SOLVE IT 7

Read the passage and answer the questions:-


Paul and Jimmy were chatting during lunch period in the cafeteria one day about their friend Taso’s upcoming birthday. Taso was going to turn 13 in two weeks. Paul and Jimmy recognized that it was a significant age because the word “teen” was mixed in there. To be a teenager was to be a little older, a bit more mature.
One could do things that young kids could not, and it somehow seemed that a 12 year-old was a young kid when compared to a 13 year-old, even though one could literally go from being 12 to 13 overnight. Teenagers have a bit more freedom—if their parents give them some, that is. So turning 13 meant there should not be just any old celebration for Taso. It had to be special. It had to be an expression of the fact that Taso was not just a little kid anymore, like Paul and Jimmy themselves, who had both turned 13 within the previous couple of months. More important than anything else, though, the birthday party had to be fun. Paul and Jimmy thought long and hard about what kind of a party they should organize in honor of Taso becoming a teenager. Over their lunch, they recalled their own birthday parties.
Paul’s mother had invited all of his friends to their local ice cream parlor for his 13th birthday. Paul could not deny that they all had fun. His mother had arranged with the owners of the parlor for the boys and girls to be allowed to make their own customized ice cream sundaes. 
“The ice cream was delicious,” Paul said to Jimmy. “But my mom gave me the same kind of birthday when I was five years old!” 
Jimmy laughed and said, “Yeah. My mom did something similar.”
Jimmy’s mother remembered that a local street fair would be held the same day as his birthday. She then decided to contact all of his friends with the message to meet Jimmy, along with his family, at the fair. There were some games where prizes could be won, and cotton candy and corn dogs.
“My birthday was kind of fun,” Jimmy admitted, not wanting to sound as though he were ungrateful for what his mother had done for him. “But my mom and dad were there the whole time! If the fair was on any other day besides my birthday, we could have done the same thing anyway.”
Paul agreed, adding, “Plus, there were so many grown-ups at the fair already. We could have hung out on our own and have been safe; no doubt about it.” 
“Right,” said Jimmy, reaching for his last fry.
So, for their long-time good friend Taso, a trip to the ice cream parlor, or a day at a street fair with their parents, was out of the question.
Suddenly, just a moment before the lunch dismissal bell rang, Jimmy exclaimed, 
“I’ve got it!”
“What?” asked Paul, excited to know.
“Let’s play Laser Tag!”

Paul had to give Jimmy credit for that idea. It was perfect. 
Lasers are used for many things. DVD players, printers, and barcode scanners are just a few items that use lasers. Lasers are used by construction workers to cut their materials or to weld pieces of metal together. Lasers can be used to measure lengths or to highlight something important a certain distance away. Lasers have also become an ingredient in a popular form of entertainment with the introduction of laser light shows at movie theaters and planetariums, not to
mention the fun game called Laser Tag.
Lasers are simply light sources that, unlike other kinds of light, are concentrated together. In other words, they are rays of light that are controlled and focused into a chosen area. Other light forms, like the sun’s rays, can spread out and cover large surface areas, and are not manmade or unnaturally configured. 
The word “laser” is actually an acronym, which means it is a word that contains letters that stand for other words. Laser’s letters stand for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.” What that means is that a laser essentially is a collection of radiation that is harnessed and projected into a desired location. A laser generator can create a laser out of atoms that are put into a state of “excitement.” This is called “pumping,” and it creates photons or forms of light energy that the atoms rid themselves of upon becoming “relaxed.” The photon light waves are then radiated. Mirrors reflect this light back and forth, “amplifying” it, or making the light stronger, each time they reflect it. Laser generators use this absorbed energy and can transform it to one beam that shoots out in whichever direction it is pointed. The radiation sticks together by way of an electromagnetic field, which is possible because all of these photons are of the same exact wavelength.
Using these scientific foundations, toy companies began to manufacture fake gun sets that shot out infrared lasers in the late 1970s, which became hugely popular in the mid-80s with the promotion of the particular sets Photon and Lazer Tag. The laser infrared beams used in those play-sets included coded messages that indicated where each stream of light came from originally. When the special laser came into contact with the other players’ guns or another device that could
receive the message, a “hit” would occur and a noise would sound to make everyone know it. 

