Unit 21

Unit 21 WORD LIST accident n. An accident is unexpected, and may cause some trouble. He damaged the car in an accident. astronaut An astronaut is a person who goes into outer space. The astronaut was walking on the moon. awake adj. A person who is awake is not asleep. Sometimes, I lay awake in bed because I am not tired. courage Courage is the feeling of not being afraid. The man had the courage to touch the lion. float y. To float is to move on top of water without sinking. The boy's toy boat floated in the pool. grant To grant something is to allow someone to have it. The teacher granted us a break after studying hard all day. gravity Gravity is the force that makes things fall to Earth. There is no gravity in space. jewel n. A jewel is a beautiful stone that is worth a lot of money. A diamond is one of the most expensive jewels in the world. miner n. A miner is a person who works in a mine. The miner was looking for gold. mineral n. A mineral is a type of substance found in the Earth. Rocks are made up of different kinds of minerals.

participate v. To participate is to be active and do something. The students participated in the school play. permission n. Permission means the act of allowing some action. I have permission to drive my mom's car. pour v. To pour a liquid means to make it come out of a container. I poured some milk into my sister's cup. raw adj. A raw material is natural and has not been processed. The company dumped raw sewage into the river. satellite n. A satellite is a machine sent into space to get information. The satellite was traveling around the Earth. scale n. The scale of something is its size, especially when it is very large. I was surprised by the scale of the buildings in the downtown area. skip v. To skip something is to not do it. He skipped work to get more sleep. stretch v. To stretch is to make your arms or legs reach out. She stretched her body before exercising. telescope n. A telescope is a tool people use to look at the stars. With a telescope, you can see the moon and stars easily. underground adv. An underground action happens below the surface of the Earth. Subway trains travel underground.

From the Earth to the Stars Jeremy was from a family of miners. Like them, he worked underground during the day. His job was to find raw minerals and jewels. Each night after work, he lay awake in an open field. With his telescope, he looked at the stars. He was amazed by the scale of space. He wished someday he might travel there. One day, there was an accident in the mine. Water poured into the mine. Everything was dark. Jeremy stretched out and grabbed a piece of wood. It kept him from sinking. For a long time, he floated in silence. Then, he heard voices. The other miners were coming to rescue him. This accident made Jeremy think about his job and his life. The next day, he skipped work and made a very important decision. He had the courage to follow his decision. He decided to become an astronaut. For the next two years, Jeremy studied and trained hard. He completed his training, and one day, he was given permission toparticipate in a journey to space. His wish had been granted. His spaceship left the ground. It went higher until there was no more gravity. Part of his job was to send out a satellite that would then float away from the spaceship. Now, instead of just looking at the stars, Jeremy could look at the Earth as well.