Tuesday 10-25-11

Activity 2

Read the following letters to the editor that were published in the Miami Herald and answer the questions:

Letter 1

       For the sake of safety, the Miami-Dade County School Board should implement a rule requiring all students to wear uniforms. Faculty, administrators, and students must have the confidence to know that those in and around their schools belong there.

   Safety and security must take precedence. This decision should no longer be left up to the parents on a school-by-school basis. It is time for the board to act without spending endless hours debating this critical issue.

-ELLEN ABRAMSON, North Miami

1.      How does the author persuade readers that all students must wear uniforms?

a) She talks about how young students sometimes do not know who their

     teachers are.

b) She uses facts and statistics.

c) She accuses school administrators of not doing enough to protect students.

d) She states that student safety and security must come first.

2.      How does the author feel about the current system for     

     deciding whether or not students wear uniforms?

a) The author thinks that the current system should be eliminated.

b) The author thinks that the current system should be maintained.

c) The author doesn’t state her opinion about the current system.

d) The author thinks parents should vote on a new system.

3.  With which statement would the author most likely agree

     with?

a) The Miami-Dade School Board should leave it up to parents to decide if their   

     children wear uniforms.

b) Students should be free to decide what to wear to school.

c) The Miami-Dade School Board should implement a rule requiring all students

     to wear uniforms.

d) Only elementary school students should be required to wear uniforms.

Letter 2

  Reptiles may sound like trendy pets, but buyers should beware. Reptiles require specialized care. Many die in their first year of captivity, and they carry salmonella bacteria that can cause life-threatening complications.

  The health risks are so great that selling small turtles (with shells less than four inches long) is illegal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping reptiles out of homes with children under 5, pregnant women, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems.

  People get reptiles when the animals are small. But when they grow, they can quickly outgrow their tanks and their welcome. Some Florida communities are overrun with iguanas, pythons and monitor lizards that escaped or were released. These animals can crowd out native wildlife and endanger pets and people.

  In the interest of public health and safety, animal welfare and the environment, The Humane Society of the United States recommends against getting reptiles as pets.

-BETH PREISS, director, exotic-pets campaign, Humane Society of the United States, Gaithersburg. Md.

4.  Which statement best supports the idea that reptiles are a

     health risk?

a) Reptiles require specialized care.

b) Reptiles carry salmonella bacteria that can cause life-threatening

     complications.

c) Many reptiles die in their first year of captivity.

d) People get reptiles when the animals are small.

5. How does the author persuade the reader that reptiles are not

    good pets?

a) The author talks about the health risks, the safety issues, and the

     environmental problems that owning a reptile can cause.

b) The author appeals to the reader’s emotions.

c) The author quotes other authors.

d) The author relates a personal story to prove her point.