By the late 1980s, Photon and Lazer Tag saw their popularity completely dwindle. Recently, though, the game has seen a resurgence and regained a high level of appreciation from people, as shown by the fact that there are some organized, international Laser Tag competitions. Around the world, people have gone to Laser Tag auditoriums and hangars to play in whatever clothing they want, while simply renting the equipment for a certain desired amount of time.
***
Taso’s big day came. Paul and Jimmy were prepared. They had rounded up all of Taso’s friends and called Taso out from his home. Taso did not know what was in store for him, but when they arrived at their local Laser Tag arena, he was incredibly excited. He was really happy, too, because he realized he had such awesome friends who had thought a lot about how to give him a good time. Paul and Jimmy had chosen a fun game that didn’t make them feel like little kids, unlike some of the games that might be found at a local street fair. Plus, there were no grownups around! The boys’ parents had all agreed they could go play Laser Tag for Taso’s birthday, because there was no chance anyone would get hurt by playing, or at least no greater chance than if they all played basketball in the schoolyard.
Inside the arena, the boys strapped on the little contraption that sat on their chests and would make a noise if it was hit by an opponent’s laser. They grabbed their toy guns, too, and ran around the arena for three whole hours. To make it a little more challenging to see the other guys playing, the arena was filled with a little bit of light fog, which also helped reflect the laser lights, making it easier to see the red streaks dart all over the place.
After they had played four or five games and worked up quite a sweat, they all went to the ice cream parlor, that same one where they had gone for Paul’s birthday, where they made their own custom sundaes. They couldn't help but want to feel like little kids again and eat some savory ice cream after all that awesome Laser Tag.

1. How is Taso’s thirteenth birthday celebrated?

A by playing Laser Tag
B by going to a street fair
C by eating cotton candy
D by eating lunch at a restaurant

2. Paul and Jimmy want to make Taso’s thirteenth birthday special. What solution do they come up with?

A Their solution is asking Taso what he wants to do.
B Their solution is watching a DVD.
C Their solution is going to a movie theater.
D Their solution is playing Laser Tag.

3. Read this sentence from the passage: “Lasers are used for many things.” What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

A The word “laser” is an acronym that stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
B In the late 1980s, the popularity of Photon and Lazer Tag decreased.
C Lasers are used for cutting construction materials, measuring, entertainment, and printing.
D Lasers are rays of light that are controlled and focused into a chosen area.

4. Why do Paul, Jimmy, and Taso enjoy playing Laser Tag?

A Playing Laser Tag makes them feel more relaxed than usual.
B Playing Laser Tag makes them feel like they are no longer little kids.
C Playing Laser Tag makes them feel like they are five-year-old children.
D Playing Laser Tag makes them feel smart.

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A ice cream, cotton candy, and corn dogs
B lasers, Laser Tag, and turning thirteen
C activities for kids at street fairs

D why Photon and Lazer Tag become less popular in the late 1980s

6. “Lasers are simply light sources that, unlike other kinds of light, are concentrated together. In other words, they are rays of light that are controlled and focused into a chosen area.”Why does the author use the phrase "in other words" above?

A to describe how the characters in the story are feeling
B to convince readers that they should look up the words “sources” and “rays”
C to prove that most people do not understand how lasers work

D to show that the same idea is going to be explained in a new way 

7. Paul and Jimmy think hard about what to do for Taso’s birthday; ______, they decide on
Laser Tag.
A finally
B like
C never
D on the other hand

solve it 6

Read the passage and answer the questions:-

“The reason that we have so many myths associated with Thanksgiving is that it is an invented tradition. It doesn't originate in any one event. It is based on the New England puritan Thanksgiving, which is a religious Thanksgiving, and the traditional harvest celebrations of England and New England and maybe other ideas like commemorating the pilgrims. All of these have been gathered together and transformed into something different from the original parts.”–James W. Baker, Senior Historian at Plimoth Plantation

1. FACT OR FICTION: THANKSGIVING IS HELD ON THE FINAL THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER EACH YEAR.

