UNIT3

Word List

absurd [əbsə:rd] adj.

If something or someone is absurd, they are ridiculous.

That group of people making animal noises sounds completely absurd.

anemia [əní:miə] n.

Anemia is a blood condition that causes a person to be pale and tired.

→ When she first developed anemia, she became tired often.

aristocracy [arəstákrəsi] n.

The aristocracy is the highest class of people in certain societies.

Most members of the aristocracy were very well-fed.

aristocrat [əristəkræt] n.

An aristocrat is a person who is of the highest class in certain societies.

The aristocrat did not need a job because his family was wealthy.

→

attire [ǝtaier] n.

Attire is nice or special clothing.

Everyone wore their best attire to the president's daughter's wedding.

-

craze [kreiz] n.

A craze is a brief and popular activity or object.

Wearing bright red socks was a craze when I was in high school.

enlarge [enlárd3] v.

To enlarge something means to make it bigger.

The classrooms were enlarged over the summer to make room for more students.

excess [ékses] n.

An excess is an amount of something that is more than needed or wanted.

Because it never got cold that winter, many stores had an excess of coats.

feminine [femanin] adj.

If something is feminine, then it has qualities that are commonly related to women.

Many of the older people thought his long hair made him look too feminine.

-

hallmark [hó:Ima:rk] n.

A hallmark is a unique characteristic of something.

Different types of pasta and tomato sauces are hallmarks of Italian food.

pad [pæd] n.

A pad is a thick piece of soft material used to protect or clean things.

→ Football players wear shoulder pads to keep them safe.

predominant [pridámənənt] adj.

If something is predominant, then it is the most important, common or strongest.

→ Before cars were invented, horses were the predominant method of travel.

reputable [repjǝtəbəl] adj.

If someone or something is reputable, then they have a good reputation.

The service from the less than reputable company made her angry.

rouge [ru:3] n.

Rouge is a red powder or cream used as makeup on the cheeks or lips.

→ Even when she didn't wear rouge, her cheeks appeared red.

signify [signǝfai] v.

To signify means to be a symbol of something.

→ A red octagon is used to signify to stop.

strap [stræp] n.

A strap is a thin long piece of fabric used to fasten, carry, or hold something.

She put the strap of her purse over her shoulder and walked out of the door.

→

tangle [tængǝl]

A tangle is something or many things twisted together.

→ The laces of his shoes were in such a tangle that he could not untie them.

UNIT

3

vanity [vænəti] n.

Vanity is excessive pride or love of one's own appearance or things one has done.

Her vanity won't allow her to pass a mirror without looking at herself.

→

vie [vai] v.

To vie for something means to compete against others for it.

→ The three boys vied for the prize in the chemistry contest.

vulgar [válger] adj.

If something or someone is vulgar, then they are rude or lacking in style.

Her vulgar behavior got her into trouble with her parents.

-21

The Fossil Hunters

Tim and Dean were great fossil hunters. They were the very best at finding dinosaur

bones. Although Tim and Dean were quite similar, they were outright enemies. The two men

got into vicious arguments all the time. They couldn't coexist peacefully because their egos

were too large. Tim thought he was the best fossil hunter, while Dean was sure that he was

much better than Tim.

One day, Tim was searching for fossils on the periphery of the city when he discovered a

huge bone. He had never seen anything like it! He took his shovel and carefully excavated

the dirt around it. As he dug, he uncovered more jagged bones. He realized that he had

found an entire dinosaur skeleton! Tim couldn't conceive a plan to remove the huge

skeleton all by himself. Such an endeavor would be too arduous. He needed help. He

tried to think of people who would be capable of helping him remove the skeleton without

breaking it. The only person Tim could think of was Dean, his enemy.

Tim ran into the city to find Dean. Tim found him and said, “Dean, I've found the skeletal

remains of a huge terrestrial animal. But I can't get the skeleton out by myself. Will you

please help me?

Dean thought that Tim's claim might be dubious. He replied, "If you're serious about the

skeleton, I'll help."

Tim excitedly showed Dean the skeleton's locale. They worked together to carefully remove

each bone. And to keep the bones together, they tied them with elastic strips. When they

were finished, they had attained a perfect skeleton. They used plaster to make a mold of

the dinosaur's skull. They engraved their initials into it and gave it to the curator of a local

museum.

Tim and Dean found out that they could work very well together.

They decided to end their feud and become friends. By combining

their talents, the men became even greater than they were before.

UNIT 2 (19Word List)

orth Star

arduous [ardzus adj.

When something is arduous, it demands great effort or labor.

The explorers began their arduous hike up the steep mountain.

→

attain [ǝtein] v.

To attain something means to gain or achieve it, often after a lot of effort.

In two more years, I will attain my high school diploma.

coexist [köuigzist) v.

