Unit 29: Osiris and the Nile

4000 Essential English Words 2 » Unit 29: Osiris and the Nile

Word List

abstract [ˈæbstrækt] adj.

If ideas are abstract, they are based on general ways of thinking.

→ The idea of beauty is abstract and changes over time.
annual [ˈænjʊəl] adj.

If something is annual, it happens once a year.

→ The only time I see my aunts and uncles is at our annual family picnic.
clay [kleɪ] n.

Clay is a type of heavy, wet soil used to make pots.

→ She made a bowl out of the clay.
cloth [klɔ(:)θ] n.

Cloth is material used to make clothes.

→ His shirt is made of a very soft type of cloth.
curtain [ˈkəːrtən] n.

A curtain is a cloth hung over a window or used to divide a room.

→ She opened the curtains to let light into the room.
deserve [dɪˈzəːrv] v.

To deserve is to be worthy of something as a result of one’s actions.

→ The dog deserved a bone for behaving very well.
feather [ˈfeðər] n.

Feathers are the things covering birds’ bodies.

→ That bird has orange feathers on its chest.
fertile [ˈfəːrtl] adj.

If land is fertile, it is able to produce good crops and plants.

→ The farmer grew many vegetables in the fertile soil.
flood [flʌd] n.

A flood is an event in which water covers an area which is usually dry.

→ After three days of rain, there was a flood in the city.
furniture [ˈfəːrnɪtʃə:r] n.

Furniture is the things used in a house such as tables and chairs.

→ His living room only had a few simple pieces of furniture.
grave [greɪv] n.

A grave is the place where a dead person is buried.

→ We visit our grandfather’s grave each year.
ideal [aɪˈdɪ:əl] adj.

If something is ideal, it is the best that it can possibly be.

→ This house is an ideal place for my family. It has everything we need.
intelligence [ɪnˈtelədʒəns] n.

Intelligence is the ability to learn and understand things.

→ Because of his high intelligence, he finished school early.
nowadays [ˈnaʊədeɪz] adv.

If something happens nowadays, it happens at the present time.

→ In the past people walked everywhere. Nowadays, they use cars.
obtain [əbˈteɪn] v.

To obtain is to get something you want or need.

→ After I passed the test, I obtained my driver’s license.
religious [rɪˈlɪdʒəs] adj.

When something is religious, it has to do with religion.

→ The holy man spoke about religious topics.
romantic [roʊˈmæntɪk] adj.

When something is romantic, it has to do with love.

→ The young couple went to see a romantic movie.
shell [ʃel] n.

A shell is a hard covering that protects the body of some sea creatures.

→ There were many pretty shells on the beach.
shore [ʃɔːr] n.

A shore is the edge of a large body of water.

→ All of the boats were floating near the shore.
wheel [wi:l] n.

A wheel is a round thing on a vehicle that turns when it moves.

→ A car has four wheels.

Exercise 1

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

I need your help to move the tables and chairs.
fur_ _ _ _ _ _
This problem will test your ability to understand.
int_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I don’t like to be in dark rooms with covers over the windows.
c_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tom and Rob are the best roommates.
i_ _ _ _
I need to get a ticket before I can board the train.
o_ _ _ _ _

Exercise 2

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

WORD BLANK

clay	cloth	fertile
flood	graves

Jimmy went on a trip to Egypt. There, he visited the great pyramids. Inside them were the ¹ ___________ of old kings. He also visited a village near the river and learned about a recent ² ___________. People grew many crops on this ³ ___________ land. They used ⁴ ___________ pots to carry water from the river into their homes. Our friendly man gave Jimmy a white ⁵ ___________ to cover his head from the hot sun. It was a wonderful trip.

Exercise 3

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

- ____ a. Many people wear a shell before going out into the rain.
- ____ b. In the past three years, the city has had two floods.
- ____ a. Nowadays, many students like using the Internet to do research.
- ____ b. Many groups have annual meetings every month.
- ____ a. Some dogs have interesting feathers.
- ____ b. You cannot ride a bicycle if it doesn’t have wheels.
- ____ a. Churches don’t let people read religious books.
- ____ b. Birds use their feathers to help them fly.
- ____ a. Many people enjoy watching romantic movies.
- ____ b. If you get good grades, you don’t deserve to graduate.
- ____ a. A crab is an example of an animal that has a shell.
- ____ b. People never go fishing near the shore.
- ____ a. People who do bad things deserve to be punished.
- ____ b. Mountains and hills are examples of floods.
- ____ a. Horses are more common than cars nowadays.
- ____ b. People who are religious go to church.
- ____ a. If you are romantic, you probably don’t like movies about love.
- ____ b. There are beaches along the shore of some oceans and lakes.
- ____ a. You should see your doctor once a year for an annual checkup.
- ____ b. The wind makes the wheels of a car turn.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

furniture
intelligence
curtains
ideal
obtain

Exercise 2

graves
flood
fertile
clay
cloth

Exercise 3

b
a
b
b
a
a
a
b
b
a

Answer Key

Osiris and the Nile

Long ago, Osiris was the king of Egypt, and Isis was the queen. They ruled the fertile land by the Nile River. They had great intelligence, and they shared their abstract ideas with everyone. Osiris taught the Egyptians how to make wheels and furniture. Isis taught them how to make things from clay and cloth. The people thought they deserved a gift. So they built Osiris and Isis a pyramid. Everyone loved Osiris except his brother, Set. Set wanted to be king.

Osiris made his annual trip around Egypt and led religious events. The villages gave him beautiful shells and colorful feathers as gifts.

When Osiris returned, Set brought a beautiful wooden box from behind a curtain.

“If someone fits inside this box, I will give it to him or her,” Set said.

Osiris got in it. It was an ideal fit!

Suddenly, Set closed the box and threw it into the river. “Now I will be king!” Set said.

The box washed up on a foreign shore after a flood. Isis brought his body home and obtained a grave for him in Egypt. The Egyptian gods thought Isis had done something very romantic. Because of her love, the gods made him the god of the underworld. Osiris returned every spring to help the farmers. Even nowadays, people say Osiris keeps their crops alive.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. Why Osiris built a pyramid for Isis
- b. How Set created a grave for Osiris
- c. How Osiris died and returned to make Egypt fertile
- d. Why the gods thought Isis’ actions were romantic
What happened each spring?
- a. Osiris gave people feathers and shells.
- b. Set obtained furniture from people.
- c. Set hid a box behind a curtain.
- d. Osiris made an annual trip to villages.
In the last paragraph, we can infer that _________.
- a. the shore is the ideal home for Osiris
- b. Set had greater intelligence than the gods
- c. the gods felt that Isis did a good deed
- d. nowadays, the Egyptians don’t use Osiris’ abstract ideas
According to the passage, all the following are true EXCEPT _________.
- a. the Egyptians made wheels
- b. the Egyptians used clay pots
- c. the Egyptians made cloth
- d. the Egyptians built religious villages
What did the Egyptians do for their king and queen?
_____________

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

c
d
c
d
The people built Osiris and Isis a pyramid.

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