Author Archives: Александр

• If you are astounded, you are very surprised.
  I was astounded that Monica won the art competition.
• An attribute is a characteristic of a person or thing.
  He isn’t very clever, but he does have some other positive attributes.
• If someone is bilingual, then they can speaktwo languages.
  Since you already know English, after learning French you’ll be bilingual.
• A clone is an identical copy of a living creature.
  Scientists recently made a clone of a sheep.
• Colloquial describes informal words that are more suitable for speech than writing.
  I find it difficult to understand people if they use colloquial language.
• Cosmetics are substances that make the face and skin more beautiful.
  Girls often look nicer when they don’t use so many cosmetics.
• To dash means to run or move quickly.
  Helen dashed up the stairs, so she wouldn’t be late for her appointment.
• Disgust is a feeling of distaste and anger caused by something rude or unpleasant.
  He felt disgust toward his date because she had such terrible eating habits.
• If something is fluorescent, it is such a bright color that it seems to give off light.
  She highlighted the key words in the document with a fluorescent yellow pen.
• If you are furious, you are extremely angry.
  My father was furious when he read my bad school report.
• A gulf is a gap between people who do not understand each other.
  There has been a gulf between James and Tony since their parents died.
• Humanities are subjects which analyze human ideas, such as history and literature.
  Jennifer has always been more interested in humanities than science.
• A knot is made when you tie the ends of rope or cord together.
  He tied a knot in his shoelaces, so they wouldn’t come off during the race.
• A linguist is someone who studies languages.
  Tony is a good linguist and speaks four different languages.
• A participant is someone who joins in a social event or competition.
  There were thousands of participants in this year’s marathon.
• If something is plausible, it is reasonable or possible.
  It is plausible that Jack isn’t here today because he is sick.
• A ritual is a formal custom that people do regularly.
  Ken was very interested to learn about the religious rituals of the natives.
• A sibling is a brother or sister.
  Jane has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister.
• If someone is skinny, they are extremely thin.
  Polly is very skinny. I think she needs to eat more.
• If something is vague, it is not clear, and it gives very few details.
  I asked him about his mother’s health, but he was very vague about it.

The Twins

Katie and Alice were twins. They were so alike that few people could tell the siblings apart. They were almost like clones. They even used the same colloquial language as each other. They were best friends. But the twins’ attributes were not all identical. Alice liked humanities, and Katie was a good linguist. One summer, Katie decided to be a participant at a summer camp in France. Alice wasn’t interested in the French language, so she didn’t go. But she felt angry that Katie wanted to spend the summer away from her. Two months later, Katie returned.

Alice dashed to the airport to greet her sister. But when Alice saw Katie, she was astounded. Katie was now bilingual, and she looked completely different! She was wearing nice clothes, cosmetics and looked skinnier. Alice felt very messy next to her. She was just wearing a fluorescent t-shirt, and her hair had knots in it. When Alice asked Katie about France, Katie was vague and didn’t say much. It made Alice furious and filled her with disgust because in the past they’d always told each other everything. Now there was a huge gulf between them. Over the weeks, the sisters spoke even less. Two months later, it was the twins’ birthday. All their lives, they’d had a ritual. Before their birthday, they’d talk all night long. That night, Alice came into Katie’s bedroom. “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken much lately,” Katie said.

“I understand. You have new friends now,” said Alice, angrily. Katie said, “My French friends don’t write much nowadays. For a while, I thought they were more exciting than my friends at home. But I was wrong. You’re my sister, and you’ll always be my best friend.” Alice said, “I’m sorry, too. I wanted our relationship to stay the same forever. But it’s totally plausible for twins to have different interests. We can still be best friends without being together all the time.”

