M2 READING, MATHEW LEARS A LESSON

MATTHEW LEARNS A LESSON Matthew Learns a Lesson Matthew was a sensible boy. He always kept his room tidy and had a natural literary aptitude. One day, he hoped to have a career in journalism. The adolescent spent much of his time reading and liked having privacy. But his quiet personality hindered his ability to make friends. One day, Matthew went to the pharmacy to pick up some pills for his grandmother. He saw some boys leaning against a pole outside. One of the boys complimented Matthew. “ I like your jacket.” Another boy asked, “ Do you want to go to Nate’s Restaurant?” “ Sure!” Matthew said. The boys walked to the restaurant. They were going to have slices of pizza. They ordered their food and drank soda with straws. They ate until their bellies swelled up. Matthew was having so much fun. One of the boys said, “ Let’s leave without paying.” Matthew didn’t want to. But he presumed his new friends wouldn’t like him if he didn’t. Suddenly, the waiter yelled, “ Stop!” The two other boys ran, leaving Matthew there alone. Soon, the police arrived. “ Leaving without paying for your meal is the same as stealing,” said the police officer. “ The restaurant wants justice. So next week you have to go to court and let a jury decide your punishment.” When he went to court, the judge asked, “ Do you have anything to say, Matthew?” He said, “ I feel sorrow for what I’ve done. Now I know that real friends won’t ask you to do something illegal.” The jury then let him have his liberty. But they made Matthew pick up trash as punishment. Much to Matthew’s surprise, he ended up meeting some new friends.

adolescent [ӕdəˈlesənt] n. adolescent An adolescent is a young person or a teenager. → The adolescent was excited about getting a skateboard for his birthday. aptitude aptitude [ˈæptɪtjuːd] n. aptitude Aptitude is a natural ability or skill. → He has a natural aptitude for water skiing. compliment compliment [ˈkɒmpləmənt] v. compliment To compliment is to say a nice thing about someone or something. → Her co-worker complimented her for doing a good job. hinder hinder [ˈhindər] v. hinder To hinder is to keep someone or something from doing something. → All the traffic hindered me from getting to work on time. journalism journalism [ˈdʒəːrnəlɪzəm] n. journalism Journalism is the work of collecting the news to put in newspapers or on TV. → Before becoming a teacher, she worked in journalism. jury jury [ˈdʒuəri] n. jury A jury is a group of people that listen to a trial and say if someone is guilty. → The jury listened closely to the attorney before they made their decision. justice justice [ˈdʒʌstɪs] n. justice Justice is fairness in the way that you treat other people. → People turn to the court system when they are seeking justice. liberty liberty [ˈlibə:rti] n. liberty Liberty is freedom to do what you want. → To many people, the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom. literary literary [ˈlɪtərərɪ] adj. literary If someone or something is literary, it is involved with literature in some way. → He worked hard to create a successful literary career. pharmacy pharmacy [ˈfɑːrməsɪ] n. pharmacy A pharmacy is a place where medicine is sold. → My mother sells medicine to people at the pharmacy. pill pill [pil] n. pill A pill is a small object that has medicine inside. → She took a pill for her headache. presume presume [prɪˈzuːm] v. presume To presume is to believe something is true without being certain. → Since he raised his hand, the teacher presumed he knew the answer. privacy privacy [ˈpraɪvəsɪ] n. privacy To have privacy is to be away from other people. → Please hang the sign on the door so we can have some privacy. punishment punishment [ˈpʌnɪʃmənt] n. punishment A punishment is something that one must endure for any wrong doing. → He was given a punishment for being rude to the teacher. sensible sensible [ˈsensəbl] adj. sensible If someone is sensible, they make good decisions. → It was sensible for her to save some money each month. slice slice [slaɪs] n. slice A slice is a piece from something larger, such as a cake. → The girl enjoyed a slice of cake at her birthday party. sorrow sorrow [ˈsɒrou] n. sorrow Sorrow is a very sad feeling. → The girl felt sorrow after her best friend moved away. straw straw [strɔː] n. straw A straw is a thin tube that is used to suck liquid into the mouth. → I drank the orange juice through a straw. swell swell [swel] v. swell To swell is to become larger and rounder. → My sister’s stomach began to swell after she got pregnant. tidy tidy [ˈtaɪdɪ] adj. tidy When something is tidy, it is clean and in order. → Leon has always been a very tidy boy.

EXERCISE 3 Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part. 1 adolescents 2 sorrow 3 journalism 4 swell 5 hindered 6 punishment 7 slices 8 straws 9 liberty 10 tidy

Choose the right word for the given definition. the condition of being away from other people a. presume b. privacy c. slice d. jury to say something nice to someone a. compliment b. sensible c. hinder d. swell an object with medicine inside a. straw b. pill c. aptitude d. adolescent fairness to others a. sorrow b. justice c. liberty d. punishment a store that sells medicine a. pharmacy b. compliment c. literary d. justice EXERCISE 2 Choose the answer that best fits the question. What is a group of people that decides whether someone is guilty or not? a. A jury b. A punishment c. A pill d. An adolescent If you are going to someone’s wedding, what will others think? a. That you are out for justice b. That they’ll presume you know the couple c. That you are tidy d. hat you work in a pharmacy Ifyou have the ability to do something, then you have ______. a. aptitude b. swell c. privacy d. hinder A ______ person reads a lot of books. a. literary b. liberty c. pill d. journalism If someone exercises regularly, what kind of person can we say they are? a. One who has aptitude b. A sensible person c. One who likes to give compliments d. A person who enjoys a slice of pizza

ANSWER KEY YOUR ANSWER EXERCISE 1 Choose the right word for the given definition. 1 b. privacy 2 a. compliment 3 b. pill 4 b. justice 5 a. pharmacy d. justice EXERCISE 2 Choose the answer that best fits the question. 1 a. A jury 2 b. That they’ll presume you know the couple 3 a. aptitude 4 a. literary 5 b. A sensible person