Unit 26

Unit 26 WORD LIST accuse v. To accuse someone of something is to blame them for doing it. She accused her brother of breaking her computer. adjust v. To adjust something means to change it so it is better. He adjusted the old guitar to make it sound better. amuse v. To amuse someone means to do something that is funny or entertaining. The singer was very good. She amused the crowd. coral n. Coral is the hard, colorful material formed by the shells of animals. The diver admired the beautiful coral under the water. cotton n. Cotton is a cloth made from the fibers of the cotton plant. I like to wear clothes made from cotton in the summer. crash v. To crash means to hit and break something. There was a loud noise when the car crashed into the tree. deck n. A deck is a wooden floor built outside of a house or the floor of a ship. A ship will store many supplies below its deck. engage v. To engage in something means to do it. Dad was engaged in sawing a piece of wood in half. firm adj. A firm thing is solid but not too hard. He sleeps better on a firm bed. fuel n. Fuel is something that creates heat or energy. Wood is the fuel that burns to make heat in this fire.

grand adj. Something grand is big and liked by people. The grand mountain rose high into the sky. hurricane n. A hurricane is a bad storm that happens over the ocean. The wind from the hurricane bent the palm tree. loss n. A loss is the act or instance of losing something, I suffered a big loss while I was gambling. plain adj, A plain thing is simple and not decorated. He bought a pair of plain white shoes over the weekend. reef n. A reef is a group of rocks or coral in the ucean. He walked along the reef and looked at the water below. shut v. To shut something means to close it tightly. Please shut the door; the air outside is cold. strict adj. A strict person makes sure others follow rules. The teacher is strict. She does not let students talk in class. surf v. To surf means to use a special board to ride on waves in the ocean. The students went to the beach to surf during their vacation. task n. A task is a piece of work to be done that is usually difficult. My task for the weekend was to clean the entire back yard. zone n. A zone is an area that has different qualities from the ones around it. Firefighters often work in danger zones.

The Two Captains Once, there were two ships. Both ships carried cotton. The captains were very different. Thomas was strict. He made his crew engage in difficult tasks, and he kept firm control of his ship and men. His ship's deck was always clean and working well and he sailed carefully to use less fuel. His ship was very plain, but he never had a problem with it. The second captain, William, was not so serious. He had a grand ship, and he loved having fun. When they stopped at islands, his crew amused themselves by going surfing or diving on the reef. They gave more time to these things than to taking care of the ship. One day, Thomas saw a hurricane ahead. He knew that his ship needed to turn around. But he was sure William did not see the storm. He adjusted the dials on the radio and called his friend to tell him how to avoid the danger zone. But William's radio was not working, so it was not possible to contact him. When William's ship got to the hurricane, the wind blew it into the reef. William tried to shut the door, but the ship had already crashed into the coral, and there was a lot of damage. William's crew then accused him of being a bad captain. The loss of the ship taught William a lesson, and he then really understood the value of keeping equipment working well.