Unit 1 Leonardo da Vinci ···
5
Unit 2 Join Now! ···
11
Unit 3 Human vs. Machine ··· 17
Unit 4 Animal Defense ···
23
Unit 5 Jenny’s Club Schedule ··· 29
Unit 6 Athena ···
35
Unit 7 A Problem ···
41
Unit 8 From a Little Seed ··· 47
Unit 9 Our Apologies ···
53
Unit 10 The Blue Sky ···
59
Unit 11 A Busy Semester ···
65
Unit 12 Games We Play ···
71
Unit 13 The Turtle and the Police ··· 77
Unit 14 Just Follow the Instructions ··· 83
Unit 15 The Jazz Player ···
89
Unit 16 The Kingdom of Bhutan ···· 95
Unit 17 A Family of Words ···101
Unit 18 Headline News ···
107
Unit 19 The Happiest Times ···113
Unit 20 Caught! ···
119
C ONTENTS
Leonardo da Vinci
U N I T
1 1
Match the word or phrase with its meaning.
1. ____ She excels in every subject at school.
2. ____ That painting is his greatest achievement.
3. ____ Max’s mom praised him when he got an A+.
4. ____ Chocolate was the specialty of the candy store.
5. ____ You need to be a genius to understand this book.
6. ____ Adam is so inventive. He could build anything.
1. Do you like to paint?
2. What are the names of some famous painters?
3. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
a. very smart person b. special product
c. to say good things about d. creative
e. does very well f. finished task
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452. He grew up in Italy, in a town called Vinci. Interestingly, his name means “Leonardo from Vinci.” He was an amazing man
of many talents. He was very smart. He has been described as a genius because he excelled at everything. Whatever he tried, he easily became a master of it. As a student, his teachers often praised him for his achievements.
He is best known for his paintings. Many people think da Vinci is one of the greatest painters who ever lived. His specialty was creating realistic paintings. Two of his works, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, are still famous today. The Mona Lisa is kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Every day, thousands of visitors line up to see iitt.
However, the talents of da Vinci were not limited to painting. He was also talented in the sciences. Da Vinci was an architect and an engineer. He was incredibly curious and inventive. Surprisingly, he thought of many things which we still use. For example, in his notebooks, he wrote about items like the helicopter and the army tank. He also thought about solar power and the calculator. He foresaw these items in the 16thcentury. This was several hundred years before they were actually used. He truly was a genius.
Leonardo da Vinci died in France, on May 2, 1519. Today, only a few of his paintings and notebooks remain. They are masterpieces to treasure for all time.
5
10
15
20 (252 words)
Choose the correct word or phrase.
1. Jessie is always asking questions about everything. She is so ______.
a. smart b. curious c. amazing d. talented
2. Our teacher ______ a shovel as a tool used for digging.
a. described b. liked c. praised d. came up with
3. James was a very ______ writer. He created many interesting characters.
a. inventive b. curious c. limited d. mean
4. Pamela got another A! She always ______ at school!
a. lines up b. excels c. writes d. creates
Leonardo da Vinci
Choose the best answer.
1. What is this story mainly about?
a. A flying machine
b. A genius with many talents c. The world’s best painter d. A museum in France
2. What does “it” in line 11 refer to?
a. The Louvre Museum b. Paris, France
c. The Mona Lisa d. Da Vinci’s inventions
3. Which talent is da Vinci most famous for?
a. Creating machines b. Writing music c. Designing buildings d. Making realistic pictures
4. What was so surprising about da Vinci’s inventions?
a. He thought of so many things.
b. Most were never used.
c. They were very realistic.
d. He thought of some modern things.
Write S for same or O for opposite.
1. ______ excel do well 2. ______ invent create
3. ______ genius fool 4. ______ thousands many
Same or Opposite.
Fill in the blank with the correct word or phrase.
Leonardo da Vinci was a man of many
1___________.
He is considered a genius and one of the world’
s
greatest 2___________. Perhaps his most famous piece is 3___________. In addition to art, da Vinci is famous
for 4___________ many things. Several of his inventions are used today. He died in 5___________ in 1519.
be known for
That restaurant is known for its desserts.
for example
For example, this city has Chinese, Italian, and Indian restaurants.
a master of
I had to practice for many years to become a master of the piano.
Fill in the blank with the correct phrase. Change the form of the words if necessary.
1. May can speak German, Russian, and French. She is ____________________ languages.
2. I love big cities. ____________________, Tokyo, Rome, and Paris are fantastic!
3. George is ____________________ his sense of humor.
Mona Lisa talents
inventing painters
France
Writing
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Using your notes, write your story in complete sentences.
Story Summary
Jane thinks ________ ________ is a genius. He has many different ________. He got an ________ in every ________ when he was a student. He can also speak ________ languages. His
greatest achievement is making a new door for their ________. It opens if you ________ to it.
Do you know about a genius? Write some notes about him or her.
Listen to the dialog and take notes. Use your notes to fill in the blanks.
A Real Genius
Listen again and check your notes.
Who does Jane think is a genius?
___________________________
Who do you think is a genius?
___________________________
Why does Jane think he is a genius?
___________________________
What has he done?
___________________________
What is his greatest achievement?
___________________________
Why do you think he or she is a genius?
___________________________
What has he or she done?
___________________________
What is his or her greatest achievement?
___________________________
a. I had a special talent b. anyone really smart c. What is he known for?
d. many little kids learn to play music
Choose the correct word or phrase.
1. Lucy has a lot of great ideas. She is very ______.
a. careful b. inventive c. stubborn d. scary
2. The police ______ the car that was stolen. It was mine!
a. called b. compared c. described d. wrote about
3. My grandma’s ______ is blueberry muffins.
a. met b. thought about c. specialty d. fit in
4. The teacher ______ her for getting such good grades.
a. praised b. disappointed c. introduced d. caused Look at the dialog. Fill in the blank with the
correct choice.
Now practice with a partner. Make your own answers.
A Do you know 1________________________________?
B Well, I read about Mozart on the Internet. They say he was a genius.
A Really? 2________________________________
B He could play the piano when he was only three years old.
A But 3________________________________.
B Yes, but Mozart also wrote music when he was only five years old.
A Now, that is amazing. I wish 4________________________________.
