Reading Comprehension Related

Mr. Rogers' Biography: 'It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood!' This familiar line always began the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood program on PBS.
The amazing Fred Rogers brought a special message to children around the world. He believed that each person is unique and wonderful in his or her own way and we should accept others just the way they are without trying to change or improve them. Mr. Rogers spread his tolerance message far and wide through the daily broadcasts of his television show, his many books, and finally after his retirement through his website specifically designed for children. Through these venues, Mr. Rogers helped children deal with the real- world things that bothered them, such as doctor visits, haircuts, and new siblings.
Fred Rogers left a legacy of kindness, acceptance, and an unending love of learning for all generations.

The author wrote this passage because he/she

• A. Wanted to persuade you to buy books written by Fred Rogers.
• B. Wanted to entertain you with amusing anecdotes from Fred Roger’s life
• C. Felt there wasn’t enough written about Fred Rogers.
• D. Wanted to inform the reader about Fred Roger’s message.

People of Hispanic origin were on the North American continent centuries before settlers arrived
from Europe in the early 1600s and the thirteen colonies joined together to form the United
States in the late 1700s. The first census of the new nation was conducted in 1790, and counted about four million people, most of whom were white. Of the white citizens, more than 80%
traced their ancestry back to England. There were close to 700,000 slaves and about 60,000 "free Negroes". Only a few Native American Indians who paid taxes were included in the census count, but the total Native American population was probably about one million. By 1815, the population of the United States was 8.4 million. Over the next 100 years, the
country took in about 35 million immigrants, with the greatest numbers coming in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1882, 40,000 Chinese arrived, and between 1900 and 1907, there were more
than 30,000 Japanese immigrants. But by far, the largest numbers of the new immigrants were
from central, eastern, and southern Europe. An enormous amount of racial and ethnic assimilation has taken place in the United States. In 1908, play-write Israel Zangwill first used the term "melting pot" to describe the concept of a place where many races melted in a crucible and re-formed to populate a new land. Some years during the first two decades of the 20th century, there were as many as one million new
immigrants per year, an astonishing 1 percent of the total population of the United States.
In 1921, however, the country began to limit immigration, and the Immigration Act of 1924
virtually closed the door. The total number of immigrants admitted per year dropped from as many as a million to only 150,000. A quota system was established that specified the number of
immigrants that could come from each country. It heavily favored immigrants from northern and western Europe and severely limited everyone else. This system remained in effect until 1965, although after World War II, several exceptions were made to the quota system to allow in
groups of refugees.

To whom does the word 'their' in line 5 refer?

• A. immigrants
• B. people of Hispanic origin
• C. white citizens
• D. Native Americans

People of Hispanic origin were on the North American continent centuries before settlers arrived
from Europe in the early 1600s and the thirteen colonies joined together to form the United
States in the late 1700s. The first census of the new nation was conducted in 1790, and counted about four million people, most of whom were white. Of the white citizens, more than 80%
traced their ancestry back to England. There were close to 700,000 slaves and about 60,000 "free Negroes". Only a few Native American Indians who paid taxes were included in the census count, but the total Native American population was probably about one million. By 1815, the population of the United States was 8.4 million. Over the next 100 years, the
country took in about 35 million immigrants, with the greatest numbers coming in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1882, 40,000 Chinese arrived, and between 1900 and 1907, there were more
than 30,000 Japanese immigrants. But by far, the largest numbers of the new immigrants were
from central, eastern, and southern Europe. An enormous amount of racial and ethnic assimilation has taken place in the United States. In 1908, play-write Israel Zangwill first used the term "melting pot" to describe the concept of a place where many races melted in a crucible and re-formed to populate a new land. Some years during the first two decades of the 20th century, there were as many as one million new
immigrants per year, an astonishing 1 percent of the total population of the United States.
In 1921, however, the country began to limit immigration, and the Immigration Act of 1924
virtually closed the door. The total number of immigrants admitted per year dropped from as many as a million to only 150,000. A quota system was established that specified the number of
immigrants that could come from each country. It heavily favored immigrants from northern and western Europe and severely limited everyone else. This system remained in effect until 1965, although after World War II, several exceptions were made to the quota system to allow in
groups of refugees.

