4000 Essential English Words 6 » Unit 20: The Greedy Bee

Word List
  • adhesive [ædˈhiːsiv] n.
    An adhesive is a substance used for sticking things together.
    → The carpenter used an adhesive to hold the two pieces of wood together.
  • adverse [ˈædvəːrs] adj.
    If something is adverse, then it is harmful.
    → Not eating healthy foods can have an adverse effect on your health.
  • dependency [diˈpendənsi] n.
    A dependency is a strong need for someone or something.
    → The child still has a dependency on her mother.
  • dump [dʌmp] v.
    To dump something means to throw it away or get rid of it.
    → She dumped the garbage into the trash can.
  • eternal [iˈtəːrnəl] adj.
    If something is eternal, then it lasts forever.
    → She said that her love for him was eternal.
  • fluctuate [ˈflʌktjueit] v.
    To fluctuate means to rise and fall in number or amount.
    → Prices for gasoline have been fluctuating all month.
  • fro [frou] adv.
    If something moves to and fro, it moves backward and forward or side to side.
    → Her long hair went to and fro as she swung on the swing.
  • inclusion [inˈkluːʒən] n.
    Inclusion is the act of including someone or something in a group.
    → Her inclusion into the photo club was well received.
  • intermediate [ˌintərˈmiːdiit] adj.
    If something is intermediate, then it is in the middle of two levels, places, or times.
    → He selected the intermediate ski hill to begin his afternoon of skiing.
  • intermittent [ˌintərˈmitənt] adj.
    If something is intermittent, then it happens in a way that is not constant.
    → It was hard to focus because intermittent noises came from the workers outside.
  • mentor [ˈmentɔːr] n.
    A mentor is a person with experience or knowledge who advises someone.
    → The students each chose a mentor to help them with the experiment.
  • phoenix [ˈfiːniks] n.
    A phoenix is an imaginary bird that burned to ashes and was reborn.
    → Some believe the phoenix is a symbol for rebirth and a new beginning.
  • photosynthesis [ˌfoutouˈsinθəsis] n.
    Photosynthesis is the process in which plants change sunlight and air.
    → The chemical in plants that makes them green is used in photosynthesis.
  • pollen [ˈpɒlən] n.
    Pollen is the tiny yellow powder made in the flowers of plants.
    → During the spring, the pollen in the air makes some people become sick.
  • regain [riˈgein] v.
    To regain something means to get it back.
    → The battery regained its power after being recharged.
  • reverse [riˈvəːrs] v.
    To reverse means to change to the opposite direction.
    → They reversed their direction after seeing the sign.
  • swarm [swɔrːm] n.
    A swarm is a group of flying insects.
    → A beautiful swarm of butterflies filled the summer sky.
  • texture [ˈtekstʃər] n.
    Texture is the quality of something that can be known by its touch.
    → The texture of her skin was very soft and smooth.
  • tickle [ˈtikəl] v.
    To tickle someone is to touch them in a way that causes laughter.
    → The mother tickled the little boy’s foot, and he screamed with laughter.
  • vibrant [ˈvaibrənt] adj.
    If something is vibrant, then it is bright and full of color.
    → Their new shirts were a vibrant shade of red.
Exercise 1

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

  1. reverse
    • a. spell
    • b. train
    • c. switch
    • d. camp
  2. adverse
    • a. written
    • b. harmful
    • c. tense
    • d. blank
  3. intermediate
    • a. amazing
    • b. safe
    • c. stupid
    • d. middle
  4. regain
    • a. reclaim
    • b. book
    • c. member
    • d. length
  5. mentor
    • a. flavor
    • b. terror
    • c. teacher
    • d. painter
  6. inclusion
    • a. energy
    • b. moment
    • c. peninsula
    • d. welcome
  7. adhesive
    • a. paste
    • b. floor
    • c. segment
    • d. treasure
  8. vibrant
    • a. dangerous
    • b. messy
    • c. dynamic
    • d. hollow
  9. dependency
    • a. expanse
    • b. need
    • c. freshness
    • d. tone
  10. swarm
    • a. heat
    • b. group
    • c. truth
    • d. ledge
Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

WORD BLANK
phoenix intermittent dependency texture
fro mentor pollen adverse
photosynthesis vibrant    

He enjoyed watching the 1___________ movement of the branch in the wind.
As the branch moved to and 2___________ , he felt calmed.

Her favorite magical creature was the 3___________ .
The bird’s feathers were always a(n) 4___________ mix of red and orange.

Actually, those flowers have a(n) 5___________ effect on my mother’s health.
The 6___________ in it makes her sneeze.