• When a number is aggregate, it is made up of smaller amounts added together.
  The company totaled its aggregate sales for the entire year.
• An antibiotic is a medical drug used to kill bacteria and treat infections.
  The doctor gave me a shot of an antibiotic when I got the flu.
• A circuit is a piece of an electronic device that allows electricity to flow.
  Be very careful not to shock yourself when fixing an electrical circuit.
• To complement something or someone is to make them better.
  The wool scarf complemented her lovely eyes.
• To compress something means to press or squeeze it so that it takes up less space.
  I compressed my clothes to fit into a single suitcase.
• A database is a collection of data that is stored in a computer.
  The company has a database of all the names and accounts of their customers.
• An equivalent is an amount or value that is the same as another amount orvalue. •
  I worked the equivalent of sixty hours this week.
• When someone is immune to a disease, they cannot be affected by it.
  Children usually get shots to make them immune to certain diseases.
• Input is information that is put into a computer.
  Type the input into the computer program.
• When a relationship is intimate, the two things are very closely connected.
  I only tell my secrets to my most intimate friends.
• A magnet is a piece of iron or other material which attracts iron toward it.
  I used a magnet to pick up the nails that were scattered on the floor.
• A person’s metabolism is the way chemical processes in their body use energy.
  If you exercise everyday, your metabolism speeds up.
• A microchip is a small device inside a computer that holds information.
  I can put more data on my computer if I buy a more powerful microchip.
• A phase is a stage in a process or the gradual development of something.
  The first phase in the recycling project involves finding volunteers to help out.
• To pinch means to take a piece of skin between one’s fingers and squeeze.
  I pinched my nose, so I couldn’t smell the odor from the garbage.
• When something is prevalent, it is common.
  Growing a beard is more prevalent behavior in men than women.
• When something is quantum, it relates to the behavior of atomic particles.
  The physics student studied quantum mechanics.
• A ratio is a relationship between two things expressed in numbers or amounts.
  The boy to girl ratio is one to three.
• A spiral is a shape which winds round and round in a larger and larger circle.
  A strand ofDNA looks like two interlocking spirals.
• When something is viral, it is a disease or infection that is caused by a virus.
  The girl was in bed for a week when she had a viral infection.

Microchips

The bond between humans and computers is becoming more intimate than ever before. Scientists are now putting microchips inside people’s bodies. They are made up of compressed electrical circuits that can detect and record data about the body. They are tiny, but they hold the equivalent amount of data as most computers. A microchip is put to use inside a person with a simple procedure. First, a doctor must put data about the patient onto a chip. Input about the person’s age, race, gender, and medical history is stored on the chip. The second phase of the process involves putting it in the person’s skin. The doctor pinches a piece of skin and cuts a tiny hole with a tool shaped like a spiral.

The chip is inserted, and the skin is allowed to heal. At last, it begins the task of putting data into its database. Microchips scan the patient’s body to record what is happening on the quantum level. They can find problems with the person’s metabolism and organs. They can also detect viral infections. They can find the aggregate number of immune and infected cells and present the results in a ratio. They can even tell doctors what type of antibiotic to give to the patient!

To recover the chip’s data, the doctor uses a special magnet that copies it. This way, the doctor can put the information from the chip onto a computer. Then they can find out exactly what is wrong with the person. The idea of putting chips in humans is still very new. However, it is now becoming more prevalent. Scientists and doctors are hopeful about the future uses of microchips. Someday, all new babies might get a microchip soon after they are born. Doctors will be able to know about any problems from the very beginning. It is obvious that medicine and computers complement each other well.

Word List. Unit 49

• If someone acts accordingly, they act in a way that is suitable.
  He feels like he did a good job, and his boss should pay him accordingly.
• An anchor is a heavy object dropped from a boat to make it stay in one place.
  When the ship reached its destination, the crew dropped the anchor.
• A buoy is a floating sign that warns boats of dangerous areas.
  Don’t steer the boat near those buoys. There are rocks underneath the water.
• A catastrophe is an unexpected event that causes great suffering or damage.
  It was a catastrophe for my family when my dad lost his job.
• Context is the situations that form the background of an event.
  They studied the context of the battle before giving their presentation.
• To designate someone or something means to give them a particular description.
  The famous lighthouse was designated a historical monument.
• To distort something means to lie about it.
  His lawyer distorted the facts so that he would be set free.
• A dock is an enclosed area where ships go to be loaded, unloaded, and repaired.
  The huge ship pulled into the dock, and the crew unloaded the cargo.
• The fore of something is the front part of it.
  The teacher’s desk is at the fore of the classroom.
• If something is frequent, then it happens or is done often.
  While Dad was sick, the doctor made frequent visits to his house.
• When something is genuine, it is true or real.
  After the painting was determined to be genuine, it sold for a million dollars.
• Grease is an oily substance put on moving parts, so they work smoothly.
  When I was done working on the car, I had grease all over my hands.
• When something is intricate, it has many small parts or details.
  The intricate painting on the quilt was very lovely.
• To offset means to use one thing to cancel out the effect of another thing.
  Increased wages are offset by higher prices for goods.
• To overlap something means to cover a piece of it.
  The gift on top overlaps the other gift on the bottom.
• To precipitate an event means to cause it to happen sooner than normal.
  The violent attack precipitated an all-out war.
• When something is secondhand, it has been owned by someone else.
  Her secondhand jeans were a bit faded in the front.
• A slot is a narrow opening in a machine or container.
  To operate the machine, put your coins into the slot.
• To submerge something means to put it below the surface of a liquid.
  The whale submerged its huge body into the ocean.
• Atactic is a careful plan to achieve something.
  Sam thought of a good tactic in order to attract more business.

