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Boost-vocabulary - Reading level 2 | Trường Đại Học Duy Tân
Thoughout this period, the Arabs were the exclusiveimporters of the spice to Europe. They sold nutmeg for highprices to merchants based in Venice, but they never revealedthe exact location of the source of this extremely valuable /kəm .də.ˈ ɑː ti/ commodity. Tài liệu giúp bạn tham khảo, ôn tập và đạt kết quả cao. Mời bạn đọc đón xem!
Reading level 2 (ENG 166) 63 tài liệu
Đại học Duy Tân 1.8 K tài liệu
Boost-vocabulary - Reading level 2 | Trường Đại Học Duy Tân
Thoughout this period, the Arabs were the exclusiveimporters of the spice to Europe. They sold nutmeg for highprices to merchants based in Venice, but they never revealedthe exact location of the source of this extremely valuable /kəm .də.ˈ ɑː ti/ commodity. Tài liệu giúp bạn tham khảo, ôn tập và đạt kết quả cao. Mời bạn đọc đón xem!
Môn: Reading level 2 (ENG 166) 63 tài liệu
Trường: Đại học Duy Tân 1.8 K tài liệu
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BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG TEST 1 READING PASSAGE 1 Nutmeg / n ˈ t.me ʌ /– a valuable spice ɡ T Evergreen / ev ˈ . . ɚ ri ɡ n/ ː
An evergreen plant, bush, or tree has leaves for the
he nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrants, is a large whole year.
evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. Until the late 18th Branched:
century, it only grew in one place in the world: a small group one of the parts of a tree that grows out from the main
of islands in the Banda Sea, part of the Moluccas - or Spice
trunk and has leaves, flowers, or fruit on it: bare/leafy/flowering branches
Islands - in northeastern Indonesia. The tree is thickly
branched with dense foliage of tough, dark green oval leaves, Foliage / fo ˈ .li. ʊ d ɪ / ʒ
and produces small, yellow, bell-shaped flowers and pale
The leaves of a plant or tree, or leaves on the stems or
yellow pear-shaped fruits. The fruit is encased in a fleshy branches on which they are growing. (tán lá)
husk. When the fruit is ripe, this husk splits into two halves
The dense foliage overhead almost blocked out the
along a ridge running the length of the fruit. Inside is a sun. ɪ ˈ ɪ
purple brown shiny seed, 2 - 3 cm long by about 2 cm across, Encased / n ke st/
To cover or surround something or someone
surrounded by a lacy red or crimson covering called an completely.
‘aril’. These are the sources of the two spices nutmeg and Fleshy / f ˈ le .i/
ʃ = Having a lot of soft flesh. (vỏ quả)
mace, the former being produced from the dried seed and the Husk /hʌsk/ latter from the aril.
The dry outer covering of some seeds. Ridge /r d ɪ ʒ/
A long, narrow raised part of a surface.
Nutmeg was a highly prized and costly ingredient / nɪˈ r ɡ i . ː di.ənt/ in Crimson / kr ˈ m.zən/ ɪ having a dark, European cuisine deep red colour /kw z
ɪˈ iːn/ in the Middle Ages, and was used as
Aril (cùi) = Fleshy covering of the seed 1
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG Mace /meɪs/
a spice made from the dried shell of nutmeg Flavoring / f ˈ le .v ɪ . ɚ ŋ/ = seasoning ɪ
something that is added to food or drink to give it a particular taste Medicinal /mə d ˈ s. ɪ .nə ɪ l/
a flavoring, medicinal, and preservative agent.
