The best snow for building a snowhouse was formed in the same drift. Snow formed in layers was likely to split between the layers. If the snow was too hard, it was difficult to cut, and the blocks of snow would not bind together. But it could not be too soft or the blocks would fall apart. Snow that came in contact with sea ice crumbled too easily and had the consistency of sugar, but the top part of drifts that formed on sea ice often could be used.

Snow has different _____ .

When Benedict Arnold was a teenager, some people in his hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, predicted that he'd grow up to be a success. Others said, No. Benedict Arnold would turn out badly. As it happened, everyone was right. Benedict Arnold succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations—"the bravest of the brave," George Washington called him in 1777. Yet three years later he was described as "the veriest villain of centuries past," and no one would have argued with that.

His accomplishments were ________.

Europeans came to India in the 1500s to trade and to learn, for in many areas India was ahead of the rest of the world. European astronomers found that their Indian counterparts were using accurate tables for their calculations that had been compiled in 3100 B.C. They also discovered that Aryabhata, an astronomer working in A.D. 500, knew that the earth was round and that a year lasted 365.3586 days.

India's astronomers were

He knew in his heart that James would never print anything he wrote. For one thing, he was still just a boy, and for another, James thought he was too smart for his own good already. But Ben thought of a way to get around that. He sat up late writing his thoughts out, and then he disguised his handwriting and copied his words over. He didn't put a name on his manuscript, and, running through the dark street, late at night, he pushed it under the door of the printing house where he spent his days at hard labor.

He was ____.

It was lucky for Dorothy, I think, that the storm subsided; otherwise, brave though she was, I fear she might have perished. Many children, in her place, would have wept and given way to despair; but because Dorothy had encountered so many adventures and come safely through them it did not occur to her at this time to be especially afraid. She was wet and uncomfortable, it is true; but, after sighing that one sigh I told you of, she managed to recall some of her customary cheerfulness and decided to patiently await whatever her fate might be.

She was __________.

Day and night, carts and carriages rumbled through the streets of New York City. Traffic jammed the crooked lanes, and the hodgepodge of houses was confusing. In 1811, John Randel, a surveyor, proposed a street system for the remaining open lands of Manhattan Island. Streets running from east to west would be straight, and numbered in order.

He wanted to _______ the rest of the city.

Neither Duddy nor most other high school players could do it. The first time Coach Fulton had seen Chris palm the ball, cock his arm, and send a pass on a line down the court, he stopped the practice and said, "Chris, do that again." Chris grinned and did it again. The pass became the heart of a new play that, again, speeded up the tempo of the Panthers' attack.

Chris had great ________.

He went on to play professional football for the Buffalo Bisons in the old NFL, played in a championship game against George Halas and the Chicago Bears. He also played professional baseball for the Boston Braves for the better part of two seasons. Later, he coached both football and basketball at Canisius.

He was a(n) ______ athlete.

Found all over our planet, lakes and rivers have become a central part of life. Because they have been easy to use, they have also been easy to abuse. Many lakes and rivers have been harmed by pollutants—trash and chemicals that change water's natural balance. For centuries, we have treated our rivers and lakes as giant sewers for our waste.

We have ________ rivers.

Kenya and Tanzania have set up wild game preserves where animals roam savanna and forest freely. Tourism in these game parks and along the beaches brings in millions of dollars each year and provides much needed jobs. Domesticated herds of cattle, sheep and camels also roam here. Nomadic tribes follow them across the savanna.

The game preserves have many ________.