Unit 24: The Persistent Inventor

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • v. To accelerate means to increase in speed.
    When he stepped on the gas pedal, the motorcycle accelerated.
  • adv. If you do something anew, you do it again, possibly in a different way.
    Although he had failed his driving test, he decided to try it anew.
  • n. A defect is a part of something that is wrong or missing.
    All these bottles have a defect and must be sent back to the warehouse.
  • adj. If something is dreary, then it is dull, dark, and lifeless.
    After the fire, this section of forest is rather dreary.
  • v. To duplicate something means to copy it.
    She duplicated her friend's movements like she was in front of a mirror.
  • adj. If something is electromagnetic, it is related to electricity and magnetic fields.
    Different colors of light come from different levels of electromagnetic energy.
  • n. An electron is a particle in all atoms that has a negative electric charge.
    The number of electrons in an atom determines its charge.
  • v. To glide means to fly on extended wings with little or no effort.
    When the wind is blowing, birds can glide easily through the sky.
  • adj. If someone is ingenious, then they are very smart.
    Charles was the only person ingenious enough to repair the plane's engines.
  • n. An innovation is a product, or an idea, that is new or very original.
    Mrs. Johnson made a great innovation to the company's business plan.
  • adj. If something or someone is innovative, they can think in creative ways.
    Since Peter was so innovative, he was chosen to lead the science team.
  • v. To launch something means to make it go into motion.
    The boat launched from the dock and floated down the river.
  • adj. If something is meteorological, it is concerned with the science of weather.
    The thunderstorm was so large that it became a great meteorological event.
  • n. Meteorology is the science that studies the weather.
    In order to understand the weather better, you should study meteorology.
  • v. To penetrate something means to enter into it.
    The knife easily penetrated the surface of the orange.
  • adj. A persistent person does not give up and keeps on working.
    They made persistent attempts to get him to eat.
  • n. Propulsion is the force that moves something forward.
    The propulsion lifted the rocket into the sky.
  • v. To simulate something means to copy its actions or characteristics.
    The French language teacher could simulate the accent of a French citizen.
  • v. To spur someone means to urge them into action.
    The coach's speech spurred her team into playing the best game of their lives.
  • v. To stimulate something means to cause or to increase activity in it.
    Doctors sometimes use electric shock to stimulate a patient's heartbeat.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the one that is similar in meaning to the given word.

  1. defect
    • a. perfect
    • b. broken
    • c. clean
    • d. magical
  2. innovation
    • a. obsolete
    • b. cunning
    • c. original
    • d. compatible
  3. accelerate
    • a. speed up
    • b. slow down
    • c. open
    • d. melt
  4. meteorological
    • a. weather
    • b. past
    • c. body
    • d. mind
  5. dreary
    • a. bright
    • b. fluorescent
    • c. frigid
    • d. dull

 

B ‣ Circle the one that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

  1. innovation
    • a. creation
    • b. internal
    • c. copy
    • d. inlet
  2. spur
    • a. to propel
    • b. to discourage
    • c. to spill
    • d. to avoid
  3. persistent
    • a. persuasive
    • b. inconstant
    • c. suspicious
    • d. inevitable
  4. ingenious
    • a. dull
    • b. smart
    • c. genuine
    • d. dubious
  5. anew
    • a. fresh
    • b. renew
    • c. polite
    • d. old

 

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

  1. Some worms are small enough to enter into the skin without being detected. _____
  2. She tried to copy the way her best friend dressed. _____
  3. The teacher offered the kids candy in order to urge them into finishing their homework. _____
  4. In science class, we learned about the particles in atoms that have a negative electric charge. _____
  5. She took classes in the science that studies the weather and became a weatherperson. _____
  6. The small airplane flew without any effort through the sky. _____
  7. Amanda is quite an intelligent girl for her young age. _____

 

D ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

WORD BANK
  • penetrates
  • duplicate
  • launched
  • propulsion
  • defect
  • accelerate
  • electromagnetic
  • dreary
  • innovative
  • meteorology
  1. You can have this one since it is a(n) _____.
  2. A crowd gathered to watch the spaceship be _____ into space.
  3. The inspector found a(n) _____ with the device.
  4. The mood of the event was rather _____ due to the rain.
  5. Harry majored in _____ with hopes of becoming a weatherman.
  6. Dennis' design won first prize for its _____ design techniques.
  7. The submarine used _____ to move through the water.
  8. This sonar machine _____ the ground to search for buried gold.
  9. You should _____ when getting onto a highway.
  10. Each pole has a(n) _____ field surrounding it.

 

The Persistent Inventor

A young student of meteorology was having a difficult time with an experiment. He was attempting to duplicate lightning in clouds. He had made a device that could simulate lightning. It worked by releasing an electromagnetic pulse into the cloud. This pulse, in turn, stimulated the electrons in the cloud's particles. Then, the electrons produced lightning.

But his meteorological experiment had a major defect. He couldn't get the device into the sky.

He had tied it to balloons, but they had burst. He had shot the device from a cannon, but the force of the cannon had damaged it.

"You should give up, his friends told him. "You'll never get that thing into the air." But his friends' criticisms only spurred him to try again. The student was very innovative, and at last, he thought that he had an innovation that would work. He attached wings to the device, and on one dreary day, when clouds blocked the light of the sun, he started his experiment anew.

He placed the device on a rocket and launched it into the sky. The propulsion of the rocket carried the device high into the air. The rocket accelerated into the clouds and then released the device. It glided on its wings through the clouds, and when it penetrated the center of a large black cloud, it emitted the electromagnetic pulse. And just as he had predicted, lightning shot from the cloud!

He called his professors, and the next day, they came to watch. He successfully duplicated the experiment. His teachers were extremely impressed and called the student and his invention ingenious.

The student was given many awards and became a famous inventor. He had not given up. He had remained persistent and succeeded.

 

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The student of meteorology had bought a device that simulated lightning in clouds.
    __________
  2. _____ The electromagnetic pulse stimulated the electrons in the cloud's particles.
    __________
  3. _____ The student's friends' criticisms spurred him to try his experiment anew.
    __________
  4. _____ It was a dreary day when the device glided into the clouds.
    __________
  5. _____ The propulsion of the rocket accelerated the speed of the lightning.
    __________

 

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What is this reading about?
    • a. Not giving up
    • b. Listening to others
    • c. Watching the weather
    • d. Giving others advice
  2. For whom did the student duplicate his ingenious experiment?
    _____
  3. What did the device do when it finally penetrated the center of a large black cloud?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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