Examen de práctica mixto de Lenguaje (RLA) 3

From: Tomas Reyna, Volunteer Coordinator
To: Maple Street Community Garden volunteers
Subject: Spring update and volunteer schedule

Dear Volunteers,

(1) I hope you enjoyed the winter break. The garden committee has finalized it's budget for the coming season, and I am happy to share some good news with all of you.

(2) First, the city has approved our request for a second water line. Last year, volunteers carried buckets from the single spigot near the gate, which slowed down every watering shift. The new line will run along the back fence and will serve the twelve raised beds in that area.

(3) Second, we will start a composting program in May. At this point in time, due to the fact that we have more volunteers than ever before, we can finally staff a weekly compost shift. Volunteers on this shift will turn the piles, record the temperature, and add dry leaves when the mix becomes too wet.

(4) Third, our partnership with Lincoln Elementary School will continue. When Ms. Okafor met with Ms. Reyes, she agreed to donate 200 tomato and pepper seedlings from the school greenhouse. Students will visit the garden on three Saturdays to help plant them.

(5) Finally, a reminder about our shared tools. Several shovels and two wheelbarrows were left outside last fall, and the rain ruined the handles. Please return every tool to the shed at the end of your shift. The committee is gonna be super strict about this rule from now on, so please take it seriously.

(6) The volunteer sign-up sheet for April and May is now available on our website. Each shift lasts two hours, and no experience is needed. If you have never gardened before, an experienced volunteer will work alongside you until you feel comfortable.

(7) Thank you for everything you do. Our garden grew more than 1,500 pounds of produce for the Westside Food Pantry last year, and with your help, we can grow even more this season.

Sincerely,
Tomas Reyna

From: Teresa Holm, Aquatics Coordinator To: Maple Grove Pool members Subject: Opening day and new pool rules

(1) Maple Grove Community Pool opens for the season on Saturday, June 7. Thank you for renewing your memberships. This summer the pool will be open every day accept Monday, when the staff cleans the filters and tests the water.

(2) We have made a few changes based on your feedback. The shallow end now has a shaded seating area, and the locker rooms have new benches and brighter lights. There is also two new rules for the snack bar. First, all food must stay at the picnic tables. Second, glass bottles are no longer allowed anywhere on the pool deck.

(3) Please note that the pool's two diving boards will be closed until it is inspected by the county. The inspection is scheduled for mid-June, and we will post the results at the front desk as soon as we receive them.

(4) Safety remains our top priority. Last summer, several young children had swam past the rope line into the deep end before a lifeguard noticed. To prevent this, we will add a second rope and station a lifeguard at the line during busy afternoon hours. Children under eight must be accompanied in the water by an adult.

(5) In the event that it rains or thunder is heard, the lifeguards will clear the pool for at least thirty minutes. Members may wait in the clubhouse, where board games and a television are available.

(6) Finally, we are looking for volunteers to help with our Family Swim Night on July 12. Volunteers will greet guests, serve lemonade, and help set up the movie screen. If you can give two hours of your time, please sign up at the front desk.

(7) We look forward to seeing you at the pool. Have a safe and happy summer!

MEMO

To: All warehouse staff
From: Priya Natarajan, Safety Coordinator
Date: September 8
Subject: Required forklift safety training

(1) As part of our new safety plan, Hartwell Distribution will hold forklift safety training sessions during the week of September 22. These sessions are required by our insurance provider, and they will also help us meet federal workplace safety standards.

(2) Luis Ortega who has worked at Hartwell for fifteen years will lead the sessions. Luis trained many of our current operators, and he has a perfect safety record. Each session will last three hours and will include a classroom review, a written quiz, and a hands-on driving test.

(3) The sessions are mandatory; for all forklift operators. Employees, who have not completed the safety course, may not operate forklifts after October 1. If you are unsure whether your certification is current, check with your shift supervisor.

(4) Sessions will be offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. To reserve a seat, sign up on the sheet outside the safety office no later than Friday, September 19. Employees will be paid their regular hourly rate for the time they spend in training. Seats are limited to eight people per session, so please sign up early. Supervisors will adjust shift schedules so that every operator can attend without working overtime.