Fiction. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. However, in 1939, after a request from the National Retail Dry Goods Association, President Franklin Roosevelt decreed that the holiday should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month(and never the occasional fifth, as occurred in 1939) in order to extend the holiday shopping season by a week. The decision sparked great controversy, and was still unresolved two years later, when the House of Representatives passed a resolution making the last Thursday in November a legal national holiday. The Senate amended the resolution, setting the date as the fourth Thursday, and the House eventually agreed.

DID YOU KNOW?
In 2009, President Obama pardoned a turkey named Courage.

2. FACT OR FICTION: ONE OF AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHERS THOUGHT THE TURKEY SHOULD BE THE NATIONAL BIRD OF THE UNITED STATES.

Fact. In a letter to his daughter sent in 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the wild turkey would be a more appropriate national symbol for the newly independent United States than the bald eagle (which had earlier been chosen by the Continental Congress). He argued that the turkey was “a much more respectable Bird,” “a true original Native of America,” and “though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage.”
3. FACT OR FICTION: IN 1863, ABRAHAM LINCOLN BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO PROCLAIM A NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING.

Fiction. George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all issued proclamations urging Americans to observe days of thanksgiving, both for general good fortune and for particularly momentous events (the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, in Washington’s case; the end of the War of 1812, in Madison’s).

4. FACT OR FICTION: MACY’S WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN DEPARTMENT STORE TO SPONSOR A PARADE IN CELEBRATION OF THANKSGIVING.

Fiction. The Philadelphia department store Gimbel’s had sponsored a parade in 1920, but the Macy’s parade, launched four years later, soon became a Thanksgiving tradition and the standard kickoff to the holiday shopping season. The parade became ever more well-known after it featured prominently in the hit film Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which shows actual footage of the 1946 parade. In addition to its famous giant balloons and floats, the Macy’s parade features live music and other performances, including by the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and cast members of well-known Broadway shows.


5. FACT OR FICTION: TURKEYS ARE SLOW-MOVING BIRDS THAT LACK THE ABILITY TO FLY.

Fiction (kind of). Domesticated turkeys (the type eaten on Thanksgiving) cannot fly, and their pace is limited to a slow walk. Female domestic turkeys, which are typically smaller and lighter than males, can move somewhat faster. Wild turkeys, on the other hand, are much smaller and more agile. They can reach speeds of up to 20-25 miles per hour on the ground and fly for short distances at speeds approaching 55 miles per hour. They also have better eyesight and hearing than their domestic counterparts.

6. FACT OR FICTION: NATIVE AMERICANS USED CRANBERRIES, NOW A STAPLE OF MANY THANKSGIVING DINNERS, FOR COOKING AS WELL AS MEDICINAL PURPOSES.

Fact. According to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association, one of the country’s oldest farmers’ organizations, Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, including “pemmican” (a nourishing, high-protein combination of crushed berries, dried deer meat and melted fat). They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow punctures and other wounds and as a dye for fabric. The Pilgrims adopted these uses for the fruit and gave it a name—”craneberry”—because its drooping pink blossoms in the spring reminded them of a crane.

7. FACT OR FICTION: THE MOVEMENT OF THE TURKEY INSPIRED A BALLROOM DANCE.
Fact. The turkey trot, modeled on that bird’s characteristic short, jerky steps, was one of a number of popular dance styles that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The two-step, a simple dance that required little to no instruction, was quickly followed by such dances as the one-step, the turkey trot, the fox trot and the bunny hug, which could all be performed to the ragtime and jazz music popular at the time. The popularity of such dances spread like wildfire, helped along by the teachings and performances of exhibition dancers like the famous husband-and-wife team Vernon and Irene Castle.

8. FACT OR FICTION: ON THANKSGIVING DAY IN 2007, TWO TURKEYS EARNED A TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD.

Fact. On November 20, 2007, President George W. Bush granted a “pardon” to two turkeys, named May and Flower, at the 60th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation, held in the Rose Garden at the White House. The two turkeys were flown to Orlando, Florida, where they served as honorary grand marshals for the Disney World Thanksgiving Parade. The current tradition of presidential turkey pardons began in 1947, under Harry Truman, but the practice is said to have informally begun with Abraham Lincoln, who granted a pardon to his son Tad’s pet turkey.

