Target Listening (Practice Test)-Practice Book 4 Unit 11 (E)

abs

same as abdominals.
I work out four times a week, but getting my abs flat is tough.

agonizing

accompanied by, filled with, or resulting in agony or distress
My tattoo took an agonizing hour to finish.

all-inclusive

including everything
Insurance through my workplace is all-inclusive.

attest

to swear something is true
My neighbor can attest to the fact I was home during the evening.

boundary

a real or imagined line that marks the edge or limit of something
The city boundaries are marked by the railroad tracks.

burst out

to sudden expulsion of emotion
Dan burst out crying when his daughter got married.

chimp

a small, very intelligent African ape with black or brown fur
The researchers were tying to teach the chimp sign language.

collie

a breed of dogs having a long black, tan, and white coat, raised originally to herd sheep
I think the most famous collie is Lassie. I remember watching her TV show when I was a boy.

contemplate

to think about something seriously
The principal contemplated on an appropriate punishment for the boys.

dazed

dumbfounded; amazed
He had a dazed look in his eyes because he had drank so much.

descend

to approach or pounce upon eagerly
The children descended upon their gifts with glee.

devotion

dedication
Her devotion to her children was evidenced by her sacrificing her career to home school them.

dread

to fear greatly
As a student, I dreaded my math classes.

easygoing

calm; very laid back
Sharon is fun to be with because she is so easygoing.

endure

to undergo a hardship or difficulty without giving in
They had to endure many cold evenings because the heater was broken.

evaluation

an analysis
Her yearly evaluation was very positive, so she got a big raise.

excessive

exceeding a normal amount, too much
The amount of work required in the class was excessive.

eyeopening

enlightening
Traveling abroad would be an eyeopening experience for anyone.

funky

offbeat; fasionable
It is common to see some funky fashions around areas where a university is located.

furious

exhibiting anger
The teacher was furious with her class's behavior during the trip to the museum.

garment

a piece of clothing
Her garments are typically well-designed.

gracious

characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury
Our gracious host showed us around his home and then had a lovely dinner prepared for us.

hardship

Extreme privation; suffering
Going through hardships is one of the many realities of life.

hygienic

clean; helpful in preventing disease
Surprisingly, the man had extremely good hygienic habits.

hypothesis

a theory; an idea about why something happens
Scientists first make a hypothesis and then test it with an experiment.

identify

to establish as being a particular person or thing
Even the youngest baby can identify its mother by her voice.

immeasurable

limitless
The police man said the woman's help in solving the case was immeasurable.

impersonal

lacking human emotion or warmth
It seems that the more advanced we get as a society, the more impersonal we become.

inspirational

imparting inspiration
Her life was inspirational to many young women.

intimidate

to make someone fearful or timid by showing power or making threats
My dad intimidates my friends whenever they visit.

lawmaking

the act or process of creating laws
Their process of lawmaking is unfair because the people have no say into what laws are made.

lean

to cause to slope in one direction, or to move the top part of the body in a particular direction
Josh was tired so he was leaning against his car.

legacy

something that is a part of your history or which stays from an earlier time
The Greeks left a rich legacy of literature and art.

motivate

to give a reason to do something
Her speech motivated me to hold onto my dreams.

nitric oxide

a transparent colorless liquid which is used in making many chemicals, especially explosives and fertilizers for plants
In order for a plant to grow well, the soil must be rich in nitric oxide.

non-traditional

not conforming to or in accord with tradition
I grew up in a non-traditional home with only my dad and sister.

outlook

perspective, a prospect
The outlook for the situation did not look good.

perseverance

a determination to stay with some course of action or some decision
Although everyone told her she would fail, she kept working because she has a lot of perseverance.

ramble

to talk or write in an aimless way; to have no point
When you are writing an essay, do not ramble. Stick to the point.

reduction

the act of making something smaller
Most people want a reduction in their taxes.

rescue

to save someone from danger
The lifeguard rescued the young boy from the ocean.

retrieve

to go get and bring back
After her computer crashed, there was no way to retrieve the information from the hard drive.

ritual

any practice or pattern of behavior regularly perfomed in a set manner as in some religion
Many children experience the ritual of baptism when they are very young.

ruin

to make something unusable
After the fire, the house was ruined.

self-centered

only thinking about one's self
An only child can grow up to be a self-centered individual if they are not socialized with others.

senior

a person in their final year of study at a high school or university
seniors have a much better perspective of student life than incoming freshmen.

separately

on an individual basis;
Victor and Ian arrived separately.

specialty

a special interest, skill, study or work
Baking a cake is my specialty.

tendency

a likelihood to behave in a particular way or to like a particular thing
She has a tendency of leaving her clothes everywhere.

tryout

a trial or test to see the qualifications of an applicant
They are having tryouts for the baseball team next weekend.

unending

without end; everlasting
There seems to be an unending supply of stray cats in my neighborhood.