Jane’s Pride

Jane and her father, Mike, owned a secondhand boat. They called it “High Hopes.” The two loved to spend time together on the ocean and would often go on long fishing trips. Mike taught Jane how to perform important tasks. Jane learned how to steer the boat and adjust the sails. She learned how to put grease on the intricate gears of the motor. She learned how to submerge the anchor and secure it by putting a rope in a slot. Jane liked helping her father, but she thought that she wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes, she omitted important steps and made frequent mistakes.

Jane thought she wasn’t capable of manual labor. Mike wanted to prove to her that she was indeed capable and important. He thought of a tactic to test Jane’s skills in the context of a catastrophe. He hid underthe deckand pretended to be trapped. He shouted, “Jane, I can’t get out! You have to get back to the dock and find help!” Jane began to panic. She thought she might make her usual mistakes, which would precipitate a disaster. However, she had to listen to her dad and act accordingly. She pulled up the anchor with all of her might. She remembered to overlap the sails to offset the wind.

She steered the boat around buoys where the water was shallow. When they got to shore, Mike came out from underthe deck. Jane said, “I thought you were trapped!” Mike laughed. He said, “It wasn’t a genuine emergency. I distorted the truth to test your abilities. Look at what a great job you did getting the boat home safely! I knew you could do it.” To honor his daughter, Mike decided to rename his boat. He designated it “Jane’s Pride” and painted the name on the fore of the ship. Jane finally had something to be proud of.

Word List. Unit 48

• If someone is aggressive, then they constantly want to fight.
  Nobody liked to playgames with him because he was always too aggressive.
• Amnesty is a pardon given to prisoners of war.
  She was denied amnesty for her involvement in the war.
• An arena is a building where people can watch sports and concerts.
  The new arena was all set to hold the championship match.
• An auditorium is a large building used for public events.
  People have gathered at the school auditorium to watch the play.
• A captive is a prisoner.
  The guards told the captive that there was no way he could escape the prison.
• Combat is fighting between two people or groups.
  The two warriors were locked in combat.
• If something is commonplace, then it is ordinary.
  There is nothing commonplace about the way Morris dresses.
• A compound is an enclosed area such as a prison or factory.
  The workers waited outside the compound for the gates to the factory to open.
• A corps is a division of a military force.
  The army had a corps of archers who trained apart from the regular soldiers.
• To distract someone means to stop them from concentrating on something.
  The phone call distracted him so much that he forgot all about his homework.
• If someone is dumb, they are unable to speak.
  She did not share the secret. She remained silent as if she were dumb.
• A foe is an enemy or opponent.
  It was hard to believe that anyone could be his foe.
• To hack something means to cut it into uneven pieces.
  My uncle used the ax to hack the tree into many logs.
• To meditate means to focus or think deeply in silence.
  She liked to meditate for several hours of each day.
• To nick someone means to cut them slightly with a sharp object.
  While cutting the carrots, the cook nicked his finger with the edge of his knife.
• To provoke someone means to annoy them on purpose to cause violence.
  The older boy provoked Paul by calling him mean names.
• A realm is any area of activity or interest.
  He was not very active in the realm of business.
• A reign is the period of time in which a ruler rules.
  The emperor’s reign lasted for only two years.
• Rust is a red and brown coating on iron objects caused by water and air.
  The old metal gate would not swing because the hinges were covered in rust.
• If something is sacred, then it is worshipped and respected.
  One religion in India will not harm cows because it believes that they are sacred.

The Soldier’s Decision

A soldier was captured while fighting in an enemy king’s land. It was well known that this king would make captives fight one another. This was commonplace during his reign. For these fights, the king had built several large arenas. He often awarded the winners by setting them free or even having them join his elite army corps. The soldier, however, decided he had seen too much violence. He now felt that all life was sacred. The night before his first match, he made a risky decision.

