4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 30: The Heirs

Word List
  • bill [bil] n.
    A bill is a statement of money owed for goods or a service.
    → I have so many bills that I do not know how to pay for them all.
  • boundary [ˈbaundəri] n.
    A boundary is the line where one area of land stops, and another begins.
    → This fence shows the boundary between our yard and yours.
  • chaos [ˈkeiɒs] n.
    Chaos is a situation that is confusing and not ordered.
    → His presentation was in chaos. I couldn’t understand what he meant.
  • consistent [kənˈsistənt] adj.
    If a person is consistent, they keep the same behavior or attitude.
    → Sara comes in every day and is our most consistent worker.
  • cyclone [ˈsaikloun] n.
    A cyclone is a large storm with heavy rain and winds that spin in a circle.
    → Hundreds of homes were damaged by the cyclone.
  • doomed [duːmd] adj.
    If someone or something is doomed, they are going to fail or be destroyed.
    → Since I spent all my money, my date with Jane is doomed.
  • heir [ɛər] n.
    An heir is a person who receives money or property of someone who dies.
    → The princess was the heir to the king and queen’s throne.
  • martial [ˈmɑːrʃəl] n.
    If something is martial, it is related to fighting or war.
    → Karate is a martial art that began many years ago in Japan.
  • organic [ɔːrˈgænik] adj.
    If food is organic, it is grown without adding chemicals to it.
    → The organic carrots are more expensive, but they’re better for you.
  • poultry [ˈpoultri] n.
    Poultry is a bird, such as a chicken, that is used for meat and eggs.
    → He raises poultry and sells their meat for extra money.
  • scramble [ˈskræmbl] v.
    To scramble is to move somewhere quickly and desperately.
    → The hikers scrambled down the side of the hill.
  • sergeant [ˈsɑːrdʒənt] n.
    A sergeant is a soldier or police officer of middle rank.
    → He was promoted to sergeant after a year in the army.
  • sheer [ʃiə:r] adj.
    If you describe something as sheer, it is complete and very strong.
    → I was impressed by her sheer dedication to jogging.
  • stance [stæns] n.
    A stance is an attitude about an issue that someone states clearly.
    → My stance is that using oil and gas is bad for the environment.
  • telegraph [ˈteləgræf] n.
    A telegraph is a method of sending electric messages on wires.
    → In the 1900s, the telegraph was the fastest way to send a message.
  • textile [ˈtekstail] n.
    Textile is cloth that has been woven or knitted.
    → The blue textile was going to be used to make blouses.
  • tornado [tɔːrˈneidou] n.
    A tornado is a tube-shaped formation of air that spins very quickly.
    → During a tornado, the safest place to be is underground.
  • typhoon [taiˈfuːn] n.
    A typhoon is a large tropical storm that moves in circles.
    → Thousands of people lost electricity after a typhoon hit Australia.
  • wail [weil] v.
    To wail is to show sadness by crying loudly.
    → The baby wailed because it was hungry.
  • wardrobe [ˈwɔːrdroub] n.
    A wardrobe is the collection of all of a person’s clothing.
    → She bought some new clothes to expand her wardrobe.
Exercise 1

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

  1. Which of the following is a kind of storm?
    • a. A typhoon
    • b. A bill
    • c. A sergeant
    • d. A boundary
  2. Which of the following would come from a farm?
    • a. Organic vegetables
    • b. Wool textiles
    • c. A person’s wardrobe
    • d. Short telegraphs
  3. Which of the following would help students taking a test?
    • a. Reading in chaos
    • b. Sheer luck
    • c. Taking martial arts classes
    • d. Consistent studying
  4. Who should expect to receive something?
    • a. A brave sergeant
    • b. A dead man’s heir
    • c. A man with a strong stance
    • d. A man who needs a bill
  5. Which of the following would be loudest?
    • a. Cooked poultry
    • b. A scrambling woman
    • c. A doomed project
    • d. Wailing children
  6. Which word is not related to martial arts?
    • a. Taekwondo
    • b. Karate
    • c. Judo
    • d. Tango
  7. What can a person get from poultry?
    • a. Meat
    • b. Fruit
    • c. Pants
    • d. Soldiers
  8. What is part of a person’s wardrobe?
    • a. A dog
    • b. A vegetable
    • c. A dress
    • d. A teacher
  9. Where would you most likely find a sergeant?
    • a. In a store
    • b. In an army
    • c. In a factory
    • d. In a class
  10. Which situation is full of chaos?
    • a. A man driving a car
    • b. Students reading
    • c. A girl walking
    • d. Armies fighting
Exercise 2

