Extensive Reading-Book C Unit 33 (E)

acceleration

when something goes faster
The new car model was touted for its sleek design, but it had poor acceleration.

articulate

express something in clear and effective language
The speaker articulated the need for conserving energy in his speech.

claim

to state something as being true, especially when there is some doubt
She claimed she graduated from Harvard University, but no one believed her.

contradict

to tell someone what he or she says isn't true
The couple could never agree; the wife always contradicted her husband.

exotic

unusual and attractive
On their trip to Asia, they had discovered many exotic fruits and vegetables.

flawed

faulty
The scientist presented a flawed argument during his lecture.

formulation

careful preparation
The formulation of a new education policy took months to prepare.

gravity

a natural force pulling objects to the ground
Without gravity, we would all be floating in the air.

heavenly body

any object existing in space, especially a planet, star, or the moon
The sun is a heavenly body that we can all see and feel.

hypothesize

to give a possible but not yet proved explanation for something
Everyone hypothesized about how the accident happened.

inspiration

source of motivation or creativity
His inspiration for his book came from his long walks along the beach.

leap

increase or improvement
After being inspired by the movie, Mary made leaps in her studies; she received all A's on her report card.

minute

very small
The change to the script was so minute, everyone disregarded it.

novel

new and different
She had novel ways of solving problems.

phenomenon

movement; trend; happening
The wrapping of Christmas presents is a fairly recent phenomenon in American life.

shroud

to make difficult to see
The car was shrouded by tree branches.

slope

a surface at an angle
She skiing ability had improved significantly that she no longer skied down the same slopes.

twist

an unusual development
There was a new twist to the murder case; the husband was found guilty.

unthinkable

so bad that one cannot think about it
It is unthinkable for me to imagine getting divorced.

vacuum

a totally empty and airless space
How will the human body, without the protection of a spacesuit, respond to the vacuum of outer space?