More School Subject Readings 2/e-Book 3 (E)

bandit

a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang
The bandits were going to take over the train.

bare

lacking clothing or other covering
He killed the bear with his bare hands.

indestructible

impossible to break or destroy
The king's castle is indestructible.

origin

the time or place where something begins; the source of something
We wanted to know the mysterious guest's origin.

otherworldly

seeming to belong to or come from another world
Some of the talents he has are just otherworldly.

saying

an old and well-known phrase that expresses an idea
Everything happens for a reason is a popular saying.

series

a set of stories on a particular subject
Scrubs is one of my favorite TV series.

special effects

an image or sound created in movies to represent something imaginary
That movie uses a lot of special effects.

supposedly

based on what many people have said or believe to be true
She supposedly said to meet in ten minutes. I guess she is running late.

villain

someone who gets blamed for causing a problem
Colonel Moran was the villain who shot Ronald Adair.

barren

referring to land or soil that is cannot support the growth of life
The desert is too barren to grow fruits.

convenience

the quality or state of making things easier to do while saving time
I miss the convenience of living in the city.

dingo

a wild dog of Australia
dingoes are found in Australia.

field

an area that has no trees or buildings
The boys were running and playing in the field.

find

to get back a thing lost
I find his book to be very interesting.

forgive

to stop feeling anger toward someone who has wronged you
Please forgive me for my mistakes.

oasis

a place in a desert where there is water
The camels stopped at the oasis to rest and drink water.

ranch

a large farm, made mostly of land for raising cattle
There are many horses in that ranch.

shoot

to fire a gun
What type of gun did you shoot the bear with?

untamed

wild and not controlled by people
That dog is untamed.

after all

in the end
It was Adam who stopped by my house after all.

casing

a covering for something
The casing of the bottle was cracked.

destroy

to damage something so that it cannot be repaired
The hurricane destroyed many homes.

invention

the process of creating a new device or idea
The computer is a useful invention.

laundry

items of made of cloth that have been or must be washed
I need to wash my laundry this week.

miraculous

wonderful; extraordinary
The way we won that game was just miraculous.

pioneer

a person who explores or creates new ideas and methods
The Indians were the pioneers of this piece of land.

possible

being able to be done or achieved
It is not possible to live without sleeping.

program

to tell a computer what to do
Zordon’s mother and father have programmed the robot to take good care of the house and the family.

settlement

a place where people build homes and live
We are at one of the settlements of the pilgrims.

adequate

equal to what is needed
The Chen family lack money to buy an adequate amount of food.

community service

helping out and working in the community without play
How much community service have you done this summer?

contribution

the act of helping person, or group by giving money, things
We all made contributions to the homeless shelter.

donate

to give to a fund
I'm going to donate the money to a charity.

grocery

foods you buy such as flour, sugar, and tinned foods
I buy a lot of food when I go grocery shopping.

income

the money that one earns from work, business, or property
My family receives a high income.

patron

a person who buys the products or uses the services of a business
We surveyed the plushness of the hotel and its sleek, well-dressed patrons.

senior citizen

an older member of a community
The senior citizens of this town get up early to exercise.

thankful

pleased about sth good that has happened
We are all thankful that you are safe and sound.

volunteer

to offer to do something that is not required without being paid
Barbara volunteers at the local hospital.

cater to

to provide what is required
The servants always cater to their master's needs.

competition

the act or process of trying to win
There is a huge competition between the two hometown rivals tonight.

dedication

the commitment to work hard for something important
You need to have complete dedication to this sport to be successful.

gymnastics

a sport dealing with the movement of the body
Amy used to take gymnastics when she was young.

impediment

obstruction; hindrance; obstacle
Being short can be an impediment in some sports.

potential

a particular ability of someone or something that can be developed
Danny has the potential to become a professional swimmer.

prepare

to make or get ready
The teacher wants us to prepare a summary for the article.

reestablishment

the action of setting up something again
Since the town's reestablishment two years ago, things have been blossoming.

showcase

a place for presenting something
The Games are a showcase for the world’s top athletes.

suited

having the qualities that are right, needed for something
His body type is suited best for swimming.

athlete

a person who is trained in or good at sports
She is the best athlete in the school.

exceptional

being extremely and unusually good
My dad has exceptional cooking skills.

