Reading Gains Form 3, sections 3 & 4 - fourth quarter of the year for ELD III (12/3/2025) (12/4/2025) (12/4/2025)

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

The ocean is vast and uncompromising. Countless vessels have succumbed to its wrath. They are lost forever beneath its waves. But sometimes it's not the ships that disappear, but the people on board. In November 1872, a ship namedMary Celesteset sail from New York for Genoa, Italy. The captain of the boat brought along his wife, daughter, and a crew of seven. One month later, theMary Celestewas spotted drifting in the Atlantic Ocean, off the southern coast of Spain. When the crew of another ship boarded theMary Celeste, they found no sign of foul play or piracy. They also found no one on board. The mystery of what happened to the captain, his family, and the crew has never been explained.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

The puppy ran around the dog park, his tail high and waving. He stopped to sniff at every tree and branch, and picked up the best sticks for chewing. These, and any tennis balls he could find, he carried over and laid down in front of his owner. Whenever he saw another dog come near his stash of toys, he ran over to distract them. Before the other dog knew it, he had them playing on the other side of the dog park. When it was time to go home, he circled his toys and looked at the other dogs. It was as if he was telling them not to touch his things while he was gone.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history. He became the first African American to play Major League Baseball. For many years, baseball was a segregated sport. Owners of baseball teams refused to hire non-white players. When Robinson began playing, many fans and even other players verbally abused him. But Robinson's sportsmanship and poise on and off the field soon earned him respect. In 1997, on the fiftieth anniversary of Robinson's debut, Major League Baseball retired the number 42, which Robinson had worn throughout his career. Today he is still seen as a hero by many for helping to break the color barrier in professional sports.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

The Tower Bridge has become a symbol and landmark of London, England. The bridge is famous for its two Victorian Gothic towers and combined bridges. A high-level suspension bridge runs between the tops of the towers while a bascule bridge spans the lower area. A bascule bridge is a drawbridge with two sections that open upward to allow boats to pass underneath. When the drawbridge is down, road traffic is allowed to cross the bridge. The high-level suspension bridge is only open to pedestrian traffic. The Tower Bridge's two spans make it one of the most recognizable bridges in the world.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

“Well, it sounds to me like Rigsby has kennel cough,” Dr. John said, as he tucked the chestpiece of his stethoscope back into his pocket. He wrote on Rigsby's chart as he explained the prescriptions he was giving us and only looked up again when he was done. He must have noticed my concern because he walked over and pulled a chair up in front of me. “Don't worry,” he said. “Kennel cough is like a cold for dogs, and Rigsby could probably get over it himself, but I'd hate for him to pass it on to your other dog.”

Directions:
Read the passage about Kimmy and Emily. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    The photographer situated the girls in front of a backdrop painted like a beach. It had colorful umbrellas and sand dunes, and the girls were dressed in matching shorts and T-shirts. The photographer settled Kimmy on a beach towel before setting one-year-old Emily on her lap. Kimmy tried to keep the squirming baby from wiggling off. However, Emily seemed more interested in grabbing the backdrop, the beach towel, or Kimmy's hair, than posing for a picture. Emily was ____6____ .

    Now Kimmy stared at the photographer as he tried to engage her little sister. He had a bright yellow bird that he held above his head. He kept calling to the girls, “Look at the birdie! Look at the birdie!” Kimmy was certain that Emily, who had many electronic toys at home, would not be interested.

    “Emily!” the photographer called out. He raised his voice dramatically as he talked to her. “Emily, I need you to look here.” Kimmy giggled because he sounded like he was yodeling. But the photographer's silly voice made Emily look at him. His voice was ____7____.

    “Good job, girls,” he said, and the next thing they knew, it was as if the bird was talking. It turned its head from side to side, as though it was looking around. The photographer's face was hidden behind the camera, so they couldn't see him talking anymore. He ____8____ himself.

    “Where is that pesky photographer?” the bird asked. Its voice raised and lowered so quickly Kimmy had a hard time understanding what it was saying. Emily pointed to the photographer and laughed. The bird gasped, and its head twisted to look down. The bird dropped suddenly and pecked the photographer's head. The bird was ____9____ .

    Kimmy and Emily had so much fun watching the puppet show, they forgot that the photographer was taking their picture. Ten minutes later, Kimmy was actually sad to hear the photographer say, “That's a wrap! You two have been fantastic models.” He had been ____10_____ .

Directions:
Read the passage about Komodo dragons. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    The Komodo dragon isn't actually a dragon. It's a lizard. But it is the largest species of lizard in the world. It lives on a few Indonesian islands including Komodo. Because of the limited number of predatory species on those islands, it has grown to be the dominant predator there. Komodo dragons typically grow to be about seven feet long and weigh 150 pounds. Komodo dragons are ____11____ . The largest documented Komodo dragon was over ten feet long and weighed more than 350 pounds. Part of this weight, though, was the weight of undigested food.