9. FACT OR FICTION: TURKEY CONTAINS AN AMINO ACID THAT MAKES YOU SLEEPY.

Fact. Turkey does contain the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is a natural sedative, but so do a lot of other foods, including chicken, beef, pork, beans and cheese. Though many people believe turkey’s tryptophan content is what makes many people feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal, it is more likely the combination of fats and carbohydrates most people eat with the turkey, as well as the large amount of food (not to mention alcohol, in some cases) consumed, that makes most people feel like following their meal up with a nap.

10. FACT OR FICTION: THE TRADITION OF PLAYING OR WATCHING FOOTBALL ON THANKSGIVING STARTED WITH THE FIRST NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE GAME ON THE HOLIDAY IN 1934.

Fiction. The American tradition of college football on Thanksgiving is pretty much as old as the sport itself. The newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game on Thanksgiving Day in 1876. At the time, the sport resembled something between rugby and what we think of as football today. By the 1890s, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football games were taking place on Thanksgiving, and championship match-ups between schools like Princeton and Yale could draw up to 40,000 fans. The NFL took up the tradition in 1934, when the Detroit Lions (recently arrived in the city and renamed) played the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium in front of 26,000 fans. Since then, the Lions game on Thanksgiving has become an annual event, taking place every year except during the World War II years (1939–1944)



1. When is Thanksgiving held today?

A. the first Thursday of November
B. the last Thursday of November
C. the fourth Thursday of November
D. after any particularly important event

2. This article is structured in a list format. What does the article list?

A. myths that people associate with Thanksgiving and turkeys
B. reasons why Thanksgiving was first created
C. ways in which the turkey is important to Thanksgiving
D. arguments for moving Thanksgiving to a different date

3. Some leaders of the United States have had a major impact on the way Americans celebrate
Thanksgiving today. What evidence from the text best supports this conclusion?

A. Two turkeys pardoned by George W. Bush were flown to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
B. Franklin Roosevelt decreed that the Thanksgiving holiday should be celebrated on the
fourth Thursday in November every year.
C. Benjamin Franklin felt that the turkey would be a better national symbol for the United
States than the bald eagle.
D. George Washington issued a proclamation urging Americans of the time to observe a day
of thanksgiving for the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

4. Based on the information in the text, what effect might Abraham Lincoln’s setting an annual day of
Thanksgiving have had?

A. The turkey became the national bird of the United States.
B. Holiday shopping was hurt, and continues to suffer.
C. The decision caused controversy among many Americans.
D. New traditions grew around the annual Thanksgiving celebration.

5. What is this article mostly about?

A. the role of the turkey in the U.S. and during Thanksgiving
B. traditions, little-known facts, and myths about Thanksgiving
C. the way Thanksgiving has affected shopping patterns

D. U.S. Presidents’ and Founding Fathers’ contributions to Thanksgiving

6. Why might the author include the phrase “fact or fiction” in every heading throughout the article?

A to suggest that some of the statements in the headings are fact, but some are fiction
B to convince the reader that all of the statements in the headings are factual
C to force the reader to decide whether the information in the article is factual or fictional

D to show that the author is not sure if the information in the article is true or not

7. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving, _____ in 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt decreed that the holiday should always
be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month.

A for example
B therefore
C but
D so

Answer Key for five worksheets:-

SOLVE IT no 1:

          1. C
          2. A
          3. B
          4. D
          5. C
          6. A

SOLVE IT no 2


          1. C
          2. A
          3. B
          4. D
          5. C
          6. A


SOLVE IT no 3

          1. A
          2. D
          4. D
          5. B
          6. C
          7. A

SOLVE IT no 4

          1. C
          2. B
          3. B
          4. C
          5. A
          6. D
          7. A

SOLVE IT no 5:
       
         1. A
         2. D
         3. C
         4. A
         5. D
         6. B

solve it 5

I found the kitten sitting on my front porch in the toy bin. He was black and white and crying like a human baby. Where did he come from? I noticed he had no collar. Who would be so irresponsible?   

I went inside and opened a can of tuna fish. After I placed the tuna in the doorway, the kitten hungrily lapped it up and then walked right inside the house.  

“Hey, kitten! I didn’t say you could come in!” I yelled.

The kitten seemed unconcerned with this information. He plopped down onto a bunch of pillows on the couch and began to groom his paws.  