Medicinal substances are used to cure illnesses
Thoughout this period, the Arabs were the exclusive Preservative /prɪˈzɝː.və.tɪv/
importers of the spice to Europe. They sold nutmeg for high
a substance that treats food in a particular way so it
can be kept for a long time without going bad
prices to merchants based in Venice, but they never revealed
the exact location of the source of this extremely valuable /kə Exclusive / k ɪ sklu ˈ .s ː v/ ɪ m
ˈ ɑː.də.ti/ commodity. The Arab-Venetian /vəˌni . ː ə ʃ n/ dominance of
exclusive of sth = not including something
the trade finally ended in 1512, when the Portuguese ˈ ɑː t /ˌpɔ r ː .tʃə Commodity /kə m .də. i/ hang hóa
a substance or product that can be traded, bought, or ˈ i
ɡ ːz/ reached the Banda Islands and began exploiting its sold precious resources. Dominance / d ˈ .mə.nəns/ ɑː
the quality of being more important, strong, or
Always in danger of competition from neighbouring Spain, successful than anything else of the same type
the Portuguese began subcontracting their spice distribution to Fleet /fli tː/ quân đội Dutch traders. Profits
a number of buses, aircraft, etc. under the control of / p ˈ rɑː.f t
ɪ s/ began to flow into the one person or organization
Netherlands, and the Dutch commercial fleet swiftly grew Swift /sw ft/ ɪ
into one of the largest in the world. The Dutch quietly gained
happening or moving quickly or within a short time,
control of most of the shipping and trading of spices in
especially in a smooth and easy way
Northern Europe. Then, in 1580, Portugal fell under Spanish
rule, and by the end of the 16th century the Dutch found
Be/fall under sb's influence/spell themselves
to be affected by someone in a strong and often
locked out of the market. As prices for pepper, negative way
nutmeg, and other spices soared across Europe, they decided Lock sb out of sth to fight back.
to prevent a person or organization from having or
being able to take part in something
In 1602, Dutch merchants founded the VOC, a trading
Soar /sɔːr/ = to rise very quickly to a high level
corporation better known as the Dutch East India Company.
By 1617, the VOC was the richest commercial operation in
the world. The company had 50,000 employees worldwide,
with a private army of 30,000 men and a fleet of 200 ships. Plague /ple / bệnh dịch ɪɡ
At the same time, thousands of people across Europe were
to cause worry, pain, or difficulty to someone or dying of the pl , a ague
highly contagious and deadly disease.
something over a period of time
Doctors were desperate for a way to stop the spread of this
disease, and they decided nutmeg held the cure. Everybody Contagious /kən te ˈ ɪ.dʒəs/ lây nhiễm
wanted nutmeg, and many were willing to spare no expense A contagious disease can be caught by touching
to have it. Nutmeg bought for a few pennies in Indonesia
someone who has the disease or a piece of infected clothing
could be sold for 68,000 times its original cost on the streets
of London. The only problem was the short supply. And ˈ ɚ
that’s where the Dutch found their opportunity.
Desperate / des.p .ət/ = very serious or bad
Spare no expense /sper/
to use a lot of effort, expense, etc. to do something
The Banda Islands were ruled by local sultans who insisted
on maintaining a neutral trading policy towards /twɔːrdz/
foreign powers. This allowed them to avoid the presence of
Portuguese or Spanish troops on their soil, but it also left Sultans / s ˈ ʌl.tən/
them unprotected from other invaders. In 1621, the Dutch a ruler, especially in the past, of some Muslim
arrived and took over. Once securely in control of the countries 2
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
Bandas, the Dutch went to work protecting their new / Insist n ɪ s ˈ st/ ɪ
investment. They concentrated all nutmeg production into a
to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when
others disagree with or oppose what you say
few easily guarded areas, uprooting and destroying any trees
outside the plantation zones. Anyone caught growing a Neutral / nu ˈ .trəl/ = no bias ː
nutmeg seedling or carrying seeds without the proper / pˈrɑ .ːpɚ/ Troops /trups/ = soldiers on duty in a large group authority Invaders / n ɪ ve ˈ ɪ.d / ɚ /ə θ ˈ ɔ r
ː .ə.ti/ was severely /səˈv r ɪ punished. In addition, all .li/
exported nutmeg was covered with lime to make sure there
an army or country that uses force to enter and take control of another country
was no chance a fertile seed which could be grown elsewhere Uproot / p ʌ ru ˈ ːt/ would leave the
to pull a plant including its roots out of the ground Seedling / si ˈ d.l ː ŋ/ ɪ
a very young plant that has grown from a seed Fertile / f ˈ ɝː.təl/
Fertile animals or plants are able to produce (a lot of) young or fruit
islands. There was only one obstacle Sliver /ˈslɪv.ɚ/ /ˈɑ b ː .stə.kəl/ to Dutch
domination. One of the Banda islands, a sliver of land called a very small, thin piece of something, usually broken off something larger
Run, only 3 km long by less than 1 km wide, was under the
control of the British. After decades of fighting for control of
this tiny island, the Dutch and British
Arrive at something = to come to a decision about arrived at a
something after much consideration
compromise settlement, the Treaty of Breda, in 1667. Intent
on securing their hold over every nutmeg-producing island, Compromise / k ˈ m.prə.ma ɑː z/ ɪ an agreement in an
the Dutch offered a trade: if the British would give them the
argument in which the people involved reduce their
island of Run, they would in turn give Britain a distant and
demands or change their opinion in order to agree
much less valuable island in North America. The British
agreed. That other island was Manhattan, which is how New Settlement / se ˈ .əl.mənt/ t
an official agreement that finishes an argument
Amsterdam became New York. The Dutch now had a monopoly /mə n ˈ ɑ . ː
over the nutmeg trade which would last pəl.i/ for another century.
