MHE_Rdg_Wonders_LvRdr_G6_Beyond_U3W1_11.pdf

Realistic Fictionby Carly Schunaillustrated by Gerad Taylorl S hunasBriHomethePAIREDREADFloating Away,Coming TogetherProgram:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaGrades:6CV_CR14_LR_G6U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 3CV_CR14_LR_G6U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 315/02/12 2:55 PM15/02/12 2:55 PMSTRATEGIES&SKILLSWord Count:3,121 ComprehensionStrategy:Make PredictionsSkill:ThemeVocabulary StrategyContext CluesVocabularycapacity,enthralled,fallow,insight,negotiate,regulation,resemblance,unseemlyProgram:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaGrade:6ACopyright The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means,or stored in a database or retrieval system,without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.,including,but not limited to,network storage or transmission,or broadcast for distance learning.Send all inquiries to:McGraw-Hill EducationTwo Penn PlazaNew York,New York 10121ISBN:978-0-02-119259-5MHID:0-02-119259-6Printed in the United States.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DOC 15 14 13 12 11 10IFCIBC_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 2IFCIBC_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 215/02/12 2:56 PM15/02/12 2:56 PMPAIREDREADChapter 1Chicago Is No China.2Chapter 2Attracting Attention.7Chapter 3An Inspiring Idea.10Chapter 4The Momentous Meeting.13Respond to Reading.16Floating Away,Coming Together.17Focus on Literary Elements .20Essential Question What happens when people share ideas?by Carly Schunaillustrated by Gerad Taylorl S hunasBriHometheProgram:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 1001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 115/02/12 2:59 PM15/02/12 2:59 PMUnbelievably,our house is finally starting to look like a home.The sea of cardboard boxes that flooded the rooms when we arrived has ebbed over the past couple of weeks,and now a few long paper scrolls with calligraphy characters hang from the walls.Of course,that doesnt mean our new house feels like a home yet.Mom says Chicago summers can be just as hot as those in Nanjing,but even though all the local people are walking around in shorts and T-shirts,I shiver unless I wear a jacket when I go out.The air smells strange,I cant get used to the sprawling space,and I miss the scents of hot baozi and chao fan that used to drift through my windows.Mom pushes one of the last cardboard boxes toward me,saying,“I think your props are in there.”I peel the tape off the box and find that shes right.My shiny pink and purple diabolos are tucked neatly at the top above my stage balls,juggling clubs,and rings.Chicago Is No ChinaC icagC icagChapter 12Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 2001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 215/02/12 2:59 PM15/02/12 2:59 PMI carefully lift my diabolo sticks and the purple diabolo out of the box.Taking hold of the sticks,I scoop the diabolo up with the string attached to them,and I feel giddy as I jiggle the sticks and the diabolo starts to spin.I jerk the string up to toss the prop high into the air and watch it twirl before it falls back onto the string.I feel a pang of homesickness deep in my stomachI really miss all my friends.Who will I practice juggling with now?“Lingling!Dont do that in here,”my obnoxious younger sister Meilan says.“I can practice wherever I want.”“Why would you?”Meilan asks.“Youre not in circus school anymore.Theres nothing like that here.”“Thanks for reminding me!”I say,scowling.Dad pokes his head into the room.“Whats going on?”he asks.He has an unbelievable sixth sense for trouble.“Nothing,”Meilan and I say in unison.My jacket is hanging off the rocking chair in the living room,and I reach over for it.“I think Ill go for a walk,”I say.Dad frowns.“Just to the corner store,”I assure him,“to get mangoes for Mom.”3Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 3001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 315/02/12 2:59 PM15/02/12 2:59 PMI feel better as soon as I step outside.A light breeze is blowing,and it actually feels nice rather than cool,so I roll up the sleeves of my jacket.I duck into the store.