VOCABULARY ON TOPIC FOR TOEFL IBT 11: ENVIRONMENT

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ENVIRONMENT

  1. Environmental problems

Green (issues): A very common synonym for “environmental”

Global warming : An example of man’s effect on the environment The greenhouse effect: Connected to global warming The natural world Deforestation: Cutting down forests

Rainforests : A useful example when discussing environmental problems

  1. The Environment

An ecosystem: The system where plants and animals support one another (Endangered) species: Examples include the Giant Panda Biodiversity: Variety of plant and animal file in a region A habitat: The natural habitat of an animal is where it lives The planet: A synonym for the Earth The Earth: Note the capital letter and “the”

The natural world: Includes both animal and plant life

  1. Pollution

Dump waste : If factories dump waste, they illegally deposit (normally dangerous) waste

Acid rain: rain that is “poisonous” because of the poor air quality

Factories and power stations: Two examples of sources of pollution

Carbon Monoxide and carbon dioxide: Names of two gases useful of discussing acid rain and the green house effect

Fumes/Emissions: These are the gases that are produced by cars and factories that cause pollution

Chemicals and fertilisers: Useful examples of products that cause water pollution

(Industrial) waste: We also talk about waste products Air/Water quality: This can be affected by pollution

Smog : An extreme form of air pollution almost like fog

Pollution: Remember “air and water pollution”: other forms of the word include “pollute” and “pollutants”.

I would have said that one of the most serious environmental problems today is of course pollution. It’s a very pressing green issue and if you travel to any of the large cities in China, for example, you’ll find that there is very bad air pollution and there is a layer of smog hanging over the cities. It’s just air pollution, there is also water pollution. in many parts of the world, the quality of the water is not good because rivers have been contaminated by all sorts of industrial waste, by chemicals and fertilisers. And what we need to do is to recycle our waste and take care of the planet and try use renewable resources where we possibly can.

  1. Our effect on the natural world

When we’re the discussing the environment, it’s important not to forget that our actions have an impact not only on us but on the natural world and other species. So, for example, certain species are now endangered because of our actions. it’s not just because of hunting, but because we have destroyed their natural habitats: they do not enough food or anywhere to live. If we carry on in this way, the biodiversity of the planet is under threat.

  1. Global warming

What’s the greatest threat to the Earth today? I’d have to say it’s probably a combination of global warming and the greenhouse effect. I don’t understand all the science behind it, but I understand it’s to do with the build up of gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which means that the planet is slowly but steadily getting warmer. and one of the results of this is that the polar icecap is melting and the levels of the oceans are rising. And it’s caused I understand by deforestation, particularly of rainforests and particularly in the Amazonian Basin. And what this means is that we may be doing irreparable harm to the planet and the future of the planet for our children and our children’s children looks really rather bleak.

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VOCABULARY ON TOPIC FOR TOEFL IBT 6: ADVERTISING

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ADVERTISING

1.Advert, advertisement or ad?

All these forms of the words are correct but ad is mostly used in spoken English only. You should also be aware of a common pronunciation problem:

  • advert
  • advertise
  • advertisement

This means that you make an “iss” sound when say advertisement. This is a very common mistake and one way to avoid it is to say and write advert.

2.Different forms of advertising

Television commercial: The BBC is perhaps unique for not carrying any commercials.

Radio spot: Radio stations make most of their revenue by selling airtime in the form of radio spots.

Billboard: Most major highways now have billboards by the roadside advertising everything from soap to gas.

Flyer: It can be very effective to hand out flyers.

Small ads/ personal ads: Not all advertising is commercial, many newspapers carry small ads for personal services.

Trailer: The trailer, as often as not, is actually better than the film itself.

Product placement: We are not always aware that we are being “sold” a product; for instance, when products are placed in films.

Promotion: The two for the price of one promotion can often be very misleading.

Endorsement: Many sports stars earn the majority of their income from endorsing various products.

Sponsorship: It is unarguable that tobacco firms should not be allowed to sponsor sports events.

3.Adjectives to describe advertising

Witty/ humorous: The idea is that if you can make someone laugh with a witty advert, then they will be more likely to buy the product.

Memorable: Almost all the best adverts are memorable in some way.

Persuasive: Some ads are extremely persuasive and we find we buy products we do not really need.

