Direct Objects, Indirect objects and more

Read this passage about Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952, in New York City. His mother was a journalist, and his father was a professor. As a kid he played sports, did well in school, and liked acting. His passion for acting goes back to playing with his brother when they were little. Reeve acted in his first play at the age of nine. After attending college, taking acting classes, and acting in many plays and movies, Reeve landed his biggest role. In 1978, he played the title role in Superman. He received very positive reviews for his performance and starred as Superman in all the sequels. Reeve was soon acting as the lead role in dozens of movies after Superman. Once well-known, Reeve used his celebrity status for good causes, such as visiting very sick children through the Make-A-Wish foundation. He was also a track and field coach at the Special Olympics.

Besides acting, Reeve was also a licensed pilot and liked horseback riding. He learned to ride horses for a movie role, and he continued riding in his free time. Unfortunately, while riding one day in 1995, Reeve fell from his horse and became paralyzed from the neck down. Being confined to a wheelchair did not hold back Reeve from being socially active, and after many surgeries and rehabilitation, he decided to dedicate his life to helping people with spinal-cord injuries. He created the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which supports the improvement of the lives of people with disabilities and helps fund research to find a cure for paralysis. He was also politically active, working with senators to make sure that people with disabilities were treated fairly in the workplace. Reeve received many awards for his dedication to public service. He also wrote two books about his experiences, and a documentary was made about his life. Reeve passed away in 2004, but his legacy lives on today. He touched the lives of many people and showed us what it means to overcome extreme odds by never giving up.

Which fact about Reeve best displays the qualities that make him a good candidate for a "Most Devoted" honor in a yearbook?

Reeve fell from his horse and became paralyzed from the neck down.
Reeve passed away in 2004, but his legacy lives on today.
[H]e decided to dedicate his life to helping people with spinal-cord injuries.
Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952, in New York City.

Read the article "Make a Change: Alternatives to Plastic Straws": Plastic is ruining the environment. Every year, 300 million tons of plastic are discarded in America, more than 8 million tons of which end up in the ocean. Over half of plastic waste is single-use plastic items such as bags, bottles, and food containers. Americans use 35 billion plastic water bottles a year. Similarly, over 1 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide. These wasteful products are choking landfills and polluting waters. They should be, and can be, replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives. A good example of a plastic item that should be replaced is the plastic straw. 500 million straws are used and discarded each year in America. That is enough straws to wrap around the whole of the Earth two-and-a-half times! Straws are, for the most part, completely unnecessary. Only a small number of people with certain medical conditions need straws for drinking. The rest of the population does not need straws. They simply have become accustomed to using them. Alternatives are available, but which one is best? Natural Alternatives Materials such as paper, straw, and bamboo are natural and biodegradable. They can also be used to make environmentally friendly drinking straws. Straws made from natural materials will decompose much more easily. They can be thrown in with food waste and composted. They are also relatively easy to find in stores and are inexpensive to buy. However, there are some drawbacks. Paper straws can quickly turn to mush when submerged in liquid. Likewise, drinking straws made from straw are not as strong as plastic and can tear easily. This makes both of these alternatives non-reusable. While bamboo is a more robust material, it too can only be reused a limited number of times. Bamboo must be responsibly sourced, as well, making it a more expensive option. Straw grass is similarly costly to use. Human-Made Alternatives Biodegradable plastics are now available and are used in many products, including straws. These plastics can decompose naturally in as little as 12 weeks. Unlike more natural alternatives, these straws look and feel the same as plastic straws. They are also stronger than natural products and can be easily mass-produced. Similar to natural straw alternatives, though, they are more expensive than plastic. They also must be disposed of properly (with food waste) or they will not fully decompose. Metal straws are another human-made alternative to plastic. Metal is very durable, which means that straws made from this material are long-lasting. They are more expensive to buy, but because they are reusable, they are actually cheaper in the long run. Glass straws are another alternative and offer many of the same benefits as metal straws. Both are dishwasher-safe and highly reusable. Unlike metal, however, glass can break easily, which is something that needs to be taken into account. Nevertheless, glass straws often feature unique designs that can be seen as works of art, which is a plus for some consumers. There are many alternatives to plastic straws currently on the market. While each one has its benefits and drawbacks, any of them would be a better choice than harmful plastic. On the other hand, going straw-less would be even better! How does the author's choice of words or phrases influence what the reader thinks about the topic in the article? The author uses phrases like "same benefits," "some drawbacks," and "many alternatives" to show while there are still positives and negatives to the alternatives, they are still better than plastic. The author uses phrases like "unique designs," "easily mass-produced," and "stronger than natural products" to show that plastic straws have many benefits compared to other materials. The author uses words like "drawbacks," "unlike," and "harmful" to create a negative feeling about the alternatives to making plastic straws, showing plastic is still the better option. The author uses words like "metal," "glass," "plastic," and "bamboo" to show the reader there is hope towards finding the best materials to use when producing straws.

If "geo-” means "relating to the Earth,” which word means "the scientific study of the Earth”?

geologist
geoid
geological
geology

Read the excerpt from the NASA article called "July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap for Mankind."

Armstrong and Aldrin blast off and dock with Collins in Columbia. Collins later says that "for the first time," he "really felt that we were going to carry this thing off."

How does this quotation help the reader understand Michael Collins as he is described in The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon?

A.It shows that he believed that the mission had not been accomplished because the wrong people had been involved.

B.It shows that although he did not land on the moon, he was invested in the mission’s success.

C.It shows that he believed that the mission would be accomplished because he was a major part of it.

D.It shows that he believed the mission would have been more successful if he had been in a different role.

Use the following words in a sentence.

-Alpha (simple sentence)

-Articulate (compound sentence)

-Momentum (complex sentence)

What kinds of sources are considered reliable for answering research questions about a scientific topic?

Which statement best describes one way that the account in The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon is different from Team Moon?

The first focuses on Neil Armstrong’s experience; the second focuses on what happened in the control room.
The first focuses on everyone involved in the landing; the second focuses on just Michael Collins’s experience.
The first focuses on Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin; the second focuses on Michael Collins’s experience.
The first focuses on Michael Collins’s experience; the second focuses on everyone involved in the landing.