the hills, you might miss them. They almost blend into the rocks surrounding them, yet
they are there. You realize that your family was not crazy for wanting to visit Mount Rushmore—it
truly is an amazing vision.
You make out the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt,
and Abraham Lincoln. The four faces are not an optical illusion. They are not something your
mind only thinks it sees, such as when you think that clouds look like shapes. No, the faces are
there.
And they were put there on purpose.
 
A Dream of South Dakota
The idea for Mount Rushmore was dreamt up in the 1920s. South Dakota historian Doane
Robinson wanted to carve Western heroes into the mountain in order to draw tourists to the Black
Hills. The designer of the monument, Gutzon Borglum, decided to make it more nationally
focused. He decided to place presidents on the mountain instead of Buffalo Bill and Lewis &
Clark.
In 1927, Mount Rushmore received backing from Congress and President Calvin Coolidge.
The national government would pay for the monument, and in 1933 it also took control of the site.
Mount Rushmore has been part of a national park since then.
Six hundred workers spent 14 years carving the faces into the rock. The work was incredibly
dangerous, yet no one died. In 1941, their hard work paid off. The monument was finally opened
to the public on the eve of World War II.
Since then, it has attracted three million visitors a year. So Robinson was right that Mount
Rushmore would draw tourists in. As you stand there looking up at it, you can understand why.
While it remains questionable that anyone's face deserves to supplant the face of nature, it is
undeniable that the sculpture is deserving of recognition.
Passage 2

The Human Skeleton

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The adult human body has 206 bones. Together, these bones form what is called the
skeleton. Although skeletons are usually something we associate with Halloween, horror movies,
or haunted houses, they are nothing to be scared of. Every human being has a skeleton hiding
underneath his or her flesh. The bones that make up our skeleton have several key roles in the
way our body looks and functions.
Most the bones in our body are made of the same materials. Each bone has four main
layers. The outside of the bone is called the periosteum. This layer contains nerves and blood
vessels that bring nutrients to the bone. Next is the compact bone. It is the hardest part of the
bone. Inside the compact bone is the cancellous bone. This part of the bone is light and spongy,
but still strong. The innermost layer of bone is called the marrow. This layer is almost like a thick
jelly. Bone marrow produces red blood cells, which help to bring oxygen to all the different parts
of our body, and white blood cells, which our body uses to fight off diseases and infections.
Our skeleton also gives our body its shape and allows us to move. The skeleton is our
body’s frame; if we did not have bones, we would all flop around like jellyfish. The special way our
bones connect enable movement. The places where our bones meet are called joints. These are
the parts of your body that you can bend and move, like your knees, elbows, shoulders, and
fingers. For an example, look at one of the legs on the diagram of the skeleton. You will see
bones called the femur, the tibia, and the fibula. The place where these bones meet is the knee.
The knee is a joint; it is protected by the patella bone (also called the kneecap).
Finally, our bones also protect our most important organs. As you might imagine, bones are
much harder than the soft, fragile organs inside of our body. For example, the ribs and sternum
protect our heart, lungs, and major blood vessels. The skull protects our brain. The vertebrae in
our spine protect the nerves in our spinal column. Without our bones, our bodies’ most vital
organs would be much more vulnerable.
The next time you see a skeleton while watching a scary movie or visiting a haunted house,
remember: those bones may be creepy, but you would not be able to live without them!
Passage 3

Asking for Help, Again

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Every year, the fifth graders at my school go on a special three-day field trip to Washington,
DC. I had been looking forward to it all year. When my teacher sent home the information and
permission forms, however, my mom’s face became stern.
“Jerome, I can’t sign these papers right now,” she said. “I’m going to have to discuss this
with your aunt.”
I felt crushed. I knew from experience that this could only mean one thing: my mom didn’t
have the money to pay for the trip. I was so thrilled by the thought of the trip that I hadn’t
examined the forms very thoroughly. There must have been an exorbitant price tag in there that I
had overlooked.
My mom called my aunt and asked to borrow some money to cover the trip. At the end of the
call, my mom's gratitude failed to hide the tension in her voice. I knew what this meant too: my
aunt, who isn’t exactly wealthy herself, could only lend us part of the sum, but not all.
At the end of the week, when my classmates were turning in their completed paperwork to
our teacher, I was empty-handed. I asked to speak to Ms. Odita privately after class.
“I desperately want to go on this trip, and I’ve been excited about it all year,” I explained, “but
my family can’t afford it right now.”
Ms. Odita nodded. “That’s OK, Jerome. The school has a special fund put aside for when
things like this happen. Tell your mother to call me this evening and we can discuss how much
funding can be provided.”
It was hard for me to look my teacher in the eye. I was ashamed of having to accept loans
and charity all the time. For once, I wish my family wouldn’t have to worry about money.
“Thank you, Ms. Odita,” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice steady.
“We all want you to be able to come on the trip, Jerome,” she assured me. “I know we can
make it happen.”
She smiled, but I didn’t feel much like smiling back.
unjust or illegal
C
insignificant or very small
D
neutral or impartial
crafty

