Unit 19: Shipwrecked

Word List

adj. Someone or something that is alive is not dead.

My grandparents are still alive even though they are over 90.
n. A bone is a hard part of the body.

I brought home a nice bone for my dog.
v. To bother is to make the effort to do something.

No one bothered to wash the dishes today.
n. A captain is the person who controls a ship or airplane.

The captain sailed his ship to Australia.
n. The conclusion of something is the final part of it.

At the conclusion of the race, the spectators cheered for the winner.
n. Doubt is a feeling of not being sure.

I have doubt that the story is true.
v. To explore is to look for new places.

He wants to explore the world and see new things.
adj. If you are glad, you are happy.

I am glad you came to my party.
adv. However means despite or not being influenced by something.

She is a great cook. However, she never had professional lessons.
n. Injustice is a lack of fairness or justice.

Putting an innocent person in jail is an act of injustice.
adj. If something is international, it involves more than one country.

The United Nations is a powerful international organization.
n. A lawyer works with the law and represents people in court.

The lawyer left the courthouse after the judge made her decision.
v. To mention something is to talk about it.

The doctors mentioned the problems that the patient was having.
adj. Someone who is old has lived for many years.

My mother is seventy years old now.
n. A policy is a rule.

He told us that his policy was to put customers first.
adj. If something is social, it is about many people in a community.

People should come together and fix the world's social problems.
n. A speech is something said to a group of people.

She gave a speech to the class.
n. A staff is a group of people working together in a company.

My dad has a staff of four people to help him at the office.
prep. If you go toward something, you go closer to it.

Santa walked toward my house with a bag of gifts.
n. Wood is the thing that trees are made of.

I put the pieces of wood in a pile.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the right definition for the given word.

mention
- a. to say
- b. to look at
- c. to not believed
- d. to be happy
social
- a. about many countries
- b. not dead
- c. about many people
- d. about a different country
lawyer
- a. to be treated unfairly
- b. a person who works with the law
- c. leader
- d. a part of the body
however
- a. the last part
- b. part of a tree
- c. a rule
- d. but
bother
- a. to look for new places
- b. to make the effort to do something
- c. to talk about something
- d. to not believe

B ‣ Complete the puzzle with the word that is similar in meaning to the bolded part.

DOWN

He is not dead; I saw him yesterday. _____
Did anyone make the effort to do their homework? _____

The group of workers helped him with his work. _____

ACROSS

The chair is made of the material trees are made of. _____
He gave a talk to a group of people at the meeting. _____

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

WORD BANK

mentioned
bothered
however
conclusion
policy
injustice
staff
bones
speech
doubt

My teacher's name is Mrs. Smith. Yesterday, she gave a(n) ¹_____ to our class. She said there was a new ²_____ about the school diet. No one is allowed to eat cookies anymore! The school's ³_____ decided that their students didn't eat healthily. They wanted students to improve their eating habits. Everyone will have to drink a cup of milk at lunch. She said milk gives our bodies stronger ⁴_____. She also ⁵_____ that sugar is bad for us. She said she had no ⁶_____ that we would all feel better. We all thought that it was an ⁷_____. But at the ⁸_____ of class, she told us one more thing, “It was a joke!" ⁹_____ no one thought that it was very funny. And no students ¹⁰_____ to laugh.

Shipwrecked

Simon Yates was a lawyer. He helped many people. However, he was not a nice man. His policy was to help only rich people. He didn't bother about social injustice. He made a lot of money, but many people didn't like him. Even people on his staff didn't like him. In fact, they were glad when he got into trouble.

Simon had a very bad day. He did many things wrong and lost his job. Soon, he didn't have any money. His wife, Mrs. Yates, began to have doubts about him. Simon wanted to start a new life. He planned to leave the country.

He mentioned his plan to the captain of a ship. The captain was exploring the world. The captain felt bad for Simon and said, "I will take you to foreign countries." They left the next day.

Near the conclusion of their international trip, the weather turned bad. A wave pushed Simon off the boat. But he was alive. He swam toward an island. After a long time he got there.

At first he was upset. He was lost and alone. "I'll never go home again," he thought. He had a lot of problems, but he didn't die. He built a house in a tree. He lived on a diet of fish. He made tools from wood and bones. He made a cup to drink rainwater.

Slowly, he learned to be happy on the island. He swam every day. He had trouble sometimes, but he always found a way to fix the problem. Life was simple. He liked it.

Finally, people on a ship saw Simon on the island. They wanted to take him home. But Simon was happy. He gave them a long speech about life. He said he wanted to stay. He liked his new, simple life more than his old life.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. How the captain of a ship explored foreign places
- b. How a lawyer stayed alive alone on an island
- c. Why a man and a woman went on an international trip
- d. Why it is a good policy to worry about social problems
Why does Simon not stay on the boat?
- a. The staff do not like him.
- b. He wants to swim toward an island.
- c. A wave pushes him off the ship.
- d. He does not like the diet of only fish.
How does Simon stay alive on the island?
- a. He makes tools from bones and wood.
- b. He makes clothes from a tree.
- c. He eats food from the trees.
- d. He uses a cup to drink seawater.
What did Simon mention in his speech?
- a. He wanted to see Mrs. Yates.
- b. He was unhappy to be alone.
- c. He was glad to be on the island.
- d. He had doubts about staying on the island.
What happens near the conclusion of Simon's trip?
_____

Answer Key

Name

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