These are pages 619-627 from the yellow textbook. Use this to complete the assignment.
Page 619
Preparing to Read
Tilting at Windmills: The Search for Alternative Energy Sources /
Saving the Earth: Teens Fish for Answers
Reading Focus
Cause and Effect You know from experience that one thing leads to another. If you sleep through your alarm,
you know you’ll be late for school. Sleeping through your alarm is a cause— it makes something happen.
An effect is what happens as a result of some event—you’re late for school.
When you read a text and ask yourself, “Why did this happen?” and “What happened because of this?” you
are asking about causes and effects.
Writing Focus
Preparing for Constructed Response Writers of cause-and-effect articles often use transitions to show how
one idea is connected to another. Some transition terms that help the reader follow the cause-and-effect
pattern are after, as a result, because, consequently, so, then, therefore, and since. As you read the articles
that follow, make a list of all the transitions you find.
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Page 620
Read with a Purpose Read this selection to learn about using wind power to generate electricity.
Tilting at Windmills: The Search for Alternative Energy Sources
by World Almanac
When you turn on a light, a television, or a computer, you probably don’t give much thought to how the
electricity powering those devices got there. But fuel was used to create that electrical charge. And chances
are, it was a fossil fuel, gotten from decaying plants and animals.
Over millions of years, dead plants and animals get buried and then turn into substances like coal, oil, and
natural gas. These products are found in underground deposits that are mined by energy companies. Fossil
fuels are natural, in a sense, but using them can create some nasty by-products. Coal and the like are burned
to release their energy, and the burning fuel releases harmful substances called emissions into the
atmosphere.
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Page 621
In addition to the problem of causing pollution, fossil fuels are also running out. There is a limited supply
of fossil fuel in the ground, and because it takes millions of years to form, it is considered a nonrenewable
energy source. So power companies are increasingly turning to an alternative source of energy: the wind.
“Strong growth figures in the U.S. prove that wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation,” said
Randy Swisher. He is president of the American Wind Energy Association.
Page 621 continued
AS OLD AS THE WIND
Wind is the fastest-growing source of renewable energy, according to the United States Department of
Energy. A renewable power source, such as wind or solar power, does not depend on a limited fuel supply.
Wind is freely available and is used to generate power in more than thirty states. It keeps more than two million
households running.
People first used wind to generate power around five thousand years ago. They used it to propel sailboats
up and down the Nile River. Sometime between a.d. 500 and a.d. 900, the Persians realized that wind could be
used to turn a wheel. They attached several sails to a central axle, and the windmill was born.
Early windmills were used to pump water and grind grain, and many are still used for these tasks today. In
the Netherlands, flooding is common, and farmers often need to move large amounts of water. Windmills are a
workable solution. Because they are part of everyday life in the Netherlands, people have tried to make these
hardworking machines attractive. The country has become famous for its beautiful windmills, which dot the
landscape.
RUNNING WITH THE WIND
The most widespread use of modern windmills is for creating electricity. Generating electricity requires a
turbine, which is a kind of engine. Steam, water, air, or some other force turns a wheel or a set of wheels, which
turns a shaft. This shaft usually turns a generator, which produces electricity.
Beginning in the 1920s, wind was used in a limited way to generate electricity in rural areas of the United
States. Then came the energy crisis of the 1970s. Around the world, there were shortages of oil. The cost of
fossil fuels soared. Because of these difficulties, interest in generating power from wind on a large scale grew.
Giant “wind farms” were built in remote areas, where wind sweeps across the landscape. Other wind farms
were built offshore, to capture sea breezes.
Page 622
“As security of energy supply and climate change are ranging high on the political agendas of the world’s
governments, wind energy has already become a mainstream energy source in many countries around the
world,” said Arthouros Zervos. He is the chairman of the Global Wind Energy Council. “Wind energy is clean
and fuel-free, which makes it the most attractive solution to the world’s energy challenges.”
Page 622 continued
Two gigantic wind farms are located off the coast of Denmark. Wind supplies 20 percent of Denmark’s power.
The United States ranks third, behind Germany and Spain, in the amount of power it generates from the wind.
FACING THE WIND
Wind farms are quite a sight. A typical power-generating windmill is
enormous. It is around twenty stories tall, and the diameter of its blades is
about 200 feet across. The taller the windmill and the longer its blades, the
more wind it can capture.
But giant wind farms are not always welcome. Some groups complain
that wind farms spoil the landscape—or seascape. The construction of a
wind farm planned for an area near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has been
delayed because many people say it will ruin their view of the Atlantic
Ocean. Large windmills can also be harmful to birds and other wildlife. And
because wind is not constant, other power sources must be used when the
wind is not blowing.
Government programs, however, especially in the United States and
Europe, are encouraging the use of wind power as an alternative to fossil
fuels. This ancient technology can help us meet our energy needs without
using up our natural resources and polluting the atmosphere.
