Beginner

1. industry

the action of making of goods and services for sale

“No industry is more comprehensively overviewed as aviation,” said David Learmount, operations and
safety editor at Flight International magazine.New York Times (Feb 28, 2012)

2. parliament

a legislative assembly in certain countries

The revised laws will take effect 20 days after they are passed by parliament.

3. reform

make changes for improvement to remove abuse and injustices

“The government is trying to make reforms, but no one is listening.”New York Times (Feb 28, 2012)

4. liberal

a person who favors a philosophy of progress and reform

A lot of liberals are disappointed by Mr. Obama.New York Times (Feb 29, 2012)

5. reign

the period during which a monarch is in power

Ahab, according to the Hebrews, reigned 22 years, Omri 12.Duncker, Max

6. vague

not clearly understood or expressed

But behind those vague promises is reluctance by China to move too quickly, and put the country’s vast
foreign exchange reserve holdings at risk.Washington Post (Feb 28, 2012)

7. diplomat

an official engaged in international negotiations

8. federal

Those plans hit a major snag after several federal agencies and industry leaders said the signals would
interfere with global positioning technology.Washington Post (Feb 28, 2012)
 9. ambassador

a diplomat of the highest rank

10.democracy
a political system in which power lies in a body of citizens

The scenes at the ballot boxes are living testimony to their exercising democracy.

11.subsequent
following in time or order

He said subsequent press coverage affected his "political reputation and chance of winning the
election".

12.consciousness
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself

While the effects are temporary, with continued use some patients have fully regained
consciousness.Scientific American (Feb 28, 2012)

13.agriculture
the class of people engaged in growing food

Agriculture accounts for 21 percent of Kenya’s total economic output.

14.radical
a person who has revolutionary ideas or opinions

He's talking about jobs and spending, not whether colleges turn people into radical atheists or some
speech President Kennedy delivered 50 years ago. Slate (Feb 27, 2012)

15.legitimate
in accordance with accepted standards or principles

The lines between legitimate and illegitimate businesses are often fuzzy in Russia.New York Times (Mar
1, 2012)

16.amendment
a statement that is added to a proposal or document
The two women briefly greeted each other before Ms. Rosales invoked her Fifth Amendment right
against self-incrimination.New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)

17.sanction
a mechanism of social control for enforcing standards

Diplomats said at the time the sanctions would be imposed on officials "involved in repression" after the
vote.

18.conservative
a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas

He said he would not “light my hair on fire” to win over skeptical conservatives in the Republican
Party.New York Times (Feb 28, 2012)

19.clergy
the entire class of religious officials
 Intermediate
20.embassy
a building where diplomats live or work

21.assertion
a declaration that is made emphatically

Mr. Espinosa wrote later that an opposition activist claimed that Syria was using “Iranian drones,” but
had offered no evidence to back up his assertion.New York Times (Feb 24, 2012)

22.colonial
relating to a body of people who settle far from home

Thus Colonial frontier men in solitary wilds have few opportunities of courtship or matrimony.Escott, T.
H. S. (Thomas Hay Sweet)

23.predecessor
one who goes before you in time

Mrs Arroyo's predecessor Joseph Estrada's trial for corruption lasted six years.

24.trend
a general direction in which something tends to move

25.assets
anything of material value owned by a person or company

Yahoo Answers, flickr and Groups are all interesting assets that have seen better days but could still be
resurrected.”Forbes (Feb 28, 2012)

26.monarchy
autocracy governed by a ruler who usually inherits authority

“ Monarchies have extended families just so that there’s a source of spares,” Doshisha’s Jones said.

27.despot
a cruel and oppressive dictator

His ruthless bearing had made him a despot in the imbecile senate.Wingfield, Lewis

28.dictator
a ruler who is unconstrained by law

Third, federal officials don’t wind up looking like dictators telling states how to do their jobs.New York
Times (Jan 22, 2012)

29.insurgent
a member of an irregular force that fights a stronger force

30.patriotism
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

He had spoken at length about his patriotism and joked that he joined the space program to get closer
to Heaven.Scientific American (Feb 20, 2012)

31.haven
a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary

Ofttimes it is crowded with shipping seeking a haven of refuge.Drake, Samuel Adams

32.famine
a severe shortage of food resulting in starvation and death

Viral infections have periodically wiped out the crop in some regions leading to famine.