Then, in 1770, a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre
successfully smuggled nutmeg plants to safety in Mauritius,
an island off the coast of Africa. Some of these were later
exported to the Caribbean /ˌker. b ɪˈ iː where they .ən/ thrived, Smuggle / sm ˈ .əl/ ʌɡ
especially on the island of Grenada /ɡrəˈneɪ /. Next, in 1778, a .də
to take things or people to or from a place secretly and volcanic eruption often illegally /vɑːlˈkæn. k ɪ / / r ɪˈ p ʌ . ə ʃ ( phun trào) in the Banda n/ region caused a tsunami ɪ
/tsuːˈnɑː.mi/ that wiped out half the
Thrive /θra v/ = to grow, develop
nutmeg groves. Finally, in 1809, the British returned to Indonesia and
seized the Banda Islands by force. They Wipe out something
returned the islands to the Dutch in 1817, but not before
to destroy something completely or cause something to be completely lost
transplanting hundreds of nutmeg seedlings to plantations in
several / sˈev.ɚ locations across southern Asia. The Dutch .əl/ Grove / ro ɡ
v/ = a group of trees planted close ʊ nutmeg monopoly was over. together
Today, nutmeg is grown in Indonesia, the Caribbean, India, Seized /si z/
ː = to take using sudden force
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka, and world
Transplant /træns plænt/ ˈ
nutmeg production is estimated to average between 10,000
to move something, or to be moved, from one place or and 12,000 tonnes per year. person to another 3
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG READING PASSAGE 2 Driverless car The automotive ˌɪ ˈ ɪ ʃ /
Implementation / m.plə.men te . ən/ the ˌɑː.təˈmo . ʊ t v
ɪ / sector is well used to adapting /ə
act of starting to use a plan or system dæpt/ ˈ
to automation /ˌɑː. ə t me ˈ . ɪ ən/ ʃ in manufacturing. The
implementation of robotic /ro b ʊˈ ɑː.t k
ɪ / car manufacture / m ˌ æn.jə Reliability /r la ɪˌ ɪ.əˈbɪl.ə. i/ t f
ˈ æk.tʃɚ/ from the 1970s onwards led to significant cost savings
the quality of being able to be trusted or believed
and improvements in the reliability and flexibility of vehicle
because of working or behaving well Flexibility mass production / flek.sə ˌ b ˈ ɪl.ə. i/ t
/prəˈdʌk.ʃən/. A new challenge / tˈ æ ʃ l.ɪndʒ/ to vehicle
the ability to change or be changed easily according to
production is now on the horizon and, again, it comes from the situation
automation. However, this time it is not to do with the Horizon /hə r ˈ ɑɪ·zən/
manufacturing process, but with the vehicles themselves.
A person’s horizons are the limit of that person’s ideas, knowledge, and experience
Research projects on vehicle automation are not new.
Vehicles with limited self-driving capabilities /ˌke .ɪpəˈb lɪ.ə.ti/ have
been around for more than 50 years, resulting in significant
contributions / kˌɑ nː.tr b
ɪˈ juː.ʃən/ towards driver assistance systems.
But since Google announced in 2010 that it had been trialling
self-driving cars on the streets of California, progress: in this
field has quickly gathered pace.
