Unit 28

Unit 28 WORD LIST ache v. To ache is to hurt, or cause pain. Mindy's head ached because she bumped it against the wall. arctic adj. Arctic shows that something is of or from the cold, far-north part of the Earth. It is cold when the arctic winds blow. canal n. A canal is a path for water to travel through. The city of Venice, Italy, has many canals. chemist n. A chemist is a scientist who works with chemicals. My mother is a successful chemist who helps invent new products. chill n. A chill is a feeling of cold. The chill from the cold wind made Bill shiver. congress n. Congress is a group of leaders in a government. Congress makes laws for people to follow. dairy adj, Dairy shows that something is made from milk. Things like milk and cheese are dairy foods. descend v. To descend is to go downward. I descended the stairs to get out of the building. grocer n. A grocer is a person who sells food. Our grocer, Mr. Smith, is a very kind man. hesitate v. To hesitate is to wait for a short time before doing something. He hesitated for a moment before he decided which one to choose,

institution n. An institution is an organization that works to help a city or group of people. Banks are vital institutions that businesses and people use every day. jog v. To jog is to run slowly. He jogs every day so he can be healthier. merchant n. A merchant is a person who sells things. The merchant was selling used cars. poke v. To poke something is to push something quickly with your finger or a pointed object. I poked my finger on a thumb tack. postpone v. To postpone something is to make it happen later than planned. They postponed the meeting until Elena arrived. splash v. To splash is to crash into something so that liquid spreads out. Some green paint splashed upon the floor. stubborn adj. Stubborn people don't change their minds easily. Both of my parents are stubborn. They never give in to each other. suburb n. A suburb is a small part of a large city. I grew up in the suburbs, only a few minutes outside of the city. tide n. The tide is the level of the water in the sea. The tide continued to crawl upon the beach little by little. tragedy n. A tragedy is a very sad event. It was a tragedy when his house was struck by lightning and burned.

The Boy Who Saved the Town Marcus lived in a small suburb near the sea. He was a stubborn boy, and he only cared about himself. His father worked as a chemist for a large institution and wanted Marcus to get a job there. Instead, the boy delivered milk. Every morning, he took dairy products to the grocers. One day, Marcus was jogging down the street that descended into the lower part of the town with a gallon of milk to give to a merchant. He didn't want to be late. He ran down a path beside a large canal. A wall there kept water from coming into the town during high tide. But Marcus saw a small hole in the wall. Marcus knew that if the wall broke, it would be a tragedy for the town. At first, he hesitated. He had to choose between helping himself and helping the town. There was only one way to save the town. It seemed crazy to him, but it was the only thing he could do. He poked his finger into the hole. This didn't fix the problem forever, but it did postpone the tragedy. His finger ached. He felt the chill of the arctic water as it splashed him. There was no one else around. He knew he had to wait until the tide went out again. It was very difficult, but Marcus stayed there and saved the town. Once the tide had gone out, Marcus told everyone what happened. A group of people went to the wall. They saw the hole and fixed it. Everyone was very happy with Marcus. The local congress even gave him a gift for saving the town. He was a hero.