NAME: ________________________________DATE: _______________ SCORE: _____/20

Week 1 – Reading Homework

Surviving the Sahara

The Marathon des Sables is a seven-day, 149-mile (240 kilometer) ultramarathon and a
testament to the human ability to endure. It is equivalent to 5 1/2 regular marathons, and
what makes it even tougher is that it is held in the deathly hot, 120-degree (Fahrenheit)
Moroccan desert. It is considered to be not only the world's most difficult foot race, but also
one of the most grueling athletic tests on Earth. As tough as it is for all of its participants, it
was the toughest on Mauro Prosperi, an Italian police officer who lost his way in a sandstorm
during the 1994 race.

Mauro Prosperi is an Olympic gold medal-winning pentathlete and an enthusiastic endurance

runner. The Marathon des Sables appealed to his sense of personal challenge and
competition. The race started out well enough, but on the third day of the race, there was a
fierce sandstorm. Prosperi became completely disoriented, but he didn't want to stop the race,
and continued to run. Unfortunately, he started running in the wrong direction, and he kept
running further and further from the race route.

Competitors in the race must carry all their personal belongings and food for the race in their
own rucksack. Organizers of the race provide water (9 liters a day) at various points in the
race, and tents for runners to sleep in at night. When Prosperi became lost, he had only one-
days’ worth of dried food and a few gulps of water with him; he also had no shelter to
protect him from the blazing sun. After 36 hours, his food supplies ran out. To combat
starvation and thirst, caught and ate some bats he found in an abandoned mosque, and some
snakes in the desert. He also drank his own urine. And he kept running.

When race organizers realized that Prosperi was lost, they sent out a helicopter and people on
foot to find him. The searchers found his shoelaces and gave him up for dead. Prosperi saw
the helicopter, but the pilot did not see him, and flew away. Prosperi had heard that to die of
thirst was a slow, painful death, so that night, he decided to take his own life. He took his
pocketknife, cut his wrists, and lay down to die. But he didn't die. Because he was so
dehydrated, his blood had thickened and wouldn't flow, and the wounds clotted. When he
woke up the next day, he was determined to live to see his family again, and continued to
move through the desert.

After 9 days, Prosperi had unknowingly wandered into Algeria. He was found by a nomadic
family, blindfolded, and taken to an Algerian military camp, and then a hospital. He was 186
miles off-route, he had lost 30 pounds, was on the verge of liver failure, but he had survived.

Four years later, Prosperi was back at the Marathon des Sables. As Prosperi, said, "I am a
competitor, and I love the desert." Today, Prosperi is a hero in his native Italy, and to all
those who admire his survival spirit.

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____ 1. What is the main topic of the passage?
a. the Moroccan desert c. a story of survival
b. a marathon d. survival tips

____ 2. Where does the Marathon des Sables take place?

a. during the Olympics c. Italy
b. the Moroccan desert d. Algeria

____ 3. Who is Mauro Prosperi?

a. a helicopter pilot c. an Algerian nomad
b. an Olympic marathoner d. an Italian police officer

____ 4. What did Prosperi find that helped him survive in the desert?
a. dried food c. water
b. bats and snakes d. a tent

____ 5. Who found Prosperi?

a. a nomadic family c. searchers on foot
b. a helicopter pilot d. race organizers

____ 6. How long is the Marathon des Sables?

a. 120 miles c. 149 miles
b. 5 1/2 miles d. 240 miles

____ 7. How hot is the Moroccan desert?

a. 149 degrees c. 240 degrees
b. 120 degrees d. 36 degrees

____ 8. How long was Prosperi lost in the desert?

a. 5 1/2 days c. 7 days
b. 36 hours d. 9 days

____ 9. How much weight did Prosperi lose?

a. 7 pounds c. 9 liters
b. 30 pounds d. 36 pounds

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____ 10. How far was Prosperi off route when he was found?
a. 30 miles c. 120 kilometers
b. 149 miles d. 186 miles

The Suzuki Method

"Talent is no accident of birth . . . the right environment can change a person with
undeveloped ability into a talented one." This is the basic philosophy of Japanese violinist
and educator Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. More than 8,000 teachers and 250,000 students agree with
him. They follow his unique music-teaching method, called the Suzuki Method of the
"mother-tongue" approach.

Dr. Suzuki had always believed in the power of music to enrich people's lives, and
particularly children's lives. He had observed how easily very young children acquired their
own language, or "mother tongue." They were confident learners who could pick up complex
language structures with ease, and without being formally taught. Dr. Suzuki had the idea
that the same precepts of first language acquisition could be applied to music education. In
this way, children could have positive interactions with music from a very young age. His
goal was not to create professional musicians, but to expose children to music and give them
a better understanding of it and sensitivity to it that would enrich their lives in all aspects.

A Suzuki method student starts, ideally, before the age of five. This is because so much brain
development takes place at this time in a child's life that this explosive period of learning
should be cultivated and carefully nurtured.

New students come to classes and merely observe the other students playing (usually the
violin). This observation phase can last up to a year. The purpose of it that children aspire to
play with the same ability as the other students, and they get used to the concept of playing
in public.

Once students are ready to play the violin, they listen to recordings of the pieces they will
play and do not look at sheet music. This is because children are only introduced to books
only after they have been speaking for a few years. In the same way, written music should
only be introduced after they have been playing for sufficient time. Another advantage to this
stage is that students develop an "ear," or accurate perception for pitch and tone that allows
them to play with greater sensitivity.

Once students have mastered the notes of a piece of music, they memorize it and work on
proper technique and musicality. All Suzuki students follow the same repertoire, the first
piece of which is variations on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

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 Students have individual and group lessons. In the group lessons, they benefit from the social
experience of playing together with others. They also learn from, and are inspired by,
students of higher ability. These group lessons also help them to not be nervous about
performing in front of others. Suzuki teachers regularly organize concerts for their students.
In this way, students not only learn to overcome any fears they may have, but they also
enrich the lives of the audience with their music.

Dr. Suzuki believed that, given the proper training in a nurturing, loving environment, all
children can become talented and be confident about their abilities, not only in music but
also in all aspects of their life.

____ 1. Who is Dr. Shinichi Suzuki?

a. a student c. a concert organizer
b. a violinist d. a child musician

____ 2. When does a student begin the Suzuki method?

a. before the age of five
b. after they learn the violin
c. after they memorize a musical piece
d. before they learn their native language

____ 3. Why is the Suzuki method also called the "mother-tongue" approach?
a. mother's teach their children the method
b. students learn to sing songs from memory
c. students learn music the same way they learn their native language
d. students can learn difficult music immediately

____ 4. When do students memorize a piece of music?

a. after one year
b. after they have mastered the notes
c. after they learn "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
d. after they give a concert

____ 5. What is an advantage of group lessons?

a. students can meet new people
b. they can listen to recordings of music
c. they can memorize music together
d. they get used to playing with others

____ 6. What is the main topic of the passage?

a. violins c. language learning

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 b. the Suzuki method d. children's brain development

____ 7. What is the topic of the second paragraph?

a. Dr. Suzuki's life
b. first language acquisition
c. professional musicians
d. Dr. Suzuki's philosophy of music education

____ 8. What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?

a. the first stage of the Suzuki method
b. the students' brain development
c. playing in public
d. class size

____ 9. What is the topic of the sixth paragraph?

a. how to memorize something
b. the memorization stage of the Suzuki method
c. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
d. musical notes

____ 10. What is the topic of the seventh paragraph?

a. violin concerts
b. student-teacher relationships
c. the advantages of group lessons
d. fear of performing in front of others