Q: Andy loved the first grade. He loved his teacher,Mrs.Parks. He loved playing games on the playground. He loved learning about dinosaurs and the solar system .

Every morning Andy's mother dropped him off in front of his school on South Street. One foggy morning,the traffic was so bad on South Street that she decided to drop him off behind the school. Andy walked for about ten minutes and got to the gate. He held the icy handle,but it didn't move!Using both hands,he tried his hardest and finally the gate opened.

After Andy closed the gate behind him,he looked in the direction of the teaching building. But all he could see was fog. He got to the spot where the slide had always been,but it was not there."The slide is gone!" he cried. He walked a little more to look for the swings,but they were not where they had always been."The swings are gone!" he cried again.

Andy kept walking. He was so anxious to see the school that he fell and landed on the ground. He still couldn't see the school. A terrible thought appeared in his head."The school is gone!" he cried sadly. No more games with Jennie,Angel and Dillon,he thought. No more reading about dinosaurs. No more watching videos on the solar system...

Suddenly the boy saw something up ahead."It's Jennie!"he shouted. Then he saw the outline of a school building. His school was still there!He was full of excitement!

"Hi,Jennie!" he stood up and caught up with the girl."I couldn't see the school. I thought it was gone." Jennie just laughed."You're so silly." "What happened to the slide and the swings?" Andy asked.

"We will have new playground equipment today," Jennie answered."The old equipment was taken away last night. Don't you remember Mrs. Parks telling us about it yesterday?" "I guess I forgot," Andy said,smiling."Anyway,I'm glad the school is here."

Answer the following questions:
1. what grade was Andy in?
2. who was his teacher?
3. does he like his teacher?
4. what else does he like?
5. where?
6. who took him to school?
7. where does she drop him off?
8. what about the day when the weather was bad?
9. could he see the building?
10. why not?
11. was he happy?
12. who did he see?
13. what did she tell him?
14. why?
15. did the teacher tell them it wouldn't be there?
16. why was it not there?
17. what will they have today?
A: 1. the first grade
2. Mrs.Parks
3. yes
4. playing games
5. on the playground
6. Andy's mother
7. in front of his school
8. she decided to drop him off behind the school
9. no
10. all he could see was fog
11. no
12. Jennie
13. You're so silly.
14. Andy thought the equipment was gone
15. yes
16. The old equipment was taken away last night
17. new playground equipment
Q: The mother of the 13-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker, whose plans to make a solo sailing trip around the world have recently made world headlines, has spoken out against the trip. "It breaks my heart to think that because of this I could lose contact with my daughter," she said in an interview. "I have never before made such a difficult decision. But I must accept the consequences. I would rather have a live daughter who I will never see again than a dead daughter."

It is the first time that Laura's mother, Babs Muller, has spoken out against the trip. Laura's parents are divorced and the girl has lived with her father since she was six. Her father Dick Dekker supports Laura's plans. However, the Dutch Child Protection Board has decided to place the girl under supervision for two months to ascertain whether she is mentally and physically capable of undertaking the journey.

Ms Muller says she is confident that Laura is technically capable of making the journey. "She can sail like the devil. That's not the problem." However, she is afraid of the problems a 13-year-old girl can encounter in the harbors of Third-World countries and of the psychological pressure of being alone for such a long period on the ocean. "The most important thing, in my eyes, is that she is not yet an adult."

Ms Muller says she told Laura once before that she was opposed to the idea. Her daughter replied, "If you forbid me, you will have ruined my entire life. Then I'll never want to see you again." However, Laura's mother says that reports that a camera team is planning to follow her around the world could change her opinion about the trip.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who is upset about something?
2. Why?
3. How old is Laura?
4. Is she planning a vacation?
5. What kind of trip is she taking?
6. Where?
7. Why is this newsworthy?
8. Is her mother trying to prevent her from going?
9. Do the two live together?
10. Who does Laura live with?
11. Why?
12. For how long?
13. Does she think her daughter is too uneducated to make the trip?
14. What kind of sailor does she feel that her dauhter is?
15. What does worry Ms Muller?
16. How does Laura feel about her mothers opinion?
17. Will Laura really be alone on the triip?
18. Who might be there?
19. Does this change how her mother feels about the trip?
A: 1. The mother of of Laura Decker
2. She is afraid that she might lose contact with her daughter
3. 13
4. No
5. A sailing trip
6. Around the world
7. She plans a solo trip
8. Yes
9. No
10. Her father
11. Laura's parents are divorced.
12. Since she was 6.
13. No
14. She can sail like the devil
15. Problems that face a 13 year old girl in third world countries
16. That if she forbids her she will never want to see her again
17. Maybe not
18. A camera team.
19. it could
Q: CHAPTER VIII

A TIME OF WAITING

Dinah woke two minutes before one o'clock, and Nat at once lay down and, resolutely refusing to allow himself to think any more of the situation, was soon fast asleep.

"It am jess beginning to get light, Marse Glober," the negress said when, as it seemed to him, he had not been five minutes asleep. However, he jumped up at once.

"It is very dark, still, Dinah."

"It am dark, sah, but not so dark as it was. Bes' be off at once. Must get well away before dem black fellows wake up."

"How is Madame Duchesne?"

"She sleep, sah; she no wake for another tree or four hours. Dinah give pretty strong dose. Bes' dat she should know noting about it till we get to a safe place."

"But is there any safe place, Dinah?"

"Yes, massa; me take you where dey neber tink of searching, but good way off in hills."

Myra by this time was on her feet also.

"Have you slept well, Myra?"

"Yes, I have slept pretty well, but in spite of the two blankets under us it was awfully hard, and I feel stiff all over now."

"How shall we divide the things, Dinah?"

"Well, sah, do you tink you can take de head of de barrow? Dat pretty heaby weight."

"Oh, nonsense!" Nat said. "Madame Duchesne is a light weight, and if I could get her comfortably on my back I could carry her any distance."

"Dat bery well before starting, Marse Glober, you tell anoder story before we gone very far."

Answer the following questions:
1. Who was asleep?
2. Who had just woken?
3. When did Dinah wake up?
4. Was Madame Duchesne still asleep?
5. How much longer did they think she would be asleep for?
6. Why were they so sure?
7. What were they plotting to do while she slept?
8. What skin color were they?
9. Where were they going?
10. Was it light out?
A:
1. Nat
2. Dinah
3. two minutes before one o'clock
4. yes
5. three or four hours.
6. gave a strong dose
7. leave
8. black
9. a safe place
10. no