4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 21: The Teller and the Thieves

Word List
  • background [ˈbækgraund] n.
    A background is a person’s education, family, and experience.
    → The new teacher had a background in science and math.
  • bait [beit] n.
    Bait is something used to trick a person or thing to do something.
    → The best bait for catching fish is a big, fat worm.
  • chronicle [ˈkrɒnikl] v.
    To chronicle something means to record an event or speech.
    → The daily newspaper chronicles local and world events.
  • copper [ˈkɒpər] n.
    Copper is a red-brown metal often used in electric wire and pipes.
    → Ancient hunters melted copper to make knives and spears.
  • disease [diˈziːz] n.
    A disease is an illness that causes specific problems.
    → He had a disease that caused him to lose his hearing.
  • folklore [ˈfouklɔːr] n.
    Folklore is the collection of beliefs and stories of a culture.
    → India’s folklore has stories written in long poems about great warriors.
  • infect [inˈfekt] v.
    To infect someone means to give them an illness.
    → The common cold infects hundreds of millions of people each year.
  • itch [itʃ] v.
    To itch means to rub the skin with your fingernails.
    → The rough fabric in his shirt made the back of his neck itch.
  • literature [ˈlitərətʃər] n.
    Literature is books, plays, and poetry.
    → Early American literature covers the poetry and stories from 1500 to 1800.
  • millennium [miˈleniəm] n.
    A millennium is one thousand years.
    → Stonehenge is believed to have been built about 5 millenniums ago.
  • myth [miθ] n.
    A myth is a traditional story that explains a culture’s history and beliefs.
    → In Greece, there was a myth about a woman who had snakes for hair.
  • relate [riˈleit] v.
    To relate to something means to have a connection with it.
    → A company’s plan usually relates to how much profit it can make.
  • religion [riˈlidʒən] n.
    A religion is a belief in a god or gods.
    → Their religion taught that people should forgive their enemies.
  • sum [sʌm] n.
    A sum is a specific amount of money.
    → He calculated the numbers to see what the sum of his bills would be.
  • teller [ˈtelə:r] n.
    A teller is a person who works with a bank’s customers.
    → The teller at the bank helped Kelly put money into a savings account.
  • trustworthy [ˈtrʌstˌwəːrði] adj.
    If someone is trustworthy, they are honest and truthful.
    → Mary is one of the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met.
  • update [ʌpˈdeit] v.
    To update something means to make it more modern.
    → We need to update the programs on our computers.
  • vein [vein] n.
    A vein is a tube in the body that carries blood toward the heart.
    → The blue veins in my hand are just under my skin.
  • venom [ˈvenəm] n.
    Venom is a poisonous substance that comes from animals or plants.
    → A snake’s venom can be used to cure the illnesses it creates.
  • promote [prəˈmout] v.
    To promote someone means to raise them to a higher position or rank.
    → After two years in the company, she was promoted to a manager.
Exercise 1

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

  1. The reward for finding the lost dog was a very large specific amount.
    ____________
  2. When his arm got crushed, it damaged a tube that carries blood to the heart was damaged.
    ____________
  3. To which chart does this collection of data have a connection with?
    ____________
  4. This book records the first years of the king’s life.
    ____________
  5. Since that pot is made out of a red-brown metal, it gets hot very quickly.
    ____________
  6. The nation had a party because their country had existed for a thousand years.
    ____________
  7. Her experience made her the best person for the new job.
    ____________
  8. The poisonous substance from that fish will make you very sick.
    ____________
  9. I wouldn’t believe him. He’s not very honest.
    ____________
  10. The owners of the hotel decided to modernize the computer system.
    ____________
Exercise 2

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

  1. What do you need if you want to catch a fish?
    • a. Copper
    • b. Venom
    • c. Bait
    • d. Disease
  2. Which of the following means to be raised to a higher position?
    • a. Chronicle
    • b. Update
    • c. Infect
    • d. Promote
  3. Which would most likely be found in a library?
    • a. Literature
    • b. A teller
    • c. A vein
    • d. Regligion
  4. Sometimes, uncomfortable clothes will make you do this?
    • a. Itch
    • b. Trustworthy
    • c. Relate
    • d. Background
  5. Which of the following best describes the combination of two numbers?
    • a. A sum
    • b. A millennium
    • c. Folklore
    • d. A myth
Exercise 3

