Unit 27

Unit 27 WORD LIST acknowledge v. To acknowledge something is to accept that it is true or that it exists. The teacher acknowledged that the young student was hungry. ambassador n. An ambassador is a government worker who works in another country. The ambassador from Korea was in charge of the conference. blonde n. A blonde is a person with light-colored hair. My cousin is a blonde with blue eyes. conquer v. To conquer a place means to attack and take control of it. The soldiers were trying to conquer the world. drag v. To drag something means to pull it across the ground. The dog was dragging his owner down the street. exaggerate v. To exaggerate is to say that something is bigger or better than it really is. Jimmy wasn't exaggerating about the seriousness of his injury. heritage n. Heritage is the collection of features of a society, such as language and religion. Teepees are part of the heritage of the Native Americans of the plains. insult v. To insult someone is to say things that will hurt the person's feelings. The girls insulted each other all afternoon. meanwhile adv. An action that happens meanwhile happens at the same time as another action. He wants to be a doctor in the future, but meanwhile, he works a regular job. necklace n. A necklace is a piece of jewelry that people wear around their necks. Joyce received a lovely pearl necklace for her wedding anniversary.

noble n. A noble is a rich and powerful person. The Queen invited a noble from a nearby country to dinner. precious adj. A precious thing is valuable and important. In a desert, water can be more precious than money. prejudice n. A prejudice is an unfair opinion about people based on the group they belong to. The company's rules against gender prejudice must be enforced. rumor n. A rumor is a story that may not be true. Carla was spreading rumors around the office. sin n. A sin is something that is wrong for religious reasons. Taking something that doesn't belong to you is a sin. spectacle n. A spectacle is an amazing sight. Niagara Falls is quite a spectacle. stack n. A stack is a pile of different things. There was a stack of paperwork on his desk to complete. suspicious adj. A suspicious person does not trust others, or is not trusted by others. Dad was suspicious of the caller on the line. tin n. Tin is an inexpensive metal. Soup is a food that is often sold in tin cans. vase n. A vase is an attractive container in which people keep flowers. The vase was filled with such lovely flowers.

Pizarro and the Inca Gold According to rumors, there's lots of precious gold hidden in the jungles of Peru. It got there when the Spanish conquered parts of South America. A Spanish noble, Francisco Pizarro, arrived in Peru in the 1500s. He found a group of people called the Incas. The Incas believed that their leader, Atahualpa, was both a king and a god. But Pizarro didn't agree. " It is a sin for a man to think he is God! " he said to Atahualpa. Atahualpa thought Pizarro was insulting his heritage. He thought the blonde Spanish men held prejudices against the Incas. But Atahualpa was a kind man and didn't want to fight the Spaniards. He said, " If I give you a room full of gold, will you leave my country in peace?" Pizarro was suspicious. He thought Atahualpa was exaggerating. But a few days later, Pizarro returned to the Inca palace with his ambassadors. He saw a room filled with stacks of gold. There were golden necklaces, cups, plates, and vases. It was a great spectacle. He acknowledged that Atahualpa had told the truth. But after seeing the gold, he wanted all of Peru's gold. So he didn't leave the country. The Spanish soldiers stayed in Peru and grabbed all the gold they could find. But the lnca people tricked the Spaniards. They mixed the gold with tin so that it was poor quality. They gave this gold to the Spaniards. Meanwhile, they hid the good gold. They put it into sacks and dragged it deep into the jungle. The Spanish conquerors never found the gold. People think it is still there today.