4000 Essential English Words 6 » Unit 9: Dangerous Bites

Word List
  • artery [ˈɑːrtəri] n.
    An artery is a tube that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
    Eating healthily keeps your arteries clean, so blood can flow with ease.
  • deterioration [diˌtiəriəˈreiʃən] n.
    Deterioration is the act of becoming worse.
    The lack of care led to the deterioration of the house.
  • elusive [iˈluːsiv] adj.
    If something or someone is elusive, they are hard to find.
    The elusive fish only came out at night.
  • forage [ˈfɔ:ridʒ] v.
    To forage means to look around for food.
    Many animals hide food in the fall since little can be foraged in winter.
  • impede [imˈpiːd] v.
    To impede something means to keep it from moving or going forward.
    The barrier impeded our ability to get closer to the building.
  • induce [inˈdjuːs] v.
    To induce something means to make it happen.
    Running without good shoes may induce leg pain.
  • inseparable [inˈsepərəbəl] adj.
    If two things are inseparable, they can’t be separated.
    Denise and Diana have been inseparable since they first met.
  • invalid [ˈinvælid] adj.
    If something is invalid, it is not correct.
    The way to winning debates is to avoid invalid arguments.
  • magnify [ˈmægnəfai] v.
    To magnify something means to make it look bigger than it really is.
    Astronomers use telescopes to magnify far-away stars.
  • mainstream [ˈmeinstriːm] n.
    The mainstream is a group of ideas that are considered normal and accepted.
    Before punk rock music became part of the mainstream, only a few people liked it.
  • microbe [ˈmaikroub] n.
    A microbe is a very small living thing that often makes people sick.
    The first step in curing a disease is finding the microbe that causes the disease.
  • negligible [ˈneglidʒəbəl] adj.
    If something is negligible, it is extremely small and not important.
    The amount she owed was negligible. It was less than ten cents.
  • paralysis [pəˈræləsis] n.
    Paralysis is the loss of the ability to move all or part of your body.
    His paralysis meant that he had to use a wheelchair to get around.
  • pest [pest] n.
    A pest is an animal or insect that hurts plants or food.
    Many farmers put up scarecrows to keep pests off of their corn.
  • prevail [priˈveil] v.
    To prevail means to be accepted or very common.
    Unfortunately, injustice still prevails in the country’s court system.
  • respiration [ˌrespəˈreiʃən] n.
    Respiration is the act of breathing.
    Artificial respiration is the best thing to do if someone stops breathing.
  • rupture [ˈrʌptʃə:r] v.
    To rupture means to tear or burst open.
    Sarah put too much water into the balloon, and it ruptured.
  • savage [ˈsævidʒ] adj.
    If something or someone is savage, they are very violent or cruel.
    Wild animals are very savage when defending their babies.
  • stun [stʌn] v.
    To stun someone means to make them unable to speak due to surprise or shock.
    Tim fell off the swing and was too stunned to cry.
  • susceptible [səˈseptəbəl] adj.
    If one is susceptible to something like disease, they are easily harmed by it.
    Not eating enough vegetables makes you more susceptible to getting sick.
Exercise 1

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

  1. microbe
    • a. germ
    • b. type
    • c. liquid
    • d. difficulty
  2. respiration
    • a. living
    • b. sleeping
    • c. breathing
    • d. moving
  3. artery
    • a. vein
    • b. area
    • c. medication
    • d. tube
  4. pest
    • a. bug
    • b. food
    • c. toy
    • d. victim
  5. induce
    • a. take out
    • b. cause
    • c. stop
    • d. chase
  6. invalid
    • a. hurt
    • b. unproven
    • c. critical
    • d. untrue
  7. rupture
    • a. burst
    • b. reach
    • c. sting
    • d. bother
  8. forage
    • a. plant
    • b. cook
    • c. search
    • d. hide
  9. stun
    • a. shock
    • b. injure
    • c. threaten
    • d. attack
  10. susceptible
    • a. helpful
    • b. at risk
    • c. informative
    • d. suffering
Exercise 2

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

  1. The old house was full of insects that cause harm.
    ____________
  2. My brother-in-law always tries to enlarge small problems so that they seem much greater than they really are.
    ____________
  3. Mr. Robinson owned a violent dog that terrified all the children in the neighborhood.
    ____________
  4. If you eat spicy food at night, it will lead to heartburn.
    ____________
  5. His tubes that carry blood are clogged.
    ____________
Exercise 3

