4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 2: Monkey Island

Word List
  • accident [ˈæksɪdənt] n.
    An accident is an unexpected undesirable event.
    → She had to go to the hospital after she was in a serious car accident.
  • admiral [ˈædmərəl] n.
    An admiral is someone who controls many military ships.
    → They won the sea battle because of the admiral’s great leadership.
  • arc [ɑːrk] n.
    An arc is a curved shape.
    → A rainbow has the shape of an arc.
  • character [ˈkærɪktər] n.
    Your character is your personality.
    → My sister’s character is fun and very outgoing.
  • conscience [ˈkɒnʃəns] n.
    Your conscience is your inner sense of what is right and wrong.
    → I recycle everything I can, so my conscience is clear!
  • fiery [ˈfaɪərɪ] adj.
    If something is fiery, it is burning strongly.
    → The fiery blaze burned all night long.
  • flesh [fleʃ] n.
    Flesh is the skin, muscle and fat on your body.
    → The zebra’s flesh has black and white stripes.
  • grapefruit [ˈgreɪpfruːt] n.
    A grapefruit is a fruit similar to an orange, but bigger and not as sweet.
    → Would you like a grapefruit with your breakfast?
  • hay [heɪ] n.
    Hay is dry grass used to feed animals or used as a covering.
    → I need to buy some more hay for the horse to sleep on.
  • horrified [ˈhɔ:rəˌfaɪd] adj.
    If you are horrified, you are very shocked and feel upset.
    → I was horrified when I read about the old lady who was attacked.
  • kerosene [ˈkerəsiːn] n.
    Kerosene is a type of oil. It is used in some lamps and stoves.
    → Many people in poor countries cook on kerosene stoves.
  • loop [luːp] n.
    A loop is a line made into the shape of a circle.
    → He made a loop with the rope and placed it over the post.
  • paddle [ˈpædl] n.
    A paddle is a piece of wood or plastic that moves a boat across water.
    → We need a paddle to help us move across the water.
  • raft [ræft] n.
    A raft is a floating platform made from pieces of wood tied together.
    → The man made a raft out of bamboo and floated out to sea.
  • sour [ˈsauə:r] adj.
    When something is sour, it has a sharp and unpleasant taste.
    → I don’t like lemons because I think they are too sour.
  • stake [steɪk] n.
    A stake is a small, sharp piece of wood or metal that is put into the ground.
    → We marked our property by placing stakes into the ground.
  • steward [ˈstjuːərd] n.
    A steward is a person like a waiter who serves food on planes and ships.
    → The steward is bringing some tea.
  • string [strɪŋ] n.
    String is a thin piece of fabric or rope.
    → I found a large ball of string.
  • thorn [θɔːrn] n.
    A thorn is a sharp part of a plant.
    → Be careful of the thorns when you pick the roses!
  • wreck [rek] v.
    To wreck something means to destroy or ruin it.
    → The teenagers wrecked the house for no reason at all.
Exercise 1

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

  1. thorn
    • a. a sharp part on a plant
    • b. a captain on a ship
    • c. someone who serves food
    • d. a piece of wood that moves a boat
  2. arc
    • a. a thin rop
    • b. a part of your mind
    • c. a circle in a rope
    • d. a curved shape
  3. raft
    • a. a waiter
    • b. an undesirable event
    • c. on fire
    • d. a floating platform
  4. hay
    • a. oil
    • b. dry grass
    • c. a piece of wood in the ground
    • d. a fruit
  5. character
    • a. where something is bought
    • b. personality
    • c. difficulties
    • d. skin and muscle

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

  1. a piece of wood in the ground
    • a. admiral
    • b. flesh
    • c. stake
    • d. loop
  2. frightened
    • a. wrecked
    • b. horrified
    • c. fiery
    • d. sour
  3. a curved shape
    • a. arc
    • b. hay
    • c. kerosene
    • d. string
  4. part of your mind that stops you from doing bad things
    • a. character
    • b. conscience
    • c. accident
    • d. steward
  5. something you use to move a boat
    • a. thorn
    • b. raft
    • c. grapefruit
    • d. paddle
Exercise 2

