T3

A BET A Bet Russell finished running a relay and joined his friend Becky in the cafeteria. He asked, “What’s for lunch?” “Sesame chicken. It’s OK, except the meat’s charred. Oh, and watch out for the chili peppers,” Becky said. “Chilies don’t bother me!” said Russell. “ My stepmother says you should be careful with them,” replied Becky. An argument ensued about eating chilies. “Chilies aren’t so bad. I bet I can take more bites of this chili than you,” Russell said. Becky was wary of eating the pepper. Despite her reluctance, she didn’t want to say no to the bet. She wavered about whether to do it or not. She negotiated the details. “What will the winner get?” she asked. “The loser has to carry the winner’s books for a year! I’ll even let you go first.” Becky replied, “ Fine, but to clarify, you’ll carry my books for the entire school year, right?” Russell restated the agreement, “That’s right I’ll carry your books all year if you win—which you won’t!” His dogged persuasion convinced her. The chili looked benign, but Becky knew it could cause a lot of pain. She bit the bottom of the pepper. Surprisingly, she felt nothing. “ My turn,” said Russell. He bit the middle of the chili. Immediately, he seemed to be in distress. He gasped and his face alternated between brave and pained expressions. He experienced an overdose of spice. He was on the verge of tears and finally let out a horrible cry. “Take this,” said Becky, handing him her drink. “That was awful!” he said, continuing to sip from the glass. That night, Becky researched chilies. The next day she said in an apologetic voice, “ I read that the hot part of chilies is in the middle, where the seeds are. I’m sorry—I feel like I cheated by going first.” Russell was relieved, not only did he learn something new about chilies, but he learned that Becky was a good friend.

alternate [ˈɔ:ltərneit] v. alternate To alternate means to switch back and forth between two things. → The best exercise alternates muscle and heart strengthening.

apologetic [əˌpɒləˈdʒetik] adj. apologetic If someone is apologetic, they are sorry about something. → The boy felt apologetic after losing his sister’s favorite toy.

alternate [ˈɔ:ltərneit] v. alternate To alternate means to switch back and forth between two things. → The best exercise alternates muscle and heart strengthening. apologetic apologetic [əˌpɒləˈdʒetik] adj. apologetic If someone is apologetic, they are sorry about something. → The boy felt apologetic after losing his sister’s favorite toy. benign benign [biˈnain] adj. benign If something or someone is benign, they do not hurt anyone. → Many spiders look scary, but most are actually benign. char char [tʃɑːr] v. char To char means to burn something so that it turns black. → While Frank went inside to get the mustard, he accidentally charred the hotdogs. clarify clarify [ˈklærəfai] v. clarify To clarify means to make something easier to understand by explaining it. → Drew tried to clarify all the functions of Michelle’s new computer. dogged dogged [ˈdɔ(:)gid] adj. dogged When someone’s actions are dogged, they try hard to continue something. → Her dad bought her a new jacket after her dogged requests for one. distress distress [disˈtres] n. distress Distress is the feeling of being upset or worried. → Failing a class caused the student a lot of distress. ensue ensue [inˈsuː] v. ensue To ensue means to happen after something. → After a few minutes of lightening, thunder ensued. gasp gasp [gæsp] v. gasp To gasp means to make a noise by quickly breathing in when surprised. → John always gasps when watching a scary movie. negotiate negotiate [niˈgouʃieit] v. negotiate To negotiate means to try to make an agreement through discussion. → Mario and Joe took a long time negotiating the contract between the companies. overdose overdose [ˈouvərdous] n. overdose An overdose is an instance of taking or having too much of something. → John’s skin was burned from an overdose of sunshine. persuasion persuasion [pərˈsweiʒən] n. persuasion Persuasion is the act of making someone do or believe something. → The persuasion of his argument convinced the customer to buy the laptop. relay relay [ˈriːlei] n. relay A relay is a race in which teams of runners or swimmers race against each other. → Jerry was the fastest on his team, so he ran the last part of the relay. reluctance reluctance [riˈlʌktəns] n. reluctance Reluctance is a feeling of not wanting to do something. → Jesse took out the trash with great reluctance. restate restate [riːˈsteit] v. restate To restate something means to say it again or in a different way. → Mrs. Jones restated the test question to the class. sesame sesame [ˈsesəmi] n. sesame Sesame is an herb that is grown for its small seeds and its oil. → I used the buns with the sesame seeds on them. sip sip [sip] v. sip To sip something means to drink a small amount at a time. → Liza relaxed on the beach, sipping fruit juice through a straw. verge verge [vəːrdʒ] n. verge The verge is the point at which something is about to happen. → Joan was on the verge of leaving her house when the phone rang. wary wary [ˈwɛəri] adj. wary If someone is wary, they are cautious or mistrusting. → She was wary of going to school because she hadn’t done her homework. waver waver [ˈweivə:r] v. waver To waver is to be unable to decide between two choices. → I wavered between eating the apple or the cake for a snack.

Choose the answer that best fits the question. An overdose of something is _______. a. expensive b. too much c. not true d. not enough What might cause someone to gasp? a. Falling asleep b. Getting a surprise party c. Eating too much d. Laying on a bed What is something that can be sipped? a. A plate of rice b. A bowl of fruit c. A glass of soda d. A piece of chicken If you knew that a snake was benign, you would probably feel like this: a. Fine b. Scared c. Angry d. Hungry She felt apologetic about _______. a. calling her friend back b. walking home alone c. forgetting her friend’s birthday d. giving to charity If people are negotiating, what are they doing? a. Deciding on something b. Arguing about a silly topic c. Meeting for the first time d. Going on a date What does charred meat look like? a. It is raw and not cooked enough. b. It is cooked perfectly. c. It is black on the outside. d. It is red on the outside. If someone does something with reluctance, how do they feel? a. Excited b. Unwilling c. Frightened d. Nervous What might ensue after someone has misplaced a lot of money? a. A worried search b. A visit from the doctor c. The arrival of a friend d. A party What might cause a teacher distress? a. All the students doing their homework b. Her students always arriving on time c. Her students not coming to class d. Her students all passing an exam EXERCISE 2 Choose the one that is similar in meaning to the given word. reluctance a. loneliness b. hesitance c. dependence d. lateness apologetic a. unsure b. lucky c. sorry d. pitiful char a. burn b. cook c. on fire d. dark relay a. plate b. race c. desert d. snack persuasion a. talent b. influence c. ripeness d. climate restate a. decide b. discuss c. lose d. summarize gasp a. breathe b. announce c. mean d. drink negotiate a. decide b. discuss c. fair d. ask sesame a. container b. food c. an animal d. shell verge a. edge b. done c. plan d. last