Future Life on Earth Vocabulary (3)

(30-40 min)

• Inflate: to increase in price; to increase the price of sth:  The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to inflate prices.
• hydroponics : noun   [U] the process of growing plants in water or sand, rather than in soil
• Virtually: almost or very nearly, so that any slight difference is not important
• Emission: gas, etc. that is sent out into the air:   The government has pledged to clean up industrial emissions.

• astroid
• Ignite: to start to burn; to make sth start to burn:    Gas ignites very easily.
• Hurtle: to move or make sb/sth move very fast in a particular direction: A runaway car came hurtling towards us.
• Level: to destroy a building or a group of trees completely by knocking it down:The blast levelled several buildings in the area.
• Intercept: to stop sb/sth that is going from one place to another from arriving:  Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel.
• Thrust: a sudden strong movement that pushes sth/sb forward:  He killed her with a thrust of the knife.
• Gravitation: a force of attraction that causes objects to move towards each other
• Trajectory: the curved path of sth that has been fired, hit or thrown into the air:  a missile's trajectory *
• Swell:  increase in intensity or amount
• Wipe out: to destroy or remove sb/sth completely:  Whole villages were wiped out by the earthquake.
• Subject: to bring a country or group of people under your control, especially by using force: The Roman Empire subjected most of Europe to its rule.
• Starvation: the state of suffering and death caused by having no food: to die of / from starvation * Millions will face starvation next year as a result of the drought.
• Avert: to prevent sth bad or dangerous from happening:  A disaster was narrowly averted. =prevent; avoid; turn away
• Tackle: to make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or situation: The government is determined to tackle inflation.
• Notorious: known for being bad:   a notorious criminal * The country is notorious for its appalling prison conditions.
• Frosty: (of the weather) extremely cold; cold with FROST:  a frosty morning * He breathed in the frosty air. * It's frosty outside.
• Chaos: a state of complete confusion and disorder: economic / political / domestic chaos
• Complexity: the state of being formed of many parts; the state of being difficult to understand
• Channel: ~ sth (into sth) to direct money, feelings, ideas, etc. towards a particular thing or purpose:      He channels his aggression into sport.
• Rush hour: the time, usually twice a day, when the roads are full of traffic and trains are crowded because people are travelling to or from work: the morning / evening rush hour
• Anticipate: to expect sth:  We don't anticipate any major problems.
• Fundamental: serious and very important; affecting the most central and important parts of sth: There is a fundamental difference between the two points of view. *=basic; essential
• Lifespan: the length of time that sth is likely to live, continue or function: Worms have a lifespan of a few months.
• Equalizer: (especially in football) a goal that makes the score of both teams equal: Owen scored the equalizer for Liverpool.
• Extend: to make sth longer or larger: to extend a fence / road / house
• Inevitable: that you cannot avoid or prevent: It was an inevitable consequence of the decision.
• Fatal: causing or ending in death: a fatal accident / blow / illness
• Scholar: a person who knows a lot about a particular subject because they have studied it in detail: a biblical / classical scholar * He was the most distinguished scholar in his field.
• in store:  (for sb) waiting to happen to sb: We don't know what life holds in store for us.
• Unravel: to explain sth that is difficult to understand or is mysterious; to become clearer or easier to understand.

Future Life on Earth Vocabulary (2)

(20-30 min)

·         freak out

become very excited, go wild, lose one's cool, undergo a sudden mood change (Slang)

• hook up: hook<->up (to sth) | hook sb/sth<->up (to sth) to connect sb/sth to a piece of electronic equipment or to a power supply
• widespread: existing or happening over a large area or among many people
• EKG (electrocardiogram)

graphic record of electrical pulses given off by the heart created with an electrocardiograph, ECG (used to diagnose heart disease)

• diagnostic: connected with identifying sth, especially an illness                                                                             diagnose:   v. examine and identify a disease from its symptoms, draw conclusions from a diagnostic exam

•   treatment: ~ (for sth) something that is done to cure an illness or injury, or to make sb look and feel good                                                                                           
• Cardiologist:  one who specializes in cardiology (study of the heart and its functions and diseases)
• Transporting your presence onto a flat screen is just the beginning
• Render:  to give sb sth, especially in return for sth or because it is expected:                                             to render a service to sb * to render sb a service * They rendered assistance to the disaster victims.
• Sustain: to provide enough of what sb/sth needs in order to live or exist:                                                  Few planets can sustain life. * I only had a little chocolate to sustain me on my walk. * The love and support of his family sustained him during his time in prison.
• We may be on the edge of the era of great abundance.
• Substantially: very much; a lot                                                                                                                                  SYN => considerably                                                                                                                                                    The costs have increased substantially. * The plane was substantially damaged in the crash.
• Generate: to produce or create sth:       to generate electricity / heat / power

• Consume: to use sth, especially fuel, energy or time:

The electricity industry consumes large amounts of fossil fuels. * 25 per cent of the world's population consumes 80 per cent of the planet's resources.

