Read the biography and memoir excerpts of the Wright brothers. Biography: Wilbur and Orville Wright came from a family who valued education. Their father was a minister and had plenty of books in the family library for the boys to read. When Wilbur was eleven and Orville seven, their father bought them a toy helicopter that sparked their interest in flight. Memoir: Late in the autumn of 1878, our father came into the house one evening with some object partly concealed in his hands, and before we could see what it was, he tossed it into the air. Instead of falling to the floor, as we expected, it flew across the room till it struck the ceiling, where it fluttered awhile, and finally sank to the floor. It was a little toy, known as a “helicopter,” but which we at once dubbed a “bat.” Compare the two passages. How are they the same? A. Both passages state the boys’ father was a minister. B. Both passages tell about the brothers receiving a new toy. C. Both passages state the brothers called the helicopter a bat. D. Both passages show the boys were interested in education.

The “big dig” the “big dig” (the central artery/tunnel project) has been complex and challenging. located in boston, massachusetts, this tunnel is eight lanes wide and three-and-a-half miles long. what is most amazing about this tunnel is that it is constructed under a major highway and skyscrapers located in boston’s financial district. construction crews used “clamshell excavators” during this dig. these machines carved narrow trenches, and then a special substance was pumped into the trench to keep the dirt from caving in. finally, steel beams were lowered into the trench and concrete was pumped in. one problem that engineers faced while constructing the tunnel is the fact that the soil beneath boston is extremely loose and soggy. engineers solved this dilemma by freezing the soil and pumping very cold water into pipes beneath the city. to strengthen the soil even further, a special type of glue was injected into the ground to with the consolidation of the soil. 23 which phrase best defines the word excavator as used in the passage? a. a device used to measure underground temperatures b. a device used to level uneven surfaces c. a device used to move heavy objects d. a device used to dig holes