Unit 15: The Lucky Knife

Word List

v. To absorb a liquid means to take it inside.

He used a sponge to absorb the water on the floor.
n. A boss is a person in charge of other people at work.

My boss is a nice person.
adj. A charitable organization aims to help people.

I give money each year to a charitable foundation.
n. A committee is a group of people who meet together to make decisions.

The school's committee agreed on a new dress code for students.
n. A contract is a written agreement between two people.

The woman signed a contract when she bought the house.
n. A crew is a group of workers.

My father has a crew that helps him build houses.
v. To devote time to something means to spend a lot of time doing it.

She devotes two hours a day to playing the piano.
v. To dig is to make a hole in the ground.

My dog digs in the yard so he can hide his bones.
v. To dine means to eat dinner.

The young couple dined at their home.
v. To donate is to give something to a charity or organization.

We donate money to charities every year.
adj. Double means twice as much or twice as many.

I paid almost double the amount for that shirt.
n. A flavor is the taste of food or drinks.

The flavor of the ice cream was very good.
n. A foundation is a group that provides money for research.

The foundation raised money to give scholarships to students.
n. A generation is a group of people who live at the same time.

My grandparents are from a different generation than me.
n. A handle is the part of an object people hold while using it.

The pot is very hot, so pick it up by the handle.
n. A layer covers over something or is one of several pieces lying on top of each other.

There was a layer of snow on the tops of the houses this morning.
n. Mud is soft, wet dirt.

My brother played rugby in the mud. Now, he's dirty.
adj. A smooth thing has no bumps or rough parts.

The baby's skin felt very smooth.
n. Soil is the top layer of land on the Earth.

The boy planted flowers in the soil and watered them every day.
adj. A unique person or thing is not like others.

Her dog is unique. I've never seen one quite like it.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the word that fits the definition.

someone who controls workers
- a. absorb
- b. boss
- c. generation
- d. crew
not like anything else
- a. flavor
- b. foundation
- c. committee
- d. unique
two times the amount of something
- a. layer
- b. dig
- c. double
- d. devote
to eat something
- a. dine
- b. precise
- c. mud
- d. handle
related to helping people
- a. strange
- b. charitable
- c. soil
- d. delicious

B ‣ Circle the right definition for the given word.

foundation
- a. special
- b. a group that provides money for research
- c. the part held in the hand
- d. wet dirt
generation
- a. the same age group
- b. without bumps
- c. to eat
- d. something used to cut
committee
- a. a group of workmen
- b. taste of food or drink
- c. to put higher
- d. a group that makes decisions
donate
- a. to move dirt
- b. an agreement
- c. to give something
- d. a single thickness
boss
- a. to give something
- b. someone who controls workers
- c. to give everything
- d. dirt

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

The sponge _____.
- a. absorbed all the water
- b. contracted to save money
They will help. _____.
- a. They are the crew working on this job
- b. They aren't in the same generation
The food tastes better now _____.
- a. that you added more salt to give it some flavor
- b. that you added some soil to make it grow
She was very special. _____.
- a. She seldom spent time with the foundation
- b. She had a unique skill that few people have
Dr. Dion started a _____.
- a. boss at work
- b. foundation to help sick children
We were able to _____.
- a. devote no attention
- b. dig very deep into the soft soil
Where will you _____?
- a. dine this evening
- b. donate your table from
The rock was _____.
- a. missing its handle
- b. smooth and flat
You will get dirty _____.
- a. if you raise your feet
- b. if you play in the mud
If you are cooking for more than two people, _____.
- a. layer it with some milk
- b. double the amount of water in the recipe

The Lucky Knife

Last year, I had a unique chance to work with my uncle, who has devoted his life to studying past generations. I was part of a crew of students he had hired. We signed a contract to work with him. He was the boss. We lived far from the nearest town, and we dined on what we could find. Some of the things we ate had an unusual flavor.

We had been there about a month and still hadn't found anything. One day, I began to dig in the soil. The layers of soil got wetter. Soon, I was digging in the mud. My shovel began to get very heavy. It felt like it had doubled in weight because the ground had absorbed such a lot of water.

Finally, I saw something in the mud. It was an old knife! The handle felt smooth in my hand. I lifted it up so I could see it better. There was writing on it.

It says "it will bring good luck," my uncle said with a smile.

The next day, we found many more things. There were pots and tools. My uncle donated all of the things to a special committee of a charitable foundation. Many newspapers wrote stories about it. It seemed the knife really did bring good luck!

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. How someone found an old knife
- b. A generation of college students
- c. A crew of committee workers digging in the mud
- d. How a smooth knife handle feels
All of the following are true EXCEPT
- a. the college students signed a contract
- b. the author's uncle worked for a foundation
- c. the items found at the site were donated
- d. the teen worked double the amount of everyone else
What is probably true of the teen in the story?
- a. He could not read the writing on the knife.
- b. He held a higher position than the other students.
- c. He did not know what the knife was.
- d. He didn't want to devote his time to history.
Where did the teen find the knife?
- a. On top of the soil
- b. Under layers of dirt
- c. In the museum
- d. In his boss's tent
Why did the dirt become heavier?
_____

Answer Key

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