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

  1. Tom was promoted, and now he is an important sea officer that controls military ships.
    _____________
  2. Some people thought that the meal was too sharp and unpleasant tasting.
    _____________
  3. The oil in lamps and stoves is a very cheap form of heat.
    _____________
  4. Why did you steal the woman’s bag? Don’t you have a mind that understands what is wrong?
    _____________
  5. Can you buy three yellow pieces of fruit that are like oranges from the supermarket please?
    _____________
  6. I hope that the waiter on the plane will bring some water soon.
    _____________
  7. After lightning struck the tree, the forest turned into a burning blaze.
    _____________
  8. Use this thin rope to tie the package.
    _____________
  9. I cleaned the rabbit’s cage and left some dry grass for it to eat.
    _____________
  10. I threw the ball through the line in the shape of a circle.
    _____________
Exercise 3

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

WORD BLANK
character accident flesh
wreck stake  
  1. I’m going to tie the cow to a ___________ in the ground.
  2. You shouldn’t eat the chicken. The ___________ is still pink.
  3. New drivers are more likely to ___________ their cars than experienced drivers.
  4. Many people were hurt in the boating ___________.
  5. My brother has a very friendly and cheerful ___________.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. a
  2. d
  3. d
  4. b
  5. b
Part B
  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. admiral
  2. sour
  3. Kerosene
  4. conscience
  5. grapefruits
  6. steward
  7. fiery
  8. string
  9. hay
  10. hoop
Exercise 3
  1. stake
  2. flesh
  3. wreck
  4. accident
  5. character
Answer Key
Monkey Island

In the middle of the ocean, there is a small island shaped like an arc. Here, monkeys play on the beach and in the trees. But how did the monkeys get there?

Once, an English admiral was exploring Africa when he found hundreds of monkeys. The admiral’s character was mean. He thought, “I could sell these monkeys and become very rich! I’m going to take them to England.”

So the admiral set traps to catch the monkeys. He put stakes in the ground, tied string around them and made loops in the string. When the monkeys ran through the forest, their feet got caught in the loops, and they couldn’t escape. Then the admiral put the monkeys in cages on his ship and sailed away.

The cages were small and uncomfortable. There was no soft hay for the monkeys to sleep on. Instead, they slept on branches with sharp thorns that cut into the monkeys’ flesh. For dinner, he gave them tiny pieces of sour grapefruit to eat. The monkeys grew hungry and weak.

But one day, the admiral hired a new steward. He was a kind man with a good conscience. He was horrified to see the thin monkeys in the cages. So one night he let them out.

The monkeys ran and played all over the ship! They attacked the admiral and the steward and ate their food. They completely wrecked the ship. One monkey ran into a kerosene lamp, and it fell over. The ship caught fire and began to sink! The whole crew was lost except for the monkeys.

After the accident, the monkeys jumped onto a raft. They floated away from the fiery blaze of the ship. In the morning, they saw a little island in the distance. The monkeys used a piece of wood as a paddle, and they went toward it. They found the island shaped like an arc. They felt so happy to find a new home, and they still live there today.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The admiral thought that selling the monkeys would make him rich.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The admiral caught the monkeys using loops of string and stakes.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The admiral put hay in the monkeys’ cages.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ The steward had no conscience.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The admiral was horrified because the monkeys were muscular.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ The monkeys jumped on a raft after the accident.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Which adjective describes the admiral’s character?
    • a. Generous
    • b. Mean
    • c. Sour
    • d. Fiery
  2. Where did the admiral plan to take the monkeys?
    • a. To the wrecked ship
    • b. To England
    • c. To an island
    • d. To Africa
  3. What did the monkeys eat while they were in the cages?
    • a. Thorns
    • b. Hay
    • c. Grapefruit
    • d. Flesh
  4. What shape was the island that the monkeys found?
    • a. A paddle
    • b. An arc
    • c. A circle
    • d. A rope
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. T
  3. F / The admiral put branches with sharp thorns in the monkey’s cages.
  4. F / The steward had a good conscience.
  5. F / The steward was horrified because the monkeys were thin and weak.
  6. T
Part B
  1. b
  2. b
  3. c
  4. b
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