Consumption: (n)

• Kinetic: of or produced by movement:          kinetic energy
• Stimulate: to make sth develop or become more active; to encourage sth:

The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. * The article can be used to stimulate discussion among students.

• Harvest: to cut and gather a crop; to catch a number of animals or fish to eat   (here it means to catch)
• Infinite: without limits; without end
• Portable: that is easy to carry or to move:       a portable TV * The equipment is lightweight, portable and easy to store.
• Sludge: thick, soft, wet mud or a substance that looks like it:   There was some sludge at the bottom of the tank.
• Sewage: used water and waste substances that are produced by human bodies, that are carried away from houses and factories through special pipes (= SEWERS)
• Vapor: a mass of very small drops of liquid in the air, for example steam
• Condense: ~ (sth) (into sth) to change from a gas into a liquid; to make a gas change into a liquid:           Steam condenses into water when it cools.
• Pure: clean and not containing any harmful substance   OPP=> impure                 Purify (v)
• Toxin:  something poisonous

• Distillation:  purification or condensation of a substance

• Seal:     ~ sth (up) (with sth) to close a container tightly or fill a crack, etc., especially so that air, liquid, etc. cannot get in or out:       The organs are kept in sealed plastic bags.

• Crop up: to appear or happen, especially when it is not expected:       His name just cropped up in conversation. * I'll be late--something's cropped up at the office.

National Geographic Clone Vocabulary

First 20 Minutes

·         Pillar / ˈpɪlə $ -ər / noun [ countable ]

1  a) a tall upright round post used as a support for a roof or bridge :

Eight massive stone pillars supported the roof.

b) a tall upright round post, usually made of stone, put up to remind people of an important person or event

2 pillar of society/the community/the church etc somebody who is an important and respected member of a group, and is involved in many public activities :

Mr Fitzwilliam had been seen as a pillar of the community.

3 a very important part of a system of beliefs or ideas

pillar of

One of the pillars of a civilized society must be that everyone has equal access to the legal system.

·         Fundamental W2 AC / ˌfʌndəˈmentl◂ / adjective

1 relating to the most basic and important parts of something:

We have to tackle the fundamental cause of the problem.

fundamental change/difference/distinction/shift etc

a fundamental difference in opinion

fundamental mistake/error

Novice programmers sometimes make fundamental errors.

the fundamental principles of liberty and equality

2 very necessary and important :

fundamental human rights

fundamental to

Water is fundamental to survival.

COLLOCATIONS

nouns

a fundamental change A fundamental change is needed in the voting system.

a fundamental difference There is no fundamental difference between people of different races.

a fundamental distinction (= a clear difference between two similar things ) A fundamental distinction exists between knowing a fact and understanding it.

a fundamental problem Charity could not solve the fundamental problem of unemployment.

a fundamental question To reach a solution several fundamental questions need to be answered.

a fundamental issue This report raises a number of fundamental issues.

the fundamental reason The fundamental reason for the project's failure was the lack of funds.

the fundamental cause A burst tyre was the fundamental cause of the crash.

a fundamental mistake/error The government made at least one fundamental mistake when drawing up this legislation.

a fundamental weakness (= fault ) She points out the fundamental weaknesses in his argument.

a fundamental flaw (= fault that makes something imperfect ) There is a fundamental flaw in the current tax system.

fundamental principles (= moral rules or beliefs about what is right and wrong ) Let me state a couple of fundamental principles which we value highly.

phrases

something is of fundamental importance (= it is extremely important ) It is of fundamental importance that justice should be seen to be done.

·         controversial

adj. disputable, debatable, tending to cause differences of opinion

The controversial issue of welfare reform.

A highly controversial attempt is underway.

·         ban  verb ( past tense and past participle banned , present participle banning )

to say that something must not be done, seen, used etc SYN prohibit OPP allow :

Smoking is banned in the building.

ban somebody from doing something

Charlie's been banned from driving for a year.

