4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 10: Anton’s Great Discovery

Word List
  • animate [ˈӕnəmit] adj.
    When something is animate, it has life.
    → Rocks and machines are not animate things.
  • classify [ˈklӕsəfai] v.
    To classify things is to put them into groups based on their type.
    → The biologist classified the plant as a completely new species.
  • concede [kənˈsiːd] v.
    To concede is to admit that something is true against your wish.
    → The student conceded that he had cheated on the test.
  • concept [ˈkɒnsept] n.
    A concept is an idea about something.
    → I learned some concepts of molecules before working in the science lab.
  • construct [kənˈstrʌkt] v.
    To construct something means to make or build it.
    → The men used wood and metal to construct a house.
  • decade [ˈdekeɪd] n.
    A decade is a period often years.
    → She celebrated her three decades of work with the company.
  • diagram [ˈdaiəgrӕm] n.
    A diagram is a simple drawing that explains what something is or how it works.
    → By following the diagram, I was able to put the desk together.
  • ferry [ˈferi] n.
    A ferry is a boat that carries passengers over short distances.
    → The ferry took the people across the lake.
  • handy [ˈhændi] adj.
    If something is handy, it is useful.
    → An eraser is handy if you make a lot of mistakes.
  • isolate [ˈaisəleit] v.
    To isolate is to separate one person or thing from a group.
    → The teacher isolated the bad child from the class before talking with her.
  • longing [ˈlɔ(:)ŋɪŋ] n.
    A longing is a strong feeling of wanting.
    → Since he skipped breakfast, he had a longing for food all morning.
  • numerous [ˈnjuːmərəs] adj.
    If something is numerous, there are many of those things.
    → It was hard to drive fast since there were numerous holes in the road.
  • particle [ˈpaːrtikl] n.
    A particle is a very small piece of something.
    → The bottles of wine were covered in a layer of dust particles.
  • plea [pliː] n.
    A plea is a request that is urgent or emotional.
    → The poor, hungry man made a plea for food.
  • refrain [riˈfrein] v.
    To refrain from something is to avoid doing it.
    → The doctor asked Mary to refrain from eating fast food as part of her diet.
  • review [riˈvjuː] n.
    A review of something is a formal inspection of it by people in authority.
    → The government ordered a careful review of the economic situation.
  • sophisticated [səˈfistəkeitid] adj.
    If someone is sophisticated, they know many things about the world.
    → Jake is one of the most sophisticated persons I’ve ever met.
  • surrender [səˈrendər] v.
    To surrender something is to give it up.
    → The thief surrendered the money to the police when he was caught.
  • upright [ˈʌprait] adj.
    If something is upright, it is standing up straight.
    → Meerkats can’t walk like humans, but they can stand upright.
  • worthwhile [ˈwəːrθhwail] adj.
    If something is worthwhile, it is important or useful.
    → On his visit to Canada, he realized studying English was worthwhile.
Exercise 1

Part A: Choose the right word for the given definition.

  1. a formal inspection
    • a. review
    • b. diagram
    • c. plea
    • d. longing
  2. to accept the truth
    • a. isolate
    • b. classify
    • c. construct
    • d. concede
  3. an idea about how something is
    • a. decade
    • b. ferry
    • c. concept
    • d. particle
  4. knowing a lot about the world
    • a. upright
    • b. sophisticated
    • c. handy
    • d. surrender
  5. important
    • a. refrain
    • b. numerous
    • c. worthwhile
    • d. animate

Part B: Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. particle
    • a. a small piece of something
    • b. a drawing
    • c. a formal inspection
    • d. a strong feeling of want
  2. decade
    • a. an idea about something
    • b. a period often years
    • c. a type of boat
    • d. a thing that has life
  3. upright
    • a. important
    • b. to not do something
    • c. standing straight
    • d. a request
  4. isolate
    • a. to separate
    • b. to group together by type
    • c. to give up
    • d. to accept the truth
  5. handy
    • a. to make something
    • b. common
    • c. plentiful
    • d. useful
Exercise 2

