Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. What is the first paragraph mostly about?
A 
where auroras occur
B 
a description of auroras
C 
the effects of auroras
D 
what causes auroras
 2. People on Earth see auroras because of 
.
A 
activity within the sun
B 
interactions in Earth’s atmosphere
C 
changes in weather patterns on Earth
D 
power grids on Earth
 3. An 
aurora australis
 is different from an 
aurora 
borealis
 because an 
aurora australis
 
.
A 
occurs in Earth’s magnetic field
B 
is visible in the Southern Hemisphere
C 
can be seen as far south as Cuba
D 
does not happen as often
 4. Auroras can be problematic because they
can 
.
A 
affect people’s vision
B 
decrease the sun’s warmth
C 
send gas clouds to Earth
D 
damage satellites
STRATEGY PRACTICE
On a separate sheet of paper, sketch what you think an aurora would look like.
3458.indb 48
10/31/12 7:34 AM

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© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3458 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
49
Name: 
WEEK 7
DAY 3
Sequence
READ THE PASSAGE
As you read the passage, think about the sequence of events.
Turtle Landing
Finally, the night Melina had been waiting for had arrived. Melina and her mother had endured a long 
journey to Costa Rica. Once they were there, Melina had to sit—impatiently—through what seemed like a 
ridiculously long drive to Ostional Beach. Once they were in the right place, Melina and her mother waited 
for nightfall. It had been a long journey, but now it was all about to pay off. 
As Melina sat smacking at mosquitoes on the damp sand, she heard her mother gasp, “Look!” In the 
dark water of the sea were dozens, then hundreds, of enormous female sea turtles. As Melina and her 
mother watched in wonder, the determined sea turtles dragged their heavy bodies out of the water and up 
onto the beach. It was the 
arribada
—Spanish for “the arrival.”
The only sounds that could be heard throughout the night were the rushing of water and the scraping 
of flippers on sand. The single-minded sea turtles struggled over the high-tide line to places where their 
eggs would be safe. With their large flippers, each turtle dug down, sending the dark, wet sand flying as 
they created nests. For hours the turtles continued to arrive, deposit their eggs—sometimes a hundred at 
a time—and then waddle slowly back into the water to swim away.
“Wow,” Melina said in a low voice as the first rays of the sun appeared over the horizon. “That was 
incredible!” She wished she could be there six weeks later, when the thousands of baby sea turtles would 
hatch and make their mad dashes to the sea. It would be a race to see which ones would survive—
vultures and other predators would be waiting patiently for the baby turtles on the sand. The lucky ones 
would make it past the hurdles and into the ocean, and the process would start all over again.