Adapted from kate's ordeal
by emma leslie

it was night when kate reached london. her uncle was waiting for her at the railway station. he soon stowed away her luggage in a cab, and they were rattling through the brilliantly lit streets. to kate's unaccustomed eyes, it was like fairyland for a few minutes. she thought she had indeed been fortunate to be able to get a job in one of these grand, fancy looking shops.
however, she soon found there were streets in london almost as dimly lit as her own village streets at home. the shops, too, looked much less grand and imposing than those she had first seen.
at last, the cab stopped and kate saw, to her dismay, that it was not a broad, fashionable thoroughfare, and the shop, with its piles of buns and loaves of bread, looked old-fashioned. the whole street did not look modern although there were many people on it. everybody seemed in such a hurry. kate wondered if there was a fire or some accident that must have happened close by. all this passed through her mind as she stood on the pavement looking up and down the busy, old-fashioned street, which was so unlike what she had fancied her new home would be.

what is the theme of this story?

a.
traveling by night gives people a different perspective.
b.
people who live in cities are preoccupied with business.
c.
contentment comes from appreciating what you have.
d.
unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment.

(20 points) passage: this year will be a record-breaking year for storms 1it looks like 2012 will be a year for the record books. thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have increased across the country. the storms' high winds and heavy rains are making history. early tornado and hurricane seasons 2in march, not usually a busy month for tornadoes, the south and midwest had a large number of twisters. warm weather made conditions ripe for the creation of tornadoes. on some days, twisters dropped from the sky by the dozen. 3hurricane season also came early. two tropical storms hit the southeast in may. two more strong storms followed in june. severe thunderstorms 4many states that have escaped tornadoes and hurricanes have had severe thunderstorms. these giant storms dumped several inches of rain and caused flooding across the northeast and midwest. 5the end of hurricane season is months away, and this year's storm count and rainfall amounts could leave 2011 in the dust. forecasters say the wet, windy weather might stick around until fall. labor day parade rained out 6there is no joy in green town, where the annual labor day parade was called off because of heavy rain. the town's mayor says the parade hasn't been rained out in fifty years. 7a strong band of thunderstorms hit green town on sunday. more than two inches of rain fell each hour. by monday morning, main street looked more like a creek than a parade route. mayor nora bell said she had to call off the parade. "the heavy rains have created a serious safety issue in green town," she said. 8the loss of the labor day parade is green town's second disappointment this summer. in may, the memorial day parade was also called off because of rain. "this must be one of the wettest summers in history," mayor bell said. 9according to the national weather service, mayor bell is right. this summer will break rainfall records in green town and across the country. question: who would obtain the most useful information from the passage? a) someone planning a holiday picnic. b) someone interested in documenting annual meteorological patterns. c) an advocate for the green town labor day parade. d) someone who wishes to do research on the alleged truth of the "global warming" phenomenon.