“Hello,”the shopkeeper says.I nod at him and head straight for the mangoes.Theyre the fruit I miss most from China.I used to eat them every day.Each one was perfectly ripe and sweet,like a fat harvest moon.After gently pushing on the flesh of a few mangoes,I can see that they are nothing like the ones in China,and even if they were any good,Ive forgotten to bring my money.I dont want to go back yet,though,and a display of bright and bouncy oranges catches my attention.Im the only customer in the tiny store,and although I realize that what Im about to do is pretty unseemly,I grab four oranges and start to juggle.The oranges are the same color as my stage balls,and without even thinking about it,I start practicing the circus routine I was working on when we left Nanjing.Im getting really into it and doing a huge flourish when I hear the shopkeeper say,“Hey!”The orange in the air twirls and splats onto the floor.4Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 4001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 415/02/12 2:59 PM15/02/12 2:59 PM5Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 5001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 515/02/12 2:59 PM15/02/12 2:59 PM“Oh,no,”I whisper.The store is suddenly filled with the scent of freshly squeezed orange juice,and I notice a few citrus drops on my sneakers.I swivel around,deliberately avoiding eye contact with the shopkeeper.“I Im so sorry,”I stammer.“Ill pay for the orange.”Realizing that Im still holding three oranges,I carefully slide them back into the display.To my amazement,the shopkeeper laughs.I look him in the eye for the first time and see that he actually appears to be amused.“Dont worry about it,”he says.“I made you mess up by distracting you,and I was really enjoying your performance.Where did you learn to do that?”I swallow and say,“Uh,circus school,back in China.”Then he asks me to tell him all about it,so I do.I talk about my school,my performances,my old house,everything.When Im finished,the shopkeeper extends his hand.“Im Muhammad,”he says.“Come by again sometime and bring your equipment.”Part of me is tempted to rush back and get it all then,but I manage to just smile,roll my sleeves back down,and say,“I will.”6Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 6001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 615/02/12 3:00 PM15/02/12 3:00 PMI roll over and wake up to the smell of congee;I can already feel that its boiling hot outside,and Im coated with a thin layer of sweat.For one blissful moment,it almost feels as if Im back in Nanjing.Suddenly I remember a train ride we once took to Beijing.We had steaming hot seaweed congee from the dining car and stared for hours at the farmlands of the countryside rushing by,some fields planted,and other patches fallow.Meilan is already bouncing around the kitchen when I finish getting dressed and brushing my teeth.She grins at my bleary expression and pronounces,“Lazybones!”I glance at the clock and am shocked to see its closer to lunchtime than breakfast.“Is there congee left?”I ask hopefully,lifting the lid on the pan.“Just a scoop,”Dad says from behind his United States edition of China Daily,“but its four hours old.”“Gross!”Meilan says.“Talking about yourself again?”I inquire sarcastically as I tip the congealed rice cereal into a bowl.After taking a big mouthful,I ruffle her hair to show Im teasing.“Theres a water-balloon fight today,”she says,hopping from foot to foot.“My friend Ben from next door told me.Coming?”“No way!Thats kid stuff.”“You are a kid,”she reminds me,rolling her eyes.Attracting AttentionAractAttr ractChapter 27Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 7001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 715/02/12 3:00 PM15/02/12 3:00 PMI set my bowl on the table and tease,“Not a little one like you.”“Aw,come on,Lingling,wont you at least watch?”I hesitate,but given that I have absolutely nothing else to do and Meilan knows it I agree to go.“Yay!”Meilan grabs my arm.“Come on.”I try to tell her that Im still eating,but she practically pulls me out the door with my spoon still in my mouth.Mom is sitting on the front steps chatting with a neighbor,and I awkwardly wave hello as Meilan continues pulling on my arm.On the lawn next door,six or seven kids are laughing and chucking water balloons at one another.After Meilan lets me go,I shift over to the corner of the grass.A couple of the kids do look closer to my age than Meilans,but I dont feel like joining them.I start practicing handstands,but no sooner are my feet up in the air than a balloon hits me in the calf.It doesnt break,so I roll out of my pose and sweep it off the ground,moving quickly back into a headstand and tossing the balloon up to balance on my foot.Inevitably,the balloon picks that precise second to break,cascading cool water down my entire body.8Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 8001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 815/02/12 3:00 PM15/02/12 3:00 PMThe water is actually refreshing,so I simply laugh and come back to a sitting position.Glancing across at the other kids,I find that everyone is looking my way and giggling along with me.“Thats incredible!”shouts a boy with the most freckles Ive ever seen.“Can you teach me?”“I want to learn,too!”a girl who looks about Meilans age calls.“My dad told me he saw you juggle yesterdaywe own the corner store.”“What?!”the freckled boy yells.“You can juggle too?”“Its not hard,”I explain.“I can show you how.”