The-Last-Great-Race
When the alarm went off this morning, my husky rushed over and bumped me with his nose. As I rubbed his head, I said, “Today’s the big day, Mequssuk. Are you ready?” He danced a little to show that he was. Mequssuk means “shaggy dog,” and that’s just what he
is. A typical husky, Mequssuk is a working dog with long bushy fur. In addition, he just happens to be my best friend.
2 The Iditarod starts today, March 5. It’s called “The Last Great Race.” About seventy dog teams race for 1,150 miles from just outside Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Each sled is piled with about 150 pounds of supplies. Mequssuk’s musher, Mr. Ashoona, will drive the sled. Despite the hard work, Mr. Ashoona enjoys the race. He likes the beauty of the wilderness. He also cherishes the special bond he develops with the dogs on his team. Mequssuk has been training with Mr. Ashoona’s team for about six months. Now Mequssuk and the other dogs are strong enough to pull a pickup truck with its brakes oni
Mr. Ashoona accepted Mequssuk on his team even though he usually uses only his own dogs. He knows that my family is Inuit, like his. Mushing is part of our heritage. Dad says it’s in my blood. Ever since Mequssuk was a puppy, I have dreamed that he would run in this famous race.
4 Each sled starts with sixteen dogs, but not all of them make the long haul to the finish. Half of them get hurt or become sick. They stay behind at one of the twenty checkpoints along the race. After vets take good care of them, they are flown to Nome. The sled that wins the race might be pulled by only five dogs.
5 The dog teams line up at the starting point, which is forty miles from Anchorage. The temperature is just above zero, and it’s snowing. I stand beside Dad on the sidelines.
Mequssuk looks back at me from his harness. His eyes are shining with excitement. I wish I could go, but only one musher can drive the sled. Mr. Ashoona promises to call us on his cell phone when he can.
6 At the signal, the dogs leap forward to start the race. Because the race lasts nine to twelve days, Dad and I head home to wait for the end. I stay close to the house in case Mr. Ashoona calls. I know he has to rest the dogs at each checkpoint.
7 That evening the phone rings, and I rush to answer it. I hear a lot of static. “We’re at the second checkpoint,” I think Mr. Ashoona is saying. “Mequssuk has. . . .“ I can’t hear what he says next. Has what? Then the line goes dead.
8 Dad puts his hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m sure Mequssuk is fine, David,” he says. What had Mr. Ashoona said? Was it “Mequssuk has not been feeling well”? Was it “Mequssuk has not been himself”? I know Mequssuk has been trained well, but I can’t help worrying. After all, he’s my best friend, not just a champion racer. I begin to regret putting him in the race. I stop hoping he will win. I just want him to come home safely.
to The week dragged by. Mr. Ashoona did not call again. I knew there weren’t many cell phone towers in the wilderness. I hoped that was why he hadn’t called. At school, I drew pictures of Mequssuk in my notebook. How I wished I could feel his wet nose when I got home from school!
ii After ten long days Mr. Ashoona called again—from Nome. “We didn’t win the race, but we finished!” he said. “We had to leave six dogs behind, but Mequssuk is here with us!” I was so happy to hear that Mequssuk was okay! I felt tears coming to my eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder if my ancestors ever cried over their dogs.
Comprehenslon
1 The race starts
a at Anchorage.
b outside Nome.
c outside Anchorage.
2 The mushers must stop to rest
a twenty times during the race.
b for twenty-four hours.
c for two eight-hour periods.
3 The Iditarod is a rewarding experience for Mr. Ashoona because
a he develops a special bond with the dogs.
b he experiences beautiful Alaskan scenery.
c Bothaandb
4 David’s ancestors were
a Mequssuk.
b
C
Inuit related to Mr.
5 The lditarod takes place in
a Anchorage.
b Nome.
c Alaska.
6 Paragraph 3 of the story tells
a why David wants his dog in the race.
b about the route of the race.
c about the history of the race.
7 Where is David when Mr. Ashoona calls
him on the phone?
a At the second checkpoint
b At the starting point of the race
c At home
LEARN ABOUT WORDS
A Often you can tell the meaning of a word
from other words and ideas in the story.
In the paragraph, find the word that best matches the meaning below. Write the word.
1 driver (2)
2 stopping places (4)
3 a kind of leash (5)
4 noise (7)
5 feel sorry (9)
B One good way to learn words is to use them.
Read each sentence. Look back at the paragraph, and find the word that best completes each sentence below. Write the word.
6 Most jobs require workers to have
__.(2)
7 The teacher my idea for a science project. (3)
8 Before you cross a street, wait for the ___ to walk. (6)
9 The winner of a race is a ___. (9)
10 Time just before the holiday. (10)
WORD STUDY
C wewill=we’ll
have not = haven’t
Sometimes we put two words together and use an apostrophe (‘) to show where one or more letters have been dropped. The new word is called a contraction. Remember that some contractions can stand for more than one combination of words.
they’d = they had or they would
he’s = he is or he has
Look at each pair of contractions. Decide which words were put together to make them. Write the word that was used in both contractions.
Example: have not = haven’t
11 shouldn’t haven’t
12 hadn’t she’d
13 he’s isn’t
14 they’re we’re
15 haven’t they’ve
16 it’s isn’t
17 it’ll I’ll
18 aren’t won’t
D lettuce carrot banana pea
Of these four words, banana does not belong because it names a fruit, and the other three words are names of vegetables.
In each list, one word does not belong with the other words. Write the word that does not belong.
19 point poke touch open
20 salmon tiger elephant giraffe
21 crawl wink walk run
22 hold grab squeeze kick
23 Sunday April Tuesday Saturday
24 stamp close end finish
25 happy cheerful delighted surprised