(5) Also, please note that the break room will be repainted during the same week. The room will be closed from Monday through Wednesday, and the vending machine's will be moved temporarily to the hallway near the loading dock. Please remove any personal items from the refrigerator by Friday afternoon.

(6) Thank you for helping us keep Hartwell a safe place to work. If you have questions about the training, contact me at extension 118 or stop by the safety office.

(1) From: Priya Nair, Office Manager
To: Front Desk Team, Riverside Family Dental
Subject: Front desk coverage starting June 3

Hi everyone,

As most of you know, our patient numbers have grown steadily this spring, and the front desk has been stretched thin, especially during the lunch hour and the last two hours of the day. Several of you have told me you are skipping breaks to keep up. That is not acceptable to me, and I appreciate your honesty in raising it.

(2) Starting Monday, June 3, we will add a fourth person to the front desk schedule. Jordan Ellis, who has been working in our billing office, will float between billing and the front desk. On busy days, Jordan will cover check-in from 11:30 to 2:00 so that each of you can take a full, uninterrupted lunch break. On slower days, Jordan will stay in billing.

(3) We are also changing how we block the schedule. The last appointment slot of each day will now be held open for emergencies until 3:00 p.m. If no emergency patient has called by then, the slot can be offered to patients on the waiting list. This should reduce the scramble we have all felt when a patient with a broken tooth calls at 4:30 and we have nowhere to put them.

(4) I know that changes like this can feel like one more thing to learn, and I want to be realistic: the first couple of weeks may be bumpy. Jordan is still learning our check-in system, so please be patient and show the same kindness you show our nervous patients every day. If something about the new schedule is not working, tell me. I would much rather adjust the plan in week two than discover a problem in month three.

(5) Finally, thank you. Our patients regularly mention how welcoming the front desk is, and that does not happen by accident. It happens because of the care each of you brings to work. This change is meant to make sure you have the support you need to keep doing that well.

Best,
Priya

Text 1: Cameras Save Lives at Our Worst Intersections

Statement by Alicia Brandt, police chief of the fictional town of Carver Falls

(1) Last year, drivers running red lights caused 41 crashes at the four busiest intersections in Carver Falls. Nine people were seriously injured. Most of these were side-impact, or "T-bone," crashes, the most dangerous kind, because one car strikes the side of another where there is little protection for passengers.

(2) Red-light cameras photograph vehicles that enter an intersection after the light turns red. Studies by national highway-safety researchers have found that cities using cameras often see fewer of these dangerous side-impact crashes. Our officers cannot be at every intersection every hour; cameras can.

(3) I have heard residents call cameras a "money grab." I understand why. Some cities have handled camera programs poorly. That is why our proposal is different: every violation would be reviewed by a trained officer before a ticket is mailed, and all fine revenue would go into a fund for crosswalks, signs, and sidewalk repairs. The goal is not to collect money. The goal is fewer families getting a phone call from the hospital.

(4) I ask the town council to approve a two-year trial at our four most dangerous intersections.

Text 2: Try Longer Yellow Lights First

Letter from Tomas Reyes, a fictional Carver Falls resident and traffic engineer

(5) No one disputes that running a red light is dangerous. I have studied traffic safety for twenty years, and I want those crashes to stop as much as Chief Brandt does. But the council should look closely before signing a camera contract.

(6) It is true that some cities with cameras have recorded fewer side-impact crashes. However, several of those same cities saw rear-end crashes increase, as drivers slammed on their brakes to avoid a ticket. A safety program that trades one kind of crash for another is not a clear victory.

(7) There is also a simpler fix. Many red-light violations happen because yellow lights are too short for the speed of traffic. When engineers lengthen a yellow light by even one second, violations often drop sharply. Retiming signals costs a small fraction of what a camera contract costs.

(8) I urge the council to lengthen the yellow lights at the four intersections first, measure the results for one year, and consider cameras only if the problem continues.

(1) A proposal to build a large distribution warehouse on the edge of Millbrook has drawn strong reactions from residents, with some welcoming the promise of new jobs and others warning of heavy truck traffic.

