Daily Departures: Speed Reading Passages for English Language Learners

4 THE BLUE MAN “Come!” Jenny says. “I want to show you something.” I follow her outside. We walk to the corner. “Look at that man,” Jenny says, pointing to a man standing on the corner. The man is holding a blue umbrella. He is not moving. He is wearing a blue suit and blue shoes. Even his face and hair are painted blue. “Is that a real man?” I ask. “Yes,” Jenny says. “Why is he painted blue?” I ask. “And why isn’t he moving?” “Because he is acting,” Jenny says. “He is doing that so we’ll give himmoney. It’s a show.” Jenny and I watch the man. We think that after a few minutes, the man will move. We watch for 15 minutes, but the man does not move at all. “Doesn’t his arm get tired?” I ask. “Maybe,” Jenny answers. “Do you think he is going to stand there all day?” I ask. “I think so,” Jenny answers. “Let’s give him some money,” I say. Jenny and I walk toward the man. I put one dollar into the blue hat by the man’s feet. The man smiles. I smile back. “He moved,” I say to Jenny as we walk away. Put an X beside your stopping time on the progress chart, then answer the questions on the back of this page.  7