Unit 17: The Race for Water

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • v. To appreciate something is to understand its good qualities.
    I can appreciate the lovely scenery.
  • adj. If something is available, it means you can get it.
    There were many seats available in the room.
  • v. To beat someone means to do better than they do.
    I managed to beat everyone in the race.
  • adj. If something is bright, it gives off a lot of light.
    The bright light from the explosion hurt my eyes.
  • v. To celebrate is to do something to show that an event is special.
    We all celebrated when we heard the great news.
  • v. To decide is to make a definite choice.
    He tried to decide which one to eat first.
  • v. To disappear means to go away or not be seen.
    The top of the building is disappearing in the clouds.
  • adv. If you talk about something else, you talk about something different.
    I wanted a bike for my birthday, but I got something else.
  • adj. Fair means reasonable or right.
    He sold me his car for a fair price.
  • v. To flow is to move easily and continuously in one direction.
    The water flowed over the rocks and into the lake.
  • adv. If you move forward, you move in the direction in front of you.
    When he saw his mother, the baby crawled forward to her.
  • n. A hill is a raised area of land. It is higher than the land around it.
    The sun was rising above the green hills.
  • n. A level is a point on a scale that measures something.
    Please check the level of the temperature.
  • adj. A lone person or thing is the only one in a given place.
    A lone man walked along the street.
  • n. A puddle is a pool of liquid on the ground.
    When the ice melted, it formed a puddle.
  • n. A response is the answer to a question.
    He asked if I was sad. My response was "No."
  • n. A season is a time of the year: spring, summer, fall, or winter.
    Fall is a warm season, while winter is very cold.
  • n. A solution is a way to solve a problem.
    There are many problems. We need solutions!
  • v. To waste means to use something carelessly and unnecessarily.
    Turn off the water so you don't waste it.
  • conj. You use whether when you must choose between two things.
    I could not decide whether to go left or right.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the right definition for the given word.

  1. available
    • a. to answer 
    • b. to win 
    • c. to decide 
    • d. able to get
  2. level
    • a. a point on a scale
    • b. with much light
    • c. different 
    • d. alone
  3. appreciate
    • a. to go away
    • b. to have fun
    • c. to use little of 
    • d. to know why an event is important
  4. season
    • a. a pool of liquid
    • b. a part of the year
    • c. a high area of land
    • d. to move easily and continuously
  5. solution
    • a. straight ahead 
    • b. to show choice between two things 
    • c. reasonable or in a right way
    • d. a way to solve a problem

 

B ‣ Match to complete the words. Then write the part of speech.

  1. dis    ⬩ ⬩ te  ⇒ _____
  2. fa   ⬩ ⬩ cide   ⇒ _____
  3. was   ⬩ ⬩ ir    ⇒ _____
  4. de   ⬩ ⬩ ther  ⇒ _____
  5. whe  ⬩ ⬩ appear     ⇒ _____

 

C ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

WORD BANK
  • hill 
  • appreciate 
  • puddles
  • response
  • solution
  1. That _____ is too high to climb.
  2. We must find a _____ to the difficult problem.
  3. I asked you a question. What is your _____ ?
  4. The rain formed _____ on the road.
  5. Do you _____ the thought that went into the gifts you got?

 

D ‣ Check (✔) the one that best fits the blank.

  1. Every New Year's Eve, we _____.
    • a. celebrate with friends 
    • b. enjoy the change of the season
  2. I put on my sunglasses because _____.
    • a. the sun was so bright
    • b. a lone man stood on the road
  3. Do you want chicken, _____?
    • a. whether it happens or not
    • b. or do you want something else
  4. If we try hard, we can _____.
    • a. beat the other team
    • b. waste our time
  5. Let's turn around and go back, _____.
    • a. not forward 
    • b. to the last season

 

The Race for Water

There was a town next to a river. The people there had a lot of water. But they wasted it. That made the Sky angry. It said, "If you waste water, I will take it away from you." But the people didn't listen.

When the season changed from spring to summer, the clouds disappeared. The bright sun was hot and made the river dry. There was no water available. People asked, "When will the rain fall?"

The Sky's response was, "You don't appreciate water. You waste it, and now I will never make rain again."

A boy decided that this wasn't fair. He thought of a solution. He asked the Sky to race him. He said, “If I get to the top of that hill before your rain can form puddles, you must fill our river."

The Sky laughed. "Little boy, I am the Sky. I am above everything else. You cannot beat me." But the boy knew he would win.

When the race began, the boy ran forward. The Sky started raining on the hill. But puddles did not form there. When it rained on the hill, the water went down.

The Sky kept raining. The water flowed down into the river. When the boy reached the top of the hill, the river was full. The people began to celebrate. It was the highest level the river had ever been at before.

The Sky was angry. "A boy can't beat me! I won't fill your river, it said. Now the boy laughed. “It doesn't matter whether you want to fill it or not,” he said. “You already did.” The Sky looked at the full river.

"You tricked me," it said. It asked the people, "Do you appreciate water now?"

"Yes," they said. "We won't waste it."

That is how a lone boy saved his town and won the race for water.

 

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. A boy who swims in a river 
    • b. People who celebrate at a party
    • c. A boy with the solution to a problem
    • d. People who learn to appreciate a hill
  2. The river became dry when
    • a. the water went somewhere else 
    • b. the bright sun became very hot 
    • c. the people found available water nearby 
    • d. the season changed from spring to summer
  3. How did the boy save the town?
    • a. He made the clouds disappear.
    • b. He beat the rain to the top of the hill. 
    • c. He moved forward faster than the sun. 
    • d. He promised not to waste any more water.
  4. What was the last thing the Sky did in the story?
    • a. It raced a lone boy to the top of the hill. 
    • b. It saw the river at its highest level. 
    • c. It asked the people for a response about water.
    • d. It decided the people wasted too much water.
  5. What did the boy say when he reached the top of the hill?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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