He decided that he would not engage in combat. He knew he may never be set free, but it was a decision that he was willing to accept. In the morning, he was led from the prisoners’ compound to one of the king’s arenas. A gate coated in rust stood between him and the auditorium’s floor. He was worried, but he knew what he had to do. When the gate opened, he calmly walked to the center of the arena and sat. He started to meditate. His foe Darius, who was skilled in the realm of sword fighting and was typically not very aggressive, would not fight the quiet soldier until he attacked Darius first.

Darius tried to provoke him by hacking at the air close to his head with his sword. But the soldier was not distracted. He sat quietly, as if he were dumb, and looked calmly up at the sky. Even when Darius nicked him on the cheek with the edge of his sword, the soldier did not move. At last he threw down his sword and shield and gave up. “I can’t fight someone who refuses to fight me!” Darius shouted to the king. The king was very impressed with the soldier. Never in any battle had he seen someone so brave. As a result, he gave the peaceful soldier amnesty. The soldier’s actions proved to the king and everyone in the arena that peace was more powerful than fighting.

Word List. Unit 47

• An attorney is one who gives others advice about the law.
  The attorney appeared in front of the judge for me.
• When something is chronic, it happens over and over again over time.
  He had chronic pain in his chest and needed to see a doctor.
• Discipline is training that helps people follow the rules.
  One of the teacher’s jobs is to teach her students discipline.
• A donor is somebody who gives something to an organization.
  He was proud to be a blood donor.
• A fellow is someone who shares a job or quality with someone else.
  All of my fellow patients at the hospital have also complained about the food.
• Gossip is information that might be untrue but is still discussed anyway.
  The friends exchanged gossip about the people they knew in school.
• To graduate from a school means to complete and pass all courses of study there.
  At the end of the spring, my friends and I will graduate from high school.
• Graffiti is words or drawings in public places.
  The wall was covered with colorful graffiti.
• A guardian is someone who protects somebody or something.
  The librarians are the guardians of the books.
• To implicate someone is to show that they have done a crime or something bad.
  The man was implicated in the theft at the store.
• Kin is a person’s family and relatives.
  His kin were all farmers.
• A referee is a person who makes sure that the rules are followed in sports.
  The soccer player didn’t agree with the referee.
• To sever something is to cut through it completely.
  He severed the string using scissors.
• A shaft is a handle of a tool or weapon.
  The golf club had a long wooden shaft that he held in his hands.
• To stab means to cut someone or something with a sharp object like a knife.
  He stabbed the fork into the potato and passed it to his daughter.
• A stimulus is something that causes growth or activity.
  Having a lot of money is a stimulus for people to buy more things.
• A suspicion is a feeling that something is possible or true in a crime.
  The police had a suspicion that the driver had stolen the purse.
• To terminate something means to stop or end it.
  The trip was terminated after the car broke down.
• A theme is the main subject of a book, movie, or painting.
  The students discussed the book’s theme in class.
• Tuition is the amount of money paid to go to a school.
  University tuitions have increased by fifty percent in the last five years.

“I Didn’t Do It!”

Billy was in big trouble. The day before, a donor gave the school a painting with a sports theme. It showed a referee congratulating two athletes. The principal hung the painting in front of the office, hoping that it would be a stimulus for students to play sports. The next morning, however, the painting was destroyed. There was graffiti on it, and it had many holes in it. The worst part was that one of Billy’s fellow students said she thought she saw Billy do it! But Billy didn’t do it. The principal called Billy’s parents and said, “Billy won’t tell us the truth. He’s a chronic liar, and he ruined the painting. If you don’t pay for it, we’ll terminate his education here.”

Billy’s parents didn’t have enough money to pay for the painting and for his tuition. But Billy’s parents had an idea. That afternoon, they went to see Mr. Meyers, an attorney. “Mr. Meyers, my son has been implicated in a crime he says he didn’t do,” Billy’s father said. “Everybody believes the gossip. Even some of our own kin think he did it!” “I believe you. My suspicion is that the tape from the security cameras will show who really did it,” said Mr. Meyers. The next day, Mr. Meyers received a packet with the videotape from the school. It showed another student who resembled Billy walking up to the painting and writing on it.

Then the student took a knife by the shaft and started to stab large holes in it. Finally, he severed the rope that held up the painting, and it fell to the floor. Mr. Meyers showed the tape to the principal. “Clearly, that’s not Billy,” he said. “This boy is actually responsible and needs some discipline.” Billy was happy that someone believed him. He said to Mr. Meyers, “When I graduate and go to university, I will major in law, so I can be a guardian of justice like you!”

