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.