How many immigrants were taken in over the 100 years leading up to 1915?

• A. Probably about 1 million
• B. About 35 million
• C. 8.4 million
• D. About 4 million

Lightning Strikes
The old wives' tale of "Lightning never strikes twice" has been proven untrue time and time again. Lightning forms from negative and positive charges within clouds and from the earth below. When these charges react with each other, the air between the cloud and the earth ionizes, which produces a lightning flash. Lightning is actually a series of multiple events consisting of a leader stroke of lightning, followed by as many as 40 smaller strokes of lightning. Being just split seconds apart, these strokes of lightning often reflect off the lining of the clouds.
Lightning rods that extend from above the roof to the ground protect buildings by forming a low resistance path for the lightning so that the lightning does not enter the building, but rather defuses as it penetrates the ground.
Some myths about lightning need to be explained. Lightning does strike tall buildings often, and during a particularly violent storm, a tall building may be hit by lightning several times. The safest place during a thunder and lightning storm is in a metal car or lying flat, face down, in the open, not under a tree as the myth suggests.
Many people believe that thunder and lightning are connected; however, this proves to be true only about 50% of the time, so if you're waiting for the clap of thunder, you're missing out on some exciting strokes of lightning!
Lightning causes injuries, deaths, and forest fires each year. However, some scientists reveal the positive aspects of lightning because it releases nitrogen into the atmosphere which the raindrops then deliver to earth to fertilize our soil.

What does the word 'penetrates' mean?

• A. To shield
• B. To pierce
• C. To cover
• D. To obscure

The Moon has been worshipped by primitive peoples and has inspired humans to create everything from lunar calendars to love sonnets. But what do we really know about it? The most accepted theory about the Moon's origin is that it was formed from the debris of a massive collision with the young Earth about 4.6 billion years ago. A huge body, perhaps the size of Mars, struck the Earth, throwing out an immense amount of debris that coalesced and cooled in orbit around the Earth.The development of Earth is inextricably linked to the Moon; the Moon's gravitational influence upon the Earth is the primary cause of ocean tides. In fact, the Moon has more than twice the effect on the tides than the Sun. The Moon makes one rotation and completes a revolution around the Earth every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. This synchronous rotation is caused by an uneven distribution of mass in the Moon (essentially, it is heavier on one side than the other) and has allowed the Earth's gravity to keep one side of the Moon permanently facing Earth.The average distance from Earth to the Moon is about 384,403 km. The Moon has no atmosphere; without it, the Moon has no protection from meteorite impacts, resulting in a surface covered with impact craters, both large and small. The Moon also has no active tectonic or volcanic activity, so the erosive effects of atmospheric weathering, tectonic shifts, and volcanic upheavals that tend to erase and reform the Earth’s surface features are not at work on the Moon. In fact, even tiny surface features, such as the footprint left by an astronaut in the lunar soil, are likely to last for millions of years unless obliterated by a chance meteorite strike. The surface gravity of the Moon is about one-sixth that of Earth's. Therefore, a person weighing 82 kilograms on Earth would only weigh 14 kilograms on the Moon. The geographical features of the Earth most similar to those of the Moon are places such as the Hawaiian volcanic craters and the huge meteor crater in Arizona. However, the climate of the Moon is very different from either Hawaii or Arizona; in fact, the temperature on the Moon ranges from 123 degrees Celsius to -233 degrees Celsius.

What is the passage primarily about?

• A. What we know about the Moon and its differences from Earth
• B. A comparison of the Moon and Earth
• C. The Moon's effect on Earth
• D. The origin of the Moon