There are many reasons why technology / Pace /pe s/ ɪ tek n ˈ ɑ . ː lə.d i ʒ / is
the speed at which someone or something moves, or
advancing so fast. One frequently cited motive is safety;
with which something happens or changes
indeed, research at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory / l
ˈ æb.rə.tɔːr.i/ has demonstrated that more than 90 percent of road Advance /əd væns/ ˈ 4
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG collisions involve
to go or move something forward, or to develop or / n
ɪ ˈvɑːlv/ human error / e
ˈ r.ɚ/ as a contributory improve something
factor, and it is the primary / pˈra .ɪ / cause in the vast majority mer.i Collision /kə l ˈ .ə ɪʒ n/
an accident that happens when two vehicles hit each other with force Contributory /kən tr ˈ ɪb.jə.t r ɔː .i/
used to refer to something that you contribute to ˈɪ ɪ /
Incidence / n.s .dəns/ məˈdʒɑ .
ː rə.ti/. Automation may help to reduce the incidence of this.
an event, or the rate at which something happens
Another aim is to free the time people spend driving for other
purposes. If the vehicle can do some or all of the driving, it
may be possible to be productive, to socialise or simply to
relax while automation systems have responsibility /r s ɪˌ pɑ n ː .səˈb l
ɪ .ə.ti/ for safe control of the vehicle. If the vehicle can
do the driving, those who are challenged by existing mobility /mo b ʊˈ l
ɪ .ə.ti/ models - such as older or disabled travellers - may
be able to enjoy significantly greater travel autonomy /ɑːˈtɑː.nə.mi/.
Beyond /bi jˈɑ nː / these direct benefits, we can consider the d
wider implications for transport and society, and how
manufacturing processes might need to respond as a result. At
present, the average car spends more than 90 percent of its
life parked. Automation means that initiatives for car-sharing
become much more viable, particularly /pɚ tˈ kɪ.jə.l . ɚ / in urban li Implication / m.plə ˌɪ ke ˈ . ɪ ən/ ʃ
areas with significant travel demand. If a significant
an occasion when you seem to suggest something
proportion of the population choose to use shared automated without saying it directly
vehicles, mobility demand can be met by far fewer vehicles.
Initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.t v/ ɪ
a new plan or process to achieve something or solve a
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigated problem
automated mobility in Singapore, ending that fewer than 30
percent of the vehicles currently used would be required if Viable / va ˈ ɪ.ə.bəl/
fully automated car sharing could be implemented. If this is able to work as intended or able to succeed
the case, it might mean that we need to manufacture far fewer vehicles to meet demand.
However, the number of trips being taken would probably / p
ˈ rɑː.bə.bli/ increase, partly because empty vehicles would have
to be moved from one customer to the next. Modelling work
by the University of Michigan Transportation Research
Institute suggests automated vehicles might reduce vehicle
ownership by 43 percent, but that vehicles’ average annual
mileage would double as a result. As a consequence, each
vehicle would be used more intensively, and might need
replacing sooner. This faster rate of turnover may mean that
vehicle production will not necessarily decrease. 5
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
Automation may prompt other changes in vehicle
manufacture. If we move to a model where consumers are
tending not to own a single vehicle but to purchase / pˈɝ .ːt əʃs/
access to a range of vehicles through a mobility provider,
drivers will have the freedom to select one that best suits
their needs for a particular journey, rather than making a
compromise across all their requirements. Mileage / ma ˈ ɪ.lɪdʒ/
the distance that a vehicle has travelled or the distance
that it can travel using a particular amount of fuel Intensively / n ɪ ten.s ˈ v ɪ .li/
in a way that involves a lot of effort or activity in a
short period of time or small area Turnover / tˈɝːn o ˌ ʊ.v / ɚ 1.
the amount of business that a company does in a period of time 2.
the rate at which employees leave a company
and are replaced by new people Prompt /pr
mpt/ = to make something happen ɑː
Since, for most of the time, most of the seats in most cars are Boost /bu st/ ː
= to improve or increase something unoccupied Efficient / f ɪˈ .ənt/ ɪʃ / n ʌ ˈɑ k
ː .jəˌpaɪd/, this may boost production of a
working or operating quickly and effectively in an
smaller, more efficient range of vehicles that suit the needs of organized way individuals.
