Food Crops
Target Words
1.
abandon 6. intensify
2.
adversely 7. irrigation
3.
aggregate 8. obtain
4.
cultivation 9. photosynthesis
5.
fertilize 10. precipitation
Definitions and Samples
1.
abandon v. To leave; to give up
To save their lives, the sailors had to
abandon the sinking ship.
Parts of speech
abandonment n
2.
adversely adv. In a harmful way; negatively
Excessive rainfall early in the spring can
adversely affect the planting
of crops.
Usage tips
Adversely
is often followed by affect.
Parts of speech
adversity n, adverse adj
3.
aggregate adj. Gathered into or amounting to a whole
It is impossible to judge last year’s performance without knowing
the
aggregate sales numbers.
Usage tips
Aggregate
is often followed by a term like sum, total, or
numbers.
Parts of speech
aggregate v, aggregate n
1
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5 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use.
4.
cultivation n. Preparing the land to grow crops; improvement for
agricultural purposes
With the development of land
cultivation, hunters and gatherers
were able to settle in one place.
Parts of speech
cultivate v
5.
fertilize v. To supply with nourishment for plants by adding helpful
substances to the soil
This farm
fertilizes tomatoes more than any other crop.
Parts of speech
fertilizer n, fertilization n
6.
intensify v. To increase in power; to act with increased strength
Jacob’s long absence
intensified his certainty that he should marry
Rose.
Parts of speech
intensification n, intense adj
7.
irrigation n. The supplying of water to dry land
In dry areas of the country, you can see ditches all over the farmland
for
irrigation.
Parts of speech
irrigate v
8.
obtain v. To gain possession of; to get
After a series of difficult interviews, he finally was able to
obtain
the job.
9.
photosynthesis n. The process by which green plants make their
own food by combining water, salts, and carbon dioxide in the presence
of light.
Oxygen is a by-product of the process of
photosynthesis.
Parts of speech
photosynthesize v
10.
precipitation n. Water that falls to the Earth’s surface
In the Pacific Northwest, the high level of
precipitation ensures rich,
green plant life.
4
Nature
TOEFL Prep I
Complete each sentence by filling in the blank with
the best word from the list. Change the form of the word if necessary.
Use each word only once.
abandoned precipitation cultivation fertilize photosynthesis
1.
Through __________, green plants create organic materials with the
help of chlorophyll.
2.
The coastal city gets half of its __________ during the months of January,
February, and March.
3.
Farmers use various methods of land __________.
4.
When they heard the hull crack, all but two of the sailors __________
ship.
5.
Inexperienced gardeners may not realize how important it is that
they __________ their plants.
TOEFL Prep II
Find the word or phrase that is closest in meaning
to the opposite of each word in the left-hand column. Write the
letter in the blank.
1. obtain (a) weaken
2. intensify (b) separate
3. irrigation (c) lose
4. aggregate (d) drainage
5. adversely (e) positively
TOEFL Success
Read the passage to review the vocabulary you
have learned. Answer the questions that follow.
In countries like Niger and Mauritania, the
cultivation of
land has changed little in the past several centuries.
Additionally, these countries’ mono-modal rainfall pattern
brings
precipitation for only three months during the year.
As a result,
food production doesn’t nearly meet demand.
Food Crops
5
Bonus Structure—
As a result
means
“therefore,” “for
this reason.”
Several agencies and organizations have
intensified their efforts to
increase the productivity of land in these countries.They have introduced
new strains of seed, improved
irrigation techniques, and introduced new
methods of
fertilization and soil management.With ample sunlight for
photosynthesis
and modern irrigation techniques, sustainable farming
techniques should allow farmers to boost
aggregate production in order
to meet demand.
Still, crop revitalization faces an unexpected adversary: institutional
incompetence.Where crop specialists have convinced individual farmers
to
abandon old farming techniques in place of new, they can’t readily
obtain
the governmental cooperation they need.The biggest hurdles are
political corruption, incompetence, and the absence of a marketing
infrastructure.
1.
In this passage, the word adversary is closest in meaning to
a.
friend
b.
helper
c.
enemy
d.
leader
2.
In the last paragraph, the word they refers to
a.
crop specialists
b.
farmers
c.
farming techniques
d.
adversaries
Lesson 1
Food Crops
TOEFL Prep I
1. photosynthesis 2. precipitation 3. cultivation
4.
abandoned 5. fertilize
TOEFL Prep II
1. c 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. e
TOEFL Success
1. c 2. a
6
Nature
LESSON
Disaster
Target Words
1.
anticipate 6. flood
2.
catastrophic 7. impact
3.
collide 8. persevere
4.
eruption 9. plunge
5.
famine 10. unleash
Definitions and Samples
1.
anticipate v. To expect; to sense something before it happens
By placing sensors in earthquake-prone areas, scientists can
anticipate
some tremors in time to warn the public.
