Unit 12: The Sun and the North Wind

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • n. An alternative is something that you can choose instead of your first choice.
    Her first plan to make extra money seemed weak, so she chose an alternative.
  • n. An avenue is a road, often a large one with buildings on each side.
    Drive down this avenue and then turn left to get to the park.
  • n. The belly is the stomach of a person or animal.
    His belly was full because he had eaten a lot of food.
  • n. A bid to do something is an attempt to do it.
    He made a bid to become the university's next president.
  • v. To blow means to move air or move something through the air, as in the wind.
    The wind is blowing very hard today. We should stay inside.
  • n. A conflict is a fight between different people or groups.
    The two nations had a conflict over which one could use the water in the river.
  • n. A continent is one of the seven large areas of land on the Earth.
    Asia is the largest continent.
  • n. A current is a steady and constant flow of air or water in a river or ocean.
    The ocean currents took the ship far off into the sea.
  • n. Disrespect is rudeness or behavior that shows a lack of respect.
    He showed disrespect by arguing with his boss during a meeting.
  • n. Enthusiasm is a very strong good feeling about something.
    The crowd showed their enthusiasm for the soccer team by cheering loudly.
  • adj. When something is harsh, it is very unpleasant.
    The desert can be a very harsh environment.
  • v. To lean is to bend in a particular direction.
    The woman leaned against the counter because she was tired.
  • n. The meantime is the time between two events.
    Ted began setting the table. In the meantime, I began preparing the food.
  • n. Mischief is behavior that is meant to trick or cause trouble for people.
    Ben was up to mischief when he persuaded Ken to paint his face.
  • n. Muscle is a mass of tissue attached to bone that helps you move.
    She went to the gym in order to make her muscles stronger.
  • v. To rescue someone means to remove them from danger.
    The firefighter rescued the man from the burning building.
  • n. A succession is a number of things that follow one after the other.
    The student said the letters of the alphabet in succession.
  • n. The terrain is the land and all of its physical features or parts.
    The terrain below was rocky and full of hills.
  • adj. If someone is timid, they are afraid, shy, or nervous.
    The timid child hides behind her mother whenever she sees a stranger.
  • n. Violence is forceful action that is meant to injure or kill people.
    The boy hit his brother in an act of violence.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Write the word that best fits each blank.

  1. muscles / violence
    It was bad that the man had a lot of _____ because he used them to cause _____.
  2. belly / bid
    He made a _____ to win the race, but he had to quit when he got a bad pain in his _____.
  3. disrespect / timid
    The boy was always _____ because his classmates were mean and treated him with _____.
  4. continent / enthusiasm
    The boy had a lot of _____ before his trip to Europe. He had never been to a different _____ before.
  5. lean / meantime
    The movie will start soon. In the _____, help me to _____ these heavy boards against the wall.
  6. alternative / avenue
    The _____ that the man wanted to drive on was blocked, so he found an _____ route.
  7. conflict / rescue
    The police officer had to _____ the woman from a bad _____ she was having with another woman.
  8. harsh / terrain
    The girl walked along the rough beach. The rocky _____ was _____ on her feet.
  9. mischief / succession
    The boys were up to their usual _____ and were throwing balls of paper at each other in _____.
  10. current / blow
    I turned on the fan so that it would _____ air on me. The _____ of cool air felt wonderful.

 

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

  1. Australia is an island that is also the smallest large area of land on the planet. _____
  2. The land's feature was quite hilly. _____
  3. The pitcher threw the balls to home plate in a series, one after another. _____
  4. The student left for school early. She had to walk down an extended road to get there. _____
  5. Brian was tired. He needed to bend over and rest on the side of his car. _____
  6. The student decided that the answer was A and not the other choice, B. _____
  7. The river's fast steady movement of water made it difficult to swim to the other side. _____
  8. He talked about US history until the bell rang, and the pupils wrote notes in the time during the event. _____
  9. The dog continued barking. The loud noise was painful and rough to her ears. _____
  10. The boys used forceful action to get what they wanted. _____

 

C ‣ Circle the answer that best fits the question.

  1. Which word best describes the state of being very happy and excited?
    • a. Enthusiasm
    • b. Violence
    • c. Current
    • d. Alternative
  2. Which of the following describes a scared person best?
    • a. Timid
    • b. Disrespect
    • c. Muscle
    • d. Succession
  3. What is something that can be soft and round?
    • a. Something in the meantime
    • b. An avenue
    • c. A person's belly
    • d. A continent
  4. Which word best describes behavior meant to trick or cause trouble?
    • a. Mischief
    • b. Conflict
    • c. Terrain
    • d. Harsh
  5. Which of the following best describes the action of the wind?
    • a. It bids.
    • b. It rescues.
    • c. It blows.
    • d. It leans.

 

The Sun and the North Wind

The Sun and the North Wind were talking to each other in the sky. The North Wind was saying that he was better than everyone else. The Sun listened as the North Wind talked with enthusiasm about how powerful he was and how he could push something from one continent to another with one breath. He said, "I am the strongest thing in the sky."

"Really?" asked the Sun. "How do you know that you are more powerful than the stars, or the rain, or even me?" The North Wind laughed with disrespect. He yelled, "You? That's a joke!"

This hurt the Sun. He was usually timid and did not want to cause conflict. Today he decided that he should teach the North Wind a lesson.

In the meantime, a man began walking along an avenue down on Earth. When the Sun looked down on the terrain below, he saw the man. He pointed down to the Earth and said, "Do you see that man walking below? I bet I can get his jacket off of him. Can you?"

"Of course!" the North Wind replied as he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with air. He used all of the muscles in his face and belly to blow winds at his target in succession.

The harsh air currents made the man cold. The man pulled his jacket more tightly around him. It did not come off. The Sun decided to rescue the man from the mischief of the North Wind. He said, “May I try?" Then he sent down sunlight that made the man warm. The man leaned against a tree. He took off his jacket and enjoyed the nice weather.

"You are very powerful," the Sun said to the North Wind, "but you use violence in your bid to appear strong. You should think of an alternative. The strongest people don't use force to get what they want."

 

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The North Wind thought that he was stronger than everyone else.
    __________
  2. _____ The North Wind blew the jacket off of the man.
    __________
  3. _____ The North Wind treated the Sun with disrespect.
    __________
  4. _____ The Sun was the target for the North Wind.
    __________
  5. _____ The Sun was timid and did not teach the North Wind a lesson.
    __________
  6. _____ The North Wind used violence in his bid to be powerful.
    __________

 

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What is the passage about?
    • a. Dressing for the weather
    • b. Traveling around the Earth
    • c. Reducing conflict
    • d. Being powerful
  2. Why was the North Wind so full of enthusiasm?
    _____
  3. What happened in the meantime while the Sun and the North Wind were talking?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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