Part A: Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. The heir of Mr. Smith’s fortune ______.
  2. This is a martial matter, ______.
  3. The kids started wailing ______.
  4. I used the telegraph to ______.
  5. Everyone scrambled to ______.
  6. The sergeant ordered the ______.
  7. He’s very consistent and ______.
  8. When the cyclone arrives, ______.
  9. The boundary of my land ______.
  10. First we color the textiles, ______.
  1. a. there will be a lot of wind and rain
  2. b. when their toys were taken away
  3. c. is the fence not the road
  4. d. and the soldiers should take care of it
  5. e. other soldiers to march
  6. f. never really changes his attitude
  7. g. avoid the rushing water
  8. h. and then we make them into clothes.
  9. i. will become very rich
  10. i. tell my family about the new baby

Part B: Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. During the summer, we always keep a supply of food and water in the basement ______.
  2. He didn’t like a strong central government, ______.
  3. He failed the test, ______.
  4. I won’t go to fast food restaurants ______.
  5. 1 was disappointed ______.
  6. The police were called ______.
  7. We all took shelter, ______.
  8. He quickly took out his credit card, ______.
  9. 1 want to buy a new suit, ______.
  10. She lost a few kilos ______.
  1. a. because I only eat organic food
  2. b. because the event turned into chaos
  3. c. so he could pay the bill
  4. d. because she ate only poultry and fruit
  5. e. but that doesn’t mean the school years is doomed
  6. f. because of their sheer lack of sportsmanship
  7. g. but my wardrobe is pretty full
  8. h. so we knew his stance on politics
  9. i. since the typhoon was raging
  10. j. because that’s when tornados are common

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. a
  2. a
  3. d
  4. b
  5. d
  6. d
  7. a
  8. c
  9. b
  10. d
Exercise 2
Part A
  1. i
  2. d
  3. b
  4. j
  5. g
  6. e
  7. f
  8. a
  9. c
  10. h
Part B
  1. j
  2. h
  3. e
  4. a
  5. f
  6. b
  7. i
  8. c
  9. g
  10. d
Answer Key
The Heirs

Martin, Paul and Tom were brothers. They were very different, but they were consistent about two things. They couldn’t succeed in business, and they never agreed about anything. Martin was a hardworking farmer, growing organic vegetables and raising poultry. But he was disorganized and forgot to pay his bills. Paul owned a textile factory that produced clothes. He was organized, but he was greedy and took too much clothing. His wardrobe was filled with his own products. Tom was once a sergeant in the army. He ran a martial arts school, but his stance on discipline was too strong. He had almost no students.

One day, they received a telegraph saying that their father had died. They were heirs to his old farm. They planned to sell it as soon as possible, so they went to see it even though there was a terrible storm. The house didn’t look great, but there was a lot of land. There was so much, in fact, that they could barely see its boundary.

Suddenly, the storm got worse. The sheer force of the wind almost knocked them over. Martin said, “Look, it’s a typhoon!” Paul said, “No, it’s a cyclone.” Tom said, “No, it’s a tornado!” They argued until Paul began to wail and said, “Whatever it is, it’s coming right at us! We’re doomed!” The three brothers scrambled inside the old house. Martin said, “If we survive, we must stop fighting. This farm could be great if we fixed it up. With my hard work, Paul’s organization and Tom’s discipline, we could run a great business together!” The storm finally ended. And luckily, it didn’t wreck the farm.

“Just think,” Martin said, “it took the chaos of a typhoon to bring us together.” Paul replied, “You mean a cyclone brought us together.” Tom said, “Didn’t I tell you both that it was a tornado?” The brothers never agreed on what kind of storm it was, but by combining their skills, they started a successful farm.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ Tom was a farmer who grew organic vegetables and poultry.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Paul’s wardrobe was filled with clothes from his factory.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ Tom was a sergeant in the army before running a martial arts school.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Martin’s stance on discipline was too strong.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The brothers learned of their father’s death through a telegraph.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ The brothers could see the land’s boundary.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. The brothers were consistent about what two things?
    • a. Good farming and arguing
    • b. Bad farming and business
    • c. Bad business and arguing
    • d. Good business and arguing
  2. The brothers were almost knocked down by ______.
    • a. Tom’s bills
    • b. the chaos of the storm
    • c. Paul’s wardrobe
    • d. the sheer force of the wind
  3. Why wasn’t Paul’s textile factory successful?
    • a. He was greedy and took home clothes.
    • b. He gave away too much money.
    • c. He was too disorganized.
    • d. He was too mean.
  4. Who was the father’s heir?
    • a. Martin
    • b. Tom
    • c. Paul
    • d. All three men
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. F / Martin was a farmer who grew organic ginseng and poultry.
  2. T
  3. T
  4. F / Tom’s stance on discipline was too strong.
  5. T
  6. F / The brothers could not see the land’s boundary.
Part B
  1. c
  2. d
  3. a
  4. d
Favorite Books
4000 Essential English Words 1

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 1: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
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).

Read more
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).

Read more
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).

Read more
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).

Read more