My older brother Michael walked into the room, saw the kitten, and started laughing.

“What the heck? You brought home a cat?” he asked.

“I didn’t exactly bring him home,” I explained. “He just kinda walked in through the front door and made himself at home.”

“Aw, Mom is gonna be so angry!” Michael said. “You’d better call her.”

“Okay,” I said. “I promise I’ll call right now.”

At that moment, I had every intention of doing the right thing and calling my mother.

What happened next was slightly different, though.

I picked up the kitten and put him into a box. I gave him a blanket and a toy. And then I brought him to my bedroom and shut the door.  

Our family never owned pets, but I had always wanted one. I knew a little bit about taking care of them. I knew he wasn’t a newborn kitten because he was big and fluffy, and his eyes were open. Newborn kittens are not supposed to be separated from their moms. When a human finds them, they have to be extra careful.

I knew he was going to need a litter box.  Of course, since I don’t own a cat, I didn’t have one. So I took a cardboard box and ripped up an old newspaper into shreds. I learned this trick from an Internet video.  

Immediately, the kitten jumped into the box to do his business. I knew this meant he was already litter box trained.

I really should call my mom about this, I thought, as the kitten meowed and jumped up onto my lap. Well, he sure did seem to like me! Maybe I didn’t have to give him back after all!

If someone can’t take care of their kitten, they deserve to lose him! I thought.

The kitten kept meowing quite a lot. It wouldn’t stop. And then, it started trying to bite my hand.

“Hey kitten! I’m not food!” I said.

“Meow!” yelled the kitten, trying again to bite my finger.  

I knew I had to go to the store and get some cat food. I opened my piggy bank to see what was inside.  

Five dollars and 98 cents. Well, that would certainly be enough to buy a can of cat food.  

“You stay put, kitten!” I told him. “I’m going to get you food!”

I bet his last owners never gave him food. They probably didn’t love him at all!  

I made sure he had plenty of water and shut the bedroom door. I put on my coat and grabbed my keys. I headed out to Whiskers Organic Pet Supply up the street from my house in Astoria, Queens.  

On my way out the door, I spotted a sign on the telephone pole:

LOST KITTEN

Black and White, very friendly. If you find him, please call us. We are worried sick.

“Hmm,” I thought. “Well, if you were so worried about your kitten, maybe you should have taken better care of him!”

I laughed to myself and headed into the pet store. People are so irresponsible! It’s a good thing I found that kitten and took him in. Now, I’m buying him food! Thank goodness he found me!

When I walked into the pet store, I could barely get through the door. The place was packed! A group of kids were hanging up flyers about this same cat.  

In the back of the store, I saw a little boy in a wheelchair. He was about five years old, and he was crying.  

“I can’t believe I lost my kitten!” he said to his parents. “I couldn’t get to the open door in time!”  

I looked at the flyers on the wall. It was definitely the cat I had back at home, sitting in my bedroom, behind a  closed door.  

Then the truth of the situation hit me: I had stolen a little boy’s cat!  

In my mind, I had made up a whole story about the people who lost the kitten, and how they deserved to lose him. Now I realized there was a lot I didn’t understand. I tried to justify why I should keep the kitten by convincing myself the owners deserved to lose him. Now I saw that it was all a big mistake.  

I approached the little boy in the wheelchair. He blew his nose and looked up at me. “I have your kitten,” I told him. “I’m sorry. I just found him and fed him. He’s at my house.”

The little boy began to cry with laughter. He stretched his arms out and gave me a great big hug. “Thank you so much! I was just about to put a new flea collar on him when he ran out the door. I couldn’t chase him! Because of my… you know… my legs.”

“I’ll be right back,” I told him. I ran home to get the kitten and reunite owner and pet.  A situation isn’t always as simple as it seems on the outside. I thought for sure the kitten’s owners deserved to lose him, but I didn’t have all the information. In the end, I was the one who didn’t deserve to keep the kitten.

1. How do the narrator’s feelings about the kitten’s owner change in the story?

A At first she thinks the owner is irresponsible, but then she realizes she is wrong.

B At first she thinks the owner is responsible, but then she realizes she is wrong.

C At first she thinks the owner misses his or her kitten, but then she realizes she is wrong.

