4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 5: The Magic Computer

Word List
  • awhile [əˈwaɪl] adv.
    If you do something awhile, you do it for a short time.
    → Wait here awhile, and I’ll bring some tea.
  • cyberspace [ˈsaɪbərspeɪs] n.
    Cyberspace is the imaginary place of the Internet where activities occur.
    → I didn’t receive your email. It probably got lost in cyberspace.
  • edit [ˈedɪt] v.
    To edit means to correct a piece of writing so that it is suitable to be published.
    → She asked her brother to edit her paper before she submitted it to her teacher.
  • essay [ˈeseɪ] n.
    An essay is a short piece of writing on a certain subject.
    → She had to write a two-page essay for her English class.
  • evaluate [iˈvӕljueit] v.
    To evaluate something means to study it, so a decision can be made.
    → Joe and Ken evaluated the plan and agreed that it would work.
  • faint [feɪnt] v.
    To faint means to go unconscious and fall down.
    → Carol fainted because she hadn’t eaten in over a day.
  • global [ˈgloubəl] adj.
    If something is global, it happens all around the world.
    → Pollution is a global problem.
  • gymnasium [dʒɪmˈneɪzɪəm] n.
    A gymnasium is a building with equipment that you can use to get exercise.
    → When I go to the gymnasium, I use the treadmill for 20 minutes.
  • highlight [ˈhaɪlaɪt] v.
    To highlight something means to mark it with a color so that it is easy to see.
    →  I read my vocabulary list and highlighted the most difficult words.
  • ignorant [ˈɪgnərənt] adj.
    If someone is ignorant about something, they have no knowledge about it.
    →  I’m a bit ignorant about his theories. Can you explain them to me?
  • index [ˈɪndeks] n.
    An index is a list of words at the end of a book that gives information.
    → If you look in the index, you’ll find the right page number.
  • lecture [ˈlektʃə:r] n.
    A lecture is a long, educational speech.
    → His lecture on world hunger was very informative.
  • moral [ˈmɔ(:)rəl] n.
    A moral is a message at the end of a story that teaches you something.
    → At the end of the story, Mother explained the moral to the children.
  • operate [ˈɒpəreɪt] v.
    To operate means to work or function.
    → I’m sorry, but the trains are not operating today.
  • private [ˈpraɪvɪt] adj.
    If something is private, it is only used by one person or group.
    → Don’t look at my diary! It’s private!
  • recent [ˈriːsənt] adj.
    When something is recent, it happened a short time ago.
    → I did not know what caused his recent behavior.
  • resolution [ˌrezəˈluːʃən] n.
    A resolution is a personal decision.
    → At New Year, I made a list of resolutions to help me have a better year.
  • semester [sɪˈmestər] n.
    A semester is a portion of a school year.
    → Jack is in his second semester of college.
  • typewritten [ˈtaɪpˌrɪtn] adj.
    If something is typewritten, it is written on a computer or typewriter.
    → This is an important, formal project and must be typewritten.
  • weird [wiə:rd] adj.
    When something is weird, it is very strange.
    → My best friend’s dad is a bit weird.
Exercise 1

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

  1. cyberspace / operate
    • If you know how to ____________ a computer, you can get access to ____________.
  2. recent / global
    • A ____________ study shows that ____________ hunger is a very big problem.
  3. weird / ignorant
    • My mom is completely ____________ about computers. She thinks that email and chat rooms are ____________ ways to spend one’s time..
  4. essays / edit
    • Joe has the ability to write great ____________. His writing is so good that he never has to ____________ his work.
  5. semester / index
    • The report is due at the end of the ____________. You should look in the ____________ to see if this book will help you with the report.
  6. fainted / lecture
    • Our teacher ____________ while she was giving us a ____________ about health!
  7. highlighted / typewritten
    • Jennifer’s notes are very neat! They are ____________, and she has ____________ the most important parts with a green pen.
  8. gymnasium / resolution
    • I made a ____________ to go to the ____________ more often to improve my health.
  9. moral / awhile
    • The ____________ of the story is that you should think ____________ before saying anything that might hurt someone.
  10. evaluated / private
    • We ____________ the company, and our suggestions are written in this ____________ document.
Exercise 2

