"Old woman," grumbled the burly white man who had just heard Sojourner Truth speak, "do you think your
talk about slavery does any good? I don't care any more for your talk than I do for the bite of a flea." The
tall, imposing black woman turned her piercing eyes on him. "Perhaps not," she answered, "but I'll keep
you scratching." The little incident of the 1840s sums up all that Sojourner Truth was: utterly dedicated to
spreading her message, afraid of no one, forceful and witty in speech. Yet forty years earlier, who could
have suspected that a spindly slave girl growing up in a damp cellar in upstate New York would become
one of the most remarkable women in American history? Her name then was Isabella (many slaves had
no last names), and by the time she was fourteen she had seen both parents die of cold and hunger. She
herself had been sold several times. By 1827, when New York freed its slaves, she had married and
borne five children. The first hint of Isabella's fighting spirit came soon afterwards, when her youngest son
was illegally seized and sold. She marched to the courthouse and badgered officials until her son was
returned to her. In 1843, inspired by religion, she changed her name to Sojourner (meaning "one who
stays briefly") Truth, and, with only pennies in her purse, set out to preach against slavery. From New
England to Minnesota she trekked, gaining a reputation for her plain but powerful and moving words.
Incredibly, despite being black and female (only white males were expected to be public speakers), she
drew thousands to town halls, tents, and churches to hear her powerful, deep-voiced pleas on equality for
blacks-and for women. Often she had to face threatening hoodlums. Once she stood before armed bullies
and sang a hymn to them. Awed by her courage and her commanding presence, they sheepishly
retreated. During the Civil War she cared for homeless ex-slaves in Washington. President Lincoln invited
her to the White House to bestow praise on her. Later, she petitioned Congress to help former slaves get
land in the West. Even in her old age, she forced the city of Washington to integrate its trolley cars so that
black and white could ride together. Shortly before her death at eighty-six, she was asked what kept her
going. "I think of the great things," replied Sojourner.
Her change in name was inspired by-

• A. friends
• B. officials
• C. a fighting spirit
• D. religion
• E. her freedom

Americans have always been interested in their Presidents' wives. Many First Ladies have been
remembered because of the ways they have influenced their husbands. Other First Ladies have made the
history books on their own. At least two First Ladies, Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson, made it their
business to send signals during their husbands' speeches. When Lady Bird Johnson thought her husband
was talking too long, she wrote a note and sent it up to the platform. It read, "It's time to stop!" And he did.
Once Bess Truman didn't like what her husband was saying on television, so she phoned him and said," If
you can't talk more politely than that in public, you come right home." Abigail Fillmore and Eliza Johnson
actually taught their husbands, Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, the thirteenth and seventeenth
Presidents. A schoolteacher, Abigail eventually married her pupil, Millard. When Eliza Johnson married
Andrew, he could not read or write, so she taught him herself. It was First Lady Helen Taft's idea to plant
the famous cherry trees in Washington, D. C. Each spring these blossoming trees attract thousands of
visitors to the nation's capital. Mrs. Taft also influenced the male members of her family and the White
House staff in a strange way: she convinced them to shave off their beards! Shortly after President Wilson
suffered a stroke, Edith Wilson unofficially took over most of the duties of the Presidency until the end of
her husband's term. Earlier, during World War I, Mrs. Wilson had had sheep brought onto the White
House lawn to eat the grass. The sheep not only kept the lawn mowed but provided wool for an auction
sponsored by the First Lady. Almost $100,000 was raised for the Red Cross. Dolly
Madison saw to it that a magnificent painting of George Washington was not destroyed during the War of
1 812. As the British marched toward Washington, D. C., she remained behind to rescue the painting,
even after the guards had left. The painting is the only object from the original White House that was not
burned. One of the most famous First Ladies was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. She was active in political and social causes throughout her husband's tenure in office. After
his death, she became famous for her humanitarian work in the United Nations. She made life better for
thousands of needy people around the world.
What is the main idea of this passage?

• A. Dolly Madison was the most influential president's wife.
• B. The Humanitarian work of the First Ladies is critical in American government.
• C. Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the First Lady image.
• D. The First Ladies are important in American culture.
• E. The First Ladies are key supporters of the Presidents.

ARCHITECT : CREATIVE ::

• A. soldier : obedient
• B. traitor : disloyal
• C. consumer : prosperous
• D. prisoner : rebellious
• E. partisan : impartial

Charles A. Lindbergh is remembered as the first person to make a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic,
in 1927. This feat, when Lindbergh was only twenty-five years old, assured him a lifetime of fame and
public attention. Charles Augustus Lindbergh was more interested in flying airplanes than he was in
studying. He dropped out of the University of Wisconsin after two years to earn a living performing
daredevil airplane stunts at country fairs. Two years later, he joined the United States Army so that he
could go to the Army Air Service flight-training school. After completing his training, he was hired to fly
mail between St. Louis and Chicago. Then came the historic flight across the Atlantic. In 1919, a New
York City hotel owner offered a prize of $25,000 to the first pilot to fly nonstop from New York to Paris.
Nine St. Louis business leaders helped pay for the plane Lindbergh designed especially for the flight.
Lindbergh tested the plane by flying it from San Diego to New York, with an overnight stop in St. Louis.
The flight took only 20 hours and 21 minutes, a transcontinental record. Nine days later, on May 20,1927,
Lindbergh took off from Long Island, New York, at 7:52 A. M. He landed at Paris on May 21 at 10:21 P. M.
He had flown more than 3,600 miles in less than thirty four hours. His flight made news around the world.
He was given awards and parades everywhere he went. He was presented with the U. S. Congressional
Medal of Honor and the first Distinguished Flying Cross. For a long time, Lindbergh toured the world as a
U. S. goodwill ambassador. He met his future wife, Anne Morrow, in Mexico, where her father was the
United States ambassador. During the 1930s, Charles and Anne Lindbergh worked for various airline
companies, charting new commercial air routes. In 1931, for a major airline, they charted a new route from
the east coast of the United States to the Orient. The shortest, most efficient route was a great curve
across Canada, over Alaska, and down to China and Japan. Most pilots familiar with the Arctic did not
believe that such a route was possible. The Lindberghs took on the task of proving that it was. They
arranged for fuel and supplies to be set out along the route. On July 29, they took off from Long Island in a
specially equipped small seaplane. They flew by day and each night landed on a lake or a river and
camped. Near Nome, Alaska, they had their first serious emergency. Out of daylight and nearly out of fuel,
they were forced down in a small ocean inlet. In the next morning's light, they discovered they had landed
on barely three feet of water. On September 19, after two more emergency landings and numerous close
calls, they landed in China with the maps for a safe airline passenger route. Even while actively engaged
as a pioneering flier, Lindbergh was also working as an engineer. In 1935, he and Dr. Alexis Carrel were
given a patent for an artificial heart. During World War I in the 1940s, Lindbergh served as a civilian
technical advisor in aviation. Although he was a civilian, he flew over fifty combat missions in the Pacific.
In the 1950s, Lindbergh helped design the famous 747 jet airliner. In the late 1960s, he spoke widely on
conservation issues. He died August 1974, having lived through aviation history from the time of the first
powered flight to the first steps on the moon and having influenced a big part of that history himself.
When did Charles meet Anne Morrow?

• A. after he received the first Distinguished Flying Cross
• B. when visiting his parents
• C. before he took off from Long Island
• D. before he was forced down in an ocean inlet
• E. after he worked for an airline