The Fitness Tests

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When I was in school, the worst day of every year was the day we had to do the Five Fitness
Tests. This was a national program where kids who got the best scores on five different fitness
tests got a special medal. That was nice if you knew you were going to succeed. For everyone
else, it was pure humiliation.
 When you take a normal exam, only you and your teacher see your score. It’s private. The
Five Fitness Tests were never like that. You did the tests in front of your whole class, so everyone
could watch you fail and make fun of you for it.
The first test was the mile run. I was always one of the last kids to finish. The second test
was doing pull-ups. I couldn’t pull my chin up over the bar even a single time. The third test was
sit-ups. My score was average, but by that time I’d already been disqualified from winning the
medal by failing the first two tests. That was discouraging.
The fourth test was the agility run: you had to run back and forth between two markers to
see how fast you were over short distances while changing directions. I did fine on that one, but I
tripped while changing directions one year and twisted my ankle.
The final test was the sit-and-reach, where you sit down with legs outstretched and see how
far you can reach past your toes without bending your knees. That was the only test I ever did
exceptionally well on, partially because I am flexible, and partially because I have short legs that
are easy to reach over.
They’ve changed the requirements now. Scores are private and kids measure their own
improvement over time rather than comparing themselves to some unforgiving national average. I
think that’s a good thing. I hated exercise for years because of the bad memories I had from
these tests. I jog daily now and I even run races, but it took me a long time to let go of the shame
of my youth.

Loving Mondays
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Most people do not like Mondays. They hate ending the weekend and returning to work.
That is because work means the end of free time. Some people hate Mondays so much that they
ruin part of their weekends! My parents, for example, whine all of Sunday that the weekend is
ending. But that means they just waste one of their few free days complaining about how they
won’t be free the next day. It is so foolish!
Those of us in Mrs. Shantayanan’s class (we always call her “Mrs. S” because her name is
so long), though, don’t hate Mondays. We actually love them! That is because every Monday,
Mrs. S. begins class with the best part of the week: our weekend show and tell.
 
A Monday Tradition
According to Mrs. S., she’s been doing weekend show and tell since 1992. That was her first
year of teaching. She said everyone always seemed so unhappy to return to school. So, after
winter break, she decided to ask the students to tell everyone what they did over break. Everyone
loved it, so she started doing it after weekends too. Pretty soon, everyone was looking forward to
Mondays.
 
Showing and Telling
At the weekend show and tell, five students get up and tell the class what they did over the
weekend. The five students are picked ahead of time. Mrs. S. keeps a list to see who has already
showed for the month. Each of us gets to share once per month.
Most shares just involve the student saying what he or she did all weekend. But the best
shares are the ones that involve showing too. For instance, a few weeks ago, one student got a
puppy over the weekend. He even brought it into class so we could all see it!
Most shares are not that exciting. This can be a downside to the weekend show and tell.
Sometimes, the presenters didn’t do anything that fun over the weekend. Then the shares can
seem kind of boring. Or, worse, it can make the presenter feel bad.
But Mrs. S. told us that we should not feel like we are boring anyone. She says that the less
interesting weekends are her favorite to hear about. This is because they are most like her own,
she says. I guess when you have been hearing about weekends for 20 years, you do not feel
pressure to do something that interesting!
Whining
A New Parking Garage
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There is a plan to build a new parking garage downtown. To build it, the city will have to cut
down seven large elm trees that are over fifty years old. Some people in town are protesting the
decision to build the parking garage at this location. They do not want these trees to be cut down.
On the other hand, people argue that this is the only location that will work. It is the only
piece of land large enough for a parking garage and close to downtown. The city needs more
parking spaces. As it is, people who work or do business downtown sometimes have to park in
nearby neighborhoods and walk.
One option would be to build the parking garage at this location and plant a new tree for
every tree cut down. If seven trees were cut down, but seven new trees planted, the city could
have a new parking garage without reducing the total number of trees downtown