4000 Essential English Words 1 » Unit 16: Adams County’s Gold

Word List
  • academy [əˈkadəmi] n.
    An academy is a special type of school.
    → There are many courses taught at the academy that I go to.
  • ancient [ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt] adj.
    If something is ancient, it is very old.
    → I want to see the ancient buildings in Rome.
  • board [bɔːd] n.
    A board is a flat piece of wood.
    → The sign was made of a few wooden boards.
  • century [ˈsɛntʃʊri] n.
    A century is one hundred years.
    → Our company is celebrating a century of business in London.
  • clue [kluː] n.
    A clue is a fact or object that helps solve a mystery or crime.
    → The detective found some clues on the sidewalk.
  • concert [kənˈsəːt] n.
    A concert is an event where you listen to people play music.
    → I enjoyed the concert last night. The band was very good.
  • county [ˈkaʊnti] n.
    A county is the largest political division of a state in the US.
    → He wanted to represent the citizens of his county.
  • dictionary [ˈdɪkʃ(ə)n(ə)ri] n.
    A dictionary is a book that tells you what words mean.
    → I use the dictionary to learn new words.
  • exist [ɪɡˈzɪst] v.
    To exist is to be real.
    → Do you really think that unicorns ever existed?
  • flat [flat] adj.
    Flat describes something that is level and smooth with no curved parts.
    → My parents bought a new flat screen TV over the weekend.
  • gentleman [ˈdʒɛnt(ə)lmən] n.
    A gentleman is a nice man.
    → My grandfather is a kind and helpful gentleman.
  • hidden [ˈhɪdn] adj.
    Hidden means to be not easily noticed or too hard to find.
    → The hidden camera recorded everything in the parking lot.
  • maybe [ˈmeɪbi] adv.
    Maybe is used to show that something is possible or may be true.
    → If I focus hard enough, maybe I can come up with the right answer.
  • officer [ˈɒfɪsə] n.
    An officer is a leader in the army.
    → The soldiers followed the orders of the officer.
  • original [əˈrɪdʒɪn(ə)l] adj.
    If something is original, it is the first one of that thing.
    → This is the original painting of the Mona Lisa.
  • pound [paʊnd] v.
    To pound something is to hit it many times with a lot of force.
    → He pounded the nail with the hammer.
  • process [prəˈsɛs] n.
    A process is the steps to take to do something.
    → Making a cake is a long process.
  • publish [ˈpʌblɪʃ] v.
    To publish a book is to get it printed and ready to sell.
    → That company publishes daily newspapers.
  • theater [ˈθɪətə] n.
    A theater is a building where you watch plays, shows, and movies.
    → We went to the theater to see a play.
  • wealth [wɛlθ] n.
    Wealth is a large amount of money.
    → One of the most important things to some people is wealth.
Exercise 1

Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. exist
    • a. the first one
    • b. to print a book
    • c. to be real
    • d. something to help you
  2. clue
    • a. hint
    • b. steps
    • c. heavy
    • d. wood
  3. maybe
    • a. where you see shows
    • b. possible or likely to be true
    • c. where classes are held
    • d. where you hear music
  4. hidden
    • a. one hundred years
    • b. level with no curves
    • c. a nice man
    • d. not able to be seen
  5. wealth
    • a. old
    • b. leader
    • c. money
    • d. season
  6. pound
    • a. to hit hard many times
    • b. the steps you take
    • c. metal used in money
    • d. the largest political division of a state
  7. century
    • a. first
    • b. hundred
    • c. school
    • d. man
  8. officer
    • a. a leader in the arm
    • b. where you listen to music
    • c. a sports group
    • d. something you use to help get a job done
  9. theater
    • a. where you see a movie
    • b. a lot of money
    • c. a hint about something
    • d. a piece of wood
  10. ancient
    • a. to be real
    • b. possible or likely to be true
    • c. very old
    • d. to get a book ready to sell
Exercise 2

Circle two words that are related in each group.

    • a. process
    • b. maybe
    • c. flat
    • d. publish
    • a. board
    • b. century
    • c. pound
    • d. ancient
    • a. county
    • b. concert
    • c. theater
    • d. clue
    • a. gentleman
    • b. officer
    • c. exist
    • d. concert
    • a. ancient
    • b. original
    • c. process
    • d. dictionary
Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

WORD BLANK
flat academy theater
process maybe  

This morning, I walked down the hall to the field. It was time to get ready for the big soccer game! My school was playing against a private 1___________. My team had won every game this year. In the 2___________of winning games, we had worked hard and had fun. If we won today, our coach said that 3___________he would take us all to the 4 ___________ to see a new movie on their latest 5 ___________ screen.

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. c
  2. a
  3. b
  4. d
  5. c
  6. a
  7. b
  8. a
  9. a
  10. c
Exercise 2
  1. a / d
  2. b / d
  3. b / c
  4. a / b
  5. a / b
Exercise 3
  1. academy
  2. process
  3. maybe
  4. theater
  5. flat
Answer Key
Adams County’s Gold

Adams Academy was a good school. Boys lived there and took classes. Tom worked hard all week. On a spring Saturday, he wanted to do something fun!

He asked his friend Jeff to go to the movie theater. “Sorry,” Jeff answered. “I’m going to a concert.”

So Tom asked Joe to go to the movies. But Joe’s soccer team had a game.

Next, Tom went down the hall to Brad’s room. Brad was reading a very large old book. “Hi, Brad,” Tom said. “Are you reading a dictionary? It looks ancient.”

“No. This is called The Wealth of Adams County. It’s about hidden gold in Adams County. It’s more than a century old. It was published in 1870! Look, it even has the original cover on it.”

Tom asked, “Where did you get it?”

“It’s from my dad’s friend. He is a nice gentleman, an officer in the army,” answered Brad.

“The gold doesn’t really exist, does it?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know, but maybe! There are clues to it in this book. Let’s find it!” Looking for gold sounded like fun.

The first clue was to find a flat tree underground. “It must be in the forest,” Tom said.

Brad said, “The flat tree could be a board under the dirt. It could cover the gold.”

Tom and Brad dug in the dirt all morning. The process of looking for gold made them hungry. They were ready to stop for lunch. But then Brad hit something hard. It was a board!

Brad pounded on the board until it broke. There was a small hole under it. “Look!” He held up a gold coin.

Tom saw a piece of paper in the hole. “Brad, there’s more. It’s a map to the rest of the gold!”

Brad smiled. “Let’s go!” And they hurried to find the wealth of Adams County.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. Where do the boys look for the gold?
    • a. At Adams Academy
    • b. At the movie theater
    • c. In the forest
    • d. In a concert hall
  2. What is NOT true of The Wealth of Adams County?
    • a. It was published more than a century ago.
    • b. It was written by an army officer.
    • c. It still has its original cover.
    • d. It tells about a board in the forest floor.
  3. Why does Brad think the gold really exists?
    • a. Because there are clues to it in a book
    • b. Because a gentleman told him it did
    • c. Because he was given an ancient dictionary
    • d. Because it was hidden in the spring
  4. Where will the boys probably go at the end of the story?
    • a. To get tools to carry the gold
    • b. To continue the process of finding gold
    • c. To watch Joe’s soccer team
    • d. To pound on more boards
  5. Why can’t Jeff go to the movie theater?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. Jeff was going to a concert.
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