Vocabulary Skill - Synonyms

A. Read the sentences below. Write the words that are synonyms for the bold words.

1. As a child, Robert was afraid of heights. His friends went rock climbing, but he didn't go. He was too scared.
2. Robert looked for his keys. He searched his backpack and his jacket, but he couldn't find them.
3. When Robert climbs, he uses no rope. This is not safe. "Yes, it's dangerous," he says, "but it is also interesting."
4. Once, Robert fell 15 meters. The doctors said, "You must stop climbing." But he didn't quit.

B. Complete the sentences below with a circled word from A. You might have to change the form of the word or phrase.

1. Don't drive so fast in this rain. It's
2. My father smoking two months ago.
3. Tom: Mary, what are you doing?
   Mary: I'm for my glasses. I can't find them.
4. Carlos is very brave. He's not of anything.

A Real Life Superhero

As a child, Alain Robert was afraid of heights. One day, when he was 12, he returned home from school. At the front door of his building, he looked for his keys. He didn't have them. It was 3:30, and his parents worked until 6:00 p.m. Robert looked at his apartment on the eighth floor. He saw an open window. He closed his eyes and pictured himself climbing the building. When he opened his eyes, he told himself, "I can do it." Fifteen minutes later, he was in his house, and his fear of heights was gone.

Today, Robert (a native of France) still climbs buildings. In 2004, he climbed Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world at the time), and in 2011 he climbed the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai. To reach the top of a building, Robert usually uses only his hands and special shoes. To climb the Burj Khalifa tower, though, he was made to wear safety ropes.

Robert climbs as a hobby. He also does it to make money for charity (for children and the homeless¹). When he climbs, he wants to send. a.message to people. If you have a dream-something you really want to do-it can become real. But you must be brave and keep trying. If something bad happens, don't give up. Close your eyes and tell yourself, "I can do it."

¹ The homeless are people who don't have homes.