Meeting the Green Neighbors

Reading Read the selection and answer each question. Meeting the Green Neighbors 1 2 3 4 5 6 “Please do me the courtesy of removing your bicycle,” said a deep voice. Mira looked around but saw no one. She was unlocking her bicycle from a pine tree in the park and getting ready to head home. She always left her bicycle there, and no one had ever complained. “The bicycle scratches my bark,” the voice said. “My bark?” thought Mira. “I don’t think that little bike marks your bark,” said another higher and sharper voice on Mira’s left. “You’ve been there for two hundred years; you can handle a little girl’s bicycle. And as you know, we have more important concerns.” “Is someone in the tree?” asked Mira, peering up through the pine’s branches. Just then, Mira’s mother arrived at the park with her own bicycle and asked who she was speaking to. “The tree, I think,” Mira said hesitantly, turning to where a tall maple tree with reddish leaves stood. 7 Mira’s mother smiled; she was used to her daughter’s wild imagination. 8 “We always speak, but you don’t listen,” moaned the pine. Mira’s mother gasped, the wind blew, and it sounded as if the pine and the maple sighed together. 9 Mira and her mother looked from the pine to the maple and back, as if this would help make sense of things. 10 “Why are you talking to us?” Mira’s mother asked the maple, trying to appear braver than she felt. 11 “I’ll provide my life story some other time,” said the maple. “We don’t have time for my autobiography. We have an important problem we need to solve. You know, of course, about the new car parts store.” 12 Mira and her mother looked at each other and slowly shook their heads. Again, the pine and the maple sighed, and this time the tall native grasses joined in. 13 The maple tree extended a branch toward the street corner, where there were a construction truck and other earth-moving equipment that Mira and her mother had not noticed. 14 The maple continued, saying, “Tomorrow, that construction truck will come to life and destroy all of us: the park, the grass, the pond, and yes, the trees. We’re speaking to you because we’ve seen you here, almost every weekend, and we know this park is almost as important to you as it is to us. We need your help.” 15 The shy weeping willow tree that shaded the corner found his voice. “If you don’t mind,” he said in a sad whisper, “please, could you be our voice and talk to the people in the mayor’s office?” 16 Mira looked at her mother, who nodded her head. “Yes—I know just who to speak with.” 17 Mira and her mother pedaled off with new purpose. At City Hall, they were quickly shown to the office of the mayor’s assistant—Mira’s aunt. She listened carefully, asked a few questions, and then smiled warmly and walked them toward the door. “It will take time, and we may not succeed,” she said, “but I know that the mayor will at least listen.” 18 In the morning, Mira and her mother pedaled back to the park. “Good morning!” Mira said to the trees. She expected to hear a grand hello, but today the trees were silent, and the grass blew in the wind without a sound. However, where the construction truck once stood, an ice cream truck had appeared, and the air was filled with the laughs and calls of the children who stood by it. “Why did the trees stop talking, Mom?” Mira asked. 19 20 “Well, perhaps for now they have said all that they needed to say,” said her mother. “Now, we must listen to them with our eyes.” They stood together for a moment and watched the tree branches and grasses waving happily in the light breeze and warm sunshine. Mira knew she would always listen more closely to the green neighbors in the world around them. 1 Read the sentence from paragraph 1. “Please do me the courtesy of removing your bicycle,” said a deep voice. What is the meaning of courtesy as it is used above? A kindness B correction C advantage D intelligence 2 Read the sentences from paragraph 11. “I’ll provide my life story some other time,” said the maple. “We don’t have time for my autobiography.” Think about the Greek prefix auto- and the Greek root bio. What is the meaning of autobiography above? 3 A someone’s reason for doing something B examples of someone’s own beliefs C a book about a historical event D the story of someone’s own life What do the trees ask Mira and her mother to do? Select TWO correct answers. 4 A to be the voice of the trees B to ask the mayor to get more bike racks C to replace the construction truck with an ice cream truck D to listen with their eyes E to help save the park How does the author create a different personality for each of the trees? Use details from the story to support your answer. 5 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A What is the most likely result of Mira and her mother’s meeting with the mayor’s assistant? A The mayor has offered to create another park. B The mayor has stopped the building in the park. C The mayor has delayed the planting of new trees at the park. D The mayor has decided to allow the store to be built in the park. Part B Which sentence from the story best supports the correct answer to Part A? 6 7 A “Tomorrow, that construction truck will come to life and destroy all of us: the park, the grass, the pond, and yes, the trees.” (paragraph 14) B However, where the construction truck once stood, an ice cream truck had appeared, and the air was filled with the laughs and calls of the children who stood by it. (paragraph 18) C “Why did the trees stop talking, Mom?” Mira asked. (paragraph 19) D “ Well, perhaps for now they have said all that they needed to say,” said her mother. (paragraph 20) How do Mira and her mother change in the story? A They learn a new language. B They spend more time outside. C They pay more attention to their surroundings. D They become worried about meeting their neighbors. What is the author’s purpose in writing this story? A to show readers how to talk to trees B to entertain readers with a story about talking trees C to inform readers about how the government works D to persuade readers to talk to the mayors of their towns