Unit 23: How Comet Got His Tail

4000 Essential English Words 5 » Unit 23: How Comet Got His Tail

Word List

astronomical [ˌæstrəˈnɒmikəl] adj.

If something is astronomical, then it is extremely large.

→ It’s an astronomical distance between the Milky Way galaxy and the nearest galaxy.
atom [ˈætəm] n.

An atom is the smallest unit of a substance.

→ A molecule consists of a combination of two or more atoms.
breadth [bretθ] n.

Breadth is the distance from one side to the other side of something.

→ The breadth of the northern wall of the house is twenty meters.
circumference [səˈkʌmfərəns] n.

A circumference is the distance completely around a circular object.

→ The circumference of the Earth is obviously much larger than a baseball’s.
comet [ˈkɒmit] n.

A comet is an object in space made of ice and rock with a tail of glowing dust.

→ Comets take many decades to complete an orbit around a star.
crater [ˈkreitər] n.

A crater is a large hole in a planet’s or moon’s surface.

→ They could clearly see the big crater on the moon through the telescope.
crescent [ˈkresənt] n.

A crescent is the curved shape lit on the moon’s face during its early and late stages.

→ Ten days ago the entire moon was bright, but now only a small crescent is shining.
debris [ˈdəbriː] n.

Debris is the small pieces scattered from something wrecked or destroyed.

→ The debris from the cube scattered on the floor.
despair [disˈpɛər] n.

Despair is the complete loss of hope.

→ After the other company won the account, our salespeople were filled with despair.
embed [imˈbed] v.

To embed something means to place it firmly within a surrounding thing.

→ The logger embedded the ax into the wood after chopping several logs.
fragment [ˈfrægmənt] n.

A fragment is a small part of something.

→ After the light broke, there were fragments of glass to clean up.
galaxy [ˈgæləksi] n.

A galaxy is any extremely large collection of star systems.

→ Our solar system is located in the outer area of our galaxy.
gigantic [dʒaiˈgæntik] adj.

If something is gigantic, then it is extremely large.

→ Some dinosaurs were so gigantic that they were the size of buildings.
gloom [gluːm] n.

Gloom is a state of being almost completely dark.

→ In the gloom of the morning, it was difficult to see the boat on the lake.
radiate [ˈreidieit] v.

To radiate means to send out energy or heat.

→ The heat from the fireplace radiated throughout the room.
roam [roum] v.

To roam means to move around without a plan or purpose.

→ All day the cows roamed around the field eating grass.
solitary [ˈsɒliteri] adj.

If something is solitary, then it is lonely or the only one.

→ The only thing in the room was a solitary chair.
spectrum [ˈspektrəm] n.

The spectrum is the full range of color ranging from red to violet.

→ You can see the entire spectrum in a rainbow.
sphere [sfiə:r] n.

A sphere is a three-dimensional round shape, like a ball.

→ The balloons were inflated into a variety of colorful spheres.
status [ˈsteitəs] n.

Status is the position of something or someone in relation to others.

→ She had achieved the status of being the smartest girl in the class.

Exercise 1

Choose the one that is similar in meaning to the given word.

radiate
- a. measure
- b. release
- c. welcome
- d. allow
breadth
- a. path
- b. death
- c. mouth
- d. width
spectrum
- a. colors
- b. amounts
- c. sounds
- d. places
comet
- a. arrival
- b. meteor
- c. scissors
- d. image
atom
- a. particle
- b. catch
- c. fast
- d. legal
status
- a. land
- b. rock
- c. rank
- d. cloud
astronomical
- a. historical
- b. pleasant
- c. delicious
- d. huge
embed
- a. sleep
- b. soften
- c. bury
- d. burn
sphere
- a. tide
- b. voice
- c. mass
- d. ball
debris
- a. pieces
- b. troops
- c. cloths
- d. liquids

Exercise 2

Choose the one that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

crater
- a. basket
- b. habit
- c. spouse
- d. hill
gloom
- a. plan
- b. book
- c. light
- d. hole
solitary
- a. chain
- b. group
- c. home
- d. card
gigantic
- a. wild
- b. tiny
- c. next
- d. free
roam
- a. buy
- b. break
- c. get
- d. stand
fragment
- a. whole
- b. child
- c. phone
- d. point
despair
- a. burn
- b. hope
- c. sing
- d. make
galaxy
- a. delivery
- b. marriage
- c. particle
- d. agreement
crescent
- a. circle
- b. closet
- c. problem
- d. schedule
circumference
- a. feeling
- b. detail
- c. center
- d. helmet