Part A: Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. The team evaluated ______.
  2. The moral of the story is ______.
  3. The global economic problems ______.
  4. Joe operates ______.
  5. We went to a lecture ______.
  6. The friends you meet in cyberspace ______.
  7. The weird kid at school ______.
  8. You should highlight these words ______.
  9. I made a resolution ______.
  10. The end of the first semester ______.
  1. a. are getting worse
  2. b. aren’t as important as real friends
  3. c. about birds
  4. d. is halfway through the school year
  5. e. to be nicer to people
  6. f. to eat less chocolate
  7. g. the success of the project
  8. h. with a yellow pen
  9. i. this large machine
  10. j. ate soup with a knife

Part B: Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. I wanted to get fit ______.
  2. Geology is my favorite subject, ______.
  3. My paper was full of mistakes, ______.
  4. My brother couldn’t help me with my math homework ______.
  5. In the first aid class, we learned what to do ______.
  6. I wanted to find some information about volcanoes, ______.
  7. That copy of the text book is too old, ______.
  8. I need a computer ______.
  9. I’ll get some tea if ______.
  10. You mustn’t tell anyone this information; ______.
  1. a. it’s private
  2. b. so I looked under “V” in the index
  3. c. but he helped me edit it
  4. d. you wait here awhile
  5. e. so I went to the gymnasium
  6. f. so you should find a more recent one
  7. g. so I wrote an essay about rocks
  8. h. because my essay has to be typewritten
  9. i. if someone faints
  10. j. because he’s ignorant about math

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. operate / cyberspace
  2. recent / global
  3. ignorant / weird
  4. essays / edit
  5. semester / index
  6. fainted / lecture
  7. typewritten / highlighted
  8. resolution / gymnasium
  9. moral / awhile
  10. evaluated / private
Exercise 2
Part A
  1. g
  2. e
  3. a
  4. i
  5. c
  6. b
  7. j
  8. h
  9. f
  10. d
Part B
  1. e
  2. g
  3. c
  4. j
  5. i
  6. b
  7. f
  8. h
  9. d
  10. a
Answer Key
The Magic Computer

I had a difficult geography project to finish by the end of the semester. My teacher wanted it to be typewritten, so I went to the school computer room. But when I got there, all the computers were turned off. Apparently there was a recent problem, and technicians were fixing it.

I knew of some private study rooms downstairs. They were small and dark, and the computers were very old, but I had no choice. At least the computers were operating correctly. I typed and highlighted the assignment’s title: “Evaluate the Government’s Response to Global Warming.” But I didn’t know what to write in my essay. Finally I decided to find a book to help me. I went to the library, checked the book indexes and eventually found a useful book. Then I returned to the computer.

When I looked at the screen, I saw something so weird that I nearly fainted! The essay was complete! Had somebody in cyberspace written it? I didn’t know, but I was very happy. I printed it out and handed it in. I got an “A.”

After that, I used the computer for all my assignments. I’d type the title, wait awhile, and the computer would do it. Every assignment was perfect; I never had to edit anything. I stopped paying attention to my teacher’s lectures and spent my extra time in the gymnasium. And my grades got better and better.

A month later, I was walking into class when my friend said, “Are you prepared for the test?”

“What test?” I asked.

“The geography test!” he replied. “I hope you studied. It’s worth seventy percent of our final grade!”

I failed the test, of course. I was completely ignorant about the subject. After that, I made a resolution never to use the magic computer again. The moral of this story is that if you cheat at school, you won’t learn anything.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The computers were turned off because there was a recent problem.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The private study rooms were upstairs.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The computers in the private study rooms weren’t operating correctly.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ In his project, the student had to evaluate the government’s response to global warming.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The geography test was worth fifty percent of the final grade.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ The student failed the test because he was completely ignorant about the subject.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. How did the teacher want the project to be written?
    • a. In first person
    • b. Handwritten
    • c. Typewritten
    • d. In black ink
  2. What was the project about?
    • a. Global warming
    • b. Economics
    • c. Weird computers
    • d. Computer science
  3. What did the student NOT have to do in order to use the magic computer?
    • a. Type in the essay title
    • b. Edit his paper
    • c. Plug it in
    • d. Wait awhile
  4. Where did the student spend his free time?
    • a. In lectures
    • b. In the gymnasium
    • c. In the library
    • d. In cyberspace
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / The private study rooms were downstairs.
  3. F / The computers in the private study rooms were operating correctly.
  4. T
  5. F / The geography test was worth seventy percent of the final grade.
  6. T
Part B
  1. c
  2. a
  3. b
  4. b
Favorite Books
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4000 Essential English Words 2

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4000 Essential English Words 3

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4000 Essential English Words 5

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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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