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

  1. animate / particle
    • Scientists thought that the tiny ____________ was not a living thing, so they were very surprised to find that it was indeed ____________ .
  2. handy / numerous
    • My uncle, the carpenter, keeps ____________ tools in his truck. However, he keeps the most ____________ ones on his tool belt at all times.
  3. classify / upright
    • One way that scientists ____________ the different species of early humans is by how they walked. Homo Erectus, for example, walked ____________.
  4. longing / plea
    • After sitting in the cell for just one hour, the prisoner felt a ____________ to be free. He made a ____________ to the officers to release him immediately.
  5. sophisticated / worthwhile
    • Learning how to speak another language is a ____________ skill to have in the world of international business. It also can make one into a more ____________ person.
  6. review / concept
    • Jack had a great ____________ for a new system, but his boss needs to conduct a thorough ____________ to see if it will work.
  7. diagram / isolate
    • William used a piece of white paper to ____________ the different plants in the garden. That made it easier for him to draw a ____________ of the leaves of each type of plant.
  8. constructed / decades
    • The great pyramids of Egypt were not ____________ overnight. In fact, it took many ____________ to complete them.
  9. concede / ferry
    • As he drove his car onto the ____________ , John felt sad. He wanted to travel by airplane, but after looking at ticket prices, he had to ____________ that air travel was just too expensive.
  10. refrain / surrender
    • In maintaining good health, it is important to ____________ from eating unhealthy foods. But that doesn’t mean you must ____________ all of the foods that you enjoy.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. a
  2. d
  3. c
  4. b
  5. c
Part B
  1. a
  2. b
  3. c
  4. a
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. particle / animate
  2. numerous / handy
  3. classify / upright
  4. longing / plea
  5. worthwhile / sophisticated
  6. concept / review
  7. isolate / diagram
  8. constructed / decades
  9. ferry / concede
  10. refrain / surrender
Answer Key
Anton’s Great Discovery

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch cloth merchant. His life began to change after he got his first microscope in 1653. It was a very simple microscope. It had a lens in an upright stand. It could make small things look large. It was handy for looking closely at cloth.

Soon, Anton felt a longing to build a more powerful microscope. He dreamed of using it to make an important scientific discovery. He wanted to become famous. Three decades later, he did.

For many years, Anton experimented with microscopes and lenses. Eventually he constructed a very powerful microscope. If he had sold the concept to others, it would have made him very rich. However, Anton refrained from surrendering his secret to anyone. Instead, he wanted to use it to become famous. So he used his secret microscope to study the natural world.

One day he was looking at saliva from his mouth with the microscope. In the saliva, he saw numerous tiny particles. Some of them were moving! He thought that the particles were tiny organisms. So he isolated them from each other and studied each one carefully. Then he classified them into different categories. Some were round. Others were long and had tails. All were alive.

Anton was so excited. He knew he could become famous now. He was the first person to see these tiny organisms. So he drew diagrams of the organisms and sent them to a group of scientists in London. The scientists were sophisticated men who did not believe tiny, animate organisms could live in our mouths. Anton made a plea for them to come to Holland to see the organisms with their own eyes. The men took a ferry to Holland and met Anton. They performed a careful review of his work, and they conceded that he had made a worthwhile discovery. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek had discovered bacteria. After decades of hard work, he had become famous.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ Anton’s first microscope had an upright stand.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Anton had a longing to become rich.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The tiny particles Anton saw were bacteria.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Anton classified the particles into different categories.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The sophisticated scientists drew diagrams of the bacteria.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ Anton took a ferry to Holland.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Which is true about Anton’s discovery?
    • a. It isolated him from his work.
    • b. It was not worthwhile.
    • c. It was handy for his business.
    • d. It took him three decades to make it.
  2. Why was Anton’s first microscope handy?
    • a. It made him rich.
    • b. It helped him look at cloth.
    • c. It was easy to construct.
    • d. It made him famous.
  3. What was Anton’s plea to the scientists?
    • a. To buy his microscope
    • b. To send him animate organisms
    • c. To invite him to London
    • d. To see the particles with their own eyes
  4. Why didn’t Anton sell his concept of a powerful microscope?
    • a. He didn’t want to surrender his secret.
    • b. Scientists needed to review it first.
    • c. He was already rich.
    • d. It wasn’t perfected yet.
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / Anton had a longing to become famous.
  3. T
  4. T
  5. F / Anton drew diagrams of the bacteria.
  6. F / The scientists took a ferry to Holland.
Part B
  1. d
  2. b
  3. d
  4. a
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