7. Read the excerpt from "Flight into Yesterday." Amelia pushed both throttles
forward. The plane moved slowly, heavy with fuel for the long ocean flight that
lay ahead. At last, it began to gather speed. It went fast and faster, hurtling
toward the cliff. Almost at the very edge, she felt it leave the ground. They were
safely off, flying low over the ocean, but flying. Now she could concentrate on
gaining altitude. She could start picking out the islands that would serve as
landmarks for the early part of the flight. How does this excerpt help develop the
central idea of the passage?