I believe we can make this neighborhood the cleanest, nicest, and best neighborhood in the entire city. Some people say we need to set our sights lower than that, but how do we ever get anywhere by setting our sights low? My father once told me that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And today we are making that step. You volunteers, joining with me to clean rubbish off the streets, are just the beginning of a new day in this town. With cleaner streets, we will bring new businesses to our storefronts. We will bring in new shoppers from out of town. Families will be proud to show off their neighborhood. Flowers will bloom, children will laugh, and we all will be proud of the work we started here today.

1. What is the author’s purpose in this passage? (Be specific!)





2. What proverb is shared in this passage? How does it support the author’s purpose?





3. Name two examples the author gives to support the idea that cleaning up the town will have a positive effect. How do the examples support the author’s purpose?