Mr. Roth had been a valuable 7___________ for so many years.
You could feel the knowledge from the 8___________ of his wrinkled hands.

Plants have a(n) 9___________ on sunlight.
It’s a necessary ingredient for the process of 10___________ .

Exercise 3

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

  1. inclusion
    • a. exclusion
    • b. inside
    • c. instant
    • d. unclean
  2. regain
    • a. snow
    • b. break
    • c. lose
    • d. smell
  3. eternal
    • a. great
    • b. true
    • c. flat
    • d. brief
  4. dump
    • a. gather
    • b. explain
    • c. solve
    • d. glow
  5. fluctuate
    • a. heal
    • b. remain
    • c. stutter
    • d. choose
Exercise 4

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

  1. ______ The branches moved to and fro in the breeze.
  2. ______ Honeybees collect pollen from flowers
  3. ______ The meeting was eternal. It lasted only ten minutes.
  4. ______ The adhesive on this tape doesn’t work anymore. It won’t stick.
  5. ______ In order to get into the sports arena, we had to pay a phoenix.
  6. ______ This past week the weather has fluctuated a lot. It’s been warm and sunny every day.
  7. ______ Don’t touch my knee. It tickles when anything touches me there.
  8. ______ She dumped the dirty water out back in the garden.
  9. ______ My level of Spanish is only at the intermediate stage.
  10. ______ The texture of his workload was incredible.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. c
  2. b
  3. d
  4. a
  5. c
  6. d
  7. a
  8. c
  9. b
  10. b
Exercise 2
  1. intermittent
  2. fro
  3. phoenix
  4. vibrant
  5. adverse
  6. pollen
  7. mentor
  8. texture
  9. dependency
  10. photosynthesis
Exercise 3
  1. a
  2. c
  3. d
  4. a
  5. b
Exercise 4
  1. C
  2. C
  3. I
  4. C
  5. I
  6. I
  7. C
  8. C
  9. C
  10. I
Answer Key
The Greedy Bee

A young bee had passed his intermediate level exams. He now knew everything about flowers. He understood how they used photosynthesis to make oxygen and which ones produced the best pollen. Bees had an important dependency on pollen. From the beginning of time, bees’ eternal task was to gather pollen and make honey with it.

Since he passed his exams, the little bee had earned his inclusion in the swarms that gathered pollen. He was excited because he was finally allowed to leave the hive. He left with the next swarm and was determined to find the perfect flower. Soon he saw a large, vibrant flower full of pollen. He landed on a petal and walked toward the pollen at the flower’s center.

Immediately, he began rolling in the pollen, gathering it on his legs and wings. The fine texture of the pollen tickled when it stuck to his body. It was the best experience the little bee had ever had. He gathered as much as he could.

But when he was flying back home, he realized that all the pollen had an adverse effect. He had no control over his flight. The intermittent wind fluctuated in power. He was blown to and fro. One minute he was flying straight, and the next minute the wind had reversed his course.

He tried to dump some of the pollen, but it acted as an adhesive. He couldn’t get it off. He became tired and fell to the ground.

“What am I going to do now?” he thought. Just then, his mentor landed next to him and began cleaning the excess pollen off the little bee. “You shouldn’t have taken so much,” his mentor said.

Finally, with the pollen off of him, the bee easily regained his strength, and like a phoenix, the young bee flew back into the air. When he returned to the hive, he turned to his mentor and said, “ I learned an important lesson today. I will never be greedy again.”

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The bees had an important dependency on pollen.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The texture of the petals in the vibrant flower tickled.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The little bee was blown to and fro and reversed in his direction.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Because the pollen acted like an adhesive, the little bee couldn’t dump it.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ After his mentor helped him regain his strength, the little bee lost his ambitions and fell to the ground like a phoenix.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. After the intermediate exams, what did the bee know about photosynthesis?
    _____________
  2. What did his inclusion in the swarms finally allow the little bee to do?
    _____________
  3. What was the bees’ eternal task?
    _____________
  4. How did the excess pollen have an adverse effect on the bee’s flight?
    _____________
  5. What was intermittent and fluctuated in the bees’ power?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / The texture of the pollen in the vibrant flower tickled.
  3. T
  4. T
  5. F / After his mentor helped him regain his strength, the little bee flew back into the air like a phoenix.
Part B
  1. He understood how flowers used photosynthesis to make food.
  2. Finally, he was allowed to leave the hive.
  3. From the beginning of time, bees' eternal task was to gather pollen and make honey with it.
  4. He had no control over his flight.
  5. The wind was intermittent and fluctuated in power.
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