(2) Brightpath Logistics, a shipping company based in Ohio, wants to build a 600,000-square-foot warehouse on 80 acres of farmland along Route 9. According to the company's application, the warehouse would employ about 450 full-time workers and operate twenty-four hours a day. The site is about one mile from Millbrook Elementary School.

(3) Company spokesperson Alan Reyes said the project would bring "steady jobs with benefits" to a town where the largest employer, a paper mill, closed in 2019. Brightpath says starting pay would be $19 an hour. "We want to be a good neighbor," Reyes said. "We will plant trees along Route 9 and pay for a new traffic light."

(4) Not everyone is convinced. Linda Marsh, who has lived on Route 9 for thirty years, said she worries about safety. A traffic study submitted with the application estimates that the warehouse would bring about 300 truck trips per day. "My grandkids wait for the school bus right there," Marsh said. "I can't imagine three hundred trucks going by them."

(5) Others see the warehouse as a lifeline. Darnell Fisher, who lost his job when the paper mill closed, now drives forty minutes each way to work at a factory in another county. "If I could work ten minutes from home, I'd get an hour of my life back every day," he said.

(6) Some residents raised other questions at a public meeting last week, including whether the town's water system could handle the building and what would happen to nearby property values. Town engineer Kim Osei said those questions are being studied and that a report is expected by early December.

(7) The town Planning Board will vote on the proposal at its December 16 meeting at Town Hall. Residents may submit written comments to the board until December 9.

(1) Every night at 10:52, the Number 9 bus pulled away from the corner of Grant and Fifth, and every night Mr. Abernathy was behind the wheel. Desmond had ridden it home from the warehouse for almost a year before he learned the driver's name, and only then because it was printed on a small card taped beside the fare box.

(2) They did not talk much. Desmond would nod as he climbed on; Mr. Abernathy would nod back. Sometimes, when the rain was bad, the bus waited at the stop an extra minute or two with its doors open, though the schedule posted inside said nothing about waiting. Desmond had noticed that the bus never seemed to leave until he had turned the corner from the warehouse at a run.

(3) Tonight the warehouse supervisor had kept everyone late to unload a truck that should have arrived at noon. By the time Desmond punched out, it was 10:58. He stood in the parking lot and pictured the empty corner, the forty-minute walk, the cold that was already working its way through his jacket. He ran anyway.

(4) The bus was there. Its hazard lights were blinking, and Mr. Abernathy was standing on the bottom step, peering up the street and checking his watch.

(5) "Sorry," Desmond said, out of breath. "Truck came late."

(6) "Figured it was something like that," Mr. Abernathy said. He climbed back into his seat and pulled the door shut. "Dispatch called twice. I told them I had a mechanical issue." He tapped the dashboard. "Seems to have fixed itself."

(7) Desmond dropped into the seat behind him. For a while there was only the hum of the engine and the streetlights sliding past. Then he said, "You know, my mother used to drive a route like this. The 14, out by the airport. Twenty-two years."

(8) Mr. Abernathy glanced into the mirror. "The 14," he said slowly. "Gloria? Gloria Hayes?"

(9) Desmond sat up straight.

(10) "She trained me," the driver said. "My first week. Told me the schedule is a promise to the city, but the riders are a promise to yourself." He shook his head and smiled at the road ahead. "I should have known. You've got her habit of running for the bus like it owes you money."

(11) When they reached Desmond's stop, he stood but didn't move toward the door right away. "Tomorrow," he said, "I'll bring you some of her coffee cake. She still makes it every Sunday."

(12) "I'll hold you to that," Mr. Abernathy said, and this time, when the doors opened, neither of them was in a hurry.

A post on Smart Money Moves, a fictional personal-finance blog

(1) For generations, Americans have been told that owning a home is the surest way to build wealth. It is time to question that advice. For most young families, renting a home and investing the money they save is the smarter financial choice.

(2) Homeowners face costs that renters never see. Beyond the mortgage, they pay property taxes and homeowner's insurance. They also pay for every repair, from a leaking roof to a broken furnace. Financial planners often estimate that upkeep costs 1 to 2 percent of a home's value each year. On a $300,000 house, that is $3,000 to $6,000 a year, every year.