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

  1. impede
    • a. allow
    • b. start
    • c. anger
    • d. heal
  2. elusive
    • a. available
    • b. under
    • c. venomous
    • d. shy
  3. paralysis
    • a. illness
    • b. mobility
    • c. problems
    • d. doctor
  4. mainstream
    • a. uncommon
    • b. untested
    • c. scientific
    • d. wild
  5. negligible
    • a. cared for
    • b. reasonable
    • c. important
    • d. unexpected
  6. magnify
    • a. release
    • b. check
    • c. save
    • d. shrink
  7. prevail
    • a. conquer
    • b. fail
    • c. take
    • d. feel
  8. deterioration
    • a. improvement
    • b. back-up
    • c. function
    • d. loss
  9. savage
    • a. hungry
    • b. cruel
    • c. gentle
    • d. unwilling
  10. inseparable
    • a. protective
    • b. dividable
    • c. kind
    • d. resigned
Exercise 4

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

WORD BLANK
elusive mainstream paralysis pests
microbes stunned susceptible deterioration
forage impede    

The movie’s unusual topic might 1___________ its popularity.
Most 2___________ movies don’t deal with strange themes.

The 3___________ fox finally came out of its den.
It planned to 4___________ for food before winter.

Rats are 5___________ that are found all over the world.
They carry 6___________ that can make people very sick.

Mr. Garson was 7___________ by the bright light.
His shock caused a momentary 8___________ that kept him from moving.

Mrs. Draper’s old age made her 9___________ to some illnesses.
Doctors told her that the 10___________ of her health could be avoided.

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. a
  2. c
  3. d
  4. a
  5. b
  6. d
  7. a
  8. c
  9. a
  10. b
Exercise 2
  1. pests
  2. magnify
  3. savage
  4. induce
  5. arteries
Exercise 3
  1. a
  2. a
  3. b
  4. a
  5. c
  6. d
  7. b
  8. a
  9. c
  10. b
Exercise 4
  1. impede
  2. mainstream
  3. elusive
  4. forage
  5. pests
  6. microbes
  7. stunned
  8. paralysis
  9. susceptible
  10. deterioration
Answer Key
Dangerous Bites

There are many animals with dangerous bites in the world, but which one is the worst? Some would say that the elusive short-tailed mamushi has the worst bite. The snake only goes into homes to chase pests such as mice. Otherwise, it stays in the fields, where it’s dangerous to people who forage for food there. If someone stuns it by accidentally stepping on it, it bites to protect itself. At first, the effects of the bite may seem negligible because it doesn’t cause a lot of bleeding. However, after a few moments, the venom induces paralysis in the area where the individual was bitten. Furthermore, the venom can also impede respiration. If the person doesn’t go to the doctor, they are susceptible to kidney deterioration.

Others would argue that tigers have the worst bite. Mother tigers are inseparable from their babies and seem to be the gentlest creatures when they are around their young. However, if the babies are threatened, the mother tiger’s savage nature prevails. With strong jaws and the ability to move quickly, the tiger can kill someone with one bite. That’s because it always tries to bite an important artery when it attacks. If the artery is ruptured, the victim will bleed to death.

In the mainstream, animal bites are seen as the most dangerous. But some scientists think this idea is invalid. In fact, the most dangerous bite might be the human bite. When scientists magnified the contents in human saliva, they found about three hundred different microbes in it. A human bite can be dangerous if the bacteria enters the body through a cut, which can make people very sick. Furthermore, most people don’t realize how serious a man bit can be, so they don't go to the doctor right away. This gives the wound a chance to get infected and cause more problems.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The elusive mamushi attacks humans if it is bothered by pests in houses.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The consequences of a mamushi bite are negligible.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ Mother tigers are inseparable from their babies.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ When tigers attack, they try to rupture an important artery.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Scientists think that the mainstream idea that human bites are the most dangerous is invalid.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What group of people is at risk for mamushi bites?
    _____________
  2. What are the effects of a mamushi bite?
    _____________
  3. When does a tiger’s savage nature prevail?
    _____________
  4. What did scientists find when they magnified human saliva?
    _____________
  5. Why do human bites often become infected?
    _____________

Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. F / The mamushi attacks people if it is stunned.
  2. F / The effects of a mamushi bite seem negligible, but they are very serious.
  3. T
  4. T
  5. F / Scientists think that the mainstream idea that animal bites are the most dangerous is invalid.
Part B
  1. People who forage in fields for food are at risk for mamushi bites.
  2. The mamushi bite can impede respiration, induce paralysis and cause the person to be susceptible to kidney deterioration.
  3. A tiger’s savage nature prevails if her babies are threatened.
  4. Scientists found that there were over three hundred different microbes in human saliva.
  5. Bites from humans often become infected because people don’t realize how dangerous they are and don’t visit the doctor right away.
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 5: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more