Unit 9
Word List
against prep.
To be against something is to be touching it or opposed to it.
—► They both leaned against the wall.
beach n.
The beach is a sandy or rocky place by the ocean.
—► The little girl built a sandcastle on the beach.
damage v.
To damage something is to break it.
—► The car was damaged in the accident.
discover v.
To discover something is to find it for the first time.
—► I discovered some new information in this book!
emotion n.
An emotion is how you feel.
—► Anger is a common emotion that we all feel.
fix v.
To fix something is to make it work.
—► My dad has many tools to help him fix broken things.
frank adj.
If you are frank, you are being very honest.
—► The teacher had a frank discussion with her students.
identify v.
To identify something is to be able to name it.
—► I used the file to identify his name.
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island n.
An island is land in the middle of water.
—► japan is a group of islands.
ocean n.
The ocean is all of the salt water that surrounds land.
—► The ocean can make powerful waves.
perhaps adv.
Perhaps is used when you say that something could happen.
—► Perhaps I will eat an apple for lunch.
pleasant adj.
If something is pleasant, you enjoy it.
—► The character had a pleasant look on its face.
prevent v.
To prevent something is to stop it from happening.
—► The handcuffs prevented me from moving my hands.
rock n.
A rock is a hard thing in the dirt.
—► I stacked rocks on top of one another.
save v.
To save something is to keep it from being hurt.
—► I want to help save the world.
step [step] v.
To step is to walk.
—► Be careful where you step.
still adv.
Still is used when you say that a situation keeps going on.
—► They are still waiting in line to get tickets.
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taste n.
A taste is the flavour something makes in your mouth.
—► The taste of the fruit was sweet.
throw v.
To throw something is to use your hand to make it go through the air.
—► The pitcher can throw the baseball very fast.
wave n.
A wave is a line of water that moves higher than the rest of the water.
—► The water was filled with large blue waves.
Choose the right definition for the given word.
1. wave
a. to pass from physical life b. salt water that surrounds land
c. a raised line of water d. land in the middle of water
2. taste
a. to hurt b. to find c. flavour d. to walk
3. against
a. to be touching something b. to stop from happening c. maybe d. enjoyable
4. rock
a. feelings b. a place by the ocean c. honest d. a hard thing in the ground
5. throw
a. to name something b. to put something into the air
c. to make something work d. to stop something from being hurt
6. island
a. land b. saltwater c. feelings d. hard thing
7. discover
a. to be nice b. to find something c. to stop d. to name
8. step
a. to keep from harm b. to be next to c. to walk d. to hurt
9. beach
a. water that comes on land b. a sandy or rocky place by the ocean
c. the flavour of something d. something could happen
10. fix
a. to make something work b. to pass from physical life
c. to be honest d. to make something move in the air
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Unit 9
Choose the right word for the given definition.
1. to be touching something
a. beach b. against c. discover d. wave
2. to break something
a. identify b. maybe c. damage d. ocean
3. a way that you feel
a. prevent b. emotion c. rock d. pleasant
4. very honest
a. still b. step c. throw d. frank
5. land in the middle of water
a. save b. taste c. island d. fix
Choose the word that is a better fit for each sentence.
1. wave / beach
I like to play on the _____. The big _____ pushed the swimmer back.
2. ocean / island
They walked across the _____ to find food. I am scared of some animals that live in the _____.
3. fix / damage
My dad knows how to _____ cars. If you _____ the light, we won’t be able to see at night.
4. still / rock
We have to go around that large _____. We are _____ planning to go to Florida this winter.
5. step / throw
Do you know how to _____ a football? Please _____ into the house.
The Starfish
Last summer I took a trip to an island. I had a lot of fun. I sat and watched the waves and listened to
the ocean. I learned to identify birds. I discovered pretty things and enjoyed the taste of new foods. It was a
very nice time.
One evening I took a pleasant walk by the ocean. When the waves came in, many starfish* fell on
the beach. Some starfish went back into the water, and they were safe. But other starfish were still on the
sand. They would die if they did not get into the water. There were many starfish on the beach that night. It
made me sad, but I knew I could not fix the problem. I stepped very carefully so I did not damage them.
Then I saw a little girl. She was also sad about the starfish. She wanted to prevent all of them from
dying. She asked me if I could perhaps help her.
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“To be frank, I don’t think we can do anything,” I said.
The little girl started to cry. She sat back against a rock and thought for a while. Finally, the emotion
was gone. She stopped crying and stood up. Then she picked up a starfish and threw it into the water.
“What are you doing?” I asked her. But she did not answer me. She just threw as many starfish as
she could. “You cannot save all of them!” I said.
She stopped to look at me. “No, I cannot save them all,” she replied. Then she picked up a very big
starfish and said, “But I can save this one.” And then she smiled and threw the starfish as far as she could
into the ocean.
*starfish - an animal shaped like a star that lives in the water
Answer the questions.
1. What is this story about?
a. A girl who wants to save starfish b. How to throw starfish
c. A girl who is too frank d. Birds and animals at the ocean
2. What causes the little girl’s emotion?
a. She cannot fix the damage she finds to homes. b. She cannot prevent starfish from dying in the sand.
c. She discovers starfish in the water. d. She steps on a rock and hurts her foot.
3. What does the man think is NOT good about the island?
a. Watching the waves b. Identifying birds
c. The starfish dying on the sand d. Tasting new food
4. What does the girl think the man can perhaps do?
a. Identify birds b. Take a walk on the beach
c. Discover something pretty d. Help her save starfish
5. Which starfish were safe on the beach?