33.catastrophe
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

Now, in that catastrophe’s aftermath, the fundamental question looms: How safe is safe enough when
you’re talking about nuclear energy?

34.nationalism
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

Mr. Myers’s North Korea, Mr. Garner wrote, “is guided by a ‘paranoid, race-based nationalism.’New
York Times (Dec 28, 2011)

35.polls
the place where people vote

But public opinion polls seem to echo TV rhetoric, hinting at its wide impact.

opinion poll-a survey to see what people think

 36.alienate
make withdrawn or isolated or emotionally dissociated

Doing so threatens to alienate not just competitors — an outcome Google can probably live with — but
users, too.Forbes (Jan 11, 2012)

37.imperialism
a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries

Imperialism requires centralisation, and thus it is local government gradually disappears.Ritchie, J. Ewing
(James Ewing)

38.eradicate
destroy completely, as if down to the roots

The United States has poured $5 million into the province over the last two years, eradicating poppy
farming and trying to make commercial agriculture work.New York Times (Jan 25, 2012)

39.auspicious
indicating favorable circumstances and good luck

Overjoyed at the auspicious circumstance, he went to the princess.Day, Lal Behari

 Advanced
40.integration
incorporating a racial or religious group into a community

“There is now very much more black-white neighborhood integration than 40 years ago,” said Professor
Reynolds Farley of the University of Michigan’s Population Studies Center.New York Times (Jan 30, 2012)

41. impeachment
the act of charging an official with an offense committed while in office

The online organization was started in opposition to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment and became
an advocate for overhauling health care.

42.espionage
the systematic use of spies to obtain secrets

Hackers interested in corporate espionage often target individuals by using phishing scams that trick
users into giving up their personal log-in information.Washington Post (Feb 14, 2012)

43.disproportionate
out of proper balance

By disproportionate numbers, these Americans have given up looking for work, making the nation’s
recovery appear better than it is.Washington Post (Feb 6, 2012)

44.feminist
a supporter of equal rights for women

A few younger feminists, though, say that philosophy keeps women in the back seat.New York Times
(Jan 9, 2012)

45.nomad
a member of a people who have no permanent home

So Willis has been a windsurfing nomad the past three years.

46.authoritarian
characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule

Like many Egyptians under Mubarak's authoritarian regime, Ultra members were randomly rounded up
and detained, intimidated and harassed by the police.Newsweek (Feb 9, 2012)
 47.heyday
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

Fans have tuned in, though not quite in the monster numbers of Johnson's "Attitude Era" heyday.Seattle
Times (Mar 24, 2012)

48.totalitarian
of a government with an authority exerting absolute control

No one outside North Korea knows whether the secretive, totalitarian nation possesses an actual
warhead.Scientific American (Dec 20, 2011)

49.resurgence
bringing again into activity and prominence

Digital sales are expected to end 2011 close to 10 percent higher, prompting Bakula to proclaim the sales
performance "a great resurgence."

50.ouster
the act of ejecting someone or forcing them out

Egypt’s military rulers have repeatedly warned that “hidden hands” were behind much of the unrest
following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak last year.

51.feudal system
the social system in which vassals were protected by lords

But, although the feudal system was still in force, the obligation to render military service, formerly
belonging to it, was nearly at an end.Taylor, Bayard

52.hardliner
a politician who is uncompromising on a position or policy

Yes, he's a hardliner on taxes, Social Security, abortion, and lots of other issues.Slate (Sep 23, 2011)

53.matriarchy
social organization in which a female is the family head

In effect, however, women owned the country and women governed it; suddenly the matriarchy
existed.Cox, Irving E.
 54.miscegenation
marriage or reproduction by people of different races

We have said that miscegenation in illegitimate fashion, between negro slaves and Europeans, was
forbidden.Johnson, Willis Fletcher

55.patriarchy
a form of social organization in which men hold power

"We're not going bring down the patriarchy just by preventing new lap-dancing clubs," she said.