E n g L i s h jenni Currie Santamaria

Sickness and Health
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9.
. . .we are more likely to get a second wind and replenish our emotional 
bank
.
a. 
a inancial institution
b. 
a supply or stock held in reserve
c. 
to have conidence or faith in
10.
By relecting on your happiness boosters, you can better understand the 
nature
of happiness.
a. 
the natural world and everything in it, such as mountains, trees, and 
animals
b. 
a basic quality of something
B.
Idioms
get a second wind
= get more energy
This idiom is often used with 
getting more energy 
after already having 
expended a lot of energy.
Although I had worked 10 hours, I got a second wind in the evening.
Copy the sentence from the text that uses this idiom.
V. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR: TOO
A.
Read about 
too
Too 
means “to an undesirable degree.” It is used before adjectives and adverbs 
to express a negative meaning. 
Not too 
expresses a positive meaning when it is 
used with adjectives and adverbs that are negative qualities.
It’s 
too
 hot to play outside.
It’s not 
too
big to fit through the door.
Do not confuse 
too
and 
very.
Too
(undesirable degree)
This school is 
too
small. There aren’t enough students to have two teams.
Very 
(great degree)
This school is 
very
 small. Teachers are able to give each student a lot of 
attention.
B.
Use the grammar
Circle the word that best completes each sentence.
1.
We’re (too / very) tired to go out dancing tonight.
2.
She’s (too / very) upset about her test score, and she knows she must study 
harder next time.

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Better Reading English
3.
The theater is (too / very) crowded, so the show must probably be good.
4.
Her daughter is (too / very) young to go on the roller coaster.
5.
She’s (too / very) poor to afford a new car, so she’s looking at used ones.
6.
The lemonade is (too / very) sour for him to drink, so he’ll drink water.
7.
Her mother is (too / very) sweet to offer us dinner.
VI. READ IT AGAIN
Read the passage again. Answer the question.
What is the general message of the excerpt?
MENTAL GREMLINS
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
This passage is from the book, 
Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner 
Excellence
, by Gary Mack. Mack explores the psychological health of athletes 
and people who have experienced success in many different areas of life. He 
has determined that mental skills are just as important to performance as 
physical skills, if not more. In this excerpt, you will read about the importance of 
thinking positively about yourself, and how negative thoughts can keep you 
from doing your best.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
_____ 1.
vitally 
a. to stop
_____ 2.
essence 
b. expressing disapproval or inding fault
_____ 3.
diminished 
c. render unable to move
_____ 4.
discount 
d. extremely important
_____ 5.
prevent 
e. to weaken or make less effective
_____ 6.
undermine 
f. basic nature of things
_____ 7.
paralyze 
g. to cause constant worry
_____ 8.
plagued 
h. lessened
_____ 9.
conditional 
i. to think of something as having little 
importance
_____ 10.
critical 
j. something that will happen only if 
something else happens

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