D Her feelings do not change. She thinks the owner is irresponsible throughout the story.

2. The narrator assumes that the kitten’s owner did not take care of the kitten. What evidence from the story best supports this conclusion?

A “Well, he sure did seem to like me! Maybe I didn’t have to give him back after all!”

B “It’s a good thing I found that kitten and took him in. Now, I’m buying him food!”

C “I laughed to myself and headed into the pet store. People are so irresponsible!”

D “I bet his last owners never gave him food. They probably didn’t love him at all!”

3. Why does the narrator convince herself that the kitten’s owner was irresponsible?

A because she thinks the kitten looks skinny

B because she is worried about the kitten

C because she wants to keep the kitten

D because her mom won’t let her keep the kitten

4. What is this story mostly about?

A The narrator makes an assumption, then realizes that she was wrong.

B The narrator finds a lost kitten that was neglected by its previous owner.

C The narrator finds a lost kitten and learns how to care for it.

D The narrator finds a lost kitten, hides it from her mother, and gets in trouble.

5. Read the following sentences: “In my mind, I had made up a whole story about the people who lost the kitten, and how they deserved to lose him. Now I realized there was a lot I didn’t understand. I tried to justify why I should keep the kitten by convincing myself the owners deserved to lose him.”

As used in this sentence, what does the word “justify” most nearly mean?

A tell the truth about a situation before a judge

B realize that you have been wrong about something

C pretend that a situation does not exist

D come up with a good reason for something

6.The narrator tells herself that the kitten’s owner must not have loved him; _________, she later learns that her assumption was wrong.

A meanwhile

B however

C for instance

D therefore

solve it 4

Read the passage and answer the questions

“Sometimes when we look at it, it looks crazy,” remarked Adam Steltzner, an engineer who works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—known more commonly to the world as NASA. “It is the result of reasoned engineering thought. But it still looks crazy.” In a video story entitled “Seven Minutes of Terror,” Steltzner was joined on camera by an eloquent cast of entry‐descent‐landing engineers (or “EDL Engineers”). Working from the Jet

Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, their team introduced the world to one of the most daring, inventive feats of engineering the world had ever witnessed: the pinpoint landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars.

The seven minutes explored in that story—and experienced by the world in early August 2012—took place after seven years of engineering, one year of space flight, and countless hours of collaboration on the perfect landing. Dubbed the Mars Science Laboratory (“MSL”), this mission brought together more than 7,000 people, working in organizations from all over the world, to accomplish its goals. Split into two parts, the launch and the landing, MSL is one of the greatest technological accomplishments of human history.

The most impressive thing about MSL is that no mission this ambitious had ever been attempted in the past. The landing presented problems that could not be compared directly to anything done before. But thanks to the rigorous work of hundreds of engineers, NASA ended up making a new mark on Mars.

The Launch

The MSL launch took place on November 26, 2011. Blasting from the Earth at a speed of 12,582 miles per hour, the rockets that broke free of Earth’s orbit and sent the Mars‐bound spacecraft with the rover on its way were the most routine part of the mission. For decades NASA has specialized in space launches, drawing on some of the brightest minds on the planet to determine what it takes to bring a spacecraft to the stars.

Planning the rover’s trip to the red planet (Mars’s nickname, due to its color)—a voyage lasting about 36 weeks at maximum cruise velocity—was also not exactly a new challenge for engineers working on the MSL mission. NASA had already landed two rovers, named “Spirit” and “Opportunity,” on the surface of the red planet. Based on the principles of astronomy, the launch engineers at JPL had very precise requirements for making the journey from Earth to Mars.

The key to these requirements was an understanding of orbits. Although Mars is significantly farther from the sun than Earth, both planets orbit the same star. Their distance from each other changes during each cycle, but Earth comes into alignment with Mars once every 26 months—“lapping” it in a perpetual race around the sun. Observing this pattern, astronomers can work with engineers to pinpoint the optimal month, day, and time for a spacecraft to leave Earth on a speedy one‐way trip.

Drawing on centuries of knowledge of the laws of physics, scientists designed rockets and a spacecraft to accommodate Curiosity. Years of calculation, construction, careful planning and computer modeling resulted in a vessel that cruised purposefully through space, reaching the orbit of Mars at just the right time to attempt a landing.

