Unit 12

UNIT 12 WORD LIST acute When a bad thing is acute, it is very severe and intense. When she fell out of the tree, the girl felt an acute pain in her arm. aggression Aggression is behavior that is mean or violent to others. The problem was only made worse by Mark's aggression. biography A biography is an account of someone's life that is written by someone else. We read a biography about Charles Darwin in science class. boost To boost something means to increase or improve it. Lowering prices boosts customers' interest in shopping. clap To clap means to hit one's hands together to express pleasure or get attention. After the speech, everyone in the crowd clapped their hands for the speaker. classical Classical music is more formal and serious than popular music. Beethoven is a composer of classical music. compel To compel someone to do something means to force them to do it. Traffic signs compel drivers to drive safely. creation A creation is something original that is made. We saw the creation of a new political party. dominance The dominance of a person is their state of being more powerful than others. Large gorillas hit their chests to express their dominance over others. gorgeous When something is gorgeous, it is very pleasing and attractive. The girl picked out a gorgeous dress to wear to the dance.

inevitable When something is inevitable, it is certain to happen or cannot be avoided. It is inevitable that the days will get longer in the summer. legacy A legacy is an effect that exists because of a person or thing in the past. The legacy of the ancient Egyptians can be seen in their monuments. masterpiece A masterpiece is a very good painting, novel, movie or other work of art. The Arc de Triomphe is considered a masterpiece in the world of architecture. multiple If there are multiple things, there are many of them. When the stunt went wrong, the man suffered multiple injuries. narrate To narrate a story means to write about it or read it aloud. This story was written by John, but Aaron is narrating it to the crowd. notorious When something is notorious it is well known because of something bad. This area of town is notorious for gang activity. overal When a thing is talked about overall, the whole thing is considered. Overall, the party was a huge success. partiality A partiality is a tendency to prefer one thing to another. She has a partiality for walking to school instead of driving. spontaneous When an act is spontaneous, it is not planned. It happens suddenly. My wife made a spontaneous decision to buy a new sofa while I was at work. virtue A virtue is a good quality or way of behaving. My best virtue is forgiveness.

Beethoven's Gift Beethoven was a great composer of classical music in the 1800s. Many biographies have been written that narrate his dominance in the music world. But do you know what really makes him special? Even though millions of people got to hear his multiple masterpieces, he never did. Beethoven wrote his best pieces after he had gone completely deaf. His partiality toward classical music developed when he was very young. He wasn't interested in anything else as a child. When he was five, he learned how to play the piano. From then on, nothing could stop his passion for writing and playing music. When Beethoven was twenty, he began to lose his hearing. He got acute, spontaneous pains in his ears. His hearing kept getting worse over time. It was inevitable that he would eventually lose it altogether. It was very hard for him to keep writing music. He lost the virtue of patience, and he became notorious for his aggression. Still, he never stopped trying. His passion for music compelled him to keep performing even after he was deaf. He couldn't hear himself play, but he knew that his creations sounded gorgeous. His final concert was held and was to be his finest. He gave the musicians a cue, and they began to play. He directed the concert with all his heart. He couldn't hear the music, but he said that he could feel it. Overall, the performance was one of the finest in history. When it was over, he turned to the crowd. They clapped and cheered wildly. In that beautiful moment, the applause boosted his emotions, and he began to cry. In 1827, he suffered from lead poisoning. He didn't survive the sickness, but his music did because great music never dies. Even though Beethoven is gone, his legacy will live on forever.