4000 Essential English Words 1 » Unit 21: Katy

Word List
  • appear [əˈpɪə] v.
    To appear is to seem.
    → She appeared to be sad. She was crying.
  • base [beɪs] n.
    The base is the bottom of something.
    → The base of the table has three legs.
  • brain [breɪn] n.
    The brain is the organ in your head that lets you think.
    → You must use your brain to solve the problem.
  • career [kəˈrɪə] n.
    A career is a job that you do for a large part of your life.
    → He was in the hospitality business for most of his career.
  • clerk [klɑːk] n.
    A clerk is a type of worker. Clerks in a store help customers.
    → The clerk added up her bill for the groceries.
  • effort [ˈɛfət] n.
    Effort is hard work or an attempt to do something.
    → He always puts a lot of effort into his studies.
  • enter [ˈɛntə] v.
    To enter a place is to go into it.
    → Two guards greeted me as I entered the front door.
  • excellent [ˈɛks(ə)l(ə)nt] adj.
    When something is excellent, it is very good.
    → I got an excellent score on my school test.
  • hero [ˈhɪərəʊ] n.
    A hero is a brave person who does things to help others.
    → To children, the man in the blue and red costume was a real hero.
  • hurry [ˈhʌri] v.
    To hurry is to do something quickly.
    → I hurried home on my bike.
  • inform [ɪnˈfɔːm] v.
    To inform someone is to tell them about something.
    → I called and informed her about my idea.
  • later [ˈleɪtə] adv.
    Later means after the present, expected, or usual time.
    → She missed the train, so she’ll arrive a little later than expected.
  • leave [liːv] v.
    To leave means to go away from someone or something.
    → He packed his bag and was ready to leave for home.
  • locate [lə(ʊ)ˈkeɪt] v.
    To locate something is to find it.
    → I could not locate my keys in the house.
  • nurse [nəːs] n.
    A nurse is a person who helps sick people in the hospital.
    → A nurse helped me get better.
  • operation [ɒpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n] n.
    An operation is when a doctor replaces or removes something in the body.
    → The operation on my arm was a success.
  • pain [peɪn] n.
    Pain is the feeling that you have when you are hurt.
    → His head was full of pain.
  • refuse [rɪˈfjuːz] v.
    To refuse something is to say “no” to it.
    → The dog refused to play with the cat.
  • though [ðəʊ] conj.
    Though is used when the second idea makes the first seem surprising.
    → Though he was overweight, he liked to be active.
  • various [ˈvɛːrɪəs] adj.
    If something is various, there are many types of it.
    → She owned shoes of various styles.
Exercise 1

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

WORD BLANK
locate hero pain
hurried clerk  

I went to the video store last night. I wanted to 1 ___________ a DVD. I didn’t know the name of the movie, so I told the 2 ___________ what it was about. I told her there was a 3 ___________ who could fly and nothing caused him 4 ___________. She went to the shelf and brought it to me. Then I 5 ___________ home to watch it.

Exercise 2

Check (V) the one that suits the blank naturally.

  1. When I went to the hospital, _______.
    • ____ a. the nurse gave me medicine
    • ____ b. all the doctors and nurses will leave
  2. He arrived on time, but Sarah won’t be here _______.
    • ____ a. until much later
    • ____ b. leaves in the morning
  3. I really like that writer. He wrote an _______.
    • ____ a. effort of a story
    • ____ b. excellent book
  4. After I dropped the book on my foot,_______.
    • ____ a. I was in pain
    • ____ b. I hurried home
  5. He did not want to go to the party. He _______.
    • ____ a. appeared ready to go
    • ____ b. refused to get into the car
Exercise 3

Check (V) the sentence with the bolded word that makes better sense.

    • ____ a. Because the base of the lamp was broken, it could not stand up.
    • ____ b. I decided to leave early so that I could be late.
    • ____ a. The roof was at the base of the house.
    • ____ b. I had an operation to fix my broken nose.
    • ____ a. The various movies were all the same.
    • ____ b. I like dogs, though I don’t like most animals.
    • ____ a. I will leave early in the morning to catch my plane.
    • ____ b. My friends and I decided to throw an operation for my sister.
    • ____ a. Though I was rich, I bought a lot of cars.
    • ____ b. I made an effort to get the job done.
    • ____ a. He never used his brain when he faced problems!
    • ____ b. The job appeared very quickly.
    • ____ a. I entered the house through the door.
    • ____ b. I threw the effort with all my might.
    • ____ a. She appeared very happy on her birthday.
    • ____ b. People use their brains to exercise.
    • ____ a. I informed him of the new rules.
    • ____ b. I entered out of the room.
    • ____ a. The rock informed me that I was too heavy.
    • ____ b. There were various things to do at the event.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. locate
  2. clerk
  3. hero
  4. pain
  5. hurried
Exercise 2
  1. a
  2. a
  3. b
  4. a
  5. b
Exercise 3
  1. a
  2. b
  3. b
  4. a
  5. b
  6. a
  7. a
  8. a
  9. a
  10. b
Answer Key
Katy

I first met 8-year-old Katy on a rainy afternoon. I was a nurse at a hospital. The clerk at the desk told me about Katy. She was there because she felt a lot of pain. The doctors located a problem at the base of her brain. I knew she was special, even before she got better. I’ll always remember Katy as a hero.

When I entered Katy’s room, she was not in her bed. She was in a chair next to Tommy, a little boy. Though Katy did not feel well, she was playing with Tommy and his toys. It took a lot of effort for her just to sit in the chair. But she played with Tommy because it made him happy.

Katy was always smiling and never appeared to be in pain. She refused to just lie in bed. One day I found her painting a picture. Later, she gave it to one of the older patients. Another day she went outside to get flowers for another sick little girl. Katy made everyone smile.

The doctors hurried to fix the problem in Katy’s brain. The operation was successful! The doctors informed the hospital staff of the good news. Katy was fine. She soon felt excellent. She got better and was able to leave the hospital a month later.

I have had a long career as a nurse. I have met many patients. However, I have never met another girl like Katy. Even after she got well, she still came to the hospital. She played various games with the young patients. She read many books to the older patients. Katy’s kind heart helped her get better so quickly. She is a hero to me and everyone else at the hospital.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. A clerk with a brain problem
    • b. A little girl who is a hero
    • c. A little girl who wants a career as a nurse
    • d. Tommy and his various toys
  2. Why does everyone like Katy?
    • a. She does good things, even though she is in pain.
    • b. She enters the hospital and saves a patient’s life.
    • c. She has a problem at the base of her brain.
    • d. She hurries to help the clerk at his desk.
  3. Which of the following is true at the end of the story?
    • a. Katy refuses to go back to the hospital.
    • b. Katy makes an effort to become a nurse.
    • c. Katy feels excellent but goes back to the hospital to see other patients.
    • d. Katy informs other patients of how to get better.
  4. How did the nurse know Katy did not feel well?
    • a. Katy appeared to be sad.
    • b. Katy had to make an effort just to sit in a chair.
    • c. The nurse located a problem in Katy’s brain.
    • d. The nurse asked Katy how she felt.
  5. What does Katy do to help people?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. b
  2. a
  3. c
  4. b
  5. Katy played games, read books, and got flowers for patients.
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