Jessica's SummerJessica's mother looked up from her computer and gazed aimlessly at the water. A movement over to the left finally attracted her attention. What was that? Somebody swimming out in the middle of the lake. Right out in the middle. No, two people. Except one was a dog. Yes, she could make out the head of a large, black dog. And that other head, well that was Jessica, her daughter. What was going on? And what was Jessica doing in the middle of the river? She had to be in trouble.Gillian jumped immediately to her feet, anxious but feeling quite helpless. What should she do? She looked at the two dots in the distance again and could see that they were moving - even if really slowly. And they appeared to be pulling something behind them. She knew Jessica was a strong swimmer, but this situation didn't look normal. She had no boat or neighbours nearby, so she didn't know what to do. When she had rented the cabin for a break at the beginning of the summer, she hadn't considered it necessary to think about such things. Now she was starting to wonder if she was wrong.The water police. Yes. She would ring the water police, and insist that they came immediately. It was obvious her daughter was in danger, wasn't it? However, when the police arrived and powered the boat out into the middle of the lake, she had to admit that Jessica and the dog appeared to be quite calm and were definitely moving in unison, swimming side by side and at one another's pace, as they moved towards the centre of the water. Gillian started to have doubts about what was she was witnessing. What was Jessica doing in the lake anyway? And where had she found this dog? And what exactly were they pulling behind them?As the boat got nearer to the location of Jessica and the dog, the police switched off the engine. Gillian asked why. Surely, they should be speeding up, not slowing down? The police patiently explained that speeding ahead would cause ripples and waves in the water, and this rocking could become dangerous to Jessica and the dog. As a result, they explained, it would be best to allow the waters to calm before switching the engine back on and moving slowly ahead. It was probably only a matter of seconds or minutes, but to Jessica's mother, it felt like an eternity.As she waited for the time to pass, Gillian focused on her daughter and the dog. Again, they seemed to be swimming calmly and patiently, and she had to admit that she was quite impressed with their endurance. They were still quite a long way off, but at one point Gillian was confident that Jessica had raised her hand and waved. She asked the police if she could take a look through the binoculars that they had been using to establish the exact location of the two lake swimmers, and was able to see her daughter clearly through the binocular lenses. She could tell that she was concentrating hard on her swimming, but she could also tell that, although tired, she was swimming easily and with no indication of panic.It was at that point, that the police switched the boat engine on again and started to cruise slowly towards Jessica's location. It was then that Gillian saw the man. Attached by rope to both the dog and her daughter, he was lying on top of some sort of floating device. He was conscious and breathing, but obviously unwell. As the police reached out to help Jessica and the dog onto the boat, Jessica breathlessly explained what had happened. The dog had found her sunbathing at the side of the lake and had led her to its owner. However, because the man was injured and couldn't walk, she had needed to use what she could find in the woods to build a temporary floating device. She had then attached this to herself and the dog and jumped into the lake to pull the man back to safety.The JournalQuestions1) What was the writer's purpose in the first paragraph?A) To show the reader how surprised and worried Jessica's mother is.B) To describe Jessica and what was happening to her.C) To explain why a dog was swimming with Jessica.D) To invite the reader to think of some solutions to the situation.2) How does Jessica's mum react to the situation?A) She feels confident her daughter will be ok.B) She questions her choice of holiday location.C) She remains calm and thinks about what to do.D) She starts panicking and calls a neighbour.3) As the police take the boat into the middle of the lake, GillianA) is confused by what she sees and what is happening.B) remains convinced that her daughter is in danger.C) worries about the way Jessica and the dog are swimming.D) demands to know the identity of the man in the water.4) Why did the water police turn off the boat engines?A) To allow Jessica's mum time to calm down.B) To be able to see what was happening more clearly.C) To allow them to approach Jessica and the dog safely.D) Because they had problems with the boat's engine.5) When Gillian looks at her daughter through the binocularsA) she notices how in control her daughter appears.B) she sees her daughter raise her hand and starts to panic.C) she is worried about the presence of the dog.D) she is concerned that Jessica will be too tired to reach the boat.6) What do we learn about Jessica in the last paragraph?A) She had seen the dog swimming in the water and followed him.B) She was swimming in the lake when she came across the dog and his owner.C) She had discovered the injured man by following the dog around the lake.D) She had seen the injured man when sunbathing and went to help.

