4000 Essential English Words 2 » Unit 25: The Criminal

Word List
  • admit [ədˈmɪt] v.
    To admit something means to say that it is true.
    → I had to admit that I stole his idea.
  • bin [bin] n.
    A bin is a container that holds things.
    → He put his trash in the bin.
  • bowl [boul] n.
    A bowl is a deep, round dish that holds food or liquid.
    → I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
  • cabin [ˈkæbɪn] n.
    A cabin is a small house made of wood.
    → My grandfather owns a small cabin in the country.
  • cash [kæʃ] n.
    Cash is money in the form of paper or coins.
    → I was able to save up enough cash to buy my mother a gift.
  • criminal [ˈkrɪmənl] n.
    A criminal is a person who does something against the law.
    → The police made sure the criminal couldn’t move his hands.
  • dozen [ˈdʌzən] n.
    A dozen is a group of twelve things.
    → Mom brought home a dozen donuts for us as a treat.
  • elder [ˈeldər] adj.
    An elder is a person who is older than the people around them.
    → Uncle Ray is my elder so I always try to be respectful.
  • facial [ˈfeɪʃəl] adj.
    If something is facial, it is related to a person’s face.
    → I could tell from his facial features that he was angry.
  • fence [fens] n.
    A fence is a structure around a house or field.
    → The farmer put up a fence so that no one could walk on her field.
  • inspire [ɪnˈspaɪər] v.
    To inspire means to make a person want to do something.
    → I was inspired to write a poem after watching the sunrise.
  • mere [mɪər] adj.
    When something is mere, it is small or not important.
    → We lost the game by a mere two points.
  • neat [niːt] adj.
    If something is neat, it is very clean or organized well.
    → My sister always keeps her bedroom very neat.
  • occasion [əˈkeɪʒən] n.
    An occasion is a time when something important happens.
    → Her graduation was an occasion to have a good time.
  • penalty [ˈpɛnəltɪ] n.
    A penalty is a punishment, given when someone breaks a rule or law.
    → I had to pay a $100 penalty for parking in the wrong spot.
  • rude [ruːd] adj.
    When someone is rude, they are mean and not polite.
    → The children at the bus stop were very rude.
  • settle [ˈsetl] v.
    To settle a problem means to end it by finding a solution.
    → It took three of our best executives all day to settle the problem.
  • vehicle [ˈvi:ɪkəl] n.
    A vehicle is a thing that moves people or things to another place.
    → A ferry is a vehicle that takes people from one island to another.
  • wallet [ˈwɒlɪt] n.
    A wallet is a thing that holds money and fits in a pocket.
    → I keep my money in a wallet.
  • yell [jel] v.
    To yell is to say something very loudly.
    → The coach yelled at his team for their poor performance.
Exercise 1

Choose the right word for the given definition.

  1. a group of twelve
    • a. bin
    • b. neat
    • c. cash
    • d. dozen
  2. to say loudly
    • a. yell
    • b. inspire
    • c. admit
    • d. mere
  3. relating to the face
    • a. bowl
    • b. facial
    • c. nap
    • d. wallet
  4. not polite
    • a. settle
    • b. vehicle
    • c. rude
    • d. occasion
  5. an older person
    • a. criminal
    • b. elder
    • c. penalty
    • d. fence
Exercise 2

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

WORD BLANK
mere penalty inspire
neat bowl  
  1. I love sports, and I want to ___________ children to play sports, too.
  2. Mia’s ___________ for not stopping at a red light was $50.
  3. After he took a shower and got dressed, my brother looked very ___________.
  4. The cat ate his food out of a black ___________.
  5. He was only given a ___________ five dollars for his hard work.
Exercise 3

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

    • ____ a. My beans yelled when I dropped them.
    • ____ b. I keep all of my money in my wallet.
    • ____ a. The rude boy always said “please” and “thank you.”
    • ____ b. The fence around the house needed to be painted.
    • ____ a. The criminal was sent to jail.
    • ____ b. I can admit to a race because I am fast.
    • ____ a. The man built a cabin in the forest.
    • ____ b. The cash tasted good tonight.
    • ____ a. The penalty for your birthday is a big cake.
    • ____ b. The coach kept the footballs in a large bin.
    • ____ a. We were nice to the rude man, but he was mean to us.
    • ____ b. The wallet made his dinner taste better.
    • ____ a. The strong fence let all of the sheep go into the field.
    • ____ b. It was loud at the party, so he had to yell for me to hear him.
    • ____ a. When he does something wrong, he always admits it.
    • ____ b.The mean cabin told the boy to go away.
    • ____ a. If you cheat during the game, there will be a penalty.
    • ____ b. Criminals are always nice to people.
    • ____ a. She liked to bin her toys.
    • ____ b. I do not have enough cash to buy a car.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. d
  2. a
  3. b
  4. c
  5. b
Exercise 2
  1. inspire
  2. penalty
  3. neat
  4. bowl
  5. mere
Exercise 3
  1. b
  2. b
  3. a
  4. a
  5. b
  6. a
  7. b
  8. a
  9. a
  10. b
Answer Key
The Criminal

A man had been in jail because he stole things. The criminal never felt bad. One day, he escaped and ran into the woods. He found a cabin with a fence. The cabin was very neat. Inside, the criminal found a bowl of fruit, a bottle of milk, and a dozen eggs. He ate the fruit and drank the milk. But the eggs smelled funny, so he put them in the trash bin. Soon, he heard the sound of a vehicle’s motor.

An old man came in and saw the criminal. The old man yelled, “Why are you in my house?” The criminal lied, “I am a policeman.” The old man replied, “I am your elder. You cannot fool me. You are the criminal.” The criminal’s facial expression became very sad.

He admitted that he was a criminal. He said, “I’m sorry. It was rude for me to come into your home. Please take the cash from my wallet. It is a mere amount, but it will settle our problem.” The old man said, “I do not want your money. I just want to inspire you to be good. There will be no penalty for taking my food.”

On this occasion, the criminal realized that he had been bad. He listened to the old man and never stole from anyone ever again.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. Why elders are smarter than young people
    • b. How a criminal changed and learned to be good
    • c. Why you should not go to places with fences
    • d. Why you should admit when you are rude
  2. Why did the old man yell at the criminal?
    • a. The old man reported the criminal’s penalty to the police.
    • b. The old man made an occasion to be bad.
    • c. The old man let the criminal go.
    • d. The old man took the criminal’s money.
  3. What did the old man do with the criminal at the end of the story?
    • a. The old man reported the criminal’s penalty to the police.
    • b. The old man made an occasion to be bad.
    • c. The old man convinced the thief to never steal again.
    • d. The old man took the criminal’s money.
  4. According to the passage, the criminal did all of the following EXCEPT _________.
    • a. he ate the fruit that was in the bowl
    • b. he drank the milk that was in the bottle
    • c. he heard the motor from the vehicle
    • d. he fell asleep in the cabin
  5. What did the old man inspire the criminal to do?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. b
  2. b
  3. c
  4. d
  5. He inspired the criminal to be good and tell the truth.
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