Exercise 3

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

What is something that is astronomical?
- a. A planet
- b. A book
- c. An ant
- d. A movie
What is something you’d find in a galaxy?
- a. A pear
- b. A broom
- c. A star
- d. A motorcycle
Which would help you see through the gloom of a day?
- a. Glasses
- b. A telescope
- c. A candle
- d. A cap
Which of the following is a sphere?
- a. A globe
- b. A bat
- c. A golf club
- d. A television set
What describes someone whose waist has a large circumference?
- a. Tall
- b. Fat
- c. Strong
- d. Skinny

Exercise 4

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

The night was extremely dark because little light came from the curved shaped moon.
____________
They moved without a purpose around the mall while waiting for their friend to get off of work.
____________
The moon has large holes on the surface.
____________
The distance from one side to the other of a baby’s hand is very small.
____________
Mom couldn’t fix the bowl because a small part of it was missing.
____________
A lot of energy is stored within just one simple smallest unit of matter.
____________
The bee’s stinger was placed firmly within the skin of his right hand.
____________
Guarding the camp was a lonely job, so he gladly accepted the young man’s company.
____________
When it’s low on fuel, the heater emits a small level of heat.
____________
He was so concerned about his position to others in school that he studied very hard
____________

Answer Key

Exercise 1

d
d
a
b
a
c
d
c
d
a

Exercise 2

d
c
b
b
d
a
b
c
a
c

Exercise 3

a
c
c
a
b

Exercise 4

crescent
roamed
craters
breadth
fragment
atom
embedded
solitary
radiates
status

Answer Key

How Comet Got His Tail

A solitary rock roamed through the cold gloom of outer space. It slowly drifted through the debris of broken asteroids with a feeling of sadness. In the vast and beautiful galaxy, it was only a tiny rock. It felt like an insignificant atom.

In its journeys it encountered many amazing objects. It flew by beautiful crescent moons that were covered with craters and moon dust.

“Why can’t I be as beautiful as them?” it thought.

The rock passed a gigantic planet. The sphere had a circumference hundreds of times larger than the breadth of the small rock.

“Why can’t I be as large as that?” it wondered.

The rock was filled with despair. It was surrounded by beauty and greatness, yet it was just a small and ugly fragment of rock.

One day, it approached the area of an astronomical star.

“What’s wrong?” the star asked.

“Oh, I wish I had a higher status in the galaxy. All the other objects are so beautiful and large,” the rock replied. “But I’m just an ugly rock.”

The star considered the problem. At last it said, “You don’t have to worry anymore. I think I can help.” The star radiated its light brighter and hotter than it had ever done before. “Come a little closer,” the star said to the rock.

The rock drifted closer to the star. Suddenly, the ice that was embedded in the rock’s tiny cracks melted and became steam. Then the steam extended behind the comet to form a brilliant tail. The tail shined with all the colors of the spectrum.

The little rock had become a beautiful comet. It looked so amazing. It realized that the star helped it change its appearance. “Thank you,” the comet said and then flew away with its new beautiful tail following behind it like a galactic cape.

Reading Comprehension

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

_____ The little rock drifted through the debris of broken atoms.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The gigantic planet was in the shape of a sphere.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The ice embedded in the little rock bubbled with all the colors of the spectrum.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The star radiated its light hotter and brighter than ever before.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The little rock wished it had a higher status in the galaxy.
- _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

While roaming through the gloom of the galaxy, how did the little rock feel?
_____________
What objects had craters and was in the shape of a shiny crescent?
_____________
How much larger was the circumference of the planet compared to the breadth of the rock?
_____________
Why was the little fragment of rock filled with despair?
_____________
What did the comet’s new tail look like?
_____________

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

Part A

F / The little rock drifted through the debris of broken asteroids.
T
F / The tail shined with all the colors of the spectrum.
T
T

Part B

While roaming through the gloom of the galaxy, the little rock felt sad.
The moons had craters and shiny crescents.
The circumference of the planet was hundreds of times larger than the breadth of the small rock.
The little fragment of rock was filled with despair because he was surrounded by beauty and greatness, yet he was just a small and ugly rock.
The tail looked like a galactic cape.

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).

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).

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).

4000 Essential English Words 4

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 4: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

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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