Through it all, the margin for error was nearly non‐existent. The movement of interplanetary bodies in space is much more demanding than the movement of cars on a highway, or even airplanes in the stratosphere. Miscalculating a vector or failing to account for any aspect of the orbits could lead to a $2 billion failure.

Fortunately, NASA had taken on this challenge before. Its engineers had both the experience and the tenacity to succeed again. What came after the launch was a different story.

The Landing

Spirit and Opportunity, the two NASA rovers that landed on Mars in 2004, used a combination of parachutes, rockets, and hi‐tech airbags to protect themselves. Much like launch and spaceflight, each step of the landing sequence was planned and simulated to the very last detail. Learning from a prior Mars mission, EDL engineers were able to recreate some of the same maneuvers used in that sequence.

Unfortunately, the specific requirements of MSL made it difficult to depend on past experience. While NASA had constructed the biggest supersonic parachute ever made, parachuting was far from enough. Since the atmosphere of Mars is 100 times thinner than the atmosphere of Earth, the parachute alone could not reduce the speed of descent past 200 miles per hour—a breakneck speed that would surely damage Curiosity upon landing.

Curiosity outweighed any earlier rover and contained over 150 pounds of sensitive scientific devices, so an airbag solution was ruled out. Instead, EDL engineers designed a maneuver that would allow the entry capsule to turn sharply and activate powerful rockets to finish the job.

Once this maneuver was complete, the capsule could attempt a vertical landing. Successfully executing the switch from a parachute entry to a controlled, rocket‐fueled descent was a feat that could have gone wrong at any moment. Still, even this was not enough to succeed. Once the parachute was cut, and a full radar system was online to guide Curiosity to the surface, the force from the rockets could kick up so much dust that the dust itself would damage the rover.

Eternally thinking one step ahead, EDL engineers designed a device called a “sky crane” to complete the final step of the landing sequence. When the sky crane was 20 feet above Martian soil, it lowered Curiosity onto the surface with a set of cables. Moving from 13,000 miles per hour to zero miles per hour in just seven minutes, Curiosity finally touched down. The capsule, with all rockets still firing, blasted back into the sky and

crash‐landed elsewhere on the planet. The landing was a success.

The Ongoing Mission

MSL is the latest of NASA’s attempts to learn more about Mars. The most popular inquiry is whether Mars may have, at any point in its long history, supported life as we know it. The search for these signs, however, is one piece of a much greater picture. The mission has eight scientific objectives, each one broken into specific goals and all coming together to form a more detailed understanding of all things Mars. Curiosity, a rover the size of a station wagon, contains advanced instruments that will help it probe, sample, record, and analyze its way through Martian terrain. Collecting evidence on the biological, geological, chemical, and radiological profile of the red planet will prepare NASA for the next space flight to Mars. Another rover mission, building on the work of Curiosity, is planned to launch in 2020.

Ultimately, scientists hope to learn enough about Mars to bring human beings to the surface for a manned research mission. Some, working with entrepreneur Elon Musk, are even devising a plan to colonize the planet just one decade later. Skeptics debate whether or not such a seemingly outrageous idea could ever be made into reality.

Looking back at NASA’s solutions to the great technical challenge of the Curiosity landing, it’s hard to feel too skeptical about humankind’s ability to reach for the stars.

1. What is Curiosity?

A a parachute used to land on Mars

B another name for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

C a space rover that landed on Mars

D a video made by NASA engineers

2. What sequence of events is described in this passage?

A the sequence of events that led to Opportunity landing on Mars

B the sequence of events that led to Curiosity landing on Mars

C the sequence of events that led to the creation of NASA

D the sequence of events that will need to take place for Mars to be colonized

3. In order to land on Mars, Curiosity had to use a parachute, rockets, and a sky crane. What can be concluded from this information?

A Landing on Mars is a simple process.

B Landing on Mars is a complicated process.

C Landing on Mars is a waste of time.

D Landing on Mars in the future is unrealistic.

