Unit 15

UNIT 15 WORD LIST aquarium An aquarium is a place where fish and underwater animals are kept. We took a trip to the aquarium and saw a scary shark. arbitrary If something is arbitrary, it is not based on any plan or system, so it seems random. The classroom had many arbitrary rules that confused me. autobiography An autobiography is a true story of a person's life written by that person. I read an autobiography about my favorite entertainer. convention A convention is behavior that is considered to be common or polite. In the US, a popular convention is to shake hands when you meet someone. gracious If someone is gracious, then they are kind and helpful to those who need it. The operator was gracious enough to help me find the number. improve To improve something means to make it better. He studied hard to improve his test scores from the previous year. insulate To insulate something means to protect it from heat, cold, or noise. People can conserve energy by insulating their houses. intrigue To intrigue means to cause an interest in something or someone. Her mysterious past intrigued her new friend. longevity Longevity is the ability to live for a long time. Sea turtles have an amazing longevity. misplace To misplace something means to lose it. I misplaced my wallet, and I didn't find it until a week later.

naughty When children are naughty, they behave badly or do not do what they are told. The boy had to go to his room because he was being naughty. norm A norm is a way of behaving that is considered normal in a particular society. Wearing a heavy coat all summer is not considered a norm. orangutan An orangutan is a large ape with red and brown hair and long arms. Orangutans use their long arms to swing from trees. overload To overload something means to put more things into it than it is meant to hold. If you overload the truck, it might crash. philanthropy Philanthropy is the act of helping others without wanting anything in return. The wealthy business owner is well known for his acts of philanthropy. probe To probe into something means to ask questions to discover facts about it. The bank probed into his financial history to see if he qualified for a loan. recipient A recipient of something is the person who receives it. I was the recipient of four phone calls today. reptile A reptile is a cold-blooded animal that lays eggs and has skin covered with scales. Lizards are my favorite type of reptile. thrive To thrive means to do well and be successful, healthy, or strong. He may be an old man, but he continues to thrive. ultimate When something is ultimate, it is the final result or aim of a long series of events. By trying hard in school, I will reach my ultimate goal of becoming a doctor.

The Lottery Joe was watching television when he heard a knock at the door. He thought, "Who could that be? It's probably one of the naughty neighborhood children!" Joe stood up and walked to the door. When he opened it, he saw a beautiful woman. She said, "Good morning, Joe! I have great news. You're the recipient of this check for one million dollars! You won the lottery!" Joe couldn't believe it. His mind was overloaded with emotions. Joe said, "Thank you! Thank you!" After he calmed down, Joe made a photocopy of the check in case he misplaced the original one. He sat and thought about what he wanted to do with the money. He didn't want to spend it in an arbitrary way. Joe thought, "I know there are others who need this money more than I do. I've always loved animals, so I think I'll buy things for the zoo!" Joe knew that the zoo was in bad shape. The cages were too small, and they weren't insulated from the cold. Animals couldn't thrive in such conditions. He took out some stationary and wrote a letter to the zoo. He offered to help the zoo buy huge cages for the large mammals and reptiles. He offered to buy healthy food for the orangutans to increase their longevity. He even said that he would buy new glass walls for the aquarium because the old ones were cracked. Joe's act of philanthropy intrigued the zookeeper. He decided to probe into Joe's motivations to learn why he spent his money to improve the zoo. It wasn't a social convention for a person to be so gracious. Joe told the zookeeper, "I know it's not the norm, but my ultimate decision to help these animals is better than anything I could have done for myself. If I ever write an autobiography, I will write that this was the happiest day of my life."