Unit 16: Gwen's New Friends

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • adv. If something happens altogether, it happens completely.
    The company stopped using sugar altogether in its food.
  • v. To bind people is to make them feel united together.
    The victims of the flood were bound by their need to help each other.
  • n. A bruise is a dark mark caused by being hit by something.
    She got a bruise on her knee from falling down.
  • n. A custom is a way of doing things that has been the same for a long time.
    It is a custom that the bride and groom have the first dance.
  • adj. When someone is disobedient, they do not follow the rules or instructions.
    The disobedient children didn't listen to their mother and had an accident.
  • v. To foresee something is to know about it before it happens.
    The teacher didn't foresee any problems with his large class.
  • v. To glimpse something is to see it for a short time.
    She glimpsed outside the window as the plane was about to land.
  • n. A hoop is a ring that is made of plastic, metal, or wood.
    The boys tried to toss the ball through the basketball hoop.
  • n. Misfortune is bad luck or an unlucky event.
    His family helped him when he encountered misfortune.
  • adj. When something is negative, it is unpleasant or sad.
    She doesn't like to say negative things about her friends.
  • prep. Per is used to mean "each" when giving a price, size, or amount.
    It costs eight dollars per person to watch the baseball game.
  • v. To plead is to ask for something you want very badly.
    He pleaded for his parents to let him go to the soccer game.
  • v. To rip something means to pull it apart.
    She ripped the paper in half by accident.
  • n. The sake of something is the reason for doing it.
    The parents worked hard for their children's sake.
  • v. To scrape something is to rub it very hard with something sharp.
    I accidentally scraped the paint off the side of the car.
  • n. A source of something is the place that it comes from.
    The river was the source of drinking water for the village.
  • adj. When somebody is stern, they are very serious.
    The stern teacher didn't allow the students to speak during class.
  • v. To stitch is to use a needle and thread to join pieces of cloth together.
    My grandmother stitched the pieces together to make a big blanket.
  • n. A thump is the sound of a heavy object hitting something.
    They heard the thump when the bowling ball hit the floor.
  • adj. When somebody is vehement, they are angry and emotional.
    Gina was vehement when she found out that Liz was bad in school.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Write the word that best fits each blank.

  1. negative / misfortune
    Greg had the _____ of falling in a pool, though he didn't know how to swim. The experience left him with _____ feelings about swimming pools.
  2. bruise / altogether
    After one day, the _____ on her lip began to go away. In a week, it had disappeared _____.
  3. per / sake
    For the _____ of fairness, we tried to divide the pizza equally. One pizza was enough to give three slices _____ person.
  4. disobedient / pleaded
    A woman _____ with the child to behave in the store. The child, however, continued to be _____.
  5. source / glimpsed
    They walked past a large river, which the guide said was the _____ of a waterfall. They finally _____ the waterfall when they reached the bottom of the hill.
  6. stitched / hoop
    The girl wanted to make her plastic _____ look pretty, so she _____ cloth around it.
  7. custom / bound
    The family was _____ tightly. For example, on Saturdays, it was their _____ to go to the park together.
  8. stern / ripped
    The _____ teacher was angry to see the students passing notes. She took the note from the students and _____ it into pieces.
  9. thump / scraped
    The boy lost his balance and fell with a _____. When he got up, he noticed that he'd _____ his elbow.
  10. vehement / foresee
    The coach didn't _____ his team losing. So, after the game, he was _____.

 

B ‣ Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. Kelly had the misfortune of breaking _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  2. The disobedient dog ran away _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  3. She felt bound to her friends because she had _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  4. The weatherman didn't foresee any _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  5. The family had a custom of _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  6. She glimpsed at his painting _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  7. Charlie ripped the paper in half and _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  8. Jasmine pleaded with her teacher _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  9. Leslie scraped the ice _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed
  10. George was vehement about being allowed _____.
    • a. gave one piece to his friend
    • b. bad weather this weekend
    • c. from its owner at the park
    • d. off the window
    • e. to give her a better grade
    • f. known them for a long time
    • g. to use the computer
    • h. eating dinner early on Sundays
    • i. her arm before the competition
    • j. before it was completed

 

C ‣ Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. There was a tear in my shirt, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  2. She dropped the scissors on the carpet, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  3. His parents were strict, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  4. The website was good, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  5. The fight was horrifying; _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  6. I enjoy soda, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  7. He went to school despite being sick _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  8. They used a different system _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  9. He liked showing off, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable
  10. He fell down the stairs, _____.
    • a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
    • b. for the sake of his grades
    • c. but only two cans per week
    • d. so my mom stitched it back together
    • e. so he had bruises on his arm
    • f. that was altogether different from mine
    • g. it filled him with negative dreams
    • h. because being stern with her would build character
    • i. so there was a slight thump
    • j. but the sources were unreliable

 

Gwen's New Friends

Gwen walked into the gym for her next class. Coach Peeves said, "Today, we're playing basketball. The custom is to let you choose your own teams. However, we're going to do things differently."

The coach assigned each girl to a team. There were six girls per team. Gwen glimpsed at her teammates. She didn't know any of them. All of her friends were on the other teams. She couldn't believe her misfortune.

"I feel sick. May I go to the nurse?" asked Gwen.

The coach could see through Gwen's excuses. It wasn't the first time Gwen tried to leave class. With a stern voice, the coach said, "No." Gwen was vehement. "I don't know any of these girls! Let me play on another team. Please!" she pleaded.

"Gwen, don't be disobedient. I don't want to hear any more negative comments from you."

Gwen had no choice. Then a girl smiled at her. “Hi, I'm Stephanie. I was in your English class last year," she said. Gwen remembered her. "For the sake of the team, please try your best. I know you're a good player," said Stephanie.

When the game started, Gwen played as best as she could. She took a long shot. The ball sailed through the air and went right through the hoop!

"That was awesome!" said one of her teammates. Later, Gwen fell with a loud thump.

"Are you OK?" asked her teammates. They were worried. She had ripped her pants. She had scraped her knee and had a small bruise.

Gwen told her teammates, “My knee is fine, and I can stitch my pants later. Let's keep playing!”

By the end of the game, Gwen forgot altogether that she hadn't wanted to play, and her team won! The victory bound Gwen's team together. She had made a lot of new friends, and she could foresee that they would be a source of happiness for her for many years.

 

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The custom was to allow the girls to choose their own teams.
    __________
  2. _____ Gwen told her teammates that she could stitch her pants later.
    __________
  3. _____ There were eight girls per team.
    __________
  4. _____ Gwen pleaded to be on another team that had some of her friends.
    __________
  5. _____ Stephanie asked Gwen to lose on purpose for the sake of the team.
    __________
  6. _____ Gwen ripped her pants, scraped her knee, and got a bruise when she fell.
    __________

 

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What is the passage about?
    • a. Dealing with bad teachers
    • b. Getting physical exercise
    • c. Making excuses
    • d. Making new friends
  2. How did Gwen know Stephanie?
    _____
  3. What happened after Gwen's shot went through the hoop?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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