1.the half moon voyage
by spencer james
as the waves hit the exterior of the ship, captain henry hudson announced to the crew of half moon that they were unsuccessful in finding a new passage to the east indies, which was the original plan for their voyage. vincent and walter, two friends who were part of the ship's crew, listened carefully as the captain broke this news. hudson declared that they were returning to the netherlands, their homeland. the crew returned to work after the captain's announcement.
it was a sunny afternoon, and vincent and walter were in charge of cleaning the upper deck of the ship.
"first the news from the captain, and now this heat! " muttered walter as he was dipping a rag into the water bucket.
"what happened, walter? why do you seem so irritated? " asked vincent.
walter angrily replied, "what happened? ! weren't you listening to the captain when he announced the disappointing news? this voyage was expected to be a productive one, on which we were supposed to find a new route to the east indies, as the dutch merchants had given us this ship for that purpose."
"everything is going to be fine, walter! we are not returning home empty-handed, as i am sure the land we just discovered will be of some value to the dutch merchants. i believe in the captain and his plans. if we could not find the route this time, we can always go on another voyage. don't be dismayed! " vincent said calmly.
walter thought about what his friend had just said to him, and it did seem true that the land they had just discovered could be of value since the land was untouched except for a few rural settlements. moreover, he realized that he should not brood, and he certainly enjoyed the numerous occasions of natural beauty in the new land that nudged him to forget his nervousness and filled him with a new sense of peace and new-found calm.
smiling, he looked at vincent and said, "you're right, my friend, and being worried about something has never resulted in anything positive or productive."
"exactly, walter! that is why i never worry, and i believe everything happens for a reason," said vincent.
the two friends smiled at each other and continued cleaning the upper deck as the ship rocked back and forth on the ocean waves, bound for home.
3

read the sentences from the passage.
" 'everything is going to be fine, walter! ' "
" 'that is why i never worry, and i believe everything happens for a reason,' said vincent."
which conclusion is best supported by the sentences?

a.
vincent believes that the journey will shortly be over, and he will not have to see his friend again.
b.
vincent knows that the journey was unproductive, but he is going to be positive to support his friend.
c.
vincent believes that the journey will still be productive, even though they did not find a new route.
d.
vincent knows that the journey will continue till they find the new path, and then they will return home.

2. olympic athletes spend hours training starting at an early age. those who do make it to the olympic games often do not win medals—and these are the top athletes of the world. wilma rudolph not only made it to the olympics, she won three gold medals.
wilma rudolph was born on june 23, 1940, in st. bethlehem, tennessee. she came from a very big family. she was the 17th of 19 children in her family. the family moved to clarksville, tennessee, which is where wilma grew up. when wilma was young, she had polio and scarlet fever. the polio left her without the use of one of her legs. she needed to wear leg braces to walk. eventually, she was able to walk with a special shoe. after about three years, she didn't need the special shoe anymore.
in high school, wilma played basketball and ran track. she broke all the state basketball records and won all her track meets. wilma went to tennessee state university and started training for the olympics. in july of 1960, wilma went to the olympics in rome, italy. she won three gold medals and was called the "world's fastest woman." she was later named female athlete of the year.
wilma became a coach and an athletic consultant in chicago, illinois. she died in 1994 of a brain tumor. wilma will be remembered for her courage as a young child overcoming her illness, her athletic ability, and her dedication to reaching her goals. to this day, wilma's life continues to inspire people to reach their personal goals.
4

according to the passage, wilma was courageous because

a.
she was a successful basketball player.
b.
she participated in the 1960 summer olympics.
c.
she overcame her illness and became a successful athlete.
d.
she was one of the youngest in a large family.

how does the setting contribute to the plot?

a.
the setting the reader identify with the narrator.
b.
the setting illustrates real problems with space travel.
c.
the setting builds the suspense and sense of adventure.
d.
the setting educates the reader about outer space.