13.4 Words and Phrases

Vocabulary

Word Meaning Example sentence
canary a small yellow songbird A canary named Claribel flew in the cabin.
weightlessness the state of having no apparent weight (zero gravity) In weightlessness, the bird floated easily.
gravity the force that pulls objects towards Earth There was no gravity on the station.
smuggle to bring something in secretly Sven had smuggled the bird aboard.
purifier a device that cleans the air The air purifier froze and stopped working.
poisonous harmful or deadly to breathe or eat The air slowly turned poisonous.
alarm a warning device or signal The costly alarm failed to go off.
instinct a natural, inborn tendency or sense The bird’s instinct sensed the danger.
sensitive quick to detect small changes Canaries are very sensitive to bad air.
crew the people working on a ship or station The whole crew loved Claribel.
collapse to fall down suddenly, often from weakness Claribel began to collapse in the bad air.
reliable able to be trusted to work well The bird proved more reliable than the alarm.

Phrases and expressions

Expression What it means
canary in a coal mine an early warning of danger
out of curiosity because one wants to know or find out
go off (of an alarm) to ring or sound
just in time at the last possible moment

Exam Tip This story mixes space-science words (gravity, weightlessness, purifier) with everyday ones. Be sure you can explain “canary in a coal mine” - it is the key idea of the story and a favourite exam question.

Use what you’ve learnt

Fill each blank: weightlessness, smuggle, purifier, sensitive, reliable.

  1. In ___, the canary hung in the air like a hummingbird.
  2. Sven managed to ___ the bird onto the station.
  3. The air ___ froze and stopped working.
  4. Canaries are very ___ to poisonous gases.
  5. The little bird proved more ___ than the costly alarm.
  1. weightlessness   2. smuggle   3. purifier   4. sensitive   5. reliable