4000 Essential English Words 5 » Unit 6: The Island

Word List
  • altitude [ˈӕltətjuːd] n.
    The altitude of a place is its height above sea level.
    The air was thin at such a high altitude on the mountain.
  • coastline [ˈkoustlain] n.
    A coastline is the outline of a country’s coast.
    He noticed that most of the cities in Australia are on the coastline.
  • deter [diˈtəːr] v.
    To deter means to prevent or discourage someone from doing something.
    Icy roads deter people from driving their cars.
  • devise [diˈvaiz] v.
    To devise something means to have an idea or plan about it in the mind.
    The thieves devised a plan to steal the diamonds.
  • expertise [ˌekspə:rtiːz] n.
    Expertise is the knowledge and skills to do something well.
    John has a lot of advertising expertise. He can sell anything!
  • fracture [ˈfræktʃə:r] n.
    A fracture is a crack or break in something.
    Don’t stand on that teg because there is a fracture. It might get worse.
  • impair [imˈpɛər] v.
    To impair something means to damage it or make it worse.
    Drinking coffee impairs my ability to go to sleep.
  • implement [ˈimpləment] v.
    To implement something means to ensure that what has been planned is done.
    The school decided to implement a new teaching strategy.
  • indigenous [inˈdidʒənəs] adj.
    If something is indigenous, it is originally from, or native to, a place.
    Tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas.
  • insight [ˈinsait] n.
    Insight is a deep and accurate understanding of something.
    The physics textbook gave the student new insight about gravity.
  • limb [lim] n.
    A limb is a large branch on a tree.
    The monkey sat on the tree limb and enjoyed a piece of fruit.
  • migraine [ˈmaiːgrein] n.
    A migraine is a painful headache that makes one feel sick.
    My sister gets a migraine every time she has a lot of stress.
  • optimism [ˈoptəmizəm] n.
    Optimism is the feeling of being hopeful about the future or success of something.
    The mother had optimism about her children’s futures.
  • peculiar [piˈkjuːliər] adj.
    When something is peculiar, it is strange, sometimes in a bad way.
    That peculiar smell coming from the kitchen reminds me of rotten eggs.
  • proficient [prəˈfiʃənt] adj.
    When a person is proficient at something, they can do it well.
    Secretaries are proficient at typing quickly.
  • quest [kwest] n.
    A quest is a long and difficult search for something.
    The treasure hunter went on a quest to find an ancient gold necklace.
  • ridge [ridʒ] n.
    A ridge is a long, narrow piece of raised land.
    The brown bear walked along the edge of the mountain ridge.
  • spouse [spaus] n.
    A spouse is the person to whom someone is married.
    I live in a home with my spouse and our two children.
  • thrust [θrʌst] v.
    To thrust means to push or move something quickly with a lot of force.
    The boxer thrust his fist into the punching bag.
  • tolerate [ˈtɒləreit] v.
    To tolerate something means to be able to accept it even when it is unpleasant.
    When you are in a hurry, it can be hard to tolerate traffic signals.
Exercise 1

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

  1. What would be hard to tolerate?
    • a. A nice summer day
    • b. A good movie
    • c. A tasty dinner
    • d. A broken leg
  2. What is something that could be implemented?
    • a. A plan
    • b. A cloud
    • c. A school
    • d. A storm
  3. What has a ridge?
    • a. A person
    • b. A mountain
    • c. A swamp
    • d. Fog
  4. What would be peculiar to find in the ocean?
    • a. A ship
    • b. A shark
    • c. A camel
    • d. A piece of coral
  5. What would impair vision?
    • a. An eye test
    • b. Rough fabric
    • c. A strong smell
    • d. A bright light
Exercise 2

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

  1. fracture
    • a. a failure
    • b. a break
    • c. an idea
    • d. a creation
  2. limb
    • a. a party
    • b. an activity
    • c. a branch
    • d. a belief
  3. thrust
    • a. to push
    • b. to grow
    • c. to succeed
    • d. to fall
  4. indigenous
    • a. rude
    • b. extreme
    • c. native
    • d. cheap
  5. devise
    • a. to impress
    • b. beautiful
    • c. to plan
    • d. confusing
  6. optimism
    • a. a good feeling
    • b. to love
    • c. to determine
    • d. to reveal
  7. insight
    • a. a skill
    • b. a journey
    • c. a method
    • d. an understanding
  8. altitude
    • a. layer
    • b. height
    • c. station
    • d. freedom
  9. migraine
    • a. a headache
    • b. a vehicle
    • c. a chore
    • d. a benefit
  10. quest
    • a. a problem
    • b. a search
    • c. a hero
    • d. a story
Exercise 3

Write C if the italicized word is used correctly. Write I if the word is used incorrectly.

