VOCABULARY FOR READING

Cam 11
TEST 1
Passage 1: Crop-growing skyscrapers
Conservative (a): (of an estimate) lower than what is probably the real amount or
number

Vogue (n) /vəʊɡ/: a fashion for something

in vogue Black is in vogue again

Despoil (v): to steal something valuable from a place; to make a place less
attractive by damaging or destroying it

Subject (v) /səbˈdʒekt/

subject somebody/something to something: to make somebody/something

experience, suffer or be affected by something, usually something unpleasant

Rigour (n): the difficulties and unpleasant conditions of something

Compost (n) /ˈkɒmpɒst/: a mixture of decayed (= destroyed by natural

processes) plants, food, etc. that can be added to soil to help plants grow

Passage 2: The falkirk wheel

Enclose (v): to build a wall, fence, etc. around something

Bolt (v): to fasten something such as a door or window by sliding a bolt across; to
be able to be fastened in this way

Displace (v): to take the place of somebody/something

Ex: Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines.

SYNONYM replace
 Passage 3: Reducing the Effectes of Climate change
Substitute (n): a person or thing that you use or have instead of the one you
normally use or have

Ex: Paul's father only saw him as a substitute for his dead brother.

Overshoot (v): to go further than the place you intended to stop or turn / to do
more or to spend more money than you originally planned

TEST 2
Passage 1: Raising the Mary Rose
Undisputed (a): that cannot be questioned or proved to be false; that cannot
be disputed / that everyone accepts or recognizes

SYNONYM irrefutable

In conjunction with somebody/something: together with somebody/something

Salvage (v): to save a badly damaged ship, etc. from being lost completely; to save
parts or property from a damaged ship or from a fire, etc.

Passage 2: What destroyed the civilisation of Easter Island?

Wreck (v): to damage or destroy something

Destruction (n): the act of destroying something; the process of being destroyed

Passage 3: Neuroaesthetics
Haphazard (a) /hæpˈhæzəd/: with no particular order or plan; not organized well

Inclination (n): a feeling that makes you want to do something

Definitively (adv): finally; in a way that cannot be changed or challenged

Ambiguous (a): that can be understood in more than one way; having different
meanings / not clearly stated or defined

Deceptively (adv): to a smaller extent than appears the case / to a greater extent
than appears the case

Eye tracking (n): the activity of studying the way that

people's eyes move in order to discover what, especially in advertisements, attracts
their attention

Meticulously (adv): in a way that pays careful attention to every detail

SYNONYM fastidiously, thoroughly

Interpretation (n): the particular way in which something is understood or

explained

 Her evidence suggests a different interpretation of the events.

Unravel (v): if you unravel threads that are twisted, woven or knitted, or if
they unravel, they become separated

Exotic (a): from or in another country, especially a tropical one; seeming exciting
and unusual because it seems to be connected with foreign countries

Commodity (n) /kəˈmɒdəti/: a product or a raw material that can be bought and
sold / a thing that is useful or has a useful quality

 rice, flour and other basic commodities

 Time is a very valuable commodity.

Passage 2: Great Migrations

Passage 3: Preface to “How the other half thinks: Adventures in

mathematical reasoning”
Intuitive (a): (of ideas) obtained by using your feelings rather than by considering
the facts

Notorious (a): well known for being bad

TEST 4
Passage 1: Research using twins
With respect to : about; concerning
Ex: With respect to your request, we regret that we are unable to assist you in
this matter.

Pinpoint (v): to find and show the exact position of somebody/something or the
exact time that something happened / to be able to give the exact reason for
something or to describe something exactly

Passage 2: An introduction to film sound

Perceive (v): to understand or think of somebody/something in a particular way /
to notice or become aware of something

SYNONYM see

Physiognomy (n) /ˌfɪziˈɒnəmi/ the shape and features of a person’s face

Banal (a) /bəˈnɑːl/: very ordinary and containing nothing that is interesting or
important

Underscore (v): to emphasize or show that something is important or true

Absurdity (n) /əbˈsɜːdəti/: the fact of being extremely silly and not logical and
sensible

Suspense (n): a feeling of worry or excitement that you have when you feel that
something is going to happen, somebody is going to tell you some news, etc.
 Passage 3: This Marvellous Invention
Embark on/upon something

1. (formal) to start to do something new or difficult

Ingenious (a): (of an object, a plan, an idea, etc.) very suitable for a particular
purpose and resulting from clever new ideas / (of a person) having a lot of clever
new ideas and good at inventing things

 an ingenious device/invention/experiment
 She's very ingenious when it comes to finding excuses.

