4000 Essential English Words 4 Unit 28: Thucydides and the Plague of Athens

Choose the right word for the given definition.

to ask someone to come

Choose the right word for the given definition.

basic

Choose the right word for the given definition.

to get bigger

Choose the right word for the given definition.

to be afraid

Choose the right word for the given definition.

not believing

Choose the right definition for the given word.

plague

Choose the right definition for the given word.

solitude

Choose the right definition for the given word.

define

Choose the right definition for the given word.

organism

Choose the right definition for the given word.

horrifying

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

There was a _____ in the city yesterday, but the _____ was not damaged.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

For the book report, I _____ the book and clearly _____ the author's purpose for writing it.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

There are 15 members in the group _____, but I expect that number to _____.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

His attempt to catch the train was to no _____ . He spent hours in _____ waiting for the next one.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

The _____ point of my speech was to show that people need to act. If we don’t do something, things will _____.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

I tried to _____ the information as fast as I could because I didn’t have time to _____.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

After seeing that _____ plane crash, I _____ flying.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

She was _____ that there could be such a _____ contrast between boys' and girls' grades.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

We should _____ scientists from around the world to study this new _____.

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

At first, we thought _____ people were getting sick. Then we realized that a _____ was spreading.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

Presently, a horrifying plague has broken out in Athens.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

At first, people thought the spread of the disease was random.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

The people summoned doctors to no avail.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

Thucydides was incredulous that the plague was caused by an organism.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

By gathering in shrines, people made the plague worse.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

Thucydides luckily survived the plague.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

Why did Athens’ population expand?

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

Thucydides scribbled quickly because ______.

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

What fundamental lesson did the people learn?

THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS

Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.

In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.

People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.

What is NOT true of Thucydides?