·         Territory W2 / ˈterət ə ri, ˈterɪt ə ri $ -tɔːri / noun ( plural territories )

 land that is owned or controlled by a particular country, ruler, or military force :

Hong Kong became Chinese territory in 1997.

occupied/enemy/disputed/hostile territory

The plane was flying over enemy territory.

·         reckless / ˈrekləs / adjective

Not caring or worrying about the possible bad or dangerous results of your actions :

He was accused of causing death by reckless driving .

a reckless disregard for safety

He ran into the burning house with reckless abandon (= without caring about the danger ) .

-- recklessly adverb

-- recklessness noun [ uncountable ]

·         diverge

v. branch off from a common point, go off in different directions from a center

·         enhance AC / ɪnˈhɑːns $ ɪnˈhæns / verb [ transitive ]

To improve something:   = increase; intensify; improve; raise the value of

Good lighting will enhance any room.

The publicity has enhanced his reputation.

-- Enhancer noun :    flavor enhancers

-- Enhancement noun

·         miracle / ˈmɪrək ə l / noun [ countable ]

An action or event believed to be caused by God, which is impossible according to the ordinary laws of nature:

Do you believe in miracles?

It's a miracle you weren't killed!

By some miracle, we managed to catch the plane.

·         Alter      v. change, modify

Her face hadn't altered much over the years.

Nothing can alter the fact that refugees are our responsibilities.

·         zombie / ˈzɒmbi $ ˈzɑːm- / noun

a dead person whose body is made to move by magic, according to some African and Caribbean religions

·         Duplicate  / ˈdjuːpləkət, ˈdjuːplɪkət $ ˈduː- / adjective [ only before noun ]

exactly the same as something, or made as an exact copy of something :

A duplicate copy should be made for the county record office.

a duplicate key

·         weird S2 / wɪəd $ wɪrd / adjective

informal very strange and unusual, and difficult to understand or explain :

A really weird thing happened last night.

He's a weird bloke.

They sell all sorts of weird and wonderful (= very strange ) products.

-- weirdly adverb :

a weirdly shaped rock

-- weirdness noun

·         announcement S3 W3 / əˈnaʊnsmənt / noun

1 an important or official statement :

The minister made the announcement at a news conference.

announcement about

an important announcement about tax increases

announcement that

They heard the announcement that the mayor was resigning.

2 [ uncountable ] the act of telling people that something important is going to happen

announcement of

the announcement of the company's annual results

·         virtually S2C / ˈvɜːtʃuəli $ ˈvɜːr- / adverb

almost           SYN practically :

Virtually all the children come to school by bus.

He was virtually unknown before running for office.

·         startle / ˈstɑːtl $ ˈstɑːrtl / verb

to make someone suddenly surprised or slightly shocked :

Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.

be startled to do something

I was startled to see Amanda.

-- startled adjective :

a startled expression

·         dogma / ˈdɒɡmə $ ˈdɒːɡmə, ˈdɑːɡmə / noun [ uncountable and countable ]

a set of firm beliefs held by a group of people who expect other people to accept these beliefs without thinking about them

religious/political/ideological etc dogma

the rejection of political dogma

·         Spare 2 / speə $ sper / adjective

spare key/battery/clothes etc a key etc that you keep in addition to the one you usually use, so that it is available if the one you usually use breaks, gets lost etc :

a spare key

Bring a towel and some spare clothes.

a supply of spare batteries

a spare tyre

Replacement of organs or tissues.

·         spine / spaɪn / noun

the row of bones down the centre of your back that supports your body and protects your spinal cord SYN backbone → spinal

·         distress  / dɪˈstres / noun [ uncountable ]

1 a feeling of extreme unhappiness:

Luke's behavior caused his parents great distress.

in distress

The girl was crying and clearly in distress.

2 suffering and problems caused by a lack of money, food etc :

acute financial distress

in distress

charities that aid families in distress

·         precious: valuable, priceless

·         replica / ˈreplɪkə / noun

an exact copy of something, especially a building, a gun, or a work of art

replica of

an exact replica of the Taj Mahal

replica guns

A dire illness struck her at the age of 18.

·         dire / daɪə $ daɪr / adjective

1 extremely serious or terrible :

warnings of dire consequences that often don't come true

The country is in dire need of food aid.

The situation looked dire.

