Julie's Race

he dogsled race was about to begin. Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the starting gate. Julie stood behind them. The air was so cold that she could see her breath. Other teams were lined up, too, and the dogs were excited. Julie kept her eyes on the clock. At exactly ten o’clock, she and the other racers yelled, "Mush!" The dogs knew that meant "Go!" They leapt forward and the race began! Julie had trained months for this race, and she hoped she and her dogs would win. Hour after hour, day after day, Julie’s dogs pulled the sled in order to get in shape for the race. Now, they ran over snowy hills and down into frozen valleys. They stopped only to rest and eat. They wanted to stay ahead of the other teams. The racers had to go a thousand miles across Alaska. Alaska is one of the coldest places on Earth. The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep them warm in the cold wind and weather. In many places along the route, the snow was deep. Pieces of ice were as sharp as a knife. The ice could cut the dogs’ feet. To keep that from happening, Julie had put special booties on their feet. At first, the dogs seemed to pull the sled very slowly. They were still getting used to the race. But on the third day out, they began to pull more quickly. They worked as a team and passed many of the other racers. Once, one of the sled’s runners slid into a hole and broke. Julie could have given up then, but she didn't. She fixed it and they kept going. When they finally reached the finish line, they found out that they had come in first place! It was a great day for Julie and her dogs.

The author of "Julie’s Race" wrote the story in order to
		describe how dogs stay warm in cold weather.
		tell about a dogsled race.
		explain how cold it can be in winter.
		entertain the reader with funny stories about dogs.
	Where does the dogsled race take place?
		in Antarctica
		on a track
		in Alaska
		in a field
	What happened BEFORE the dogs began running?
		The dogs pulled the sled slowly.
		Julie and the dogs lined up at the starting gate.
		The runner on Julie’s sled broke.
		The dogs pulled the sled over hills and into valleys.

		Read this sentence from the story.
		‘Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the starting gate’. What does team mean?
			friends and family
			to join together
			many dogs
			a group working together
		Why did Julie and her dogs win the race?
		Use the story to explain your answer.
		Why don’t the dogs freeze in the cold weather?
			Julie puts special booties on their feet.
			They sleep by the fire at night.
			Their thick fur coats keep them warm.
			It doesn’t get very cold in Alaska.
		Read this sentence from the story.
		The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep them warm in the cold wind and weather. What does thick mean?
			thin
			hard
			fat
			skinny
		What kind of person is Julie?
		Use the story to help explain your answer.