2018-2019 ACADEMIC YEAR – PERIOD 2

INTERMEDIATE - MAKING CONNECTIONS 2

VOCABULARY PRACTICE MATERIALS

EXERCISE 1: Fill in the blanks with only one word from the box. You do NOT need to
change the word forms. There are extra words in the box.

fix nature proud invention tablets

factory refer quickly obviously materials

Did you know that March 13 is Ear Muff Day in the United States? I bet you haven’t heard of
Ear Muff Day, especially if you live somewhere warm. 

It was on March 13 in 1877 when Chester Greenwood from Farmington, Maine, was awarded
a patent for his (1)_____________________ of ear muffs. Four years earlier fifteen year
old Chester Greenwood had brilliantly figured out how to keep those two body parts on either
side of our head warm by using two (2)_____________________ : wire and cloth. This has
become one of the greatest contributions to cold weather protection.

He came up with the idea after trying to keep his ears warm while he was ice skating. He had
tied his scarf around his head, but it was too big and itchy. Then he had an “eureka moment”
and knew exactly what to do to (3)_____________________ the problem. When he got home,
he shared his idea with his grandmother, and she sew up his design
(4)_____________________, as she did not want him to lose any time.

Chester Greenwood called his new invention the Champion Ear Protector and started a(n)
(5)_____________________ to manufacture his invention. Later, the name was changed to
ear muffs, and during World War I, he made a lot of money selling ear muffs to American
soldiers. Chester went on inventing many other things but ear muffs are
(6)_____________________ the most well-known invention of him. In the beginning, there
was not such a variety, however, ear muffs have recently come in many different styles.

His hometown is very (7) _________________ of Chester. To show their gratefulness to him,
in 1977, the town declared the first day of winter, December 21, Chester Greenwood Day.

1
EXERCISE 2: Match the words with their meaning. There are extra definitions.
a) (v) to briefly speak or write about something or someone 1. colored …………..
b) (adj) very important and necessary 2. essential ………….
c) (n) an area of a town or city that people live in 3. freedom…………..
d) (adj) having or producing a colour or colours 4. divide ……………
e) (adj) not firmly fixed 5. neighborhood ……
f) (n) money, food, or equipment that is given to help a 6. mention…………..
country or group of people 7. aid …………….….
g) (n) the right to live in the way you want, say what
you think, and make your own decisions without
being controlled by anyone else
h) (v) to separate into parts or groups, or to make something
separate into parts or groups
i) (v) to find or see information, especially using a computer

Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks with the words from Exercise 2, Column B. You may need
to change the word forms.
8. You have the _______________ to do what you want to do. Nobody can tell you what
you will do.
9. Are there any good restaurants in the _______________? I’m not very familiar with this
part of the town.
10. Emergency _______________ was sent to the flood victims. Without this help, they
wouldn’t be able to survive.
11. Our teacher wanted each student to bring _______________ papers tomorrow for our
project.
12. Computers are a(n) _______________ part of our lives. They are so important that many
people depend on them every single minute each day.
13. Each school year is _______________ into two semesters.
14. I'll _______________ your problem to Caroline. When we talk about it, I’m sure she will
solve the problem.

2
ANSWER KEY
EXERCISE 1:
1. INVENTION
2. MATERIALS
3. FIX
4. QUICKLY
5. FACTORY
6. OBVIOUSLY
7. PROUD

Adapted from
http://www.inventivekids.com/2013/08/21/march-13-is-ear-muff-day/#more-3280

EXERCISE 2:
1. D
2. B
3. G
4. H
5. C
6. A
7. F

EXERCISE 3:
8. FREEDOM
9. NEIGHBOURHOOD
10. AID
11. COLORED
12. ESSENTIAL
13. DIVIDED
14. MENTION