·         biopsy / ˈbaɪɒpsi $ -ɑːp- / noun ( plural biopsies ) [ countable ]

the removal of cells, tissue etc from someone's body in order to find out more about a disease they may have :

a breast biopsy

·         dialysis: removal of waste matter from the blood of a person whose kidneys do not work

To make it age 40, she must get a kidney transplant.

·         shortage / ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ $ ˈʃɔːr- / noun [ uncountable and countable ]

a situation in which there is not enough of something that people need SYN lack

shortage of

a shortage of skilled labour

There is no shortage of funds.

Genetically modified pigs.

·         modify AC / ˈmɒdəfaɪ, ˈmɒdɪfaɪ $ ˈmɑː- / verb ( past tense and past participle modified , present participle modifying , third person singular modifies ) [ transitive ]

1 to make small changes to something in order to improve it and make it more suitable or effective SYN adapt :

The feedback will be used to modify the course for next year.

The regulations can only be modified by a special committee.

modify something to do something

The seats can be modified to fit other types of vehicle.

·         knock out: defeat in a contest;

·         Implant:  /ɪmˈplænt / verb

 to put something into someone's body by performing a medical operation :

Surgeons successfully implanted an artificial hip.

Just as a sheet of music tell you how to play a song

To create the clone, you vacuum out the genes to get rid of the existing instructions.

·         Twig: v. understand; notice, observe  

·         salamander / ˈsælmændər / noun

a small animal similar to a lizard , which lives on land and in the water

·         loop / luːp /

a shape like a curve or a circle made by a line curving back towards itself, or a piece of wire, string etc that has this shape

loop of wire/rope/string etc

A loop of wire held the gate shut.

·         lasso  verb

to catch an animal using a lasso ; capture by throwing a rope with a noose at one end

as he tightened the noose...

·         noose / nuːs / noun

a ring formed by the end of a piece of rope, which closes more tightly as it is pulled, used especially for killing someone by hanging them

·         Adopt S3 W2 / əˈdɑːpt / verb

 to take someone else's child into your home and legally become its parent → foster :

Sally was adopted when she was four.

The couple are unable to have children of their own, but hope to adopt.

·         pertain / pəˈteɪn $ pər- / verb

pertain to something phrasal verb

formal to relate directly to something :

legislation pertaining to employment rights

·         intrigue  / ɪnˈtriːɡ / verb

if something intrigues you, it interests you a lot because it seems strange or mysterious :

Other people's houses always intrigued her.

·         strand / strænd / noun

 a single thin piece of thread, wire, hair etc

strand of

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

·         floss  / flɒs $ flɑːs, flɒːs / noun [ uncountable ]

a type of thin thread that you use for cleaning between your teeth SYN dental floss

·         identical AC / aɪˈdentɪk ə l / adjective

exactly the same, or very similar :

four identical houses

identical to/with

Nutritionally, infant formulas are almost identical to breast milk.

The ingredients are identical with those of competing products.

·         sensual / ˈsenʃuəl / adjective

relating to the feelings of your body rather than your mind :

the sensual pleasure of good food

·         marking    noun

the colored patterns and shapes on an animal's fur, on leaves etc :

This dolphin is noted for its distinctive black and white markings.

·         womb / wuːm / noun [ countable ]

the part of a woman's or female animal's body where her baby grows before it is born SYN uterus

other differences among them are subtle.

·         subtle / ˈsʌtl / adjective)

 not easy to notice or understand unless you pay careful attention OPP obvious :

The pictures are similar, but there are subtle differences between them.

The warning signs of the disease are so subtle that they are often ignored.

·         Dynamic  AC noun

the way in which things or people behave, react, and affect each other

dynamics of

the dynamics of the family

He did research on group dynamics and leadership styles.

·         Twist 

an unexpected feature or change in a situation or series of events

a new/cruel/unexpected/strange etc twist

The robbery took a deadly new twist as the robber pulled out a gun.

an unexpected twist in the plot

By an amazing twist of fate , we met again in Madrid five years later.

Verbs Followed by Infinitives

8 = verb followed by an infinitive OR an optional noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning

(8)Verb + Optional Noun + Infinitive

Notice in the examples below that the verbs can be followed by an infinitive or a noun plus an infinitive. When a noun is added, it usually changes who or what is performing the action. To understand this better, look at the first verb "ask" and its examples. In the first sentence, she is asking if she herself can leave. In the second sentence, she is requesting that a man leave. Study the examples below and consider how the optional noun changes the meaning.

(13)    Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Different Meaning)

(14)       Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Similar Meaning)

9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning