Acid Rain
Before factories were built and cars were invented, the air was much cleaner. Today, our roads are packed with millions of vehicles that emit fumes as black as soot into the clean air. Some of the chemicals from the fumes rise up into the air, mix with water vapor in the clouds, and turn into acidic compounds. The rain or snow that falls from these polluted clouds may appear pure or clean, but is corrosive like acid. When this acid rain falls to the ground, it affects the leaves, which slowly wither like hay. The acid rain also seeps into the soil and damages plants and crops. It runs into lakes and rivers, killing the fish, plants, and other life forms that live there. It even contaminates the water that people drink.
It is a well-established fact that forests around the world are feeling the effects of acid rain, especially the pine forests of northern Europe. Acid rain can be so potent at times that substances as tough as leather become as brittle as glass. Even though some forests are far away from big cities, the pollution is carried there by the wind, sometimes as far as 700 miles. Hence, pollution from a city may fall as acid rain on a forest in another country.
Passage 2
Marie Curie
Marie Curie shivered as she ran like lightning across the icy streets of Paris. Her heart was pounding like a drum, but it wasn't because of the biting cold or fear. She was thinking about an experiment she had just finished—one that she had done probably hundreds of times before. Each time the result had been identical, and Marie could not wrap her mind around it.
She was working on a rock that gave off mysterious rays of energy so strong that even the energy rays of uranium and thorium paled in comparison. Marie decided that perhaps the signals from the rock came from an element that no one knew about. The thought was pure gold to her. So, she and her husband Pierre worked day and night to decode the mystery behind the curious rock. Despite several failed attempts, Marie's determination to uncover the truth was as hard as steel, and her hard work finally paid off when she found that she had discovered a new element, now known as radium. The element gave off so much energy that it glowed like a firefly in the dark. The discovery by Marie Curie opened the doors to the study of radioactive substances, and for women to become scientists.
16
Read the following simile from each passage.
Passage 1: Acid rain can be so potent that even substances as tough as leather become as brittle as glass.
Passage 2: Marie Curie shivered as she ran like lightning across the icy streets of Paris.
How does the use of simile in each passage impact the description of the topic or event differently?
A.
The simile in passage 1 describes how leather can be changed to glass while the simile in passage 2 describes the cold climate of Paris.
B.
The simile in passage 1 describes the potency of acid rain while the simile in passage 2 describes Marie Curie's excitement at discovering something new.
C.
The simile in passage 1 describes how acid rain can impact forests while the simile in passage 2 describes Marie Curie's ability to run.
D.
The simile in passage 1 describes the difference between leather and glass while the simile in passage 2 describes the streets of Paris.