Word List. Unit 46

• An addict is a person who cannot stop doing or having something.
  She was a coffee addict. She had more than three cups each day.
• When something is archeological, it relates to archeology.
  They found archeological evidence that proved an ancient species of man.
• Archeology is the study of ancient people through their artifacts.
  He studied archeology to learn more about ancient Egyptian culture.
• To brainstorm is to have a lot of ideas about a certain topic.
  The students met after school to brainstorm ideas for their assignment.
• A budget is the amount of money available to spend on something.
  His budget for food was very tight.
• When something is chaotic, it is crazy, confused, and hectic.
  The first day of school can be chaotic fora new student.
• To cite something is to mention it as an example or as proof of something.
  She cited six reasons that the school needed to build new classrooms.
• To correspond is to match or to be similar to something.
  The boy’s story didn’t correspond with his mother’s version.
• A courtyard is an outdoor area that is surrounded by the walls of a building.
  During the summer, the courtyard is a nice place to have lunch.
• An estate is a large area of land owned by a family or organization.
  He lived on his father’s estate in the country.
• Fraud is the crime of gaining money by lying or by tricking people.
  Experts say that credit card fraud increases around the holidays.
• Hydrogen is a gas that has no taste, color, or smell.
  Balloons filled with hydrogen can easily float away if you aren’t careful.
• Integrity is honesty and good morals.
  The principal had a lot of integrity.
• To knit is to make fabric by connecting strings together.
  My grandmother knitted me a sweater.
• An outlook is a person’s opinion or way of thinking about something.
  He changed his outlook about rats after he read a book about them.
• A parachute is a device that helps people and things fall to the ground safely.
  They used parachutes dropped from airplanes to send supplies to the civilians.
• When something is prehistoric, it is from a time when there was no written history.
  The scientists found prehistoric pots used by the people in the area.
• A proponent is a person who supports an idea or a plan.
  He was a proponent of using environmentally friendly products.
• To refine something is to make it better by making changes.
  The principal refined his method of controlling students over the years.
• To restrict is to limit something and prevent it from getting bigger.
  The club restricted the amount of members.

The History of Parachutes

Scientists who study archeology say that there may be some evidence of prehistoric parachutes. But the first written history of the device comes from China about 2,100 years ago. Scientists cite an ancient book that describes parachutes. However, there is no archeological evidence that proves that an actual parachute was ever made. Later, people from northern Africa and Italy also had ideas about a similar invention. In fact, a Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing corresponds closely with the modern parachute design! In 1783, French scientist Sebastian Lenormand invented the first modern parachute.

Sebastian brainstormed with other scientists to come up with a way to help people jump safely out of burning buildings. He thought the solution was to give people an object to restrict their speed while they traveled toward the ground. Many people thought that he was up to some kind of fraud, but Sebastian had a lot of integrity. His budget was limited, so he first tested his theory by using two umbrellas. He jumped out of a tree and found that the umbrellas worked.

Next, he refined his invention. Rather than using umbrellas, he knit a large parachute. Finally, he jumped off a tall building on a French estate and landed safely in the courtyard. Sebastian’s work gave another man an idea. Jean-Pierre Blanchard had a different outlook than Sebastian. He was a hot air balloon addict. He was one of the first people to ride in a hot air balloon powered by hydrogen gas. He was a proponent of using the parachutes to exit from hot air balloons. Starting in 1785, he used his dog to show that animals could land safely from hot air balloons by using parachutes. Then, in 1793, he was faced with a chaotic experience. The hot air balloon he was riding in burst and started to fall. He was forced to use a parachute himself. And much to his relief, it saved his life!