To coexist with something means to exist with it in the same time and place.

Our pets coexist at our home with little or no problems.

conceive [kənsi v] v.

To conceive something means to be able to imagine or believe it.

→ The child could not conceive the actual size of the Earth.

dubious (dubies] adj.

When something or someone is dubious, they are not considered honest.

The police thought that the man's description of the crime was dubious.

->

ego [igou] n.

An ego is a person's sense of their own worth.

Kelly's ego made her think that she was some kind of a superhero.

-

elastic [læstik) adj.

Elastic is a rubber that stretches when it is pulled.

He attached the elastic bungee to his legs before he jumped off the platform.

endeavor [endevər] n.

An endeavor is an attempt to do something, especially something new or original.

The company's new advertising endeavor ended in a horrible failure.

-

engrave [ingreiv] v.

To engrave means to cut a design or words into the surface of something.

The couple engraved their names onto the old pine tree.

→

excavate [ekskaveit] v.

To excavate means to dig on land and remove dirt to look for something.

The team wishes to excavate the site in hopes of finding fossils.

jagged Idzægid) adj.

When something is jagged, it has a tough, uneven shape or edge.

The swimmer was hurt when he fell on the jagged rocks.

locale [loukæl] n.

A locale is a small area or place where something specific happens.

The spa was the perfect locale for my mother to relax and enjoy her vacation.

mold [mould] n.

A mold is a hollow container that is used to make certain shapes.

Using a cupcake mold will ensure that they come out just right.

outright [autrait] adj.

When something is outright, it is open and direct.

Everyone knew that the boy's story was an outright lie.

→

periphery [pəri:fəri] n.

The periphery of an area, place, or thing is the edge of it.

→A beautiful floral pattern is on the periphery of the stationery.

plaster [plæster] n.

Plaster is a smooth paste that gets hard when it dries.

He used plaster to fill in the cracks in the old walls.

shovel (fival) n.

A shovel is a tool with a long handle that is used for digging.

The boy grabbed his shovel and got all of the snow off of the sidewalk.

-

skeletal [skeleti] adj.

When something is skeletal, it relates to bones in the body.

→ We studied the skeletal system in anatomy class.

terrestrial [terestriǝl] adj.

If something is terrestrial, it relates to Earth.

There are billions of terrestrial life forms.

UNIT

2

vicious [vifəs] adj.

When something or someone is vicious, they are violent and cruel.

→The vicious dog tried to bite the small child.

The North Star

Among the multitude of stars in the universe, there are a couple that are of great

importance to people on Earth. The sun, of course, is one of them. The other is known as

Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is special because it is the only star that always appears to

be in the same place in the sky. Therefore, Polaris is a great compass. When people in the

northern hemisphere of Earth look toward Polaris, they can be certain that they are facing

north. The permanence of Polaris in the north sky has helped countless people find their

destinations.

Before the invention of modern navigation tools, mariners relied on Polaris. From the

top of their hulls, sailors would look for Polaris to figure out their place at sea. They figured

out the angle between the star and the horizon to determine their latitude. As long as the

equations weren't erroneous, the results were very reliable. Polaris also let sailors determine

North, South, East, and West. By knowing directions and their location, mariners could easily

navigate their ships.

To those who sail at night, volatile storms and dark clouds were more than nuisances.

They could disrupt entire journeys by blocking the view of Polaris. A captain could err and

make an inadvertent wrong turn. The ship could become stranded at sea, and the frantic

captain would have no way to improvise to get the ship back on the right course. The mariner's

fears wouldn't be soothed until the clouds cleared and Polaris came back into view. Even today,

sailors sometimes opt to navigate by using Polaris on clear nights.

It's not difficult to differentiate Polaris from other stars. The Big Dipper, a constellation

that is well known in astrology, appears to revolve around Polaris. The handle of the Big

Dipper always points to the North Star. When people get lost, it's comforting to know that

their problems can be alleviated by looking at the sky.

Reading Comprehension

PART A Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false

statements to make them true.

Even today, sailors opt to improvise by using Polaris on clear nights.

A ship could become stranded if a captain erred and made an inadvertent wrong turn.

People who are lost can be alleviated by gazing up at a frantic sky.

Volatile storms were more than nuisances because they disrupted entire journeys.

It is not difficult to differentiate Polaris from the multitude of other stars in the

universe.

PART B Answer the questions.

1. How did mariners determine their latitude from the top of their hulls?

2. What has the permanence of Polaris done for people?

3. How did sailors figure out latitude?

4. What well-known constellation in astrology revolves around Polaris?

5. On a cloudy night, when would a mariner finally feel soothed?

UNIT

Word List

alleviate [ali vieit] v.

To alleviate pain or suffering means to make it less intense or severe.

