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The Cool War
The Cool War

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Cool War is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Cool War
Context Illustration Reading 1/125 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!
"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.
Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.
"Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.
Very simple."
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Cool War

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Cool War is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/125 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!
Line 2
"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.
Line 3
Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.
Line 4
"Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.
/ɪˈreɪs hɪz ˈmem.ər.i ɡɪv hɪm ə nuː neɪm ənd fiːd hɪm mɔːr ˈpeɪtriətɪzəm/
Line 5
Very simple."
/ˈveri ˈsɪmpəl/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Erase verb US /ɪˈreɪs/

remove from memory or existence

From this reading “"Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.”

Moscow noun US /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading “"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.”

patriotism noun US /ˈpeɪtriətɪzəm/

love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

From this reading “"Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.”

soothingly adverb US /ˈsuːðɪŋli/

in a soothing manner

From this reading “"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.”

Spies noun US /spaɪz/

plural of “spy” — (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors

From this reading “Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!”

tame verb US /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

From this reading “Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.”

tangle noun US /ˈtæŋɡəl/

a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven

From this reading “Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!”

zoo noun US /zuː/

the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition

From this reading “Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

forty miles adjective + noun counted as “forty mile”

In this reading “"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.”

came out verb + adjective counted as “come out”

appear or become visible; make a showing

In this reading “"Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.”

All words in this reading · 55

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

attendantnounUS /əˈtendənt/

someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

EraseverbUS /ɪˈreɪs/

remove from memory or existence

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

feedverbUS /fiːd/

provide as food

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/

being ten more than thirty

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

friend'snounUS /frendz/

possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

happensverbUS /ˈhæpənz/

third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

Here's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

MasternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

memorynounUS /ˈmem.ər.i/

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

MoscownounUS /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

Pashkov

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

patriotismnounUS /ˈpeɪtriətɪzəm/

love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

From this reading "Erase his memory, give him a new name and feed him more patriotism.

roly-polynoun

a rotund individual

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

simpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Very simple."

soothinglyadverbUS /ˈsuːðɪŋli/

in a soothing manner

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

SpiesnounUS /spaɪz/

plural of “spy” — (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

stayverbUS /steɪ/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

tameverbUS /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

tanglenounUS /ˈtæŋɡəl/

a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

upsetverbUS /əpˈset/

disturb the balance or stability of

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Very simple."

villanounUS /ˈvɪlə/

Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)

From this reading "Nothing, nothing to get upset about," Pashkov said soothingly, taking his friend's arm as they came out of the villa forty miles from Moscow.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Here's what happens when two Master Spies tangle ... and stay that way!

zoonounUS /zuː/

the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition

From this reading Pashkov looked like a roly-poly zoo attendant leading a tame bear.

Chapter 1 of The Cool War by Andrew Fetler holds 627 sentences, grouped into 126 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of The Cool War contain?

Chapter 1 holds 627 sentences of The Cool War, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Cool War by Andrew Fetler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 627 sentences, grouped into 126 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Cool War?

Work through the 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 126 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Cool War

Common questions about reading The Cool War by Andrew Fetler on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Cool War?

Yes. All 627 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51256 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Cool War is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51256, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Cool War take to read?

About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Cool War section by section

How to work through The Cool War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Cool War to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Cool War

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Cool War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Here's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cool War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Happens
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cool War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Master
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cool War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cool War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.