Text structure II (fourth grade)

What text structure does this paragraph use?
Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of the U.S., they are strikingly different in many ways. For example, the physical size of each state is different. Arizona is large, having an area of 114,000 square miles, whereas Rhode Island is only about a tenth the size, having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another difference is in the size of the population of each state. Arizona has about four million people living in it, but Rhode Island has less than one million. The two states also differ in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large desert areas that do not receive much rainfall every year. However, Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone and receives an average of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, while Arizona is a landlocked state and thus has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic Ocean and does have a significant coastline.

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What text structure does this paragraph use?
The Life-Giving ParasiteHave you ever been swimming in a pond, stream, or lake and had a leech stick on you? You probably thought (or shouted) “Ick!” and tried to pry it off as fast as you could. But leeches aren’t really disgusting, and sometimes they can save lives!In ancient Egypt and later in medieval Europe, doctors put leeches on patients. They believed that the spineless wormlike creatures could cure all sorts of illnesses by sucking a patient’s blood. In Europe and in the United States, millions of leeches were used throughout the 1800s. Doctors applied leeches to treat a variety of illnesses, from obesity to headaches. People soon learned that leeches could not cure most diseases and were not a good treatment for patients. However, in 1985, a Harvard University doctor changed people’s thinking once again. He was trying to reattach a patient’s ear, which had been cut off. He had trouble reconnecting the veins because the patient’s blood kept clotting. He applied a leech to draw out the blood and saved the ear. Since then, leeches have often been used in surgery where body parts are reattached. During surgery, a leech is placed on the area where the surgeon does not want blood to pool and clot. Then the leech secretes a substance that keeps the veins open and stops the blood from clotting. The leech sucks up excess blood, allowing fresh blood to flow, which helps the patient heal. Some people are horrified at the thought of having a bloodsucking creature attached to them. But why not welcome a leech if it can save your life?

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The lack of rain and snow has horrible effects on farmers. With no rain their land dries up, and it is very difficult to grow anything. When the crops fail, the farmers haven't any choice but to get a second job in order to make the money they need. Farming is a full time job and with a second job, farmers are overworked, stressed and even depressed. Many farmers end up selling their land. Some farmers have accepted the government program the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which is the land is left idle to let the grass grow and must be left idle a certian number of years. while the land is in the CRP program, some farmers have taken outside jobs. That is why when it doesn't rain, you notice that most of the farmers are very crabby. As a farmer's daughter, I have experienced some good times and some bad times. I have gained a great respect for farmers everywhere. ~(c)2005 Laura White~ 

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The emotion of fear sets off many changes in your body. When you become frightened, you breathe more deeply, giving your muscles more oxygen and greater energy. Your hearts beats more powerfully so that your blood circulates faster, carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. Your stomach and intestines no longer contract and all digestive action stops. No saliva flows in your mouth and your throat becomes dry. Your face becomes pale and the tiny blood vessels shrink under the skin so that less blood would flow if you were cut. The blood can clot faster so that there would be less bleeding from a wound. The pupils of your eyes enlarge, admitting more light during the emergency. You might be able to perform great feats of strength in this condition.

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Hurricanes and destruction  have caused take many lives each year. Sadly, people do not have to die from these disasters. One thing to prevent lives being lost is having an evacuation procedure. Cities and towns in the path of a hurricane, need to be evacuated.Some people who live within these cities and towns do not have transportation, so buses should be provided and safe drop off zones need to be arranged. Having better evacuation procedures would save lives.

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Hurricanes and tornadoes are both amazing but deadly natural phenomena.  Both generate deadly conditions, but in different ways. Tornadoes are likely to damage both people and property with their high winds,which go up to 300 miles per hour; however hurricanes are generally more feared because of their flooding. Also, hurricanes can produce tornadoes which make them dangerous, indeed.

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You may think it’s bad to forget your homework, but what if you forgot who you were? Amnesia is a condition where a person loses some of their memories, like details about their personal identity, but still may remember how to do things, like play a piano. One type of Amnesia is called post-traumatic amnesia. Post-traumatic amnesia is usually due to a head injury (like a serious fall or knock on the head). The degree of memory loss may be related to the force of the injury. A simple whiplash may cause a person to forget the moments before the accident, but a more severe injury may cause a greater loss. For example, the victim may not remember who certain people are or may forget details about their own identities.

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Ansel Bourne was a preacher, carpenter, and most likely an inspiration for the name “Bourne” in the movie and novel series, The Bourne Identity. Up until 1857, Bourne had been a carpenter, until he was called to religion. After 1858, he worked as an evangelical preacher, until 1887. He set up shop in Norristown, Pennsylvania, as a candy maker using the name A.J. Brown. Three months later, he woke up not knowing where he was, with no memory of the previous months. The case of Mr. Bourne has fascinated psychologists, and some film makers, for years.

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The term Amnesia refers to complete or partial memory loss. Almost all of us will experience some form of Amnesia in our lives, even if it’s just a simple case of verbal amnesia, like forgetting someone’s name. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to prevent amnesia. Here is a list of foods that you can eat to improve your memory: almonds, walnuts, bananas, honey, apples, and black pepper. Though these foods may not reverse post-traumatic amnesia, they should improve your memory in daily life if you eat them regularly enough.

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Sometime in December of 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a gym teacher at the YMCA College in Springfield, Massachusetts was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He wanted a vigorous game that would keep his students moving. After rejecting a few other ideas because they were too rough or not suited for the walled-in gym, Naismith wrote out the rules for a game with peach baskets fixed to ten-foot elevated tracks. Naismith’s students played against one another, passing the ball around and shooting it into the peach baskets. Dribbling wasn’t a part of the original game, and it took a while to realize that the game would run more smoothly if the bottoms of the baskets were removed, but this game grew to be one of the most popular sports in America today. Can you guess which one?

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