Misleading: Although there are regulations against this, many adverts are still misleading.

word-of-mouth: It is frequently said that the most effective form of advertising is word-of-mouth advertising.

4.Other related words

Regulation: Most people would accept that the advertising industry needs some form of regulation.

Advertising agency: Advertising agencies frequently do extensive market research to discover what attracts consumers.

Target: The difficulty comes when adverts target young children who are too easily influenced by them.

Consumers: It can also be argued that consumers are able to decide for themselves what to buy.

Brand awareness: Advertising is essential for companies that need to build their brand awareness.

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VOCABULARY PRACITSE 7: Metaphor

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VOCABULARY PRACITSE 6: Metaphor

A metaphor is a word or phrase that means one thing and is used to refer to another thing in order to emphasize their similar qualities. For example, in the sentence “Picasso was the father of the Cubist movement”, the word father is not used in its usual sense to mean someone’s male parent. It means that Picasso was the person who started the Cubist movement, or that he was the first one to do it successfully. Father is being used in a metaphorical way. Metaphors are a bit like idioms , because the words and expressions are not being used with their literal meaning.
The following exercises look at some common metaphors that are used in different situations.
Exercise 1: Achievements, ideas, and theories

Metaphorically, achievements, ideas, and theories are often seen as buildings, with an idea or the process of achieving something being similar to the process of building, and the failure of something being similar to the destruction of a building. Metaphorically, ideas are also like plants, and developing an idea is like getting plants to grow.

Complete sentences 1 – 20 with a word or expression from the list. In several cases you will need to change the form of the words. The first one has been done for you.

  • architect
  • blueprint
  • build on
  • build up
  • buttress
  • collapse
  • construct
  • deep-rooted
  • demolish
  • edifice
  • fertile
  • fruitful
  • ground-breaking
  • lay the foundations
  • ruins
  • sow the seeds
  • stem from
  • take root
  • towering
  • under construction

1. The newspaper article threatened the whole ____edifice_____ of government, from the President all the way down to grass-roots politicians.
2. The company directors were convinced people would want their new product, but then early research and negative feedback began to _______________ of doubt in their minds.
3. His argument was carefully _______________ and was extremely difficult to dispute.
4. Her ideas were carefully _______________ by a series of results showing that they had been put into practice and actually worked.
5. Superstitious beliefs are _______________ in many cultures, and nothing can change these beliefs.
6. He was the chief _______________ of the country’s new economic policies.
7. The new government _______________ for radical changes to the voting system, all of which would be implemented over the next five years.
8. The invention of the microchip was a _______________ achievement.
9. The contract acted as a _______________ for future cooperation between the two organizations.
10. The business was started in 1986, and over the next 20 years was _______________ into one of the most powerful companies in the country.
11. The new constitution was _______________ traditional values and a desire for progress.
12. The website is _______________, but we hope to have it up and running by the end of the month.
13. The idea seemed good in theory, but __________ when practical tests were first carried out.
14. The new technology was revolutionary and __________, but was initially seen as a simple novelty.
15. His life’s work was in __________, but it did not deter him from starting again.
16. I put forward several ideas, but to my anger and disappointment each one was comprehensively __________ by the board.
17. His books were very popular because he had a __________ imagination and a talent for telling a good story.
18. Nobody believed him at first, but a series of unexplained events meant that his ideas quickly __________ and people were more prepared to listen to him.
19. Her ideas __________ her belief in the existence of life on other planets.
20. The discussion was very __________, and we all came away from it believing that at last we were going to achieve something worthwhile.

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Vocabulary on topic for TOEFL IBT: Immigration

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IMMIGRATION

The key words for describing immigration are immigrant – the person immigrate – the verb immigration – the idea

Note that immigrants (people who enter a country) are also emigrants (people who leave a country) and also migrants.

1.Some common word combinations

Illegal immigrants: people who enter a country illegally

Economic migrants:  people who move country to earn more money

Migrant workers: note that migrant can also work as an adjective

Immigrant community/population: this can be used for people who have settled in country for some time

Influx of immigrants: this is usually used in a negative sense meaning that there are too many immigrants

First generation immigrant: this is either an immigrant or a child on an immigrant [sometimes it is hyphenated as “first-generation”]

2. Arguments in favour of immigration

Dynamism: Immigrants provide dynamism which is beneficial to the economy and helps growth and competitiveness. For example, many immigrants set up their own businesses.

