8th grade PP.1

28

"I plan to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents in—yes, in six months," the climber told the news reporter over the phone.

6

"I was hoping that we—hello? Can you hear me?" Sandra said loudly into her phone.

30

"The art festival features face painting, food vendors, live music—oh, and fireworks," Wendy said.FF

33

"The proceeds will support our—yes, one hundred percent of the proceeds will support our efforts to protect endangered species," explained the chair of the fund-raising committee.

31

"This painting is meant to pay tribute to women throughout society—I mean, throughout history," the painter explained.

38

"We'll use the town of Killarney as our base," the Irish tour guide said. "Then we'll head out to—oh, how about the Dingle Peninsula?"

26

A fungus has been reducing the bean yield of coffee trees in Central America, so the United States—the world's largest consumer of coffee—has funded a research program to investigate the outbreak.

20

A particular herd of zebras travels more than three hundred miles across parts of Namibia and Botswana—a journey that World Wildlife Fund scientists have deemed Africa's longest mammal migration.

16

At Skydive Chicago in August 2012, nearly 140 skydivers joined hands in a head-first free fall—a coordinated effort that set a new world record for vertical skydiving.

29

Beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome, Italy, lies a burial chamber—a six-room crypt filled with the skulls and other bones of about four thousand monks.

19

Bioluminescent mushrooms—fungi that can produce and emit light—grow in the rain forests of Puerto Rico and Brazil.

3

Captain John Smith—one of the first leaders of Virginia's Jamestown Colony—created a dictionary containing more than five hundred Powhatan words, including Chesapeake, opossum, persimmon, and raccoon.

22

Colombian diver Orlando Duque—a nine-time world champion—plunged off a 95-foot precipice in Portugal to take second in the 2012 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Got it

11

Eddie Rickenbacker—known to early twentieth-century newspaper readers as "America's Ace of Aces"—was a famous race car driver and World War I fighter pilot. Got it

1

Elephant keepers in zoos take great care when introducing elephants—highly intelligent animals with a complex social structure—to new keepers or new herds.

21

If you ever visit Shanghai, be sure to sample some of the street food—fried dumplings are extremely popular with tourists and natives alike.

23

In 2013, a team of geologists working in the Antarctic accidentally discovered a new species of sea anemone—the first species known to grow in ice. Got it

9

Johannesburg—South Africa's largest city and the seat of its Constitutional Court—has served as the home for such luminaries as Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Got it

4

Mike Dawkins—a man who started keeping tarantulas in 2011—won Best in Show at the 29th Annual Exhibition of the British Tarantula Society with a Socotra Island Blue Baboon spider.

25

Photographer George Steinmetz takes aerial photographs—what he calls "street photography from the sky"—while soaring through the sky on a motorized paraglider.

27

Place de la Concorde—a large public square along the Seine River in Paris—marks the spot of the guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in 1793. Got it

10

Poaching and loss of habitat—not to mention infections and respiratory viruses—are pushing African apes dangerously close to the brink of extinction. Got it

37

Street vendors in the Philippines prepare isaw ng manok—marinated chicken intestines that are grilled or deep fried and served with spicy, sour, or sweet sauces. Got it

32

The Capital Wheel—a Ferris wheel in Maryland—offers stunning views of the Potomac River and boasts 1.6 million LED lights.

2

The Cradle of Humankind—a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to an abundance of early hominid fossils—lies in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

5

The Matvei Mudrov—a medical train serving isolated villages in Siberia—contains a clinic, exam rooms, and a team of about fifteen doctors. Got it

35

The aptly named Petit Pont—a bridge in Paris just 65 feet wide and 105 feet long—crosses the Seine at a point that has been used as a river crossing since the days of Julius Caesar.

17

The astronomer, with his eye at the telescope, said, "I see Mercury about ten degrees above the—wow, look at that comet!"

24

The competitive diver jumped from the bridge—an impressive limestone structure suspended nearly eighty feet above a deep gorge—while television cameras recorded the amazing feat. Got it

13

The explorers needed torches to light their way through the dark ice cave—its walls were more than twenty feet thick and blocked out the light of the sun.

7

The surf instructor taught us how to predict where the waves would break and how to read the currents—skills required to safely enjoy the powerful surf. Got it

15

The vagus nerve acts as a two-way communication system between your brain and your stomach—a connection that may explain why you feel anxiety in your stomach.

8

We had a wonderful time at—yes, we are ready to place our orders," Mary said as she turned her attention to the waitress.

12

When the would-be customer slammed the door in his face, the salesman sputtered, "No, I—you haven't even seen my product demonstration!"

14

World Fish Migration Day—an annual event spearheaded by the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, and others—aims to raise awareness of migratory fishes around the world.

34

Mount Rainier's Liberty Ridge climbing route is known for its amazing views and technical difficulty—not to mention its long history of mountaineering accidents.

36

Ms. Allen studied both business and fine arts in college—a combination that makes sense to those who know her as the owner of a highly successful art supply store.

18

New DNA evidence suggests that the kiwi—a small, flightless bird found in New Zealand—is closely related to the enormous, extinct elephant bird.