4000 Essential English Words

9. valentine / decent
He thought that until he got a
haircut, Elena would never be his
10. sensation / disgrace
The runner f e lt _____
his stomach.
when he lost the race. He had a te rrib le .
in

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The 
Boy 
and his 
Sled
Mike was the smallest child in school. Another boy, Joe, always 
teased 
Mike. Joe had 
a large 
scar 
on his face from fighting other children. One day, Joe 
offended 
Mike when 
he made fun of M ike’ s 
valentine, 
Jane. Mike felt 
disgrace, 
but he d id n ’t know how to 
make Joe stop.
That day, Mike walked home down an 
alley. 
He found a 
bunch 
of wood boards next 
to a 
pine 
tree. He thought to him self, “ I could build a 
decent sled 
from this. If I let Joe 
use it, he w ill be n ic e rto me and Jane.” He took the wood home.
Mike got an 
ax 
and cut the wood. He used nails to make sure that the pieces were 
not 
loose. 
As he worked, he bumped his 
elbow 
on the boards. The painful 
sensation
made him w ant to cry. It was a hard 
chore, 
but he 
persisted. 
He worked 
overnight. 
By 
morning, the sled was finished.
Mike called Joe on the telephone. He said, “ Hi Joe. Come over to my house right 
away.”
Joe d id n ’t know why Mike wanted him to come over. When Joe arrived, Mike told 
him, “ Joe, it 
irritated 
me the other day when you said mean things about my card to
Jane. You weren’t 
kidding 
when you said those mean things. 
But I’ m not like you. I just b uilt this sled, and I’ ll let you 
ride it w ith me if you are nice.”
They became friends, and Joe was 
grateful

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m
P/MT A Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false 
statements to make them true.
1.
Joe offended Mike by saying mean things about his valentine, Jane.
2.
Mike found a bunch of pine trees.
3.
Joe was a decent person at the beginning of the reading.
4.
Mike persisted even though the chore was very hard.
5.
Mike used his elbows to put together loose pieces.
6.
Mike told Joe he was sharing his new sled because he was a civil person.
P/iMF B Answer the questions.
1. Which item did Mike NOT use when bui
a. Ax
c. Alley
2. At the end of the reading, Joe 
.
a. was grateful that Mike was nice
c. irritated Mike again
3. Why did Mike feel a painful sensation?
a. Joe teased him w ith the hammer.
c. He got a scar on his face.
4. According to the reading, when did Mil<
a. The next morning
c. Before school
n g th e sled?
b. Nail
d. Valentine
b. did not get to ride on the sled
d. said he was kidding
b. He dragged the wood home.
d. He bumped his elbow on the boards.
build the sled?
b. Overnight
d. Throughout the day

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