(3) Renting also offers freedom. A renter who is offered a better job in another city can move when the lease ends. A homeowner may have to wait months to sell, and selling costs often run 6 to 10 percent of the price. Last month, I surveyed 500 readers of this blog, and 72 percent of the renters said that being able to move quickly was very important to them. Clearly, Americans value flexibility more than ownership.

(4) Then there is the down payment. A family that puts $60,000 down on a house has locked that money inside the walls. If the same family invests $60,000 in a stock index fund instead, it could grow far larger. Over the past century, the U.S. stock market has returned an average of about 10 percent a year. At that rate, $60,000 would grow to more than $400,000 in twenty years.

(5) My own brother bought a house in 2006, just before home prices crashed. When he had to sell it in 2010, he lost $40,000. That tells you everything you need to know about real estate.

(6) Some people say that paying rent is like throwing money away. But a homeowner also pays money that never comes back: mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, and repairs. In the early years of a typical 30-year mortgage, most of each monthly payment goes to interest, not to owning more of the house.

(7) Real estate agents and bankers will tell you that buying is smart. Of course they will. They earn money every time someone buys a house, so nothing they say about homeownership can be trusted.

(8) Before you sign a mortgage, run the numbers. You may find that the American dream is cheaper to rent.

Text 1

From a report by the director of the Oakdale Parks Department, a fictional city agency

(1) Oakdale's four grass soccer fields at Riverside Park are among the busiest in the county, and they are wearing out. Last year, the fields were closed an average of 38 days because of rain and mud, forcing youth leagues to cancel games and squeeze practices into the remaining days.

(2) I recommend replacing two of the four fields with modern artificial turf. Turf drains quickly and can be used in almost any weather, so the department could schedule about three times as many hours of play on each field. Installing turf on two fields would cost about $1.8 million. In return, the department would save about $45,000 a year in mowing, watering, and fertilizer, and about 2 million gallons of water each summer.

(3) Parents often ask whether turf is safe. A review of injury studies published by the National Youth Sports Safety Board, a fictional organization, found that overall injury rates on modern turf and on grass were similar. Players on turf had somewhat more skin scrapes, often called "turf burns," while players on muddy grass had somewhat more ankle sprains. Based on this review, turf is just as safe as grass.

(4) With turf, Oakdale's young athletes can spend their seasons playing instead of waiting for fields to dry.

Text 2

A letter to the Oakdale City Council from a resident who works as a pediatric nurse

(5) I share the frustration of every parent who has driven to Riverside Park only to find a "Field Closed" sign. The fields are closed far too often. But artificial turf is the wrong fix.

(6) First, turf gets hot. Last July, on an 86-degree afternoon, a teacher at Lincoln Middle School measured the surface of the school's turf field at 141 degrees. The grass field next to it measured 92 degrees. Children playing on surfaces that hot are at risk of burns and heat illness.

(7) Second, the parks director says turf is "just as safe," but the review he cites tells a more complicated story. Yes, overall injury rates were similar. But the review also found more skin scrapes on turf, and in my work I treat scrapes that become infected. The review's authors also noted that most of the studies involved high school and college athletes, not the young children who use Riverside Park most.

(8) Third, turf does not last forever. Most turf fields must be replaced every eight to ten years, at a cost of about $600,000 per field, and the old turf usually ends up in a landfill.

(9) There is a better option. A drainage consultant hired by the city last year estimated that rebuilding the drainage under all four grass fields would cost about $400,000 and would sharply reduce the number of days the fields are closed. Let's fix the fields we have.

Text 1 — Turf Will Keep Our Fields Open (report summary by Dana Whitfield, fictional director of the Linwood Parks Department)

(1) Linwood's three grass ball fields at Millstone Park cannot keep up with demand. I recommend replacing them with artificial turf next spring.

(2) Our department's field logs show that, over the past five years, rain and mud closed the grass fields an average of 61 days per year. During those closures, 38 youth and adult teams had games canceled or moved out of town. Turf fields drain within an hour of a storm, and the manufacturer we are considering rates its surface as playable about 340 days a year.