Part A: Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. The bank teller ______.
  2. Many religions ______.
  3. The nation’s folklore ______.
  4. The factory’s new worker had a background ______.
  5. Those veins pump blood ______.
  6. The snake’s poisonous venom ______.
  7. The newspaper story chronicled the action ______.
  8. One of that culture’s myths explains that the ocean ______.
  9. The total sum for staying three nights at the hotel ______!
  10. Her arm started to itch ______.
  1. a. caused the boy to collapse
  2. b. to all necessary places in the body
  3. c. was once a small pond
  4. d. was over $300
  5. e. in engineering
  6. f. deposited Paul’s money into his account
  7. g. from all of the insect bites
  8. h. of the heroic crime-fighter
  9. i. believe that there is a god
  10. j. is rich with tradition

Part B: Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. If you don’t stay away from school today, ______.
  2. Because the calendar didn’t list the new holidays, ______.
  3. The hunters put some food in the trap, ______.
  4. She learned to speak the country’s language, ______.
  5. The police thought the two crimes might be connected, ______.
  6. The pipes were safe for carrying water ______.
  7. He had done great work for the company for three years, ______.
  8. She never shared her friends’ secrets with anyone, ______.
  9. If you think a lot can happen in a hundred years, ______.
  10. He had a bad cough and a headache, ______.
  1. a. because they were made from copper
  2. b. but no animals wanted the bait
  3. c. so everyone knew she was trustworthy
  4. d. it had to be updated
  5. e. then you might infect the other students
  6. f. so she could read their literature
  7. g. so he thought he’d caught a disease
  8. h. so his boss promoted him
  9. i. but it turned out that they didn’t relate to each other
  10. j. then imagine how much might happen in a millennium

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. sum
  2. vein
  3. relate
  4. chronicles
  5. copper
  6. millennium
  7. background
  8. venom
  9. trustworthy
  10. update
Exercise 2
  1. c
  2. d
  3. a
  4. a
  5. a
Exercise 3
Part A
  1. f
  2. i
  3. j
  4. e
  5. b
  6. a
  7. h
  8. c
  9. d
  10. g
Part B
  1. e
  2. d
  3. b
  4. f
  5. i
  6. a
  7. h
  8. c
  9. j
  10. g
Answer Key
The Teller and the Thieves

A teller at a bank suspected some of her fellow employees of not being very trustworthy. She thought they were stealing. In order to catch them, though, she needed some way to link them to the crime.

She had a background in religion and folklore. She remembered that one religion’s literature had a myth that chronicled how a group of thieves was captured.

In the millennium-old story, coins of copper were covered with venom taken from a poisonous snake. The coins were left as bait for the robbers. When they touched the coins, the venom infected their bodies through their skin. The venom ran through their veins, and they all became very sick as if they had a disease. It made their skin purple. The police arrested whoever had purple skin.

She knew she couldn’t use venom because it might hurt someone. However, she thought of a way to update the old story. She decided to cover a sum of money with a special powder. If people touched the money, the powder would cause their skin to itch. She placed the stack of money in the bank’s safe. No one was supposed to take money from the safe. If somebody did, then they had to be stealing.

Within a few hours, three of her coworkers were scratching their hands and arms. They itched so badly that they couldn’t even work. She checked the money, and it was gone. She told her boss what she had done, and he had the thieves arrested. He thanked her and promoted her.

Because events from history often repeat, ancient literature had helped the teller solve a crime. She proved that stories from the past still relate with the problems of today, and they can be helpful in solving problems.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ A teller at a bank thought her fellow employees were trustworthy.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The teller remembered a myth that chronicled how to capture the thieves.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The venom was taken from a poisonous plant.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ The robbers became sick as if they had a disease.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Two of her coworkers were scratching their hands and arms.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ The teller’s boss promoted her.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Which word does NOT describe the teller’s background?
    • a. Religion
    • b. Literature
    • c. Folklore
    • d. Vein
  2. In the millennium-old story, the police linked the robbers to the crime because ______.
    • a. they were purple
    • b. their skin itched
    • c. they weren’t working
    • d. they were at the bank
  3. What did the teller use as bait to catch her fellow employees?
    • a. Coins of copper
    • b. A special powder
    • c. A sum of money
    • d. The bank’s safe
  4. Why did the teller decide not to use venom in her trap?
    • a. It wasn’t related.
    • b. It infected her.
    • c. It was updated.
    • d. It might hurt someone.
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. F / A teller at a bank thought her fellow employees were stealing.
  2. T
  3. F / The venom was taken from a poisonous snake.
  4. T
  5. F / Three of her coworkers were scratching their hands and arms.
  6. T
Part B
  1. d
  2. b
  3. c
  4. d
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