Unit 28: The Fisherman

Word List

v. To accompany other people means to join them or go with them.

My brothers accompanied me to the movie.
adj. A bare thing is plain and not covered.

He likes to walk around in his bare feet.
n. A branch is the part of a tree with leaves.

The monkey was hanging from a branch on the tree.
n. A breath is the air that goes into and out of one's lungs.

You can't take a breath under water.
n. A bridge is something that is built over a river so people can cross it.

The old bridge fell into the river.
v. To cast something means to throw it.

The fisherman cast his line into the water.
v. To dare means to be brave enough to try something.

He dared to jump out of the airplane and skydive.
adj. An electronic thing uses electricity to work.

I like having electronic devices such as an MP3 player.
n. An inn is a place where travelers can rest and eat.

The visitor got a room at the inn.
n. A net is a bag made of strong thread. It is used to catch animals.

The boy caught butterflies in his net.
n. A philosophy is a way to think about truth and life.

My philosophy is "live and let live."
n. A pot is a deep, round metal container used for cooking.

Don't touch the pot on the stove. It's hot.
n. A seed is the hard part of a plant or fruit that trees grow from.

I planted the seed in the dirt, hoping that it would grow into a tree.
adj. A sharp object has a thin edge that cuts things easily.

That knife is very sharp. Be careful not to hurt yourself.
n. A sort of something is a type of it.

What sort of instrument do you want to learn to play?
v. To subtract means to take something away.

We learned how to subtract numbers in class.
adj. A tight thing is hard to move because it is firmly in place.

The knots were too tight to untie.
adj. A virtual thing is very close to being true or accurate.

Because he's popular, Joe is the virtual leader of the group.
v. To weigh something means to measure how heavy it is.

The little dog weighed exactly 3 kilograms.
v. To whisper means to say very quietly.

We have to whisper in the library so people can focus on reading.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the word that fits the definition.

to take away
- a. subtract
- b. weigh
- c. dare
- d. net
to join
- a. tight
- b. branch
- c. whisper
- d. accompany
a place for travelers to rest
- a. seed
- b. inn
- c. net
- d. pot
a way to think about life
- a. philosophy
- b. sharp
- c. electronic
- d. sort
to throw
- a. breath
- b. virtual
- c. cast
- d. bridge

B ‣ Circle the right definition for the given word.

branch
- a. a part of a tree
- b. the hard part of a fruit
- c. very close to being real
- d. a metal container
bare
- a. to cut easily
- b. to use electricity
- c. plain
- d. fixed in place
whisper
- a. to join
- b. to say quietly
- c. to be brave
- d. to throw
net
- a. a metal container
- b. a way to think about life
- c. a small restaurant
- d. a bag made of thread
tight
- a. fixed in place
- b. to cut easily
- c. plain
- d. the air you take in

C ‣ Fill each blank with another form of a word from the same sentence.

A potter is a person who makes _____ .
He was breathless because he could hardly draw _____ .
We communicated electronically using an _____ device.
Seedless grapes have no _____ .
When you are unaccompanied, nobody _____ you.
The sharpness of the knife depends on how _____ it is.
A philosopher studies _____ .
A feeling of tightness happens when your clothing is too _____ .
A horse whisperer _____ to horses to make them quiet.
To find the weight of something, you need to _____ it.

D ‣ Write the word that best fits each sentence.

sort / seed
You should save the _____ so you can grow another plant.
I don't care what _____ of food I eat.
whisper / accompany
When I tell a secret, I _____ so no one else will hear.
Will you _____ me to the party?
net / branch
The fish could not get out of the _____ .
The bird build a nest on the highest _____ .

The Fisherman

Every day, a fisherman sat on a bridge. He ate apples and spat the seeds into the water. He had a simple way to catch fish. He cut a branch off a tree and tied a line to it. He put a sharp hook on the line and made a tight knot. Then, he whispered, “Come here fish." Like magic, the fish bit the hook. He put them in a big net and took them home to make big pots of fish soup from them.

One day, another man walked up to him. He said, “My name is George. I am staying at the inn. I bet that I am a better fisherman than you. I will accompany you today. I dare you to prove your skill!" The fisherman cast his line.

George had a lot of electronic tools. One machine gave him the virtual locations of fish. Another machine weighed fish.

At the end of the day, George subtracted his fish from the fisherman's. The fisherman had beaten him by forty-seven!

George asked, "How do you catch fish with only a branch and a bare line? I have many different sorts of tools." The fisherman told George, "My philosophy is simple. I am patient, and I believe in myself. Take a deep breath, and try it my way."

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. Why fishermen use nets
- b. How a man's philosophy was good for fishing
- c. Why George did not like the fisherman
- d. How to whisper to fish
What did the fisherman do with the fish?
- a. He sold them to a restaurant.
- b. He subtracted the fish.
- c. He made all sorts of food.
- d. He made soup with them.
What did the fisherman do every day at the bridge?
- a. He would cast his line into the water.
- b. He would take a breath then jump into the river.
- c. He would accompany George from the inn.
- d. He would eat a virtual pot of fish soup.
According to the passage, all the following are true about the fisherman EXCEPT _____.
- a. he used a tree branch
- b. he used a bare line with a tight knot
- c. he used a sharp hook
- d. he used an electronic machine to weigh fish
What did George dare the fisherman to do?
_____

Answer Key

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