Unit 11: How a Singer Helped Win the War

Word List

n. An alliance is a group of people who work together.

The junior executives formed an alliance with each other.
n. Applause is the noise made when people clap their hands to show approval.

At the end of his speech, everyone burst into loud applause.
adj. If you are armed, you are carrying a weapon.

The robber was armed with a gun.
adj. If something is authoritative, it uses the best information available.

This book is an authoritative source on ancient Egypt's Queen Nefertiti.
n. Bravery is brave behavior.

The books commended the general's bravery.
n. A ceremony is an event that happens on special occasions.

Tom and Amy's marriage ceremony is in June.
n. Culture is the music, art, and writings of a certain place or group of people.

Ancient Mexican culture is renowned for its architecture.
n. A defense is something that is done to protect another thing.

The air force works in defense of its country.
n. A detail is a small piece of information.

Jane told Ben all the details of her trip to China.
adj. When a group of things is diverse, it is made up of a wide variety of things.

Big cities have diverse populations with people of different races and ages.
v. To enchant someone is to make them feel very interested or happy.

The beautiful woman enchanted everybody in the room.
v. To equip someone is to give them the things needed to do something.

Steve was equipped with the tools needed to do the job.
n. An exception is someone or something not conforming to a rule.

Most students thought the test was hard, but Tim was the exception.
n. A genre is a type of literature, art, or music characterized by its style.

She is considered a master in the comedy genre.
n. An impact is the effect someone or something has.

My grandmother had a great impact on my life.
v. To lure someone is to convince them to do something by using a trick.

The store lures people in with big signs that say "Sale!"
n. An obstacle is an object or a problem that stops you from doing something.

Climbing over the giant rock was the biggest obstacle for the hikers.
n. A shelter is a place to go that is safe from danger or bad weather.

The frog took shelter from the storm in a nearby hold.
v. To supply something means to give people what they need or want.

The water heater supplied the house with warm water.
adj. If people are vain, they are only concerned with how they look.

Rebecca is so vain that she looks at herself in every mirror.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the word that fits the definition.

to provide the things that someone needs to do something
- a. diverse
- b. enchant
- c. equip
- d. lure
a safe place
- a. genre
- b. shelter
- c. defense
- d. culture
holding a weapon
- a. authoritative
- b. vain
- c. diverse
- d. armed
pieces of information
- a. details
- b. impacts
- c. applause
- d. supplies
a group working together
- a. ceremony
- b. alliance
- c. exception
- d. obstacle

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

I appreciated your courage and effort. _____
Everybody was very interested when Kate read that beautiful poem out loud. _____
The performer heard great sounds of people clapping their hands. _____
Tim takes a long time to get ready because he is so concerned with how he looks. _____
Ocean life is made up of a wide variety of things. _____
What is your favorite kind or style of music? _____
The special event will start at 8 o'clock tonight. _____
The city's only action taken to protect itself was to build a giant brick wall around it. _____
Ben went through many problems before he finished his project. _____
Most girls in the class like to play with dolls, but Samantha is the one who doesn't conform. _____

C ‣ Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

I'm going to try to lure my friends _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The firefighter's bravery saved _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The biggest obstacle Mary faced _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The genre of abstract art _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The awards ceremony is _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
Mexican culture is _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The best defense against skin cancer _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The students were equipped _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
An armed man ran into _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds
The vain woman could _____.
- a. was popularized by artists like Picasso and Dali
- b. is to wear a lot of sunscreen
- c. with pencils, scissors, and a lot of glue
- d. known for its interesting folk art
- e. into coming to the museum with me
- f. tonight at the Royal Crown Hotel
- g. talk about herself for hours and hours
- h. their life
- i. was not being able to read very well
- j. the jewelry store and stole diamonds

D ‣ Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

It started raining really hard, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
He saw that the children were cold, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
Police officers work very hard, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
Everyone always trusts Seth _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
Mother Teresa was a very well-known person, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
He only likes one type of music, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
James tried to write the report last night, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
I don't really like Jennifer, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
Bob and Eric both want to beat James at the game, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks
The performer did a great job, _____.
- a. and Officer Jones is no exception
- b. and her work impacted many lives
- c. but everyone else is enchanted by her
- d. but I like a diverse selection
- e. so we ran inside for shelter
- f. so they will form an alliance
- g. and the crowd gave him great applause
- h. so he supplied them with blankets
- i. but it had so many details that he couldn't finish
- j. because he sounds authoritative when he speaks

How a Singer Helped Win the War

Sometimes famous people are vain. They only care about themselves. But Josephine Baker was an exception. In the 1930s and 1940s, Baker was one of the most famous women in France. She was a big part of the new jazz genre and culture and had a diverse group of fans. The French people especially loved her. And she loved France. So when World War II started, she wanted to help the nation that had given her so much.

In 1940, armed German troops entered Paris. When this happened, some French people formed a secret alliance. It was called the French Resistance. The group worked for the defense of France. It helped the European and American armies fight the Germans.

Baker was an important member of the Resistance. She had three jobs. The first was to carry messages to and from other members. The messages were written in code on her sheets of music. The second was to provide shelter and supply goods to Resistance members. It would have been dangerous if the Germans found them.

Baker's third job was the most important. Baker held concerts for European politicians and army members. She lured them in, promising an entertaining show. She enchanted them with her singing and dancing, and got lots of applause. But Baker was always equipped with a small notebook at these concerts. She listened for details about the war and wrote them down. Baker sorted the details and gave authoritative reports to the Resistance.

Some thought Baker's fame would be an obstacle. The Germans knew who she was, but they didn't think she was smart enough to work for the Resistance. So she could get information from the Germans easily. This helped the Resistance and the French army save lives and win the war.

Baker had a big impact on the Resistance's work. She got many awards for her help. When she died, the army had a special ceremony to thank her again for her bravery.

Reading Comprehension

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

_____ Baker's first job was to carry messages written in code to and from European politicians.
__________
_____ Baker provided shelter for Resistance members and supplied them with goods.
__________
_____ Baker was always equipped with a small notebook during her concerts.
__________
_____ In 1940, armed German troops entered Europe.
__________
_____ Baker enchanted politicians and army members with her singing and dancing.
__________
_____ Baker sorted details about the war and gave authoritative reports.
__________

Part B: Answer the questions.

What is the passage about?
- a. Helping a country
- b. Studying at school
- c. Joining the army
- d. Holding a concert
Which genre of music was Josephine Baker famous for?
_____
What happened when Baker died?
_____

Answer Key

Name

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