Read the selection and answer each question.Summer Campby Allison Kerbel(1)A giggling bunch of girls, aged eight and nine, scurries as a group down the dusty, rutted path to the lake. We have messily braided hair, scabby knees, and dirty sandals and feet. We head down the hill, covered in bark chips that get in everyone’s shoes, pass through the Senior Boys’ Unit, cross a small field, and reach the edge of the lake.(2)Earlier today, between noon and three o’clock, we arrived at camp. Fathers lifted our trunks, carried them into our cabins, and set them down at the foot of our bunks. Siblings gave us wisdom gained from previous years (“Don’t eat the gruel.” “Shower at least twice a week.”) along with secret candy to hide in said trunks, and mothers kissed us good-bye.(3)Once all ten of us girls made it into our cabin, we met our counselors and C.I.T. (counselor in training) and played a name game. Then we changed into our swimsuits and trooped down to the lake to take the ever-important swim test.(4)Now that we’re here, we hang our towels on the semifinished log fence. With the dirt and grass tickling our toes, we proceed down onto the dock and pair off. One partner swims while the other counts laps. You have to swim nine laps, or eighteen lengths, to be able to go into the deeper water. (This area is desired by all because it contains the floating raft, which is fun to load with more than the ten-camper limit and try to tip over.) Most of the girls in my cabin won’t be able to do it. They probably won’t even swim five laps, the number required for the shallower area between the docks. Most of the girls are first-year campers, and they’ll end up confined to “Beginners’ Bay,” which doesn’t get any deeper than three feet or so. Not me. At age nine this is my second year of camp. I’ll make all eighteen lengths or die trying.(5)My partner, a small eight-year-old with wispy, dark brown hair and thick glasses, whispers to me that I can go first. Not a problem. My confidence is sky high and absolutely unshakable. I jump right in with a splash that wets my partner and the other girls on the dock who want to count first. Then I start to swim: one lap of breaststroke, one lap of backstroke, one lap of freestyle, and six more any way I choose, including the dog paddle or any other method of staying afloat that propels me through the water. By the time my partner whispers, “Eight,” there’s a slight burning pull in my chest. I’m glad when I swim to the other dock and back for the last time, diving underwater to cover the last yard or so.(6)I surface, tasting water in my mouth and on my lips. From my shoulders up, the sun is almost unbearably hot. The water is warm near the surface and icy farther down. I feel suspended in space, but I can feel the space, silky and barely there. The counselor nods at me, confirming my achievement.(7)The tips of my toes barely reach the gravelly bottom as I tread water. Moving into shallower depths is always a choice, but I prefer proving my endurance to the onlookers I’m sure are watching. Looking up, really looking for the first time since last year, I can see the dock, a light pine color with blue painted edges. I see the rocky shore, the land beyond it covered in pine needles and shade from the immense trees standing guard above me. Behind them I see the mountains, all around me, in fact, purply blue and majestic. The lake stretches out for miles, edged by the mountains, and the sun reflects off the water so brightly that I have to look away.(8)The birds sing their tuneless songs from the pines. The lake gurgles and splashes in endlessly breaking waves that never reach the shore, products of the motorboats I can hear in the distance, out of sight but nevertheless present. The girls on the dock call out numbers in tireless rhythm but not in order; I hear, within a few seconds, “Seven!” “Four!” “Two!”(9)I smell the pines and the water, and the sensations are home, comfort. This is where I belong.QuestionWhy did the author most likely include paragraph 2 in the autobiography?Select TWO correct answers.Responsesto explain some of the rules at the campto explain some of the rules at the campto show that the girls are away from hometo show that the girls are away from hometo explain where the summer camp is locatedto explain where the summer camp is locatedto show that the girls do not want to leave their parentsto show that the girls do not want to leave their parentsto show that the girls had similar experiences arriving at campto show that the girls had similar experiences arriving at campSkip to navigationHighlightResponse MaskingBackNext

Post 3 things you learned watching Emma's story.