# genius (a): unusually great intelligence, skill or artistic ability

Disclose (v): to give somebody information about something, especially

something that was previously secret

SYNONYM reveal

Distil (v): to get the essential meaning or ideas from thoughts, information,
experiences, etc.

Eloquently (adv) /ˈeləkwəntli/: in a way that uses language and expresses your
opinions well, especially when you are speaking in public / a look or movement
that expresses something eloquently shows a lot of feeling

 She spoke eloquently on the subject.

Subtle (a): not very obvious or easy to notice / behaving or organized in a clever
way, and using indirect methods, in order to achieve something

Cam 12
TEST 1:

Passage 1 : Cork
Bark (n) the hard outer covering of a tree

Buoyant (a): able to float

Beehive (n): a container shaped like a box where bees are kept so
that their honey (= the sweet substance they produce) can be collected

Thrive in (v): (of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously/
prosper; flourish.

Strip (v): to remove, pull, or tear the covering or outer layer from something

Damp (a): slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable

Stopper (n): an object that fits into the top of a bottle or other container

Insulation (n): the act of covering something to stop heat, sound,

or electricity from escaping or entering, or the fact that something
is covered in this way/ material that is used to stop heat, sound,
or electricity from escaping or entering

Desertification (n): the process by which land changes into desert,

for example because there has been too much farming activity on it or because
a lot of trees have been cut down

Passage 2: Collecting as a hobby

Varied (a): containing or changing between several different things or types

Ex: With its varied climate,

the country attracts both winter and summer sports enthusiasts.

Dignify (v):

dignify somebody/something to make somebody/something seem

impressive

Ex: The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations.

dignify something to make something appear important when it is not really

 Ex: I'm not going to dignify his comments by reacting to them.

Instrumental (a): important in making something happen

Triumph (n) /ˈtraɪʌmf/ a great success, achievement or victory / the feeling of

great pleasure or joy that you get from a great success or victory / an excellent
example of how successful something can be

Amass (v) /əˈmæs/: to collect something, especially in large quantities over a

period of time

SYNONYM : accumulate

Inferior (a): not good or not as good as somebody/something else / of lower rank;
lower

Lesser (a): not as great in size, amount or importance as something/somebody else

Locomotive (n) /ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv/: a railway engine that pulls a train

Tick somebody/something off : to put a mark (✓) next to a name or an item on a

list to show that something has been dealt with (=check somebody/something off)

to put it mildly : used to show that what you are talking about is much more
extreme, etc. than your words suggest

engrossing (a): so interesting that you give it all your attention and time

eccentric (a): considered by other people to be strange or unusual

Passage 3: What’s the purpose of gaining knowledge?

TEST 2

Passage 1: The risks agriculture faces in developing countries

Entrench (v) /ɪnˈtrentʃ/: to establish something very strongly so that it is very

difficult to change

counter-intuitively (adv) /ˌkaʊntər ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪvli/: in a way that is the opposite of

what you would expect or what seems to be obvious
transparency (n): the quality of something, such as a situation or an argument,
that makes it easy to understand

evident (a): clear; easily seen

SYNONYM obvious

Magnitude (n): the great size or importance of something; the degree to which
something is large or important

Ex: We did not realize the magnitude of the problem.

Passage 2: The lost city

Mule (n): an animal that has a female horse and a male donkey as parents, used
especially for carrying loads

Hindsight (n): the understanding that you have of a situation only after it has
happened and that means you would have done things in a different way.

Account (n): a written or spoken description of something that has happened

Compelling (a): that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and
exciting

Excel (v): to be very good at doing something

TEST 3

Passage 1: Flying tortoises

Exponentially (adv) /ˌekspəˈnenʃəli/: in a way that becomes faster and faster

Exacerbate (v): to make something worse, especially a disease or problem

Passage 2: The intersection of Health Sciences and Geography

Antibiotic (n): a substance, for example penicillin, that can destroy or prevent the
growth of bacteria and cure infections

Discrepancy (n): a difference between two or more things that should be the same.
on the front line(s) of: In the leading position of some effort or movement.