Unskilled labour: In many countries there is a shortage of unskilled labour and the immigrant population is typically willing to do work that the native population is not. This is particularly the case in agricultural communities where immigrants provide seasonal labour in the harvest season.

Skilled labour: A large proportion of young immigrants are highly-qualified university graduates and they work in fields where there is a shortage of skilled labour.

Childcare: Another benefit that immigrants bring is that they often work in childcare or as home helps and this enables more mothers to return to work.

Boost the economy: Most research shows that encouraging immigration actually provides a boost to the economy as immigrants are net contributors to the GDP. There is also evidence that they actually claim fewer benefits and pay more tax than the native population.

Principle of freedom of movement: There is also the consideration that the principle of freedom of movement is a human right and that people should be allowed to choose where they live.

Short-term only: It should also be considered that many younger migrants return home once they have earned enough money and will never claim pensions in their host country.

3.Arguments against immigration

Integration: The major argument against immigration is that so many migrants fail to integrate with the local community and culture and this leads to social tension and even unrest.

Local services and jobs: One common difficulty is that they increase the pressure on local services and create competition for local jobs and this creates ill-will.

Claim benefits/social housing: One reason why people want less immigration is that immigrants do not pay tax and still claim benefits and require social housing that is paidfor by taxpayers.

Schools: Another serious issue is that in some areas schools do not have sufficient places for the children and so class sizes become unmanageable.

Language: Related to this is the problem that many immigrants only have a basic command of the language and this can lead to difficulties in the classroom and elsewhere.

Loss of trained workers: The impact on poorer countries who lose much of their trained workforce through emigration should also not be forgotten.

Overcrowding/population: Many countries need to limit immigration because they are already suffering from over-population.

Measures and solutions

Taxes and law: One possible measure is to ensure that migrants pay taxes and are subject to the criminal justice system.

Language requirements: Another measure that could be put in place is to insist on a minimum language requirement so that all immigrants are able to integrate into the community.

Deportation: Some people believe that all illegal immigrants should be deported immediately.

Quota: The United States for example has a quota system whereby a fixed number of green cards are issued every year.

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Vocabulary Practise 2:Comparing and Contrasting, Condition and requirement

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          Vocabulary Practise 2:Comparing and Contrasting

Complete these sentences with the most appropriate word or expression in bold. In one case, all three options are possible:

1. The contrast / compare / comparison in working conditions between our Denver department and our department in Chicago is very noticeable, and employees are now demanding equality in this area.
2. The two engines differentiate / differ / different considerably from each other: one runs on gasoline, and the other is a gasoline-electric hybrid.
3. It is often difficult to differentiate / differ / contrast between students who are absent because they are genuinely sick, and those who are just enjoying a day in bed.
4. The new software program shared some common characters / characterizes / characteristics with those that were already on the market.
5. There’s a clear distinguish / distinctive / distinction between studying at a college and working from home on a correspondence course.
6. Compared / Compare / Comparing with 15 years ago, home PCs are cheaper, faster, and have a much bigger memory.
7. The two courses are different in every way: there’s absolutely no compare / comparison / contrast between them.
8. Our digital photography course is similar to / alike / resemble our traditional photography course, except that it is obviously more computer-oriented.
9. There were several similarities / similarly / similar to between the two novels, except one was aimed at a younger market while the other targeted twenty-somethings.
10. Serious computer hackers can access your personal files and destroy or alter them. Exactly / In the same way / Just as, they can gain access to your Internet banking facility and steal your money.
11. The quality of his work is excellent. Likewise / Alike / Likeness, his attitude and commitment.
12. The TOEFL covers a variety of academic and general English tasks. In contrast to / Although / By way of contrast, the TOEIC focuses more on business and professional issues.
13. Grades have not been good over the last semester. Nevertheless / Even so / However, the college still has one of the best academic records in the state.
14. There currently seems to be a large discrepancy / discrimination / differential between the number of people employed in service industries, and those employed in the primary sector.
15. The Impressionists used light and color to give the general feeling of a scene, unlike / whereas / whereby the pre-Raphaelites used a lot of detail and bright colors, and showed a romanticized view of life.

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