Word List. Unit 45

• An accessory is a thing that is added to another thing to make it look better.
  The store sold colorful accessories like bags, sunglasses, and makeup.
• An acquisition is something that a person buys or gets in some way.
  Marty was happy with his new acquisition: a very fast bicycle.
• When something is adequate, it is good enough for something else.
  Without adequate notice of the road block, they will have to turn around.
• Cardboard is a material made out of stiff paper. It is often used to make boxes.
  We packed our things into cardboard boxes and moved to our new home.
• A dilemma is a difficult situation in which a choice has to be made.
  Choosing either the tastier or healthier drink proved to be quite a dilemma.
• When something is elaborate, it contains a lot of details.
  She gave the teacher an elaborate explanation of her project.
• To facilitate something is to make it easier.
  To facilitate the meeting, Melissa used a simple computer program.
• A fleet is a group of ships.
  The fleet of ships spent a few days at the dock.
• A grid is a pattern of squares with numbers and letters to find places on a map.
  We located our town using the grid.
• To import means to bring in a product from another country.
  Foods that have been imported are usually more expensive.
• To infer something is to decide it is true based on other information one has.
  By the position of the sun in the sky, she inferred that it was noon.
• To inflate something means to fill it up with air.
  I helped him inflate the balloons.
• When something is innate, it is something that one is born with, it is not learned.
  He had the innate desire to please his teachers.
• Marble is a type of rock that feels cold and is smooth when cut.
  The large house had floors made of marble.
• A mast is a long pole on a ship that holds the sail.
  The mast held both sails of the ship upright.
• Nausea is the feeling of being sick to your stomach.
  The doctor said the medicine would help get rid of her nausea.
• When something is naval, it relates to a country’s navy or military ships.
  The country sent all of its naval forces to protect them.
• A pouch is a small, flexible bag that is usually made of cloth.
  I keep my money in a small pouch.
• If something is saturated, it is completely wet.
  Leigh’s hair became saturated in the rain storm.
• An update is an act of making something more modern.
  I’m doing an update on my personal phone directory.

The Big Ship

Ernest looked at his fleet of ships. Usually, he used them for his firm, which imported marble statues from other countries. But today he was going fishing. And the ship he chose was his favorite. It had an elaborate painting on the side that showed a naval battle. It also had some new updates to its computer system. His favorite ship’s latest acquisition was a device with a small grid to show the ship’s exact location. This new accessory kept Ernest from getting lost. At daybreak, Ernest hapily sailed the temperate waters until he was far from land. Then he saw a small boat in the distance.

There was an old man standing next to its mast. He was waving his arms in the air. There was also a boy with his head hanging over the boat’s edge. Ernest inferred that the boy was suffering from nausea. Both of their clothes were saturated with sea water. Ernest assumed that they were in trouble. Most people never realized, but Ernest had an innate desire to help people. He began sailing toward them, eager to facilitate their rescue and thus solve their dilemma. As he got closer to the boat, he was shocked by its simplicity.

The boat’s wood looked no stronger than cardboard, and the equipment was old. Still, there were several large fish in a pouch in the boat. Ernest threw a large package onto the boat. He yelled, “Here! You can inflate this boat to get you back to land.” “Get out of here!” screamed the old man. Ernest was confused. “Don’t you need help?” he asked. “Your ship doesn’t seem adequate enough to sail so far away from land.” “You’ve just scared away a huge fish,” the boy said. “We waved to let you know you were too close to us.” Ernest turned around and headed home. He learned that it’s better not to help unless asked to. Otherwise, you might not help anyone at all.

Word List. Unit 44

• An asset is a skill or quality that is useful or valuable.
  The coach realized the boy’s speed was an asset to the team.
• An aspect is one part or feature of something.
  I thought about the different aspects of owning two dogs.
• Braille is a system of raised patterns on paper that allows the blind to read.
  The boy enjoyed reading his favorite books written in Braille.
• A bud is a part of a plant that turns into a flower or a leaf.
  Two weeks after planting the seed, a small bud appeared.
• To coordinate things is to make different parts work together.
  Each skating team had to coordinate their movements for the show.
• To disprove something means to show that it is not true.
  The scientist disproved the theory that the sun moved around the Earth.
• If something is humanitarian, it is connected to helping people’s lives.
  After the flood, several humanitarian organizations offered help.
• A hypothesis is an idea for something that has not been proved yet.
  The teacher did an experiment to prove whether his hypothesis was right.
• An imprint is an effect or lesson from an experience that is hard to forget.
  The experience of war left an imprint on his mind that troubled him.
• When something is informative, it provides a lot of information.
  The travel guide had a lot of informative facts about the region.
• When something is optic, it relates to the eyes or light.
  Her blindness was caused by a problem with her optic nerve.
• A premise is an idea on which something is based.
  The premise of the movie that Bobbi and I watched was unrealistic.
• A rack is an object with shelves that holds things.
  He stored his tools on a rack.
• The Renaissance was a period between the 14th and 17th centuries.
  Leonardo Da Vinci was a popular artist of the Renaissance.
• To revere something is to admire it greatly.
  The students revere their teacher, who has taught them a lot.
• When something is simultaneous, it occurs at the same time as something else.
  The movement of the gears inside the watch was simultaneous.
• A skeptic is a person who does not believe something.
  The scientist showed the skeptic that dinosaurs did exist by providing evidence.
• When something is spatial, it relates to the position and size of things.
  He was asked where the books were located to test his spatial ability.
• To specify is to describe something clearly.
  The poster didn’t specify where the concert was taking place.
• Wax is a substance that is slightly shiny and melts when heated.
  The candles are made of wax.