Page 623
Informational Text and Vocabulary
1. This article suggests that all of the following might have caused the
rise of wind power except—
A. the need to generate electricity in remote places
B. the desire to generate energy without causing pollution
C. the attempt to conserve our supply of fossil fuels
D. the desire to create beautiful windmills
2. What caused many people to become interested in using wind power as a resource?
A. Energy crisis of the 1970s
B. Beauty of the Dutch windmills
C. View of the ocean from Cape Cod
D. Desire to fill unused land
3. Why can’t people rely on wind power alone to satisfy their energy needs?
A. Wind is a renewable resource.
B. Large windmills are dangers to birds.
C. Wind does not always blow.
D. Wind farms exist around the country.
Page 623 continued
4. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
of the following sentences contains a cause and an effect?
Burning coal or oil releases its energy.
Solar power does not depend on a limited fuel supply.
The Persians attached sails to a central axle.
Fossil fuels take millions of years to form.
5. According to the article, which of the following is a major effect of burning fossil fuels?
A. Creation of a secure energy supply
B. Capture of the energy in sea breezes
C. Provision of power to two million households
D. Release of harmful substances into the air
6. Another word for renewable is —
A. clean
B. replaceable
C. sufficient
D. decaying
7. An antonym (opposite word) for shortages is —
A. excesses
B. supplies
C. growths
D. insufficiencies
Page 624
Read with a Purpose Read this article to discover how some teens help protect the environment.
Saving the Earth: Teens Fish for Answers
Karoline Evin McMullen was in seventh grade when she and a friend started wondering how pollution was
affecting their area. They had witnessed a building boom in their native Ohio, in which chain stores and
restaurants replaced farmland. They also noticed a decrease in the population of the Ohio brook trout, which
lives in the area’s Chagrin River.
“I was inspired to start my conservation work by the habitat destruction going on in my area,” says
McMullen, now 16. The girls tested the water in local streams and compared their findings with older data. It
was clear that water quality was suffering.
The girls started the group Save Our Stream, which educates people about environmental hazards and
repairs the trout’s habitat. They received thousands of dollars in grants and designed outdoor educational trails.
They wrote a book about brook trout and created a pamphlet and a Web site. And they gave presentations to
thousands of students and teachers and reached millions more through an educational TV network.
McMullen says the results of their efforts are measurable. “Eighty percent of people I polled didn’t know
Page 624 continued
there was a native brook trout, let alone that it belonged in their own backyard,” she says about the group’s
start. But in polls of people given training, “100 percent were doing things they had been told to do.”
WATER WAYS
Save Our Stream publicizes the need for natural buffers against water runoff. The group encourages
people to plant trees and allow grass to grow high along stream banks. That “helps filter off pollution” before the
water enters the stream, says McMullen.
Page 625
The group encourages washing cars on lawns instead of on concrete, so soap and dirt do not go directly
into storm drains. They advertise the importance of picking up pet waste and flushing or throwing it away, so the
waste does not go straight into streams.
The teens were awarded the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes in 2006. But McMullen says her
greatest rewards were built into her work. “It has had a sort of profound effect on the way I see myself and what
I want to do with my future,” she says. “Through this program, I’ve been enlightened about conservation. I want
to pursue higher education and help governments find a solution for people and the world they live in.”
HEED THE CALL
The environment is a big issue, and teens have heard the call. They’re getting their hands dirty in
outdoor conservation projects and organizing community forces. In Mount Rainier National Park in Washington
State, students restore trails and campgrounds. Farther north, the group Alaska Youth for Environmental Action
spreads the word about global warming.
You can start working to help the environment now: Join an ecology club, and if there isn’t one, start
your own. Make sure your school recycles paper. Turn off lights. Plant trees. Volunteer in your local park
system. Plant native species. Most of all, know that you can make a difference.
Page 626
Informational Text and Vocabulary
1. This article suggests that all of the following might have caused the decline in the trout
population except the —
A. destruction of farmland
B. washing of cars on cement
C. pollution caused by pet waste
D. tall grasses planted near streams
2. What caused McMullen to become interested in her local environment?
A. Creating her Web site for a science project
B. Seeing pollution in a local stream
C. Designing educational outdoor trails
D. Noticing a decrease in native trout
3. According to the article, which of the following is a major effect of the Save Our Stream organization?
A. Native trout are plentiful again.
B. People who received training have changed their habits.
C. Students have restored trails and campgrounds in Washington.
D. The media has spread the word about global warming.
Page 626 continued
4. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
of the following sentences contains a cause and an effect?
Soapy, dirty water can enter storm drains.
Trees and grass help filter pollutants.
The environment is a hot topic.
Conserve water when showering and washing your hands.
5. Another word for habitat is —
A. waterway
B. surroundings
C. farmland
D. population
6. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
of the following means the same as hazards?
Polls
Pollution
Pet waste
Threats
7. A profound truth is —
A. meaningful
B. renewable
C. common
D. differing
Writing Focus Think as a Reader/Writer
Use It in Your Writing Look back at the list of transition words you noted in these articles. Then, write a
cause-and-effect paragraph about getting dressed in the morning using the transition words.