He 20th Century technology time line

verb
adjective
noun
B.
Use the new words
Write one of the words or phrases from Exercise A next to each definition.
verbs:
1. makes up; constitutes ______________________________
2. talk about oneself with too much pride ______________________________
3. happen ______________________________
4. used ______________________________
adjectives:
5. curvy ______________________________
6. next to ______________________________
7. unusual ______________________________
8. grand ______________________________
nouns:
9. a copy ______________________________
10. a person who kills animals ______________________________
11. a large amount ______________________________
12. a cure ______________________________
V.
UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR
A.
Read about superlative adjectives
Review these rules for superlative adjectives:
For most superlatives with one-syllable adjectives, add -est.
old—oldest
Superlatives for words ending in -y add -iest.
curvy—curviest
Superlatives for other words with two or more syllables use “most.”
most famous

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54 | Better Reading English
These superlatives are irregular:
good—best
bad—worst
far—farthest
Superlatives are often used with one of the.
San Francisco is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United 
States.
B.
Use the grammar
Complete the sentences with one of the adjectives. Use the superlative form.
steep large busy
tall 
long expensive
1. At 853 feet, the Transamerica Pyramid is the _________________ building in 
San Francisco.
2. The Bay Bridge is one of the _________________ bridges in the world.
3. Union Square attracts thousands of people—it’s the _________________ 
shopping district in the city.
4. French Laundry in San Francisco is one of the _________________ 
restaurants in the United States. It costs about $135 per person.
5. Be careful on Filbert Street. It’s one of the _________________ streets in San 
Francisco.
6. Golden Gate Park, the _________________ park in San Francisco, is bigger 
than Central Park in New York.
VI. READ IT AGAIN
Reread the article, and notice the use of superlatives. Then write one 
superlative sentence about each neighborhood.
Chinatown: ________________________________________________________
Nob Hill: __________________________________________________________
Mission District: ____________________________________________________
A NEW GOLD RUSH
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
In the years 1848 to 1855, around 200,000 people came to California looking for 
gold. This time frame is now known as the California Gold Rush. Many of these 
people came to San Francisco, which grew from a town of a few hundred 
people to a city of around 35,000. You can see evidence of the gold rush history 

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San Francisco | 55
in names throughout California; for example, the state’s oficial nickname is 
“The Golden State,” and the San Francisco professional football team is called 
“the 49ers,” which is what the people looking for gold were called. Although 
there is not much gold left in California, there are still some people who like to 
“pan for gold” for fun and relaxation—and sometimes proit. This article is 
about some people who are out of work and hoping to make a little money 
panning for gold.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
____ 1. prospecting 
a. wash dirt in a pan to look for gold
____ 2. shoveling 
b. separating the small pieces using a sieve
____ 3. sifting 
c. looking for
____ 4. sorting 
d. small piece
____ 5. panning 
e. organizing into categories
____ 6. particle 
f. moving earth with a shovel
C.
Reading strategy
These two words are defined in the following text. Scan the story for these 
words, and write their definitions.
1. sluicer ________________________________________________________
2. garnet ________________________________________________________
II. READ
Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look 
them up.
New Gold Rush Hits California
DeMello, 60, and his prospecting partner, Mike Gavin, 53, a Los Alamitos roofer 
idled by the business slowdown, drove 20 miles into the forest north of Azusa, 
Calif., then hiked up a trail into East Fork Canyon and hopped rocks jutting out 
of the side of the fast-rushing river, passing trout ishermen, until they found a 
spot that looked promising. Gavin shoveled furiously along the bank while 
DeMello sifted and sorted through the dirt.
Reducing his shovel contents to mostly sand, he deposited it slowly into a 
metal sluicer, a piece of equipment reined but little changed in a century and a 
half. Placed for river water to run through it, the sluicer catches the heaviest