She needed something to alleviate the pain in her back.

astrology [ǝstrálədzi] n.

Astrology is the study of the stars in the belief that they influence people's lives.

→ Jack, who studies astrology, believes that the stars can predict the future.

differentiate [diferenfieit] v.

To differentiate things or people is to show the difference between them.

It was hard to differentiate between the identical twins.

disrupt [disrápt] v.

To disrupt something or someone is to prevent them from working.

→ The loud crash disrupted the class lecture.

equation [i(:)kweizən] n.

An equation is a math operation to determine the value of something.

→ I used the Pythagorean theorem to solve the equation.

err [ǝr] v.

To err means to make a mistake.

The pilot erred in his estimate of the time it would take to make the trip.

erroneous [irouniǝs] adj.

When something is erroneous, it is incorrect or only partly correct.

The child held the erroneous belief that time machines were real.

frantic [fræntik] adj.

If people or things are frantic, they behave in a wild way because they are frightened

The cat became frantic when I tried to give it a bath.

→

hull [hall n.

The hull of a boat or tank is the main body of it.

-

→ After the wreck at sea, the ship's hull was the last part to sink.

inadvertent [inədvá:rtənt] adj.

When an action is inadvertent, it is done without realizing what you are doing.

She made an inadvertent error when she knocked over the nail polish.

TEST

improvise [imprəvaiz] v.

To improvise something is to do it with whatever is available or without planning.

→ There was no meat for the pizza, so we improvised with what was in the fridge.

latitude [lætatjü:d] n.

The latitude of a place is its distance from the equator.

The device was able to tell the traveler his exact latitude.

mariner [mærənə:r] n.

A mariner is a sailor.

The old mariner used his telescope to find the shore.

multitude [mAltitjù:d] n.

A multitude of things or people is a very large number of them.

→

A multitude of people were waiting at the airport.

nuisance [nju:səns] n.

A nuisance is a person or thing that is annoying or causes a lot of problems.

The teenager considered her noisy little brothers to be quite a nuisance.

permanence [pe:rmənəns] n.

The permanence of something is its ability to last forever.

→

Poor results will threaten the permanence of the new teaching system.

revolve [riválv] v.

To revolve around something is to keep it as the main feature or focus.

→ My life revolves around sports.

soothe [suto] v.

To soothe means to calm someone who is angry or upset.

→ The mother soothed her crying baby by rocking him in her arms.

UNIT]

1

stranded [strændid] adj.

If someone is stranded, they are prevented from leaving a place.

When the plane left, my sister and I were stranded in China.

volatile [váletil] adj.

When something is volatile, it is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly.

The volatile volcano might explode at any moment.

UNU 1

Word

List

anxious laenkjesl adj.

When a person is anxious, they worry that something bad will happen.

She was anxious about not making her appointment on time.

awful [o:fell adj.

When something is awful, it is very bad.

+ Her performance last night was awful.

consist [kensist] v.

To consist of is to be made of parts or things.

- Today's choices for lunch consisted of pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs.

desire [dizaier] v.

To desire is to want something.

My sister desires a big house and lots of money.

eager [i:gor] adj.

When a

person is eager about something, they are excited about it.

- The man was eager to talk about the good news.

household [haushould] n.

A household is all the people who live in one house.

Our household is made up of my father, my mother and me.

intent lintent] n.

THE HISTr

1100

An intent is a plan to do something.

- Her intent is to visit Italy next summer.

landscape laendskeipl n.

A landscape is how an area of land looks.

The landscape of the country is very green.

lift (liftl v.

To lift something is to move it higher.

-wh The man tried to lift the box.

load [loud] V.

To load is to put objects into something.

The man loaded the boxes into a truck.

ourse

lung [il n.

A lung is the organ in the body that fills with air when breathing.

Having strong lungs is necessary for a healthy life.

motion [mou(en] n.

A motion is a movement that someone makes.

- The police officer made a motion with his hand.

pace [peis] n.

The pace of something is the speed at which it happens.

I ran the race at a slower pace than my friend.

polite [polait adj.

When someone is polite, they are acting in a thoughtful way.

-y The boy was very polite: he behaved very thoughtfully.

possess [pezes] v.

To possess something is to have it or own it.

My uncle possesses three sheep, a chicken, a cow and a dog.

rapidly [raepidil adv.

When something happens rapidly, it happens very fast.

The train moved rapidly on the tracks.

remark [rima.rk] V.

To remark is to say something.

The teacher remarked on how quickly the students were learning.

seek [si:k] v.

To seek is to look for something.

If I have a problem, I seek my sister's advice.

shine [ain] v.

To shine is to make a bright light.

y The candles are shining in the dark room.

spill [spill v.

To spill is to have something fall out of its container.

- I spilled the coffee on the table.