Water is needed to sustain practically all life functions on planet Earth. A single drop of this compound is composed of an oxygen atom that shares its electrons with each of the two hydrogen atoms. The cycle starts when precipitation, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, descends from the sky onto the ground. Water that is not absorbed immediately from the precipitation is known as runoff. The runoff flows across the land and collects in groundwater reservoirs, rivers, streams, and oceans. Evaporation takes place when liquid water changes into water vapor, which is a gas. Water vapor returns to the air from surface water and plants. Ultimately, condensation happens when this water vapor cools and changes back into droplets of liquid. In fact, the puffy, cotton clouds that we observe are formed by condensation. When the clouds become heavily laden with liquid droplets, precipitation ensues.

Which transitional expression best replaces the underlined word in the following sentence: "Ultimately, condensation happens when water vapor cools."

The Summer Olympics Games

Once every four years the countries of the world send their best and brightest to participate in the Summer Olympic Games. The site for the event s decided years before, and most countries contend strongly for the privilege to host the Games. The 2008 games were held in Bejing, China. There is a lot of pageantry and tradition attached to the event. The opening ceremony is elaborate and awe-inspiring. China put on a spectacularly beautiful fireworks display to welcome the world's athletes in 2008. The track events, water events (swimming, diving) and precision activities such as archery and rhythmic gymnastics are wonderful to watch. Seeing these athletes perform their special skills is a treat for those of us who achieve a vicarious satisfaction from it. Everyone roots for the athletes from their owr country and we thrill when our anthem is played during the medal ceremony. Being an Olympian is an honor every athlete dreams of. How often are the Summer Olympic Games held? A Once a decade.

What is the meaning of the word "roots" as used in the third paragraph?

The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth. The basin - roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States – covers some 40% of the South American continent, and portions of eight countries. The basin is drained by the Amazon River, the world's largest river in terms of discharge, and the second longest river in the world after the Nile. Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. This deforestation is mainly due to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. Deforestation of the rainforest has long-term implications. The loss of habitat for many creatures ensures their extinction. The loss of vegetation depletes the oxygen in the atmosphere, which some say causes global warming.

What statement is a fact rather than an opinion?

Safe Driving

The most important factor in any highway safety program is the responsible citizen-driver: YOU. Since you are a consumer, drive a car, vote, and pay taxes, you are a power to be considered. Your voice can Influence legislation at the federal, state, and local government levels. You can insist on better roads and safer cars by being a consumer advocate.

Your attitude about driving affects your making safe driving decisions while on the road. Your immediate concern, however, should be to drive safely in a property Inspected car, wear a safety belt, and never mix liquor with driving.

What is stated in this paragraph?

The ebb and flow of laughter and silence fills the room as four old friends gather to engage in a round of Bridge playing.
For the beginner, Bridge can be complicated, but with time, effort, and a good teacher, even the novice can become proficient.
Composed of two main parts, bidding and playing, Bridge requires the player's undivided attention. The dealer deals the entire deck of playing cards evenly between the for players, with each person receiving thirteen cards. In the bidding portion of the game, the four suits of cards in the deck are ranked highest to lowest as follows:
spades, hearts, diamonds, and finally clubs. However, during play all the suits of cards are considered equals, and they go from highest to lowest from the ace being high to the two cards being low. The highest number of tricks wins. A trick is one card played by each player for a total of four. After the lead player lays down his/her card, the other players follow suit, if possible. The highest card within the four "same suit" cards played wins the trick and picks up all four cards. if a player cannot follow suit, he/she plays any card, but to make the game more interesting and challenging, one suit is named a trump suit which means that if a player plays a card from the trump suit, it always wins the trick. If two cards from the trump suit are played, the highest card within the trump suit wins the trick. obviously, the team with the most tricks wins the hand.

In the passage, a trick is described as