“Lingling used to be in the circus,”Meilan brags,“so shes really great at juggling!”She sounds so proud that I almost cant believe shes talking about me.The reaction from the other kids is immediate.There are shouts of“Cool!”“A real circus?”and“Please teach us!”Theyre all so enthralled,and I feel myself blush a deep crimson.Someone shoves three water balloons into my hands,and a smile spreads across my face.Maybe I wont have to leave the circus behind after all.9Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 9001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 915/02/12 3:00 PM15/02/12 3:00 PMBy putting on a mini performance for all of the neighborhood kids,I have somehow become a superstar.Id imagined that the idea of circus school would be way too eccentric for kids in Chicago,but they all seem beyond fascinated.Dustin,the freckled boy,calls out,“Hey,check this out Lingling!”I watch as he carefully balances a jiggling water balloon on his foot,kicks it up to his knee,then pushes it back to his other foot with a knee tap.“Whoa,”I say.“Sweet!Whered you learn that?”“Soccer!”Dustin says beaming.“Ive been playing on a travelling team practically forever.”“Hes extremely talented,”somebody says,and when I look up,I see Dustins mom at the door,smiling and holding a tray with a pitcher and a stack of paper cups.“Its nice to meet you,Lingling.Anyone want some lemonade?”Everyone does,and Im relieved to get the focus off myself for a few minutes.Dustin and his mom tell me more about his traveling team as we gulp down lemonade.Then a girl named Sarah comes over to listen.“I cant do anything like what you can do,”she says to Dustin,“but I have gotten pretty good at balancing.”“Like on a tightrope?”Dustin asks.An Inspiring IdeaAInspAInspChapter 310Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 10010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 1015/02/12 3:02 PM15/02/12 3:02 PM“Nope,”Sarah says.“Like this.”She gently sets the pitcher of lemonade aside and picks up the tray.She suddenly twirls it on one finger and then stops it just as quickly.She takes a deep breath,replaces the half-empty pitcher of lemonade on the tray,and twirls it again.“Wow!”Dustins mom says,and Im so impressed that I almost drop my cup.“One of my circus friends is a plate spinner.I wish you could meet her!”Sarah smiles and says,“Trays are easier than plates,but I can do plates too.I help out at my parents restaurant and practice when I get bored.”Out of the corner of my eye,I notice Meilan in stitches as she watches her friend Ben doing some kind of ridiculous dance.Dustin follows my gaze.“What on earth is that?”he asks.Ben stops and turns red,obviously unaware that anyone besides Meilan had been watching him.“Oh,man,”he says,“just some dance I made up using moves from basketball.”11Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 11010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 1115/02/12 3:02 PM15/02/12 3:02 PM“I had no idea you play basketball,”Sarah says.Ben and Meilan wander over to us.“Yeah,well,I had no idea you could balance stuff like that,”he responds.Sarah shakes her head and says,“I guess we dont really know all that much about each others skills.”“You seem to have a pretty impressive collection of them,”Dustins mom observes.“The problem is that theres no place to practice our skills,”Dustin says.“Sure there is,”Sarah says.“On your traveling team and at school.”Dustin shakes his head.“Thats not what I mean.School has organized sports and so does the community center,but they have all these rules about what you can practice and when.You cant really do more than one thing at either of them.”Ben says,“At least they have a regulation basketball hoop so I can practice my dunking!”He jumps in the air and pretends to slam-dunk a ball while also doing a silly leg kick,which makes Meilan start giggling again.Sarah picks up the tray and starts twirling it on her index finger even faster than before.Watching them,I think about what Dustin said and about the resemblance of all these skills to the ones we practiced in circus school.“Hey,”I say.“Can I run something by you guys?”12Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U3 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 12010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U03W1L70_B_119259.indd 1215/02/12 3:02 PM15/02/12 3:02 PMThe entire room is looking at me,and my stomach feels as if its full of grasshoppers.About 20 people are sitting on folding chairs,and Im standing on a wooden platform at the front.My mom gives me an encouraging smile and mouths,“Go on.”I sneak a look at Dustin,who gives me a thumbs-up.Last week when he told me that our middle school has no multi-purpose space where anyone can practice,I got this idea for the community center.He and his mom and I checked out the center and found out they have a great space,but no formal programming dur