53. What did Julien really want Caitlin to see in the fourth mail?

   A. The setting sun.                        B. Colors of a sunset.

   C. A colorful butterfly.                   D. A new submarine.

52.   What does the underlined word “oozing” probably mean?

   A. moving               B. jumping            C. swimming         D. flying

51. The writer’s main purpose for writing this article was to _______.

   A. advise kids not to try out for a school team

   B. tell about exciting moments on sports fields

   C. make people believe all kids should play team sports

   D. share his opinions of playing team sports with readers

C

   Ever since we became pen pals, Julien has sent me strange things. Once, she sent her sneeze in a jar. (“I have a cold, can you tell?” she wrote.) Then she sent her fingerprint. (“So you’ll recognize me in a crowd.”)

   Julien sent me breakfast, all right: cornflakes. Soggy, milky, grainy, crumbly, limp cornflakes scraped from the bottom of her cereal bowl. I lost my appetite, but I read the letter.

Dear Caitlin,

These cornflakes were so nutritious that I wanted to share this high-fiber, low-sodium, just-three-calories, balanced breakfast with you.

Enjoy,

Julien

P.S. Next week I’m sending you a sunset.

   “She’s mistaken,” I told my mom. “No one can send a sunset, not even Julien. It’s impossible.”

   “I don’t know,” Mom said. “Julien might find a way. After all, she did send you her sneeze.”

   A week later I checked the mail and found a box with air holes and the words “FRAGILE―THIS SIDE UP” printed in bold black letters on the top. It was from Julien.

I stroked the box with my fingers. It was perfectly dry. I smelled it. It didn’t smell. I held my breath and started opening the package. What if sunbeams spring out and hit me in the face like those fake snakes in a can; I thought?

   My hands shook as I lifted the last flap and peeked inside. Where in the world was the sunset? All I could find was a letter and a twisty, gray, papery shell. It looked like a submarine. I read the letter.

Dear Caitlin,

The sunsets at my house are so beautiful that I had to give you a piece. I counted at least five different colors in one yesterday. Can you find more?

Hugs and smoochies,

Julien

   I looked again at the gray shell. That’s no sunset, I thought. “You must mean the submarines at your house, Julien,” I said. Without reading the postscript, I laid the letter and the submarine on the kitchen table. Then I left the room to find a pen so that I could cross out “sunset” and write “submarine” above it.

   When I returned, I stared in shock at the submarine. A creature was oozing out of it! Was it a sea monster? I looked closer. It was a winged creature…an insect…a butterfly. An orange, blue, purple, red, and gold butterfly. It looked like…a sunset!

   While the sunset opened and closed its wings to dry them, I read Julien’s postscript. It said, “P.S. Next week I’m sending you Japan.”

50. Which of the following is NOT true according to the fourth paragraph?

   A. Sports bring kids and parents together.

   B. Sports build friendships among teammates.

   C. Sports help kids feel good about themselves.

   D. Sports are fun and make students study better.

49. The writer believes that tryouts are _______.

   A. fun                     B. hard           C. useful             D. unfair

48. How many kinds of sports has the writer played in the three years at school?

   A. Two.                         B. Three.               C. Four.                D. Five.

47. Ms. Martin really needs a ________.

   A. tutor              B. musician                     C.  cleaner                  D. dancer

B

Let Everybody Play

   I am an eighth-grade student at Central Middle School. In my three years at the school, I have played soccer, basketball, and baseball. I love sports and really enjoy being part of a team. Playing on our school sports teams has been the best part of middle school for me. I know I’m lucky that I’ve had this opportunity.

   Some kids have not been so lucky. In fact, many kids who love sports don’t have the chance to play on a school team. That’s because, to make a team, you have to try out. The idea is that kids who are good at sports will do well in tryouts and make the team. But what about the kids who don’t do well during tryouts? Maybe they are ill that day, or nervous, or are just having a bad day, so they don’t play their best. They don’t make the team, and that is too bad.

Also, there are kids who really don’t have the skills to play well. They never make a team, and that isn’t fair either. How will kids ever learn the skills if they don’t have a chance to play? Remember, this is school and students are here to learn. All kids should have the chance to learn sports skills and teamwork by playing on a school sports team.

   There are other reasons why every student should have the chance to play sports. Sports are important for good health and fitness. They help kids feel good about themselves and their school. They build friendships among teammates. Coaches are good role models, and students who play team sports learn good sportsmanship. And, most important, team sports are fun! Players have fun playing, and their parents have fun watching and cheering for the team. So, sports bring kids and parents together, too.

   By now you know how I feel. Every kid who wants to play on a school sports team should have the chance. These teams are for fun and fitness―they’re not professional teams! Let’s change the rules for making a team. Let’s get rid of tryouts. Let’s give every student at Central Middle School the chance to wear a team uniform.

46. People who like dancing can come at ________.

   A. 7:45 pm           B. 2:00 pm               C. 12:15 pm            D. 11:45 am

45. If you want to be a tutor, you can call _______.

   A. 293-7742                 B. 555-3721          C. 667-8973           D. 556-3826