garner

to gather a sum of important things
I think we have garnered enough evidence to prosecute her.

gymnast

a person who performs physical exercises as part of an athletic competition
Nancy is one of the best gymnasts in the world.

outstanding

extremely good; excellent
The way she handled the situation was outstanding.

prodigy

someone young who is naturally able to do something extremely well
Jerry realized that Kobe was a prodigy.

recognize

to remember someone or something from past
Ray recognizes his competitor's talents.

renowned

being well-known for good things someone has done
Her grandfather was a renowned pianist.

train

to work on some natural skill in order to improve it
He trained as a teacher before becoming an actor.

wow

to surprise
The crowd was wowed by Lacey's performance.

acquire

to get or obtain something
I acquired the right to fire anyone who brings down the company.

clothe

(formal) to dress or put a certain type of clothes on someone
You have to feed and clothe your children well.

crucial period

an important span of time
The next two weeks will be a crucial period for students.

cruel

causing pain to others
Cinderella had a very cruel step-mother.

feral

existing in a wild state
feral dogs are wild.

keep

to stay in a certain place or condition
You looks like you are having trouble keeping your balance on those skates.

occur

to happen
The accident occurred on the highway.

orphaned

having lost one's parents
The orphaned boy lived in a box under a bridge.

separate

to put things away from each other
separate the students into four groups.

vital

being of extreme importance for the success of something
Secrecy of this project is of vital importance.

appear

to be in sight; to arrive at a place
The guest star is going to appear in a couple of minutes.

barely

in a way that is difficult but still possible
Kristen barely made it to class on time.

coax

encourage; persuade
The trainees were coaxed into doing hard, boring work.

communicate

to express information by writing, speaking or making gestures
It is easy to communicate with people if you speak the same language.

enthrall

capture the attention of
He had been so enthralled by the adventure that he had hardly noticed the cold.

gifted

having great natural ability
Your son is a gifted dancer.

origin

the time or place where something begins; the source of something
We wanted to know the mysterious guest's origin.

piece together

to solve a problem over time
I can't piece together the clues that we found to solve this mystery.

spread

to cause to reach a wider area
Rumors about Kitty spread like fire.

village

a very small community or town in the country
Jeff is the chief of this village.

assume

to act in a false manner to mislead others as to your true feelings
Do you think you can assume the responsibilities required by this job?

command

to give an order to do something
The general commanded us to stand in line.

disable

to cause something or someone to be unable to act normally
The impulse bomb will disable all electronic devices surrounding it.

disguise

to change the appearance or sound so that it is unrecognizable
You should disguise yourself as a police officer.

distance

the amount of space between two points
There is quite a distance between my work place and home.

foremost

being the best or most important
First and foremost, never be late to class or you will lose points.

gadget

an interesting or unusual tool with a practical use
The room is equipped with all the best gadgets.

identity

who a person is, including their name
My dad has a secret identity.

physical

relating to someone's body and not his or her mind or feelings
Football is a very physical sport.

revenge

an act of harming someone because of being harmed by that person previously
She is seeking revenge for the murder of her husband.

ash

the powder that remains after something is completely burned
The cigarette left ashes everywhere.

atmosphere

the air around a PLANET
The atmosphere is becoming more polluted.

cast

to throw something
He casted the net over the sea.

devastation

the act of ruining or destroying something
The earthquake caused a great devastation.

erupt

(for a VOLCANO) to shoot out or spill hot rocks, smoke, and fire
The volcano may erupt any day now.

force

power or energy
It did not do so with the amount of force that was required.

inspire

to give someone an idea to do or make something
My brother inspired me to play basketball.

natural disaster

an event, such as an earthquake that causes destruction
Are there many natural disasters where you live?

scene

a part of a play or movie in which something particular happens
The scene at the beach was beautiful.

tear through

to sweep through and destroy
Tens of thousands of people died when giant waves and storms of ash tore through their villages.

cause

to create an effect or result
The gloomy weather caused her to be depressed.

curse

to bring great evil upon
The witch cursed me with a spell.

dramatic

referring to a sudden or extreme event
There was a dramatic fire in the country recently.

faraway

very far away in space or time
Yellowstone National park is a faraway place from our house.

mighty

having great strength or great size
He is a mighty warrior.