(3) Turf would also lower our yearly costs. Mowing, watering, fertilizing and reseeding the grass fields cost the department 48,000 dollars last year. The manufacturer estimates that turf maintenance (brushing, cleaning and adding rubber fill) would cost about 12,000 dollars a year.

(4) Installation will cost 1.4 million dollars. However, the state has already awarded Linwood a 900,000 dollar recreation grant that can be used only for field improvements. The remaining 500,000 dollars would come from the parks capital fund, which voters approved in 2022 for this kind of project.

(5) Some residents worry about heat. Turf surfaces do get hotter than grass on sunny days. To address this, the plan includes shade structures for the team benches and a policy, used by many school districts, of checking surface temperature before summer games.

Text 2 — Keep Millstone Park Green (letter to the editor from Rick Paulsen, a Linwood parent)

(6) My daughter played a soccer game on a turf field in another town last July. She came home with red marks on her legs and said the field felt like a frying pan. That tells me everything I need to know about artificial turf.

(7) Everyone knows plastic grass is full of chemicals. Why would we let our kids roll around on it? The parks department says turf is safe, but of course the people selling it would say that.

(8) The cost is also outrageous. Turf has to be replaced after about ten years, and nobody at city hall wants to talk about that bill.

(9) If we cover these fields in plastic today, what is next? Soon the city will pave over every tree in Millstone Park. Linwood has always been a green town, and real families want real grass. Let's keep it that way.

Text 1 — A Ban Would Hurt Working People (op-ed by Tom Brannigan, owner of a fictional Oak Hollow landscaping company)

(1) The town council wants to ban gas-powered leaf blowers starting next year. As someone who has run a landscaping business here for 22 years, I can tell you this ban would be a disaster.

(2) My crew of six depends on gas blowers. Battery blowers are weak toys. I tried one at a trade show, and it barely moved a pile of wet leaves. If the ban passes, we will have two choices: buy equipment that does not work or go back to rakes and triple our prices.

(3) A friend who runs a lawn service in another state told me that half the landscapers in his town went out of business after a similar ban. Is that what the council wants for Oak Hollow?

(4) The people pushing this ban are mostly retirees who have nothing better to do than complain about noise. Hardworking families should not lose their jobs so that a few people can enjoy a quiet morning.

Text 2 — Quieter, Cleaner Yards Are Within Reach (op-ed by Grace Okafor, a fictional public health nurse in Oak Hollow)

(5) Gas-powered leaf blowers create two serious problems: noise and air pollution. A phased ban, with help for local businesses, would solve both.

(6) Last fall, the town's environmental office measured blower noise at 50 feet. Gas models registered 70 to 75 decibels; battery models registered 58 to 65. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a 10-decibel drop sounds roughly half as loud to the human ear.

(7) Small gas engines also pollute heavily. The state air-quality board reports that running a commercial gas blower for one hour releases about as much smog-forming pollution as driving a typical car for several hundred miles. Workers who stand next to these engines all day breathe the most exhaust.

(8) Battery equipment has improved. Two Oak Hollow schools switched their grounds crews to battery blowers last year, and the crew supervisor reported that the work took about the same amount of time. Neighboring Ridgeway passed a similar ban in 2021; its business license records show that the number of landscaping companies there grew from 14 to 16 since then.

(9) The proposal gives businesses two years to switch and offers rebates of up to 40 percent on new battery equipment. That is a fair way to protect both workers' health and their livelihoods.

Text 1 — Let the Sun Help Pay Our Bills (memo from Priya Raman, fictional chair of the Carlow Energy Committee)

(1) Carlow spends about 210,000 dollars a year on electricity for its town hall, library, fire station and public works garage. Installing solar panels on these roofs would cut that bill sharply.

(2) Last year, the committee hired an independent engineering firm to study the four roofs. The firm estimated that panels would supply about 45 percent of the buildings' electricity, saving roughly 95,000 dollars a year. After a federal tax credit for public entities, the system would cost about 760,000 dollars, so it would pay for itself in about eight years. Panels typically last 25 years or more.