    Komodo dragons swallow large chunks of their food without chewing and swallow it slowly. It can take up to 20 minutes for a Komodo dragon to swallow a goat. The Komodo dragon is able to eat 80 percent of its body weight in one meal. The dragon's meals are often ____12____ . The dragons may only eat twelve meals per year. They will consume nearly any prey available to them, including humans, though this doesn't often happen. The dragons can be ____13____ .

    Komodo dragons possess lethally harmful bacteria in their saliva. If their victim does not die immediately of a bite, it will usually die within days. The bacteria in the Komodo dragon's saliva will cause the victim to contract septicemia. Traveling septicemia is an illness caused by harmful bacteria moving throughout the bloodstream. The disease ____14____ the victim. When the victim of the Komodo dragon dies, the lizard can detect the smell of the carcass from as much as six miles away.

    Though Komodo dragons seem to be fearsome and loathsome, those observed in captivity have displayed somewhat playful behavior. A female Komodo dragon at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. would take various objects into her mouth and shake them. She was not interested in eating any of the objects but seemed to enjoy finding them and playing with them. She would bury her head in them, in the case of boxes or shoes, or shake them in her mouth, in the case of blankets or soda cans. She had little ____15____ .

    Most people will not encounter a Komodo dragon in their natural environment. But these animals remain fascinating because they are so large, so threatening, and so rare.

Directions:
Read the passage about part-time jobs. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    Saving for college can be a real challenge. Some students work after school to save money for their college education. A part-time job can be the perfect way to earn some extra money. It's also a great way to get “real-life” work experience. Besides helping with college expenses, a part-time job can give you a chance to try out a career without a long-term commitment. It can be an ____16____ .

    Let's say you think you might want to become a pharmacist. Pharmacists spend several years in school beyond the traditional undergraduate study programs. That means you could be in school for six or seven years before you ever get to be that pharmacist you dreamed of being. If you worked in a drugstore during high school, you'd have a better understanding of the career path you were considering. It can be a good ____17____of the profession.

    Maybe you find that you enjoy working with people. This might lead you to consider a career in medical sales instead of in a pharmacy. On the other hand, you might find that you're fascinated by the science behind the way that the drugs and medicines work. In this case, careers that focus more on the development and testing of new drugs might be more interesting to you. There are chances to ____18____ your interests.

    This same idea holds true for many professions. For example, a part-time job or internship at your local newspaper could provide a lot of information. It could give you the chance to see how writers, editors, photographers, salespeople, and graphic designers all work together to produce the paper. Seeing how all the pieces fit together could help you focus on the career path that will bear the most fruit for you. It helps a person see the ____19____ of a workplace.

    Even if a part-time job isn't directly related to your career interests, the chances are good that you will pick up skills or knowledge that will pay off when you finally finish college and start your job search. These skills may be ____20____ .

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Many of us know what Earth looks like from afar. We have seen photographs. We see the beautiful blue orb set against the black background of space. But this perspective on Earth has only been around for about forty years. In 1968, astronauts aboard theApollo 8space mission snapped the first photographs of the full view of Earth. Millions of people around the world have seen those images. But only twenty-four people have witnessed the full view of Earth in person. One of them is the American astronaut Bill Anders, who said, “We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.”

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Mrs. Jeffrey was meeting them one person at a time. Jana stood in line, holding her costume for the school's spring play. She was going to play one of the evil stepsisters inCinderella, and had enjoyed putting her costume together. She knew that it needed to make her look gaudy and ugly, and had found her dress at a costume shop. It was too long, and could be taken in an inch around Jana's waist, but otherwise it was exactly what she wanted. Luckily, Mrs. Jeffrey was there to make their costumes exactly the way they wanted.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Aubrey woke up first, groggy from a night spent sleeping in a bag on the floor. She sat up, still blinking sleep out of her eyes, and looked around Robin's room. All the girls who had spent the night were still asleep, their sleeping bags making colorful stripes on the tan carpet. Cookie and chip bags were strewn around the room, accompanied by nail polish bottles and soda cans. Aubrey knew that once everyone woke up, they would have to do a lot of cleaning before they went home. Aubrey reclined again and dozed until everyone else was ready to wake up.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Josh slouched in his chair, the last to leave the classroom for the third time this week. He knew why Mrs. Mason had asked him to stay, and that, even though he'd scored well on his test, his homework had not been turned in once again. Josh didn't know why he never turned his homework in but, instead, left it sitting, completed, on his desk at home. Today, however, a twinge of guilt made Josh uncomfortable. Mrs. Mason looked older, and tired, and Josh knew he could do well in her class if he tried harder.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Jenny Holzer is an artist who probes the relationship between words and art in public spaces. She places words and phrases in urban spaces using various media such as street posters, LED signs, stickers, billboards, and benches. For her famous series of works calledTruisms, Holzer posted a series of statements and aphorisms around New York City. Her truisms say things like “A little knowledge can go a long way” and “Everyone's work is equally important.” Her largest installation occurred on one of Times Square's huge electronic billboards. Her conceptual work directs the viewer to think about how words always carry meaning despite their appearance, place, or author.