  1. ______ The little girl loves her cat. She tolerates it when they are together.
  2. ______ Going away to college is scary, but I have optimism that I’ll have a good time.
  3. ______ This migraine is killing me. My head hurts so badly that I can’t think straight.
  4. ______ My bike’s tire is flat again. I guess I’ll have to impair it.
  5. ______ Her child is peculiar. He likes to wear his shoes on the wrong feet.
  6. ______ The tree is getting too big for our yard! Ask Jim to cut off some of the limbs.
  7. ______ I fell off my bike, but I didn’t break any bones. I just got a slight fracture on my toe.
  8. ______ This bush in my yard comes from another country. It’s indigenous to my yard.
  9. ______ From the mountain ridge, you can see the entire city below.
  10. ______ Mike is a very proficient reader. He finished the entire novel in just an hour.
  11. ______ We were in awe of the professor’s expertise on the subject.
  12. ______ You should thrust the baby when putting him in bed, so he doesn’t wake up.
  13. ______ I will get married to my spouse one year from today.
  14. ______ Australia has a very long coastline.
  15. ______ She is on a quest to find her long lost brother.
  16. ______ If you don’t like your job, you should devise it.
  17. ______ She will have to get more altitude if she wants to swim faster.
  18. ______ The workers implemented a new strategy to be more efficient.
  19. ______ Nothing will deter me in my hunt for the perfect flower.
  20. ______ Her insight into our problem really helped us out.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. d
  2. a
  3. b
  4. c
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. b
  2. c
  3. a
  4. c
  5. c
  6. a
  7. d
  8. b
  9. a
  10. b
Exercise 3
  1. I
  2. C
  3. C
  4. I
  5. C
  6. C
  7. I
  8. I
  9. C
  10. C
  11. C
  12. I
  13. I
  14. C
  15. C
  16. I
  17. I
  18. C
  19. C
  20. C
Answer Key
The Island

“Where am I?” Bob thought to himself when he woke up on a peculiar beach. “I can’t remember what happened.” There had been a bad storm, and Bob’s fishing boat sunk. He washed ashore on a small island, but he had gotten hurt during the storm. He had a terrible migraine, and he had a fracture in his shoulder. He felt awful. But he had a strong desire to make it home to his spouse and children. He had to tolerate all the pain and devise a plan.

Bob stood up and looked around. “I’ll walk to a higher altitude, so I can see everything around me,” thought Bob. “Maybe I’ll gain some insight about this island and find something to help me escape.” As he walked along a mountain ridge, he noticed that the tall indigenous trees looked sturdy and thick. Bob got a brilliant idea. He could build a raft! He cut down some leaves and tree limbs. Even though his shoulder injury impaired his ability to carry the materials, he slowly dragged them down the mountain until he reached the coastline.

Bob was a proficient builder. He used his building expertise to line up the limbs and tie them together with long vines. When the raft was finished, Bob was happy with his work. “This will bring me home to my family,” he said with a smile.

At last, Bob was ready to implement his escape plan. With all his might, he thrust the raft into the water. He climbed on and began the quest to find his way home. Bob smiled again, and thought, “I’m glad I kept a good attitude. It prevented the pain from deterring me from my plan. Optimism and ambition make anything possible.” Slowly, he floated out to sea. In a few days, he made it to shore and ran home to see his happy family.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ Bob had a migraine and a shoulder fracture when he awoke on the peculiar beach.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Bob implemented a plan to bring his spouse and children to the island.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The indigenous tree limbs impaired Bob’s ability to carry the materials.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Bob was proficient in building, and he used his expertise to build the raft.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Bob thrust the raft into the water to begin his quest.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What type of insight did Bob hope to gain when he moved to a higher altitude?
    _____________
  2. Why did Bob need to tolerate the pain and devise a plan?
    _____________
  3. What did Bob drag from the ridge to the coastline?
    _____________
  4. How did Bob prevent pain from deterring him?
    _____________
  5. What does Bob believe about optimism and ambition?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / Bob implemented a plan to return home to his spouse and children.
  3. F / His shoulder injury impaired his ability to carry the materials.
  4. T
  5. T
Part B
  1. Insight about the island and finding something to help him escape.
  2. Because he wanted to make it home.
  3. He dragged tree limbs and vines.
  4. By keeping a good attitude.
  5. He believes that optimism and ambition make anything possible.
Favorite Books

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).

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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).

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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).

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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).

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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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