4000 Essential English Words 2 » Unit 26: The Two Captains

Word List
  • accuse [əˈkjuːz] v.
    To accuse someone of something is to blame them for doing it.
    → She accused her brother of breaking her computer.
  • adjust [əˈdʒʌst] v.
    To adjust something means to change it so it is better.
    → He adjusted the old guitar to make it sound better.
  • amuse [əˈmjuːz] v.
    To amuse someone means to do something that is funny or entertaining.
    → The singer was very good. She amused the crowd.
  • coral [ˈkɒ:rəl] n.
    Coral is the hard, colorful material formed by the shells of animals.
    → The diver admired the beautiful coral under the water.
  • cotton [ˈkɒtn] n.
    Cotton is a cloth made from the fibers of the cotton plant.
    → I like to wear clothes made from cotton in the summer.
  • crash [kræʃ] v.
    To crash means to hit and break something.
    → There was a loud noise when the car crashed into the tree.
  • deck [dek] n.
    A deck is a wooden floor built outside of a house or the floor of a ship.
    → A ship will store many supplies below its deck.
  • engage [enˈgeɪdʒ] v.
    To engage in something means to do it.
    → Dad was engaged in sawing a piece of wood in half.
  • firm [fə:rm] adj.
    When something is firm, it is solid but not too hard.
    → He sleeps better on a firm bed.
  • fuel [fjʊ:əl] n.
    Fuel is something that creates heat or energy.
    → Heat is the fuel that comes from fire.
  • grand [grænd] adj.
    When something is grand, it is big and liked by people.
    → The grand mountain rose high into the sky.
  • hurricane [ˈhə:rəkein] n.
    A hurricane is a bad storm that happens over the ocean.
    → The wind from the hurricane bent the palm tree.
  • loss [lɒ(:)s] n.
    A loss means the act or an instance of losing something.
    → I suffered a big loss while I was gambling.
  • plain [pleɪn] adj.
    If something is simple, it is plain and not decorated.
    → He bought a pair of plain white shoes over the weekend.
  • reef [riːf] n.
    A reef is a group of rocks or coral that rise to or near the ocean.
    → He walked along the reef and looked at the water below.
  • shut [ʃʌt] v.
    To shut something means to close it tightly.
    → Please shut the door; the air outside is cold.
  • strict [strɪkt] adj.
    When someone is strict, they make sure others follow rules.
    → The teacher is strict. She does not let students talk in class.
  • surf [səːrf] v.
    To surf means to use a special board to ride on waves in the ocean.
    → The students went to the beach to surf during their vacation.
  • task [tæsk] n.
    A task is a piece of work to be done that is usually difficult.
    → My task for the weekend was to clean the entire back yard.
  • zone [zoun] n.
    A zone is an area that has different qualities from the ones around it.
    → Firefighters often work in danger zones.
Exercise 1

Choose the word that is a better fit for each sentence.

  1. cotton / fuel
    • The  _______________ for the car is gas.
    • My favorite shirt is made out of _______________.
  2. loss / insure
    • The  _______________ of his job made Steve worry about money.
    • She wanted to _______________ that her car was safe, so she locked the door.
  3. coral / reef
    • The boy found a piece of colorful _______________ in the ocean.
    • That group of rocks coming out of the ocean is a _______________.
  4. surfed / amuse
    • Funny stories always _______________ me.
    • I _______________ quite a bit when I was in Hawaii last summer.
  5. task / shut
    • I was given the _______________ of editing his entire manuscript.
    • Don’t forget to _______________ the door on your way out.
Exercise 2

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

WORD BLANK
accuse grand strict
shut ensure  

There are 1 ___________ rules about what people may wear at fancy parties. Instead of normal things, people must 2 ___________   that they wear 3 ___________ clothing. If a man wears the wrong clothes, people will 4 ___________ him of ruining the evening. They will make him leave and 5 ___________ the door behind him.

Exercise 3

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

  1. He blamed me of taking the last piece of pie.
    ac_ _ _ _ _
  2. The man’s bedroom was very simple.
    pla_ _
  3. The clown likes to entertain children.
    amu_ _
  4. I need to change the way I run so I can be faster.
    adj_ _ _
  5. During their free time, the children did many different activities.
    en_ _ _ _ _ in
  6. This cloth dress is one of my favorites.
    co_ _ _ _
  7. The bad storm over the ocean almost reached the land.
    hu_ _ _ _ _ _ _
  8. Tightly close the window before the rain starts!
    S_ _ _
  9. He will hit something and break his bike if he closes his eyes while riding.
    c_ _ _ _
  10. The army fights in the war area.
    z_ _ _
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. fuel
    cotton
  2. loss
    insure
  3. coral
    reef
  4. amuse
    surfed
  5. task
    shut
Exercise 2
  1. strict
  2. opera
  3. grand
  4. accuse
  5. shut
Exercise 3
  1. accused
  2. plain
  3. amuse
  4. adjust
  5. engaged
  6. cotton
  7. hurricane
  8. Shut
  9. crash
  10. zone
Answer Key
The Two Captains

Once there were two ships. Both ships carried cotton. The captains were very different. Thomas was strict. He made his crew engage in difficult tasks. “Make sure the ship’s deck is firm and that nothing falls! Put more fuel in the tank!” he said. His ship was very plain, but he never had a problem with it.

The second captain, William, was not serious. He had a grand ship, and he loved having fun. His crew amused him by singing and dancing. But his crew never fixed anything on the ship. They just wanted to surf.

One day, Thomas saw a hurricane ahead. He knew that his ship needed to turn around. But he was sure William did not see the storm. He adjusted the dials on the radio and called his friend. Thomas said, “You’ll hit the reef. It’s made completely of coral. Turn around to ensure that you do not crash.”

William said, “We will go under the deck and shut the door. We will dance and sing until we are past the danger zone.”

When William’s ship got to the hurricane, the wind blew it into the reef. The ship crashed, and water flowed below the deck. William’s crew accused him of being a bad captain. The loss of the ship taught William a lesson. There are times to have fun, but there are also times to be serious.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. Why surfing amuses William
    • b. How Thomas is too strict to be a captain
    • c. Why people should be serious sometimes
    • d. Why hurricanes form over the ocean
  2. Why did Thomas turn his ship around?
    • a. He saw the hurricane and did not want to crash.
    • b. He wanted to go to the reef.
    • c. He could not shut the door.
    • d. He wanted to engage in other activities.
  3. Why did William’s crew accuse him of being a bad captain?
    • a. William did not go into the storm’s danger zone.
    • b. William caused the loss of the ship.
    • c. He did not succeed in getting the cotton to its destination.
    • d. He ensured his crew that they would not crash.
  4. According to the passage, all of the following are true about Thomas EXCEPT _________.
    • a. he told his crew to put fuel in the tank
    • b. he had his crew make sure the deck was firm
    • c. he adjusted the radio dial to call William
    • d. he sang and danced to songs from an opera
  5. What happened when William’s ship reached the hurricane?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. c
  2. a
  3. b
  4. d
  5. When his ship reached the hurricane the wind blew it into the reef, and it crashed.
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