Vocabulary Training

I. Understanding Word Meaning from Context.

Choose a word or a word group that has the same meaning as the word in bold.

1. We pretended that nothing had happened.

a. were sure b. acted as if c. claimed d. hoped

2. The scent of flowers filled the garden.

a. shrubbery b. great number c. smell d. flowerbed

3. Two fierce eyes glared at them.

a. aggressive b. tired c. beautiful d. small

4. The children watched, fascinated, as the picture began to appear.

a. bored b. scared c. very interested d. disappointed

5. We could hear their voices growing faint as they walked down the road.

a. distant b. loud c. weak d. excited

6. The odd thing was that he didn’t recognize me.

a. sad b. funny c. disappointing d. strange

7. We occasionally meet for a drink after work.

a. sometimes b. often

c. traditionally d. on important occasions

II. Find in the text

a) a synonym to the word “puzzled”;

b) three different verbs that mean “to give a loud cry”;

c) at least five words related to the topic “food”.

III. Note that

a) the words “face”, “scar”, “ease” and “echo” can be used both as nouns and verbs;

b) the word “faint” can be used both as an adjective and a verb;

c) the word “pretty” can be used both as an adjective and an adverb and has quite different meanings in these cases;

d) the word “aisle” can be used both as a noun and an adjective.

Give your examples to illustrate all these uses.

IV. Look up the adjective “odd” and the noun “odds” in a dictionary. How many meanings do they have? What new expressions have you found? Make up one example with the adjective and one example with the noun or an expression.

V. Explain the following words in English. Use an explanatory dictionary if necessary. If a word has several meanings, point out the meaning in which it is used in the text.

1) to pretend 2) drab 3) to discourage 4) to regret

5) shelter 6) to inherit 7) unconsciously

VI. Note how each of the following idioms is used in the text:

1) to be up to smth; 2) to look forward to smth/doing smth; 3) to keep one’s eyes on smb; 4) to burst out laughing; 5) to lift/raise smb's spirits; 6) to feel like doing smth; 7) to get smb’s attention.

Now use each of these idioms in an example of your own. Try to relate them to your own experience.

Recounting and Interpreting Details

1. What were the main problems the family had to face after moving to Nebraska?

2. Comment on the following characteristic of the mother “Eventually she had stopped complaining, but she had stopped singing, too”.

3. What was the main monthly event for the family?

4. What were the relationships of the Americans and the Indians at the time when the story took place? Prove it from the text.

5. Why was Rachel able to buy the bird?

6. What did the Indian tell Rachel about the bird?

7. Did the family like the bird? What name did they give it? How did it change their life?

8. In what way did the Indian’s words help Rachel?

9. Why did the father pay attention to Rachel’s warning about the tornado?

10. Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

Creative Follow-up Work

Do you know any stories of animals saving human lives?