Parts of speech
anticipation n, anticipatory adj
2.
catastrophic adj. Extremely harmful; causing financial or physical
ruin
The architect died in a
catastrophic elevator accident.
Parts of speech
catastrophe n, catastrophically adv
3.
collide v. To come together with great or violent force
As usual, their holiday was ruined when their in-laws’ views on politics
collided
with their own.
Parts of speech
collision n
2
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5 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use.
4.
eruption n. A sudden, often violent, outburst
The
eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 caused 57 deaths and
immeasurable change to the face of the mountain.
Usage tips
Eruption
is often followed by an of phrase.
Parts of speech
erupt v
5.
famine n. Severe hunger; a drastic food shortage
The potato
famine in Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century caused
large numbers of Irish people to emigrate to America.
6.
flood n. An overflowing of water; an excessive amount
The constant rain and poor drainage system caused a
flood in town.
The political party sent out a
flood of letters criticizing their
opponents.
Parts of speech
flood v
7.
impact n. A strong influence
The speech about the importance of education made an
impact
on me.
Usage tips
Impact
is usually followed by on or of.
Parts of speech
impact v
8.
persevere v. To keep going, despite obstacles or discouragement; to
maintain a purpose
The hikers
persevered despite the bad weather and the icy trail.
Parts of speech
persist v, persistent adj
9.
plunge v. To go down suddenly; to decrease by a great amount in a
short time
He jumped off the diving board and
plunged into the pool.
The value of the company’s stock
plunged after its chief executive
was arrested.
8
Nature
Usage tips
Plunge
is often followed by an into phrase.
Parts of speech
plunge n
10.
unleash v. To release a thing or an emotion
When they saw the strange man on their property, they
unleashed
their dogs.
He is from such an unemotional family, he will never learn to
unleash
his feelings.
TOEFL Prep I
Find the word or phrase that is closest in meaning
to the opposite of each word in the left-hand column. Write the letter
in the blank.
1. persevere (a) to pass by without hitting
2. anticipate (b) to give up
3. famine (c) to not see something coming
4. collide (d) harmless
5. catastrophic (e) excess of food
TOEFL Prep II
Circle the word that best completes each sentence.
1.
Residents of Hawaii must accept the possibility of a volcanic (eruption /
perseverance).
2.
Years after the accident, she was finally able to (anticipate / unleash)
her feelings of anger.
3.
Houses along the river often face (famine / flooding) during the rainy
season.
4.
Many people think it is cruel to (collide / plunge) live lobsters into boiling
water.
5.
A well-written essay should make some kind of (catastrophe / impact)
on its readers.
Disaster
9
TOEFL Success
Read the passage to review the vocabulary you
have learned. Answer the questions that follow.
Nature challenges humans in many ways, through disease, weather, and
famine.
For those living along the coast, one unusual phenomenon capable
of
catastrophic destruction is the tsunami (pronounced “tsoo-NAH-mee”).
A tsunami is a series of waves generated in a body of water by an
impulsive disturbance. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
eruptions,
explosions, and even the
impact of meteorites can generate tsunamis.
Starting at sea, a tsunami slowly approaches land, growing in height and
losing energy through bottom friction and turbulence. Still, just like any
other water waves, tsunamis
unleash tremendous energy as they plunge
onto the shore.They have great erosion potential, stripping beaches of
sand, undermining trees, and
flooding hundreds of meters inland.They
can easily crush cars, homes, vegetation, and anything they
collide with.
To minimize the devastation of a tsunami, scientists are constantly trying
to
anticipate them more accurately and more quickly. Because
many factors come together to produce a life-threatening
tsunami, foreseeing them is not easy.
Despite this, researchers
in meteorology
persevere in studying and predicting tsunami
behavior.
1.
Which sentence best expresses the essential information of this passage?
a.
Tsunamis could become a new source of usable energy in the next
hundred years.
b.
Tsunamis do more damage to the land than flooding.
c.
Tsunamis can have an especially catastrophic impact on coastal
communities.
d.
Scientists can predict and track tsunamis with a fair degree of accuracy,
reducing their potential impact.
2.
In the first sentence, why does the author mention weather?
a.
because tsunamis are caused by bad weather
b.
because tsunamis are more destructive than weather phenomena
c.
as an example of a destructive natural force
d.
as an introduction to the topic of coastal storms
10
Nature
Bonus Structure—
Despite this
means “even so;
regardless.”
موضوع: أشهر 400 كلمة فى اختبار Toefl 
الإثنين سبتمبر 13, 2010 4:11 pm