(3) Solar would also protect the town from rising rates. Our utility has raised commercial electricity rates three times in the past six years.

(4) Finally, solar panels would show residents that town leaders take the future seriously. Every forward-thinking community is going solar, and Carlow should not be left behind.

Text 2 — Look Before We Leap onto the Roof (letter from Walt Kessler, fictional member of the Carlow Finance Board)

(5) Solar power is a fine idea in general, but this plan has holes.

(6) First, the library and town hall roofs are 24 years old. Our own building inspector's report from March says both will need replacement within five years. Installing panels now means paying to remove and reinstall them when the roofs are replaced, a cost the engineering study does not include.

(7) Second, savings can fall short. Nearby Dunmore installed panels in 2018, and its town manager told our board that the system has produced about 20 percent less power than predicted, partly because of shade from trees that grew taller.

(8) Third, 760,000 dollars is a large amount for a town our size. That money could repair the public works garage, which the inspector also flagged.

(9) I am not against solar. I am asking the town to fix the roofs first, then install panels on a sound foundation.

A student wrote this first draft in response to the two texts about ending overdue fines at the Millbrook Public Library. The draft needs revision.

(1) Should libraries charge fines for late books? This question has caused debate in Millbrook. The library director, Rosa Delgado, wants to end fines, but council member Gary Ott wants to keep them. In this essay I will talk about both texts.

(2) Delgado gives specific numbers to back up her claim. She reports that about 6,200 residents have blocked cards, mostly in the two lowest-income neighborhoods. She also points out that fines brought in about 38,000 dollars, less than 1 percent of the library's budget. My cousin once had her library card blocked, and she was really annoyed. These figures show that fines shut out thousands of people while raising very little money.

(3) After Lakeport dropped fines in 2019, 95 percent of items were still returned within a month of the due date. More than 2,000 residents with blocked cards came back to the library. This answers the worry that people will stop returning books. Delgado adds that the library would still bill patrons for books that are never returned.

(4) Lakeport's results suggest the opposite. Ott's argument is weaker. He says fines teach responsibility, but his only support is a memory of paying a quarter as a boy. For example, he claims that without fines "the library will become a free-for-all," yet he offers no evidence for this prediction.

(5) To be fair, Ott makes one reasonable point. The city budget is tight. Therefore, the fine money is small compared with the staff time that fines require, as Delgado explains. Ott's amnesty day would help a little, but it would leave thousands of cards blocked for the rest of the year.

(6) Libraries are important. Everyone should read more books.

Text 1 — Every Graduate Needs Money Skills (speech excerpt by Laura Kim, a fictional state senator)

(1) Our state should require every high school student to pass a one-semester personal finance course before graduating.

(2) My own nephew left high school without knowing what interest was. By age 23, he owed more than 15,000 dollars on three credit cards. His story is not unusual. Every adult I know wishes someone had taught them about money when they were young.

(3) Look at the numbers. Our nation's debt is more than 30 trillion dollars. Clearly, Americans do not know how to manage money, and that problem starts in our schools.

(4) Some school leaders say they do not have room in the schedule. But what could be more important than learning to manage a paycheck? It is common sense: if we want responsible adults, we must teach responsibility.

(5) Anyone who opposes this requirement is saying that our children's financial futures do not matter.

Text 2 — Teach Money Skills Without a New Mandate (op-ed by Dr. Marcus Hill, fictional superintendent of the Pine Valley School District)

(6) Financial skills matter, and I agree that students need them. The question is how to teach them best.

(7) Our schedules are already full. Students in Pine Valley need 24 credits to graduate, and most seniors have only two elective slots left. A required semester course would push out other electives, such as welding, music or a second year of a world language.

(8) We also lack teachers. Pine Valley has nine open math and business teaching positions this year, the most in a decade. A new required course would need about six more full-time teachers across our district.

(9) There is a better approach. Last year, four Pine Valley high schools added a six-week money unit to their required economics and math classes. On a 100-point financial knowledge test, those students averaged 18 points higher than students at schools without the unit.

(10) Before passing a mandate, the state should fund programs like this one, which build money skills without crowding out other learning.