extra! extra! backyard birding:
many schools, families, and young birders across the country participate in the "great backyard bird count." while not as long as a "big year," the "great backyard bird count" happens every year. it depends on birders and families across the country to watch feeders and other areas in their yards and count the number of birds they see. unlike the "big year," the goal is not to see who can count the most birds. instead, participants in this event work together to bird experts get a good idea of how birds are doing. participants are given checklists and enter their sightings on a website. called a "citizen-science" project, this event is open to anyone, requires no travel, and happens every year over one weekend in february.

part a:
what is the main idea of the extra! extra! section?

fill in blank 1 using a, b, c, or d.
a. the backyard bird count offers checklists.
b. the backyard bird count creates more friendly competitions.
c. the backyard bird count benefits birds and scientists.
d. the backyard bird count is for everyone, not just competitors.

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the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

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there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”