Directions:
Read the passage about job interviews. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    Many students find it beneficial to hold part-time jobs while they are in school. Some do so in order to earn money, while others want to explore potential career paths. Some students intern in jobs that will help them acquire future positions. Regardless of the position, improving your interview skills will make it more likely that you will be hired. You should ____26____ your interview skills.

    Before an interview, applicants should prepare thoroughly. It is helpful to know as much about the company or business as possible and to try to anticipate questions that you may be asked. Try to ____27____ the interview questions. You should also prepare any questions you might like to ask about the position or the company. Preparation includes planning what you will wear to the interview. Your clothing should be clean and neat, as well as appropriate for the position for which you hope to be hired. Also, you should make whatever preparations are necessary so that you can arrive at the interview at the appropriate time. Ideally you should be there ten minutes early. It is important to be ____28____ .

    At the interview, you will want to appear relaxed and confident. There are several ways to accomplish this. First, make sure that your posture, sitting or standing, is straight. Good applicants do not slouch or slump. If you are sitting, lean slightly forward to show your interest. Also, make sure that you make good eye contact with the person who interviews you, as well as with anyone to whom you are introduced. Smile whenever it is appropriate, and make sure that your expression shows interest. You should convey ____29____ . If it is appropriate to shake hands, your grip should be somewhat firm. Answer questions with energy, and don't hesitate to ask a few questions of your own.

    At the end of the interview, be sure to say thank you. Most employers will appreciate your sending a thank-you note, as well. It is good to be ____30____ .

Directions:
Read the passage about Gary. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    Gift certificate in hand, Gary opened the bookshop door. Looking up from helping a customer with some used records, Mr. Briggs smiled at Gary. Gary perused the shelf of new arrivals near the register, tilting his head to the right and scanning the spines for graphic novels, but he didn't see any. Perhaps he would save his gift certificate for another week. He had ____31____ .

    “Hey Gary, I've got two new boxes of books in the back,” hollered Mr. Briggs from behind the counter. “I haven't had time to look through them but you can dig around if you want.” Gary thanked Mr. Briggs and went to the back of the store, pushed aside a curtain with an “Employees Only” sign on it, and stepped into the dusty dimness of the storage room. “Well, I'm in here so often that I'm practically an employee,” Gary mused. Mr. Briggs ____32____ allowed Gary in the back of the store.

    Immediately, he found several graphic novels in the boxes. Gary sat on a folding chair to thumb through them when he noticed an old diary. Curious, he opened the diary. Its spine crackled with age and little flecks of leather came loose in his hands. The entries were written in a wavering script, and the first one Gary read was dated November 6, 1903. Whoever had written it was expressing concern for a horse that had injured a hoof. Gary didn't know who had ____33____ the journal.

    The next entry described taking a walk in a deep snowfall. The ink had run a bit around the edges of those pages, and Gary imagined someone writing while standing in the snow, with snowflakes melting on the pages. Gary kept turning pages and reading, enthralled by things that had happened over a hundred years ago to someone who had died before he was born. Gary was ____34____ .

    Mr. Briggs poked his head in the doorway. “Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked. Gary nodded and brought the diary up to the register, leaving the graphic novels in a pile by the chair. Gary ____35____ the other books.

Directions:
Read the passage about martial arts. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    The term “martial arts” refers to a wide variety of self-defense systems, including karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, and tae kwon do. These approaches to hand-to-hand combat were developed centuries ago in eastern Asia, though the martial arts are now practiced in almost all countries throughout the world. Martial arts ____36____ in Asia. Physically rigorous, the martial arts appeal to people around the globe for their mental benefits as well.

    Hundreds of thousands of Americans participate in martial arts, finding it a good way to increase physical fitness and stimulate their minds. This is why the martial arts are so popular despite the fact that most of us infrequently have a need to physically defend ourselves from others in close combat situations. We are rarely ____37____ .

    There are three primary health advantages that can be acquired from the practice of martial arts. The first benefit is due to anaerobic training, which requires short bursts of activity. Training might include striking practice bags, sparring against opponents, or performing the different poses and moves of a given discipline. These anaerobic activities increase balance and coordination. When these activities are performed for twenty minutes or more, they provide a second benefit—aerobic activity. Aerobic activity strengthens the heart and increases lung performance. The third health benefit of martial arts training is overall increased strength. Many of the drills require work from one or more of the major muscle groups. Repeating these allow the muscles to grow stronger. The martial arts ____38____ different forms of exercise.

    The martial arts not only produce physical benefits but also psychological benefits. Children with behavior issues often make great strides through the martial arts. Adolescents and adults with attention-deficit disorder can increase their abilities to focus. They may be affected less by ____39____ . The martial arts have even been seen to be an outlet for self-expression. Modern choreographers have been incorporating the movements and including martial artists in their dance companies. Capoeira is a form of martial arts. The Brazilian fight-dance has recently become popular, though it is over 400 years old. Capoeira involves singing, playing musical instruments, and improvisational movement, as well as classic combat sparring. Capoeira incorporates music, movement, and ____40____ martial arts.