Riya spent the first week of high school trying to keep her head above water. She was overwhelmed by the huge building. She decided that she would memorize where her classes were and then pretend that the rest of the place didn't exist. All the different hallways and wings were too much to think about, let alone commit to memory.In P.E., Coach Wallace sent her reeling when he announced that everyone had to run one mile around the track outside.Riya searched the faces of her classmates for signs of panic. There was nothing she dreaded more than having to run a whole mile. To Riya, a mile was used to describe long distances. It was ten miles to her grandfather's house, and that always seemed like a long way, even in a car!When Coach Wallace blew his whistle, Riya figured she would be left in the dust. However, while some of her classmates edged ahead, others actually lagged behind. It's just the beginning, she thought. I'll come in last for sure.Riya started using a mind trick on herself. She stopped thinking about the word mile. Instead, she focused on reaching the shadow cast on the track by an oak tree up ahead. Then she concentrated on jogging to the spot where the track curved. After that, she tried to see if she could complete her first lap. One lap turned into two, then three, then four. When Coach Wallace gave her a high five and said, "Nice work," Riya was shocked. She never would have guessed that she had just run a whole mile.As Riya walked back to the school building after P.E., she noticed that she felt less overwhelmed by its size. Maybe she would come to know the place, one lap at a time.Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?Try not to measure yourself against other people.Goals are easier to achieve in small steps.Confidence can take you farther than your ability can.Submit

The lake was a sheet of polished glass as Charlene fished beside her dad from their little rowboat. She had cast her line and now sat watching the orange floater as it bobbed gently. Suddenly, the floater disappeared beneath the surface and the reel nearly flew from Charlene’s hand. Grasping the reel like a baseball bat, she gave the line a sharp tug backward to hook the fish. Then she began reeling it in, the fish fighting as hard as a boxer in the ring. Charlene’s dad stood cheering her on, as his daughter landed the biggest perch he’d ever seen.4Why does the author compare the fishing reel to a baseball bat? A. to help the reader visualize how Charlene grasped it B. because readers who like fishing will also like baseball C. to convince the reader that Charlene is an athlete D. because fishing and baseball are very similar

Read the following story.Diving InIt was a hot day at the beach, so why did the ocean feel like ice? Carol wanted to cool off, but she had only managed to wade in up to her ankles. Her feet were nearly numb from the cold water."Wow, it's freezing today," said her sister, Pauline. They stood side by side, half-shivering in the water and half-baking in the sun.Carol noticed the windsurfers in the distance. Of course, she thought. They're wearing wetsuits. But then she saw an old man swimming nearby, wearing only his trunks and a swim cap. A few more courageous heads bobbed up and down in the chilly sea."Okay, that's it," Pauline said. "I'm doing it." She took a deep breath, ran into the surf, and dived into a large, breaking wave. She emerged farther out, a big grin on her face.Carol inched forward. As she did, her shins, then her knees, and then her thighs stung from the cold. She noticed that her feet felt okay now, but when the water touched her stomach, she shrieked. The breakers now splashed water across her back and shoulders."It's too cold!" Carol shouted. "I'm going back!"Then she froze. She saw a big wave approaching. There was no time to turn back; she was in too deep. She watched with dread as the crest swelled above her head. She closed her eyes and dunked beneath the wave.A freezing sensation enveloped her for an instant, but then she felt fine. Refreshed, even.Finally, she swam out to her sister.Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?Going through something painful makes you stronger.Not everybody can be brave.Sometimes it's better when unpleasant experiences happen quickly.Submit