quench

to put out a fire
The flames were quenched by the firemen.

ranger

a type of official who works to manage and protect park or forest
My cousin is a park ranger.

shelter

a building or structure that protects or covers people or things
The camp is going to set up shelter soon.

summit

the highest part or top point of a mountain
We need to climb to the summit of the mountain.

whoever

anyone who
whoever made this mess should clean it up.

actor

a person who pretends to be a character in a movie or play
Joseph is such a good actor.

actress

a woman who acts on the stage for money
She is such a beautiful actress.

announce

to tell people about something officially
They announced their wedding date yesterday.

ceremony

a formal act that is performed according to a social tradition
We held a special ceremony for the writers.

embarrassing

causing to feel shame
She felt embarrassed when giving her presentation.

film-making

the production of movies
My sister is really interested in film-making.

nominate

to suggest someone or something for an award or prize
She was nominated for best supporting actress.

prestigious honors

an impressive prize
Steven received prestigious honors for his directing skills.

remain

to be whatever is left over
She is going to remain being the laziest person in the office.

reward

something given or received in return for good work or behavior
Matt received a reward for his brilliant performance.

deaf

being partially or completely unable to hear sound
I went deaf after the concert.

defeat

to win a victory over
Mandy defeated me in our video game battle.

handful

a small quantity or amount of people or things
There are only a handful of people at the dinner party.

lead

the most important person n a play or film
Jack got the lead role of the school play.

nominee

people who are recommended for an award
George is one of five nominees for best actor.

play

to act the part of a character in a play or movie
Nicole played the main character in that movie.

receive

to get something
He received a few gift certificates from his boss.

supporting actress

someone who plays a large role but isn't the main character
He is not the main but the supporting actor in this film.

talented

having the ability to do something better than most people can
The Prince complimented Lady Steyne on having such a pretty and talented friend.

author

a person who creates a written work, often a book
Mark Twain is a very famous author.

biography

the story of a person's life as told by someone else
He wrote a biography on Michael Jordan.

bore

a person or thing that is not very interesting
Ken is such a bore at parties.

describe

to talk about the details of something
How would you describe the way your friend looks?

evidence

materials and information used in a court to prove something
Did you find any evidence we can use against him?

host

the person who invites and receives guests
Who is the host of this party?

shy

showing that someone is nervous or afraid to talk to people
Anne gets very shy sometimes.

similar

being very much like someone or something else
They have very similar eyes.

tale

a story about something that happened to them
My grandfather used to always tell me a lot of tales.

unique

being very special or rare
He has a unique sense of fashion.

assume

to act in a false manner to mislead others as to your true feelings
She assumed that I was the one who stole her bike.

distracted

nervous, anxious, or confused because of something
Linda keeps getting distracted by the radio.

encounter

to meet someone or something unexpectedly
I encountered my ex-girlfriend at the mall yesterday.

evil

being morally bad or wrong
The queen had evil intentions.

hooligan

youths who commit crimes
Lance was a hooligan when he was young.

inhabit

to live in a certain area or place
The crab inhabits the sand dunes over there.

legendary

being part of a LEGEND
Tony Hawk is a legendary skater.

nymph

a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden
nymphs do not exist in real life.

predecessor

someone with a position, job, or status previous to someone else
Clinton was his predecessor in office.

psychologist

an expert who studies the mind and behavior
You should see a psychologist about your problems.

equal

same in quality or quantity as another
We have an equal amount of people in each bus.

extinct

not in existence after existing for a long time
Tigers are going to be extinct soon unless we stop hunting them.

fossil

the remains of a plant or animal that have stayed after millions of years
Did you guys find any dinosaur fossils today?

isolated

far away from other places
We live in a very isolated area.

nurse

to feed on a mother's milk
The joey lives in the pouch for months, growing and nursing.

offspring

the child of a person or the young of a plant or animal
The bear gave birth to two offspring.

pouch

a pocket; a folded area that holds something
The kangaroo keeps its kid in its pouch.

predator

a person who takes advantage of other people's weaknesses
Sharks are considered predators.

propel

to push something or someone in a certain direction
The grasshopper uses its legs to propel itself off the ground.

reason

an explanation for why something occurred or was done
The reason I did not do my homework is because I was out partying last night.