The Galapagos Islands are in the Pacific Ocean, off the western coast of South America.
They are a rocky, lonely spot, but they are also one of the most unusual places in the world. One reason is
that they are the home of some of the last giant tortoises left on earth. Weighing hundreds of pounds,
these tortoises, or land turtles, wander slowly around the rocks and sand of the islands. Strangely, each of
these islands has its own particular kinds of tortoises. There are seven different kinds of tortoises on the
eight islands, each kind being slightly different from the other. Hundreds of years ago, thousands of
tortoises wandered around these islands. However, all that changed when people started landing there.
When people first arrived in 1535, their ships had no refrigerators. This meant that fresh food was always
a problem for the sailors on board.
The giant tortoises provided a solution to this problem. Ships would anchor off the islands, and crews
would row ashore and seize as many tortoises as they could. Once the animals were aboard the ship, the
sailors would roll the tortoises onto their backs. The tortoises were completely helpless once on their
backs, so they could only lie there until used for soups and stews. Almost 100,000 tortoises were carried
off in this way. The tortoises faced other problems, too. Soon after the first ships, settlers arrived bringing
pigs, goats, donkeys, dogs and cats. All of these animals ruined life for the tortoises.
Donkey and goats ate all the plants that the tortoises usually fed on, while the pigs. Dogs and cats
consumed thousands of baby tortoises each year. Within a few years, it was hard to find any tortoise
eggs-or even any baby tortoises. By the early 1900s, people began to worry that the last of the tortoises
would soon die out. No one, however, seemed to care enough to do anything about the problem. More
and more tortoises disappeared, even though sailors no longer needed them for food. For another fifty
years, this situation continued. Finally, in the 1950s, scientist decided that something must be done. The
first part of their plan was to get rid of as many cats, dogs and other animals as they could.
Next, they tried to make sure that more baby tortoises would be born. To do this, they started looking for
wild tortoise eggs. They gathered the eggs and put them in safe containers. When the eggs hatched, the
scientists raised the tortoises in special pens. Both the eggs and tortoises were numbered so that the
scientists knew exactly which kinds of tortoises they had-and which island they came from. Once the
tortoises were old enough and big enough to take care of themselves, the scientists took them back to
their islands and set them loose. This slow, hard work continues today, and, thanks to it, the number of
tortoises is now increasing every year.
What happened soon after people brought animals to the islands?

• A. The tortoises fought with the other animals.
• B. The tortoises continued to wander freely.
• C. Scientists took away as many animals as they could.
• D. The animals ate the tortoises' food and eggs.
• E. Tortoise eggs were kept in safe containers.

RANCOR:

• A. impartiality
• B. happiness
• C. tranquility
• D. affection
• E. humor

In 1892 the Sierra Club was formed. In 1908 an area of coastal redwood trees north of San Francisco was
established as Muir Woods National Monument. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, a walking trail from
Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney was dedicated in 1938. It is called John Muir Trail. John Muir was born
in 1838 in Scotland. His family name means "moor," which is a meadow full of flowers and animals. John
loved nature from the time he was small. He also liked to climb rocky cliffs and walls. When John was
eleven, his family moved to the United States and settled in Wisconsin. John was good with tools and
soon became an inventor. He first invented a model of a sawmill. Later he invented an alarm clock that
would cause the sleeping person to be tipped out of bed when the timer sounded. Muir left home at an
early age. He took a thousand-mile walk south to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867and 1868. Then he sailed for
San Francisco. The city was too noisy and crowded for Muir, so he headed inland for the Sierra Nevadas.
When Muir discovered the Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevadas, it was as if he had come home. He
loved the mountains, the wildlife, and the trees. He climbed the mountains and even climbed trees during
thunderstorms in order to get closer to the wind. He put forth the theory in the late 1860's that the
Yosemite Valley had been formed through the action of glaciers. People ridiculed him. Not until 1930 was
Muir's theory proven correct. Muir began to write articles about the Yosemite Valley to tell readers about
its beauty. His writing also warned people that Yosemite was in danger from timber mining and sheep
ranching interests. In 1901 Theodore Roosevelt became president of the United States.
He was interested in conservation. Muir took the president through Yosemite, and Roosevelt helped get
legislation passed to create Yosemite National Park in 1906.
Although Muir won many conservation battles, he lost a major one. He fought to save the Hetch Valley,
which people wanted to dam in order to provide water for San Francisco.
In the late 1913 a bill was signed to dam the valley. Muir died in 1914. Some people say losing the fight to
protect the valley killed Muir.
What happened first?

• A. The Muir family moved to the United States.
• B. John Muir learned to climb rocky cliffs.
• C. John Muir walked to the Gulf of Mexico
• D. Muir Woods was created.
• E. Muir visited along the east coast.

The victory of the small Greek democracy of Athens over the mighty Persian empire in 490 B. C. is one of
the most famous events in history. Darius, king of the Persian empire, was furious because Athens had
interceded for the other Greek city-states in revolt against Persian domination. In anger the king sent an
enormous army to defeat Athens.
He thought it would take drastic steps to pacify the rebellious part of the empire. Persia was ruled by one
man. In Athens, however, all citizens helped to rule. Ennobled by this participation, Athenians were
prepared to die for their city-state. Perhaps this was the secret of the remarkable victory at Marathon,
which freed them from Persian rule. On their way to Marathon, the Persians tried to fool some Greek
city-states by claiming to have come in peace. The frightened citizens of Delos refused to believe this. Not
wanting to abet the conquest of Greece, they fled from their city and did not return until the Persians had
left. They were wise, for the Persians next conquered the city of Etria and captured its people. Tiny
Athens stood alone against PersiA. The Athenian people went to their sanctuaries. There they prayed for
deliverance. They asked their gods to expedite their victory. The Athenians refurbished their weapons and
moved to the plain of Marathon, where their little band would meet the Persians. At the last moment,
soldiers from Plataea reinforced the Athenian troops. The Athenian army attacked, and Greek citizens
fought bravely. The power of the mighty Persians was offset by the love that the Athenians had for their
city. Athenians defeated the Persians in archery and hand combat.
Greek soldiers seized Persian ships and burned them, and the Persians fled in terror.
Herodotus, a famous historian, reports that 6400 Persians died, compared with only 192 Athenians.
Their participation___to the Athenians.

• A. gave honor
• B. gave strength
• C. gave hope
• D. gave fear
• E. gave comfort

COG : WATCH ::

• A. screen : television
• B. lawyer : jury
• C. manager : bureaucracy
• D. seasoning : recipe
• E. fish : school