Passage 3: Music and the emotions

Devoid of something: completely without something

Explicit (a): clear and easy to understand, so that you have no doubt what is
meant

Straightforward (a): easy to do or to understand; not complicated

Simplistic (a): making a problem, situation, etc. seem less difficult or

complicated than it really is

Suspenseful (a): creating feelings of excitement or worry about what may happen

TEST 4

Passage 2: Bring back the big cats

Scour (v) /ˈskaʊə(r)/: to search a place or thing carefully and completely in order
to find somebody/something

Articulate (v) to express or explain your thoughts or feelings clearly in words

Lucrative (a) producing a large amount of money; making a large profit

Passage 3: UK companies need more effective boards of directors

Governance (n): the activity of governing a country or controlling a company or

an organization; the way in which a country is governed or a company or
institution is controlled

Board of directors : A group of people that provides expertise for a company or

organization

Meltdown (n): a situation where something fails or becomes weaker in a sudden

or dramatic way
knock-on (a): causing other events to happen one after another in a series

CAM 13
TEST 1

Passage 2: Why being bored is stimulating – and useful, too

Arousal (n): the act of making somebody feel sexually excited; the state of being
sexually excited / the act of making somebody have a particular feeling or attitude

 sexual arousal

Undesirable (a): not wanted or approved of; likely to cause trouble or problems

Passage 3: Artificial artists

Condemn (v): to say very strongly that you think something is bad, usually for
moral reasons

Genuine (a) /ˈdʒenjuɪn/: real; exactly what it appears to be; not artificial

SYNONYM authentic

Recoil (v): to react to an idea or a situation with strong dislike or fear

TEST 2
Passage 1: Bringing cinnamon to Europe

Exorbitantly (adv): to a very high degree that does not seem reasonable

Passage 2: Oxytocin

Anonymous (a): /əˈnɒnɪməs/ (of a person) with a name that is not known or that
is not made public

Perplexing (a): making you confused or worried because you do not understand
something
SYNONYM puzzling

Passage 3: Making the most of trends

Peripheral (a) /pəˈrɪfərəl/ : not as important as the main aim, part, etc. of
something

Spur (v): to encourage somebody to do something or to encourage them to try

harder to achieve something

Engender (v): to make a feeling or situation exist

Proposition (n) /ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃn/: an idea or a plan of action that is

suggested, especially in business
Attribute (n): a quality or feature of somebody/something

infuse A into B | infuse B with A (formal) to make somebody/something have a

particular quality

 Her novels are infused with sadness.

Avert (v): to prevent something bad or dangerous from happening

Entail (v): to involve something that cannot be avoided

SYNONYM involve

Worthwhile (a): important, pleasant, interesting, etc.; worth spending time, money
or effort on

Disparity (n): a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment

Counteract (v): to do something to reduce or prevent the bad or harmful effects of

something

SYNONYM counter

 These exercises aim to counteract the effects of stress and tension.

TEST 3
 Passage 1: The coconut palm
Cliché (n) /ˈkliːʃeɪ/: a phrase or an idea that has been used so often that it no
longer has much meaning and is not interesting

Surmount (v): to deal successfully with a difficulty / to be placed on top of

something

SYNONYM overcome

Germinate (v): when the seed of a plant germinates or is germinated, it starts to

grow

Disperse (v) /dɪˈspɜːs/: to move apart and go away in different directions; to make
somebody/something do this / to spread or to make something spread over a
wide area

SYNONYM scatter

 The seeds are dispersed by the wind.

Passage 2: How baby talk gives infant brains a boost

Solidify (v) /səˈlɪdɪfaɪ/: to become solid; to make something solid

Induce (v): induce somebody to do something (formal) to persuade or influence

somebody to do something / induce something (formal) to cause something

 Nothing would induce me to take the job.

 drugs that induce sleep

Passage 3: Whatever happened to the Harappan Civilisation

Demise (n) /dɪˈmaɪz/: the end or failure of an institution, an idea, a company, etc. /
death

Succumb (v) /səˈkʌm/: to not be able to fight an attack, a temptation, etc. / to die
from the effect of a disease or an injury

Monsoon (n) /ˌmɒnˈsuːn/: a period of heavy rain in summer in South Asia; the
rain that falls during this period
 TEST 4
Passage 1: Cutty Sark: the fastest sailing ship of all time

Passage 2: Saving the soil

Indiscriminate (a): an indiscriminate action is done without thought about what

the result may be, especially when it causes people to be harmed / acting without
careful judgement

Oblivious (a): not aware of something

Passage 3: Book review

Self-evident (a): obvious and needing no further proof or explanation

Cult (n): a way of life, an attitude, an idea, etc. that has become very popular

Unforgeable (a): refers to something that cannot be replicated, copied, or faked in

a way that is undetectable or indistinguishable from the original.

