READING INTERVENTION FOR GRADE 9
OBJECTIVE: To develop students’ reading comprehension skills by reading selections and
answering comprehension questions.
Selection #1
ADDERALL ABUSE
Adderall is a drug originally developed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and
narcolepsy. Though it
has only been around since 1996, prescriptions for it have tripled in the past twenty years, largely
because it has become a popular drug for college students who use it as a study aid, because it keeps
them awake and alert longer than they might be otherwise. Though most college students who use
Adderall consider if fairly harmless, it is in fact a DEA Schedule II substance, which means it has a
“high potential for abuse,” can “lead to severe psychological or physical dependence” and is considered
“dangerous.” High Times, a publication that has advocated for he legalization of cannabis since 1974,
calls Adderall, “America’s Favorite Amphetamine.”
Adderall abuse if disturbingly widespread. According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of
American College Health, 2/3 of college students have been offered Adderall and other prescription
stimulants by the time they reach their senior year.
Though many obtain the drug from friends, some go as far as faking the symptoms of ADHD in order
to be prescribed the drug by a doctor, a tactic that is more likely to be taken by long-term, habitual
users.
Between 2005 and 2010, emergency room visits related to non-medical use of ADHD tripled, from
5,212 to 15,585 visits. A common issue was students who had taken Adderall in combination with other
drugs or with alcohol. Adderall is a stimulant, meaning it keeps you awake, and many students have
reported using Adderall as a way to prolong their ability “to party.” According to a report by Indiana
doctor Ron Holmes, drinking alcohol while on Adderall “can lead to psychological issues such as
paranoia, anxiety, and severe depression. Physically, it can cause nausea, vomiting, weight loss, heart
palpitations, and headaches.” Those who mix Adderall and alcohol over a long period of time can
expect “convulsions, arrhythmias, fevers, malnutrition, tremors, and muscle twitching.” Even
occasional use of Adderall with alcohol can cause heart problems.
1. What is Adderall?
2. Explain why college students are abusing Adderall.
3. What kind of drug is Adderall?
4. What are the dangers of mixing Adderall and alcohol?
Selection #2
DISAPPOINTMENT
The days do wear us down;
Not in strength and energy, though they do― But
in ambition.
There comes a day when each of us must face
That we can’t―and
won’t―have Everything we
want Because we want it.
The world is not a fruit
Soft, ripe, and waiting for us to pluck it;
Or it is―
But just as often it is hard as stone
Immature, unyielding;
Or else past ripe
Flavorless and rotting.
Timing is everything
In harvest and in life―
And disappointment rife.
1. What does the speaker mean by saying that the days wear us down in ambition?
2. What stage of life do you think that the speaker is in? Why?
3. Why do you think that the speaker uses fruit and harvest as symbols for disappointment?
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