Day Without Sight

On Friday afternoon, Sam’s teacher had a special assignment. “Next week, we’ll be studying humanitarian efforts around the world since the time of the Renaissance, including those to help the blind,” she said. “Over the weekend, I want each of you to wear a blindfold for an entire day. The premise of this experiment is that it will help you understand what it’s like to be blind,” she said. Sam was a skeptic. He really didn’t think the assignment would be too challenging. On Saturday morning, Sam took a piece of cloth and tied it around his head to cover his eyes.

Then he went into the kitchen for breakfast. He heard the voices of his parents and brothers but couldn’t specify where each voice was coming from. He thought about how important hearing is for blind people. “Could you pass me the newspaper, please?” he asked. Just then, he remembered he couldn’t see the words on the page. He wondered if Braille newspapers were ever made. After finishing breakfast, his brothers asked him to play soccer. As he followed them, he accidentally walked into the baker’s rack. He also found that he couldn’t play soccer. He wouldn’t be able to coordinate his actions without being able to see. Without his optic senses, he had no spatial awareness.

Furthermore, he couldn’t do simultaneous activities because he had to make sure he was safe first. He sat on the lawn. Suddenly, he realized that though he couldn’t see, his other senses worked perfectly fine. In fact, he began to realize new and different aspects of common objects. For example, he took a flower bud and felt it with his finger. He realized for the first time that it seemed to be covered with wax. His hypothesis about being blind was disproved. The informative experiment had an imprint on him. It showed him sight was an asset that should be appreciated and taught him to revere the talents of blind people.

Word List. Unit 43

• A brook is a small stream.
  Water flows down several brooks on the mountain.
• To cater to someone means to provide them with all the things needed or wanted.
  Bill was too sick to get out of bed, so his nurse catered to his needs.
• When someone is considerate, they pay attention to the needs of others.
  The considerate boy gave a present to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.
• The consumption of food or drink is the act of eating or drinking it.
  These apples are too rotten for consumption.
• Criteria are factors on which a person judges or decides something.
  Before she got the job, she had to meet all the necessary criteria.
• Crust is the tough outer part of a loaf of bread.
  The little boy never ate the crust of his pizza.
• To degrade someone means to cause people to have shame.
  The teacher degraded Bob when she announced his poor performance to the class
• To entitle someone means to give them the rights to have or do something.
  His golden ticket entitled him to sit in the front row at the concert.
• To escort people means to safely accompany them to a place.
  Her bodyguards escorted her to the movie theater.
• When something is external, it is connected to an outer part.
  It is warm inside my house, but the external temperature is freezing.
• A facility is a building that exists for a particular purpose.
  There are many educational facilities in big cities.
• A faculty is a mental or physical ability.
  The boy’s mental faculties impressed all of his teachers.
• A heap ofthings is a large pile of them.
  After the building was torn down, all that was left was a heap of bricks.
• A hemisphere is one half of the earth.
  In the northern hemisphere, the weather is usually warmest in July and August.
• A hound is a type of dog that is often used for racing or hunting.
  The men took their hounds with them when they went on the hunting trip.
• If something is impersonal, it is not friendly and makes people feel unimportant.
  The boy felt scared on his first day at the big, impersonal high school.
• An ornament is an attractive object that people display in their homes.
  The woman kept some colorful ornaments on the shelves.
• A pedestrian is a person who is walking on a street.
  Cars should be careful when pedestrians are walking around.
• A sanctuary is a place where people in danger can go to be safe.
  The church was made into a sanctuary for homeless people in the winter.
• A spectator is someone who watches something, especially a sports event.
  There were thousands of spectators at the big game.

The Old Hound

Elvis was a dog that loved to run. He possessed all the criteria to be a great racing dog. He had long legs, lean muscles, and a strong heart. He was so good that he never lost a race in the northern hemisphere. Spectators who bet on dog races always picked Elvis to win. After ten years of racing, however, Elvis was getting old. His faculties were not as strong as they used to be. His owner got upset when Elvis started losing. Elvis’s owner wasn’t a considerate person. He degraded the dog all the time.

