4000 Essential English Words 1 » Unit 4: The Dog’s Bell

Word List
  • appropriate [əˈprəʊprɪeɪt] adj.
    When a thing is appropriate, it is right or normal.
    → It’s appropriate to wear a suit when you go to the office.
  • avoid [əˈvɔɪd] v.
    To avoid something is to stay away from it.
    → Avoid the broken bottle on the floor.
  • behave [bɪˈheɪv] v.
    To behave is to act in a particular way, especially to be good.
    → She always behaves well when her father is around.
  • calm [kɑːm] adj.
    When someone is calm, they do not get excited or upset.
    → A nice warm bath makes me feel so calm.
  • concern [kənˈsəːn] n.
    Concern is a feeling of worry.
    → I was filled with concern after reading the newspaper.
  • content [kənˈtɛnt] adj.
    To be content is to be happy and not want more.
    → The baby looked very content sitting on the floor.
  • expect [ɪkˈspɛkt] v.
    If you expect something to happen, you believe it will happen.
    → I expect the bus to be here very soon.
  • frequently [ˈfriːkwəntli] adv.
    When something happens frequently, it happens often.
    → We meet frequently, either at the beginning or ending of the week.
  • habit [ˈhabɪt] n.
    A habit is a thing that you do often.
    → Smoking is a bad habit that can kill you.
  • instruct [ɪnˈstrʌkt] v.
    To instruct is to teach.
    → My teacher instructs us in several subjects.
  • issue [ˈɪʃuː] n.
    An issue is an important topic.
    → The men spoke about issues that were important to the people.
  • none [nəʊn] pron.
    None means not any of someone or something.
    → He spent all his money. There is none left.
  • patient [ˈpeɪʃ(ə)nt] adj.
    If a person is patient, they don’t become angry or upset easily.
    → I had to be patient and wait until 5 o’clock to leave.
  • positive [ˈpɒzɪtɪv] adj.
    If something is positive, it is good.
    → She has a positive future ahead of her after finishing college.
  • punish [ˈpʌnɪʃ] v.
    To punish means to make someone suffer for breaking the rules or laws.
    → To punish me, my teacher had me stand in the corner.
  • represent [rɛprɪˈzɛnt] v.
    To represent is to speak or act for a person or group.
    → My lawyer will represent me in court.
  • shake [ʃeɪk] v.
    To shake is to move back and forth or up and down quickly.
    → When people shake hands, it usually means they agree.
  • spread [sprɛd] v.
    To spread is to move quickly to more places.
    → I like to spread butter on my toast.
  • stroll [strəʊl] v.
    To stroll means to walk slowly and calmly.
    → My dog and I strolled through the park today.
  • village [ˈvɪlɪdʒ] n.
    A village is a very small town.
    → There are only a few houses in my village.
Exercise 1

Part A: Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

  1. The story about the police dog got to many people in town.
    spr_ _ _
  2. I was happy to sit and listen to music all night.
    con_ _ _ _
  3. The house will move back and forth if a strong wind blows. sh_ _ _
  4. I waited for the monster to come out of the cave. ex_ _ _ _ _ _
  5. I didn’t want to talk to my sister, so I staved away from her.
    av_ _ _

Part B: Check (V) the one that suits the blank naturally.

  1. Before Kimberly sang, __________ .
    • ____ a. the teacher reminded everyone to behave
    • ____ b. she instructed the people to go to sleep
  2. When we heard the loud sound, __________.
    • ____ a. I turned around out of habit
    • ____ b. there was none left
  3. The man told us to be quiet, __________.
    • ____ a. so I decided to stroll through town
    • ____ b. so I knew it was not appropriate to talk
  4. They asked us to wait, __________.
    • ____ a. so I felt concerned about them
    • ____ b. so I had to be patient
  5. I met a new friend yesterday, and __________.
    • ____ a. frequently I would sit and read
    • ____ b. I shook his hand
Exercise 2

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

    • ____ a. The girl’s positive words made me feel better.
    • ____ b. We took the village out of the house.
    • ____ a. The calm girl yelled a lot.
    • ____ b. The team members asked Kate to represent them at the dinner.
    • ____ a. I was content to stay at home by the warm fire.
    • ____ b. My mom punished me for doing my homework.
    • ____ a. The man expected me to say yes.
    • ____ b. The issue did not taste very good.
    • ____ a. I behaved wisely while I was asleep.
    • ____ b. I avoided my friend because she had laughed at me.
    • ____ a. At first I was nervous, but then I started to feel calm.
    • ____ b. The angry bear looked content.
    • ____ a. When my dog died, it made me feel positive.
    • ____ b. Few people live in the village.
    • ____ a. I wanted to avoid food, so I bought a sandwich.
    • ____ b. The class needed to talk about the issue.
    • ____ a. The students behaved quite well for their new teacher.
    • ____ b. Students are expected to be late to class.
    • ____ a. I was punished because I broke the window.
    • ____ b. The man represented the award to the girl.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. spread
  2. content
  3. shake
  4. expected
  5. avoided
Part B
  1. a
  2. a
  3. b
  4. b
  5. b
Exercise 2
  1. a
  2. b
  3. a
  4. a
  5. b
  6. a
  7. b
  8. b
  9. a
  10. a
Answer Key
The Dog’s Bell

John’s dog was a bad dog. He bit people frequently. John had great concern about this. It was not an appropriate way for a dog to behave. His friends in the village always expected the dog to bite them. The news about John’s dog spread through the village. None of the people wanted to go to John’s house. John tried to instruct the dog to behave, but it never worked. He tried to be patient and teach the dog to be calm. That also didn’t work. John didn’t want to punish the dog. “How will I stop my dog’s bad habit?” John asked himself.

John’s friend came to talk to him about the issue. During their important meeting, his friend said, “The people in the village asked me to represent them. We want your dog to stop this habit. Why don’t you put a bell around the dog’s neck? This way, we would hear your dog coming down the street.”

John thought this was a great idea. Now, people could stay away from the dog. It would not be able to bite anyone anymore.

The dog liked the bell, too. People looked at him when they heard his bell. This made the dog very content. He liked the song the bell played when he walked.

One day, John’s dog strolled through the village and met some other dogs. He expected them to want a bell like his. But they laughed at his bell. They said the bell made people avoid him. John’s dog shook his head. “No, they look at me because they like the bell.”

The other dogs said, “You have the wrong idea of what makes you popular. Of course they like your bell. It tells them where you are so they can avoid you. You aren’t able to bite them anymore!”

You see, being popular isn’t something positive when it’s for the wrong reason.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story mainly about?
    • a. A dog that is frequently bad
    • b. A dog’s stroll through town
    • c. A content man and his dog
    • d. A village that liked John’s dog
  2. What is true of the dog?
    • a. He likes none of John’s friends.
    • b. He shakes his head too much.
    • c. He bites when it’s not appropriate.
    • d. He expects people to be calm around him.
  3. Why did the issue with the dog bother John?
    • a. People didn’t think of John in a positive way.
    • b. People avoided going to John’s house.
    • c. People didn’t want John to represent them.
    • d. People didn’t like the song that John played.
  4. What did John do to stop the dog’s bad habit?
    • a. He instructed the dog on learning tricks.
    • b. He punished the dog for biting.
    • c. He was patient and showed concern.
    • d. He put a bell around the dog’s neck.
  5. What did the other dogs say about the bell?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. a
  2. c
  3. d
  4. b
  5. They said the bell made people avoid him.
Favorite Books
4000 Essential English Words 2

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 2: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 3

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 3: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 4

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 4: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 5

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 5: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 6

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 6: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more