Word List. Unit 6
The altitude of a place is its height above sea level.
The air was thin at such a high altitude on the mountain.- A coastline is the outline of a country’s coast.
He noticed that most of the cities in Australia are on the coastline. - To deter means to prevent or discourage someone from doing something.
Icy roads deter people from driving their cars. - To devise something means to have an idea or plan about it in the mind.
The thieves devised a plan to steal the diamonds. - Expertise is the knowledge and skills to do something well.
John has a lot of advertising expertise. He can sell anything! - A fracture is a crack or break in something.
Don’t stand on that leg because there is a fracture. It might get worse. - To impair something means to damage it or make it worse.
Drinking coffee impairs my ability to go to sleep. - To implement something means to ensure that what has been planned is done.
The school decided to implement a new teaching strategy. - If something is indigenous, it is originally from, or native to, a place.
Tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas. - Insight is a deep and accurate understanding of something.
The physics textbook gave the student new insight about gravity. - A limb is a large branch on a tree.
The monkey sat on the tree limb and enjoyed a piece of fruit. - A migraine is a painful headache that makes one feel sick.
My sister gets a migraine every time she has a lot of stress. - Optimism is the feeling of being hopeful about the future or success of something.
The mother had optimism about her children’s futures. - When something is peculiar, it is strange, sometimes in a bad way.
That peculiar smell coming from the kitchen reminds me of rotten eggs. - When a person is proficient at something, they can do it well.
Secretaries are proficient at typing quickly. - A quest is a long and difficult search for something.
The treasure hunter went on a quest to find an ancient gold necklace. - A ridge is a long, narrow piece of raised land.
The brown bear walked along the edge of the mountain ridge. - A spouse is the person to whom someone is married.
I live in a home with my spouse and our two children. - To thrust means to push or move something quickly with a lot of force.
The boxer thrust his fist into the punching bag. - To tolerate something means to be able to accept it even when it is unpleasant.
When you are in a hurry, it can be hard to tolerate traffic signals.
The Island
“Where am I?” Bob thought to himself when he woke up on a peculiar beach. “I can’t remember what happened.” There had been a bad storm, and Bob’s fishing boat sunk. He washed ashore on a small island, but he had gotten hurt during the storm. He had a terrible migraine, and he had a fracture in his shoulder. He felt awful. But he had a strong desire to make it home to his spouse and children. He had to tolerate all the pain and devise a plan.
Bob stood up and looked around. “I’ll walk to a higher altitude, so I can see everything around me,” thought Bob. “Maybe I’ll gain some insight about this island and find something to help me escape.” As he walked along a mountain ridge, he noticed that the tall indigenous trees looked sturdy and thick. Bob got a brilliant idea. He could build a raft! He cut down some leaves and tree limbs. Even though his shoulder injury impaired his ability to carry the materials, he slowly dragged them down the mountain until he reached the coastline.
Bob was a proficient builder. He used his building expertise to line up the limbs and tie them together with long vines. When the raft was finished, Bob was happy with his work. “This will bring me home to my family,” he said with a smile. At last, Bob was ready to implement his escape plan. With all his might, he thrust the raft into the water. He climbed on and began the quest to find his way home. Bob smiled again, and thought, “I’m glad I kept a good attitude. It prevented the pain from deterring me from my plan. Optimism and ambition make anything possible.” Slowly, he floated out to sea. In a few days, he made it to shore and ran home to see his happy family.