Finally, his owner decided to get rid of him. He threw Elvis in his car and took him to the middle of the forest. He tossed him out and drove away. Elvis was cold and scared. He decided to follow a brook into the city. Elvis soon found out that the city was a big and impersonal place. Everywhere he went, he saw signs that said, «No Dogs Allowed.” Pedestrians yelled at him. He was sad, hungry, and alone. He thought that all people were as crule and uncaring as his owner had been. He was ready to give up when he heard a soft voice say, “What a beautiful hound!” Elvis looked up and saw an old woman. She said, “You’re entitled to a better life than this.

I can take you to a sanctuary for old dogs like you. I’ll cater to all your needs. Would you like to come with me?” The woman escorted Elvis to a beautiful facility. There was a sign on the external door that said, “Dogs Welcome!” The interior of the building was painted blue, and shiny ornaments hung from the ceiling. There was a heap of tasty bones and bread crusts for consumption. Elvis learned there were kind people in the world after all. He was so thankful that he jumped up and licked the woman’s face.

Word List. Unit 42

• Anthropology is the study of people, society, and culture.
  In anthropology class, I learned about simple tools that ancient cultures used.
• To applaud means to clap in order to show approval.
  Everyone cheered and applauded Manny’s efforts.
• To appoint someone to a job means to give the job to them.
  Two students were appointed to help the scientists with their research.
• When things are compatible, they work well or exist together successfully.
  Ian and Fred are too different. They will never be compatible.
• Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively.
  The job was easy because the group had enough competence to do it well.
• To confer with someone means to discuss something with them to make a decision.
  I will have to confer with my wife before I can purchase a new car.
• When things are consecutive, they happen one after another without interruption.
  The king ruled for ten consecutive years.
• When something is crude, it is not exact or detailed, but it can still be useful.
  She drew crude hearts on the ground to show how much she loved him.
• A cube is a solid object with six square surfaces that are all the same size.
  Please get me some ice cubes to put in my soda.
• Feedback is comments to a person about how they are doing something.
  I asked my boss for feedback on my work.
• Ignorance of something is lack of knowledge about it.
  When he failed the test, his ignorance of math was obvious.
• When something is masculine, it is a quality orthing related to men.
  American football is usually considered a masculine sport.
• A monument is a structure that is built to remind people of a person or event.
  A large monument was built to honor the brave soldiers.
• When someone is muscular, they are very fit and strong.
  He exercised regularly so that his body could become muscular.
• A person’s posture is the position in which they stand or sit.
  Your back will feel better if you improve your posture.
• To situate something means to place or build it in a certain place.
  The road was situated between the forest and the lake.
• To supervise something means to make sure that it is done correctly.
  Allen supervised the construction workers to ensure everyone’s safety.
• Symmetry is the state of having two halves that are exactly the same.
  The artist made sure to use perfect symmetry when painting the butterfly.
• A tattoo is a design that is drawn permanently on the skin with needles.
  The surfer had tattoos on both his arms.
• An undergraduate is a student at a college who is studying for a bachelor’s degree.
  She was excited to finish high school and enroll as an undergraduate in the fall.

Brothers

John and Mark were brothers, but they were quite different people. Mark looked very masculine. He had a mustache and was very muscular. He was a sculptor. He made things out of stone. Mark was a good artist, but he was not very intelligent. John looked nothing like his brother. He was small and weak, but he was very smart. John was an undergraduate in college, and he studied anthropology and history. He knew a lot about ancient cultures. The brothers loved each other very much, but they thought they had nothing in common. One day, the mayor appointed Mark to build a monument: a statue of Egyptian Pharaoh, Tut. Mark agreed to do the job, but he had a problem.

He had no idea who Pharaoh Tut was! However, he thought he had the competence to build a good statue anyway. He made some crude measurements and sculpted a statue of a very old man with a tattoo on his chest. Mark was proud of his work, but when John saw the statue, he laughed aloud. “What’s so funny?” Mark asked. John replied, “Your ignorance makes me laugh. Don’t you know that Tut was only a teenager when he was pharaoh? Let me help you. I’ll supervise your work. I’ll give you feedback, and we’ll make this a great monument.”

Mark got another cube of stone. John told him what Tut looked like. “Make him tall with good posture,” John said. “And make sure there is symmetry in his body.” Mark conferred with John about every detail. For ten consecutive hours, the brothers worked. At last, the finished statue was situated in front of the museum. Everyone applauded the brothers’ good work. “We worked together very well. I guess we are compatible after all,” Mark said. John replied, “I agree! When we combine ourtalents, we are capable of greatness.”