4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 19: Isaac’s First Plane Trip

Word List
  • afflicted [əˈfliktid] adj.
    Afflicted means to suffer physically or mentally.
    → He was afflicted by pain in his right arm.
  • aisle [ail] n.
    An aisle is a space between two things that people use to walk.
    → They were told to clear the aisle because the plane was about to land.
  • atmosphere [ˈætməsfiər] n.
    The atmosphere is the air around the Earth where weather conditions form.
    → Scientists worry that harmful substances are hurting the atmosphere.
  • author [ˈɔːθər] n.
    An author is a person who wrote a certain piece of writing.
    → The author was hard at work on his next novel.
  • breakdown [ˈbreɪkdaun] n.
    A breakdown is a failure to work correctly.
    → Her car had a breakdown, and she wasn’t sure how to fix it.
  • cargo [ˈkɑːrgəu] n.
    Cargo is the items carried by a ship or airplane.
    → The cargo of the ship got wet when it started raining.
  • chapter [ˈtʃæptər] n.
    A chapter is a part of a book that usually has a number or a title.
    → The first chapter of a book usually introduces the main character of a story.
  • connect [kəˈnekt] v.
    To connect two things means to join them together.
    → I connected the mouse to my laptop computer.
  • etc. [etsetərə] n.
    Etc. is short for “etcetera.” It is used to refer to other unspecified objects.
    → She was going to bring treats to the party: cookies, muffins, cake, etc.
  • flip [flip] v.
    To flip means to press a switch quickly to turn it on or off.
    → To turn on the lights, just flip this switch.
  • idle [ˈaidl] adj.
    If you are idle, you are not doing anything.
    → She read a book to keep from being idle.
  • notify [ˈnoutəfai] v.
    To notify someone of something is to tell them about it.
    → The teacher notified us about a change to our assignment.
  • pea [pi:] n.
    Peas are a vegetable that is small, round and green.
    → His favorite food was peas.
  • raisin [ˈreizən] n.
    A raisin is a dried grape.
    → Raisins are one of my favorite snacks.
  • retain [riˈtein] v.
    To retain something is to keep it.
    → Even by the afternoon, the day had retained the morning’s freshness.
  • state [steit] v.
    To state something means to say it in a definite way.
    → The president stated his opinion about the world’s health concerns.
  • tray [trei] n.
    A tray is a flat plate used to hold food.
    → The waiter brought our food on a tray.
  • unfortunate [ʌnˈfɔːrtʃənɪt] adj.
    If something is unfortunate, it is bad or unlucky.
    → It was unfortunate that Dave’s team lost, but he still had fun.
  • vivid [vivid] adj.
    When something is vivid, it is bright and colorful.
    → The figures in the painting were vivid.
  • vomit [ˈvɒmit] v.
    To vomit means to have food come up from one’s stomach.
    → It is common for women to vomit when they are pregnant.
Exercise 1

Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. cargo
    • a. space
    • b. items
    • c. air
    • d. list
  2. retain
    • a. to keep
    • b. to join
    • c. to do
    • d. to press a switch
  3. vivid
    • a. to not work
    • b. bright
    • c. end
    • d. vegetable
  4. raisin
    • a. division
    • b. grape
    • c. air
    • d. writer
  5. idle
    • a. doing nothing
    • b. affected
    • c. plate
    • d. to have food come up
Exercise 2

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

  1. Scientists do not completely understand the air that surrounds the Earth.
    ____________
  2. The police officer said in a definite way that he arrived at exactly 1:15 PM.
    ____________
  3. The teacher asked the students to read three divisions in a book.
    ____________
  4. Carolyn told me that she would be late to the meeting.
    ____________
  5. His mother brought his food to him on a flat serving plate.
    ____________
  6. Gina was affected with guilt because her brother got hurt while she watched him.
    ____________
  7. Islands like Bali, Hawaii, Brunei, and the others similar, rely on tourism.
    ____________
  8. The flight attendant asked me to keep my bag out of the space between the seats.
    ____________
  9. The computer’s failure to work caused major problems at work.
    ____________
  10. The person who wrote the book was nice enough to sign my copy of his book.
    ____________
Exercise 3

Part A: Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. Connect your seat belt ______.
  2. Patty was afflicted by ______.
  3. The cargo was lost when the door ______.
  4. The school will notify your ______.
  5. The author of the book ______.
  6. Flip the switch ______.
  7. After the breakdown, ______.
  8. Katie said her peas were ______.
  9. Vanessa had raisins ______.
  10. The last chapter of the book ______.
  1. a. as a snack before dinner
  2. b. she had to get a new car
  3. c. a disease that made her tired
  4. d. has written many others as well
  5. e. when the image comes into view
  6. f. before you begin driving
  7. g. was accidentally opened
  8. h. was the most interesting
  9. i. parents if you are late
  10. j. too sour to eat

