Jerry looked at his block of wood and sighed. it was time again to make a pinewood-derby car. he was supposed to whittle a little car out of wood and attach wheels so he could roll it down a track in the pinewood derby. last year, his car had fallen apart before getting to the bottom of the track. it was very embarrassing, and he wanted to do better this year.

2“you know what,” he said to himself, “last year you just threw your car together. you didn't even paint it. this year you can do better.”

3all week jerry worked on his little car. every day after school, instead of turning on the television, he worked on his car. he cut the shape and then sanded it down again and again with sandpaper until it was thin and sleek and smooth. he attached the wheels and oiled them so they spun quickly, but steadily. he painted the car red and orange. “these are fast colors,” he said to himself.

4“you're practically living in the garage these days,” his mother said. “that must be some special little car you're working on in there.”

5“it sure is,” jerry replied, shoving the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth, so he could get back to work.

6later, after his red and orange pinewood-derby car took first place in the race, he was almost sad it was over. he would miss spending time on it in the garage. “next year,” he thought, “i'm going to work even harder.”

"pinewood derby".

read the passage.

what is this story mainly about?

a
a boy who works in the garage every night

b
a boy who builds a winning pinewood-derby car

c
a boy who grows up to be an auto mechanic

d
a pinewood-derby car that falls apart before the end of the race

Twenty years gone, and i am back again on my own island. as for my change of skin, that is a charm athena, hope of soldiers, uses as she will; she has the knack to make me seem a beggar man sometimes and sometimes young, with finer clothes about me. it is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low. —the odyssey, homer based on what odysseus says in the passage, what has he learned? humans can become like gods. humans are under the gods’ control. humans can change from beggars to soldiers.

What is similar about a satire and a parable? o a. both are based on a previous work. o b. both attempt to persuade an audience. o c. both use humor to entertain an audience. o d. both are very short in length.

The arctic national wildlife refuge is home to caribou, moose, musk oxen, wolves, foxes, grizzlies, polar bears and migratory birds. leaders in the oil industry believe the refuge is the perfect site for the “environmentally sensitive exploration” of oil. environmentalists are wondering: what will become of the wildlife? president george w. bush, oil-industry leaders and others believe that americans will benefit from the oil that lies under the snow-filled surface of the refuge. in their opinion, the oil will reduce high fuel prices and decrease our need for oil from other countries. i believe the cost of such drilling is too high. i agree with environmentalists who fear that drilling will disturb the migration of more than 130,000 caribou. each spring, the caribou travel 400 miles to give birth on the coastal plain. in this area of the refuge, there are fewer predators. in addition, experts say that the oil in the area adds up to less than a six-month supply. is such a small amount of oil worth the risk drilling poses to these animals? americans are the largest consumers of oil. instead of drilling for oil, we should decrease our need for foreign oil simply by using less. we must all work together to cut back on the oil we use in order to preserve the wildlife of the arctic national wildlife refuge. what type of argument is used in this paragraph? i believe the cost of such drilling is too high. i agree with environmentalists who fear that drilling will disturb the migration of more than 130,000 caribou. each spring, the caribou travel 400 miles to give birth on the coastal plain. in this area of the refuge, there are fewer predators. in addition, experts say that the oil in the area adds up to less than a six-month supply. is such a small amount of oil worth the risk drilling poses to these animals? a. appeal to emotion c. appeal to logic b. bandwagon d. none of the above select the best answer from the choices provided a b c d