4. What helped make the Mars Science Laboratory mission successful?

A one person working by himself for decades

B two countries competing with each other

C a lot of people working together for years

D hi-tech airbags first used in 2004

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A a mission to Mars

B life on Mars

C what being an engineer is like

D the history of NASA

6.  What does the word “mission” mean?

A a problem that develops when people do not prepare for something as much as

they should

B a short period of time when people feel extremely nervous about something

C the movement of interplanetary bodies

D an important task to be carried out by a person or group of people

7. Engineers spent years getting Curiosity ready; ______, it landed on Mars.

A finally

B however

C third

D such as

solve it 3

Read the passage and answer the questions

Many years ago, people here on Earth decided that they wanted to go into outer space. This is something people had imagined for a very long time, in books and movies and stories grandparents told to their grandchildren. However, in the 1950s, people decided they really wanted to do it. There was just one problem: how would they get there?

One of the earliest movies about flying to the moon was made by Georges Méliès and released in 1902. It was called A Trip to the Moon. In this movie, the moon was made up of a man’s face, covered in cream, and a whole tribe of angry natives lived there. That part was not very realistic. However, the spaceship didn’t seem too far-fetched: it was a small capsule, shaped like a bullet, that the astronauts loaded into a giant cannon and aimed at the moon.

This movie was based on a book that came out many years earlier by an author named Jules Verne. One of the fans of the book was a Russian man, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. The book made him think. Could you really shoot people out of a cannon and have them get safely to the moon? He decided you couldn’t, but it got him thinking of other ways you could get people to the moon. He spent his life considering this problem and came up with many solutions. Some of Tsiolkovsky’s solutions gave scientists in America and Russia (where Tsiolkovsky lived) ideas when they began to think about space travel. They also thought about airplanes they and other people had made, and even big bombs that could fly themselves very long distances. How could they take all these ideas and make them into one thing that would safely get astronauts into space?

Many scientists spent years working together to solve the problem. They drew and discussed different designs until they agreed on the ones that were the best. Then, they built small models of those designs, and tested and tested them until they felt ready to build even bigger models. They made full-scale rockets, which they launched without any people inside, to test for safety. Often the rockets weren’t safe, and they exploded right there on the launch pad, or shot off in crazy directions like a balloon that you blow up and release without tying it first.

After many, many tests, they started to send small animals into space. Only after a long time did they ever put a person inside a rocket and shoot him into space.

Even after they began sending people into space, during the Gemini program in the 1960s, scientists were still trying to improve the shape of the rockets. The design changed many times, and eventually ended up looking like a half-rocket and half-airplane. This rocket, called the space shuttle, was used for many years. Now, the government lets private companies try their own designs for spaceships, and they have come up with many different, crazy-looking machines.

There is no single solution for sending a person into space. Thanks to the imaginations of people like Jules Verne and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and the hard work of the scientists who built and tested rockets over the years, humanity has developed reliable technology for space travel. Still, the work continues. Every day, the people who work on this problem share new designs, build test models, and try to imagine better ways to explore the vast deep mystery that is outer space.

1. According to the passage, where did people decide they wanted to go many years ago?

A outer space

B the North Pole

C the inside of a volcano

D the center of the earth

2. Getting to outer space is a problem mentioned in the passage. How was this problem solved?

A Georges Méliès made a movie that showed a tribe of angry natives living on the moon.

B Grandparents told their grandchildren stories about people traveling to outer space.

C Some rockets blew up on the launch pad or shot off in crazy directions.

D Scientists worked together to create a rocket that could send a person into space.

4. Why might people be interested in traveling to outer space?

A. They are interested in meeting a tribe of angry natives on the moon.

B. They are interested in watching movies and listening to their grandparents’ stories.

C They are interested in seeing rockets blow up on a launch pad.

D They are interested in exploring the mystery of outer space.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A the lives of Georges Méliès, Jules Verne, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

B the problem of getting people to outer space and how that problem was solved

C a movie about flying to the moon made in the 1920s

D a spaceship in the shape of a bullet that could be loaded into a giant cannon and aimed at the moon

6. Read the following sentences: “After many, many tests, they started to send small animals into space.. Only after a long time did they ever put a person inside of a rocket and shoot him into space.”

As used in the passage, what does the word “shoot” mean above?

A to fix a problem

B to attack with a weapon

C to send with great force

D to break into many pieces

7. People wanted to travel to outer space _______ they were able to.

A before

B never

C although

D instead