Part B: Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. There were many items that the customer ordered, ______.
  2. The manager was unhappy ______.
  3. The meat had gone bad ______.
  4. Jay was rushed to the hospital, ______.
  5. Her blouse was so colorful when she bought it, ______.
  6. Judy danced beautifully, ______.
  7. He tried to keep busy, ______.
  8. Sammy tried to get through to the bathroom, ______.
  9. He sold most of his clothes, ______.
  10. Sarah became quite ill ______.
  1. a. but he retained his favorite shirt
  2. b. but her unfortunate mistake hurt her
  3. c. and it made many people vomit
  4. d. but he always found himself being idle
  5. e. so she put them on the tray
  6. f. because the atmosphere was polluted
  7. g. because no one stated the truth
  8. h. so his aunt, dad, mom, etc met him there
  9. i. but the aisle was crowded
  10. j. but the vivid colors faded after a week

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. b
  2. a
  3. b
  4. b
  5. a
Exercise 2
  1. atmosphere
  2. stated
  3. chapters
  4. notified
  5. tray
  6. afflicted
  7. etc.
  8. aisle
  9. breakdown
  10. author
Exercise 3
Part A
  1. f
  2. c
  3. g
  4. i
  5. d
  6. e
  7. b
  8. j
  9. a
  10. h
Part B
  1. e
  2. g
  3. c
  4. h
  5. j
  6. b
  7. d
  8. i
  9. a
  10. f
Answer Key
Isaac’s First Plane Trip

Isaac’s family was going on vacation. He was excited about the trip except for one thing. He had never been on a plane before. He was scared that his plane would have a breakdown.

Isaac got onto the plane. He walked down the aisle until he found his seat. He sat down and connected the ends of his seat belt. After being idle for a few minutes, the pilot announced that they were ready to leave.

He looked out the window at the vivid colors of the sky. He began to feel scared. The girl sitting next to him said, “Hi, I’m Rachel! You look nervous, but you don’t need to be. Flying is fun!”

“I’m still a bit nervous,” Issac said, “and I’m getting hungry.”

“The food service will begin soon. Just lower the tray on the seat in front of you, and flip this switch. Then they’ll bring your dinner! Last time, they served chicken, peas, and a box of raisins,” Rachel explained.

Then the pilot notified the passengers of bad conditions in the atmosphere. “We’re tracking the weather: lightning, clouds, etc. The ride might get a bit rough,” he stated.

Suddenly, the plane started to shake. Isaac was badly afflicted by his fear. His stomach hurt, and he thought he might vomit. He couldn’t believe that he was in such an unfortunate place. Finally, the shaking stopped. Isaac was still scared, but he tried to retain a good attitude.

“The first time I flew, the plane shook so bad that cargo started falling. My parents told me to listen to music and read a chapter in my book. It calmed me,” Rachel said.

Suddenly, the plane shook again. This time, Isaac followed Rachel’s advice. He put on headphones and took out a book by his favorite author. The book and the music helped Isaac feel better. After a while, he didn’t even notice the bad weather. The bad situation didn’t feel so bad after someone helped him.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ Isaac was scared the plane would have a breakdown.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Isaac ate raisins and peas and read a book by his favorite author.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ Rachel’s parents suggested she read a chapter in her book when she was scared.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Isaac’s fear went away as soon as he took a nap.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The pilot stated that the conditions in the atmosphere were sun, wind, etc.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ Isaac was scared, but he tried to retain a good attitude.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What would happen if Isaac flipped the switch?
    • a. The cargo would fall.
    • b. They would bring him his dinner.
    • c. He would vomit.
    • d. They would bring him some water.
  2. What did Isaac do as the plane left?
    • a. He played with Rachel.
    • b. He was idle.
    • c. He fell asleep.
    • d. He looked at the vivid sky.
  3. What did Isaac think when the plane first started shaking?
    • a. He was in an unfortunate place.
    • b. He was afflicted by pain.
    • c. The pilot made a mistake.
    • d. His food would fall off the tray.
  4. What happened the first time Rachel was on a plane?
    • a. The dinner service was late.
    • b. She had to wait in the aisle.
    • c. The cargo fell from above.
    • d. Her seat belt wasn’t connected.
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / Isaac listened to music and read a book by his favorite author.
  3. T
  4. F / Isaac was still scared after the shaking stopped.
  5. F / The pilot stated that the conditions in the atmosphere were bad.
  6. T
Part B
  1. b
  2. d
  3. a
  4. c
Favorite Books
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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).

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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).

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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).

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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).

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