Entangle (v): to make somebody/something become caught or twisted in

something / to involve somebody in a difficult or complicated situation

 be/become entangled (in/with something) The bird had become entangled

in the wire netting.

Manipulate (v): to control or influence somebody/something, often in a dishonest

way so that they do not realize it / to control, use or change something with skill

Ex: She uses her charm to manipulate people.

 Computers are very efficient at manipulating information.

CAM 17
 TEST 1

Passage 3: To cactch a king

Alliance (n): an agreement between countries, political parties, etc. to work

together in order to achieve something that they all want

Conviction (n): the act of finding somebody guilty of a crime in court; the fact of
having been found guilty / a strong opinion or belief

Conspiracy (n): a secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or

illegal

Refuge (n) /ˈrefjuːdʒ/: shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.

Fugitive (n) /ˈfjuːdʒətɪv/: a person who has escaped or is running away from
somewhere and is trying to avoid being caught

Not least: especially

Narrative (n): a description of events

Account (n) a written or spoken description of something that has happened

Even-handed (a): completely fair, especially when dealing with different groups
of people

Unbiased (a): fair and not influenced by your own or somebody else’s opinions,
desires, etc.

TEST 2

Passage 1: The Dead Sea Scrolls

Shepherd (n) /ˈʃepəd/: a person whose job is to take care of sheep

Fragment (n): a single part of something; a part that is not complete

Intriguing (a) /ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ/: very interesting because of being unusual or not having
an obvious answer
Passage 3: Insight or evolution

Realm (n) /relm/ an area of activity, interest or knowledge

Endeavour (n) /ɪnˈdevə(r)/: an attempt to do something, especially something new

or difficult

Undermine (v): to make something, especially somebody’s confidence or

authority, gradually weaker or less effective

Amid (pre): surrounded by something

Arbitrary (a): not seeming to be based on a reason, system or plan and

sometimes seeming unfair

Serendipity (n) /ˌserənˈdɪpəti/: the fact of something interesting or pleasant

happening by chance

Objective (n): something that you are trying to achieve

SYNONYM goal

TEST 3

Passage 1: The thylacine

Superficial (a) /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃl/: only affecting the surface and therefore not serious/ of
or on the surface of something

Exclusively (adv): for only one particular person, group or use / completely;
without including anybody or anything else

Captivity (n): the state of being kept as a prisoner or in a space that you cannot
escape from

Passage 2: Palm oil

Edible (a) /ˈedəbl/: fit or suitable to be eaten; not poisonous

Boycott (v): to refuse to buy, use or take part in something as a way of protesting

Plantation (n): a large area of land, especially in a hot country, where crops such
as coffee, sugar, rubber, etc. are grown

Keystone (n): the most important part of a plan or argument that the other parts
depend on

Passage 3: Building the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan’s

Skyscrapers

Compilation (n): a collection of items, especially pieces of music or writing, taken

from different places and put together

Run-down (a): in very bad condition; that has not been taken care of

SYNONYM neglected

Slum (n): an area of a city that is very poor and where the houses are dirty and in
bad condition

Waterfront (n): a part of a town or an area that is next to water, for example in
a harbour

Exuberance (n): the quality of being full of energy, excitement and happiness

Viability (n): the fact that something can be done and can be successful

SYNONYM feasibility

TEST 4

Passage 1: Bats to the rescue

Fuel (v): to supply something with material that can be burnt to produce heat or
power / to put petrol into a vehicle / to increase something; to make something
stronger
Insectivorous (a) /ˌɪnsekˈtɪvərəs/: (of an animal) that eats insects

Susceptible (a): very likely to be influenced, harmed or affected by something

Passage 2: Does education fuel economic growth?

Passage 3: Timur Gareyev – blindfold chess champion

Get a kick from (someone or something):

To get a sense of enjoyment, amusement, or excitement from something

Blindfold (v): to cover somebody’s eyes with a piece of cloth or other material so
that they cannot see

CAM 14
TEST 1

Passage 2: The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world

Get (something) off the ground : to start happening successfully; to make

something start happening successfully

Elaborate (a): very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized

Unanimously (adv) /juˈnænɪməsli/: by everyone in a particular group

Vandalism (n): the crime of destroying or damaging something, especially public

property, deliberately and for no good reason

Passage 3: Motivational factors and the hospitality industry

Predisposition (n) /ˌpriːdɪspəˈzɪʃn/: predisposition (to/towards

something) | predisposition (to do something) a condition that makes
somebody/something likely to behave in a particular way or to have a particular
illness