The Captain Who Waited

12/4/2021 9:05:00 PM
Dust blown away from the Great Plains.

Do you know?

  • There were times when people had to suffer from dust blown away from the farmland.
  • Those years were called Dust Bowl years.

Let's explore more in the following passage!

Let's learn some new words before you read the passage.

Listen to the passage The Captain Who Waited and complete the sentences by dragging the correct word to each blank.

On May 11, 1934, a captain waited off the shore of New York. The captain waited to come in and . Why did he wait to dock? He waited because he did not know what was happening. It was . He could see the Statue of Liberty. Dust was in the air, the light.

The dust had come from far away. It came from the Great Plains. Farmers had up the grass. Before, the grass had held down the topsoil. Now, there was nothing to hold down the topsoil. Great winds blew the across the land. The dust blocked out the sun, dimming its light.

Those long-ago times are known as the Dust Bowl years. Today, farmers do not farm the same way. They take care of their topsoil, so it does not blow away and block the view of faraway sea .

Read and answer the following questions.

The Captain Who Waited

The Dust Bowl. Image: storyoftheweek.loa.org

On May 11, 1934, a captain waited off the shore of New York. The captain waited to come in and dock. Why did he wait to dock? He waited because he did not know what was happening. It was dim. He could barely see the Statue of Liberty. Dust was in the air, blocking the light.

The dust had come from far away. It came from the Great Plains. Farmers had plowed up the grass. Before, the grass had held down the topsoil. Now, there was nothing to hold down the topsoil. Great winds blew the topsoil across the land. The dust blocked out the sun, dimming its light.

Those long-ago times are known as the Dust Bowl years. Today, farmers do not farm the same way. They take care of their topsoil, so it does not blow away and block the view of faraway sea captains.

Source: Daily Warm-ups Reading Grade 2

Why could the captain barely see the Statue of Liberty?

  • Because he was too far away at sea.
  • Because farmers were taking care of their topsoil.
  • Because grass was blocking the view.
  • Because dust from the Great Plains was in the air.

What does the word "dock" in the first paragraph mean?

  • put up a sail
  • go out to sea
  • come into shore
  • sail across the sea

According to paragraph 2, what held down the topsoil before?

  • the sun
  • the wind
  • the grass
  • the dust

What happened during the Dust Bowl years?

  • The dust blown away from the topsoil blocked the sunlight.
  • Great winds carried dust from other places and dimmed the sunlight.
  • The grass on Great Plains held down the topsoil and the dust.
  • Farmers took care of their topsoil in order for it not to be blown away.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

  • Nowadays faraway sea captains still have to suffer from the dust from Great Plains.
  • The Dust Bowl is likely to disappear forever thanks to the farming methods.
  • People have come up with a new farming way that prevents the topsoil from being blown away.
  • There is every likelihood that the Dust Bowl will happen again in the future.

Build your vocabulary by learning these intensive phrases/idioms.

Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.

Keep the noise in there at a low level, kids! (HOLD)

Don't worry about me, I can _____ myself. I do not need anyone else to protect me.

  • hold down
  • take care of
  • fight against
  • take up

She switched on the fan to _____ the smoke.

  • blow up
  • blow out
  • blow away
  • blow down