Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. Most future bat deaths from white-nose syndrome 
will probably occur in 
.
A 
spring
B 
summer
C 
fall
D 
winter
 2. If too many bats die, what will probably happen to 
crops and forests?
A 
The disease will spread to farms and forests.
B 
Bats will leave the caves to hibernate in forests.
C 
Harmful insects will destroy plants and trees.
D 
Bats will eat crops to prevent starvation.
 3. What will most likely happen if a cure is
not found?
A 
The fungus will spread to more states.
B 
The fungus will run its course and disappear.
C 
More types of fungus will start to kill bats.
D 
Bats will learn to live with the fungus.
 4. What will Congress most likely do in the future?
A 
decide bats do not have a right to be protected
B 
declare bat caves disaster areas 
C 
approve more funding for bat disease research
D 
give vaccines to Southeast and Midwest bats
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Write a question that can be answered with information from the text.
Ask a partner to answer it.
 
Prediction
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10/31/12 7:35 AM

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110
Daily Reading Comprehension • EMC 3458 • © Evan-Moor Corp.
Name: 
WEEK 17
DAY 4
READ THE PASSAGE
Pause briefly after each paragraph to predict what you will learn next.
The Benefits of Meditation
You might say there are as many types of meditation as there are types of people who practice it. 
You do not need to sit cross-legged on a lonely mountaintop to practice meditation. Anyone anywhere can 
meditate—and benefit from it. The most familiar type of meditation involves sitting quietly and focusing on 
something specific, such as breathing, a word, an image, or a tone. The goal of meditation is to learn to 
focus one’s attention while in a state of relaxation. Another way to think of it is to be awake and alert without 
engaging in thoughts, actions, or emotions. Meditation is not turning off the contents of your mind; it is more 
like learning how to release them. Meditation helps you get rid of mental clutter. 
As people get more practiced at meditation, they learn to let go of thoughts and emotions that bring
on stress. Scientists studying the brains of people who meditate have discovered that they have more 
alpha-wave activity. Alpha waves are produced by a relaxed, unstressed brain. Research has also found 
that many health benefits come with meditation. Meditation affects the part of the brain that controls 
automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, and digestion. These functions are all affected by stress. 
When that part of the brain is calmed by meditation, symptoms of stress, such as changes in heartbeat, 
shallow breathing, and digestive difficulties, are reduced. Studies have shown that meditation can actually 
reverse heart disease, boost the immune system, and reduce pain. 
People who regularly meditate report that they understand themselves better and have become 
more accepting of themselves. With regular practice, people find it easier and easier to detach from 
thoughts and feelings that produce anger, stress, worry, and fear. For many, the result is enhanced feelings 
of compassion and better connections to others and themselves.