Prepare to Read

Learn Key Vocabulary

Rate and Study the Words Rate how well you know each word. Then:

  • 1. Pronounce the word. Say it aloud several times. Spell it.

  • 2. Study the example.

  • 3. Tell more about the word.

  • 4. Practice it. Make the word your own.

Rating Scale

  • 1 = I have never seen this word before.

  • 2 = I am not sure of the word’s meaning.

  • 3 = I know this word and can teach the word’s meaning to someone else.

Key Words
evacuate (i-va-kyū-āt) verb
Photograph of a woman opening an emergency exit door in a hurry and speaking on a cell phone
To evacuate means to leave or to get out. The woman evacuated the building when the fire alarm rang.		fortunate (for-chu-nut) adjective page 164
Photograph of a row of homes with black smoke from a fire in the distance
Someone who is fortunate is lucky. The family is fortunate that their house did not burn in thefire. Base Word: fortune		future (fyū-chur) noun page 166
Photograph of a hand turning the page of a desk calendar
The future is what will happen in the time to come. I am going to a concert at some time in the near future.
hurricane (hur-u-kā) noun page 158
Photograph of three hurricane systems as seen from high above them
A hurricane is an ocean storm with strong winds. From space, a hurricane looks like a spiral of white clouds.		levee (le vē) noun page 163
Photograph of several walls built (levees) in a river
A levee is a structure that keeps a river from flooding. If rainfall is heavy for a long time,a river could rise and the water could spill over the levee.		necessity (ni-se-su-tē) noun page 160
Photograph of a girl cranking the handle of a hand pump to get water
A necessity is an item that someone needs. Food and water are the most basic necessities of life.
severe (su-vear) adjective page 158
Photograph of a man with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples with his fingers as though in pain
Something that is severe is very serious or dangerous. Dad could not read because he had a severe headache.		untouched (un-tucht) adjective page 166
Photograph of wide open green fields with no cars, people, or houses and snow-covered mountains in the distance
Something that is untouched is not changed or hurt in any way. Few areas of the world have been untouched by humans. Base Word: touch		Practice the Words Work with a partner. Write a question using a Key Word. Answer your partner’s question using a different Key Word. Keep going until you have used all the words twice.
QuestionsAnswers
What would you take if you evacuated your home in an earthquake?I would take water, food, and other necessities.