Specialised vehicles may then be available for Specialised / spe ˈ əla ʃ z ɪ d/
relating to one particular area or designed for a
exceptional journeys, such as going on a family camping trip particular purpose
or helping a son or daughter move to university. Exceptional / k ɪ sep. ˈ
ən.əl/ much greater than usual, ʃ
especially in skill, intelligence, quality, etc. Infinite / n.fə.nət/ ˈɪ
There are a number of hurdles to overcome in delivering
without limits; extremely large or great Encounter
automated vehicles to our roads. These include the technical / n ɪ ka ˈ ʊn.t / ɚ
difficulties in ensuring that the vehicle works reliably in the
to experience something, especially something unpleasant
infinite range of traffic, weather and road situations it might Regulatory / re ˈ ɡ.jə.lə.t r ɔː .i/ = controlling
encounter; the regulatory
challenges in understanding how Liability / la ˌ ɪ.ə b ˈ ɪl.ə.ti/
liability and enforcement might change when drivers are no
the fact that someone is legally responsible for
longer essential for vehicle operations and the societal something Enforcement /ɪn f ˈ rs.mənt/ ɔː the process of making /sə s ˈ a . ɪ ə. ə
t l/ changes that may be required for communities
people obey a law or rule, or making a particular
situation happen or be accepted Address /ˈæd.res/
/kəˈmjuː.nə.ti/ to trust and accept automated vehicles as being a
valuable part of the mobility landscape.
to give attention to or to deal with a matter or problem Robust /roʊˈbʌst/
strong and unlikely to break or fail Conquer
It’s clear that there are many challenges that need to be / k ˈ ɑːŋ.kɚ/
to deal with or successfully fight against a problem or
addressed but, through robust
and targeted research, these an unreasonable fear
can most probably be conquered within the next 10 years. 6
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
Mobility will change in such potentially significant ways and
in association with so many other technological Concrete / k ˈ ɑːn.kri t/ ː developments, such as
based on sure facts or existing things rather than
telepresence and virtual reality, that it guesses or theories
is hard to make concrete predictions about the future.
However, one thing is certain: change is coming, and the
need to be flexible in response to this will be vital for those
involved in manufacturing the vehicles that will deliver future mobility. READING PASSAGE 3 What is exploration? 7
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG We are all explorers. Our
desire to discover, and then share Desire /d za ɪˈ ɪr/
that new-found knowledge, is part of what makes us human
to want something, especially strongly Indeed / n ɪ di ˈ ːd/
- indeed, this has played an important part in our success as
really or certainly, often used to emphasize something a species / Slumped down s ˈ piː. i
ʃ ːz/. Long before the first caveman slumped
To fall, or collapse physically downward
down beside the fire and grunted news that there were ɡ ʌ plenty of Grunt / r nt/ wildebeest over , our ancestors yonder / æ ˈ n.ses.tɚ/ had
to make a short, low sound instead of speaking,
learnt the value of sending out scouts to investigate /ɪ
usually because of anger or pain n Wildebeest / ˈw l.də.bi ɪ
ːst/ a large African animal with a long tail v ˈ es.tə. e ɡ t ɪ /
the unknown. This questing nature of ours
and horns that curve to the sides that lives in areas undoubtedly / n ʌ ˈda . ʊ t d
ɪ .li/ helped our species spread around the
covered in grass Yonder / j ˈ n.d ɑː ɚ/
globe, just as it nowadays no doubt /
in the place or direction shown da t ʊ / helps de last
nomadic Penan maintain their existence in the depleted Scout /skaʊt/
a person, especially a soldier, sent out to get
forests of Borneo, and a visitor negotiate the subways of
information about where the enemy are and what New York. they are doing
Nomadic /noʊˈmæd.ɪk/
moving from one place to another rather than living
Over the years, we’ve come to think of explorers as a in one place all of the time
peculiar breed - different from the rest of us, different from Depleted /dɪˈpli t
ː ɪd/ = smaller or less than before
those of us who are merely ‘well travelled’, even; and Peculiar /p kju ɪˈ
ːl.jɚ/ = unusual and strange
Seek sb/sth out /siːk/
perhaps there is a type of person more suited to seeking out
to look for someone or something, especially for a
the new, a type of caveman more inclined to risk venturing long
time until you find him, her, or it
out. That, however, doesn’t take away from the fact that we Inclination / n·klə ˌɪ ne ˈ ɪ· ən/ ʃ
all have this enquiring instinct, even today; and that in all
a preference or tendency, or a feeling that makes a
sorts of professions whether artist, marine biologist / person want to do something ˈ ʃɚ baɪ Venture / ven.t /
to risk going somewhere or doing something that ˈɑ .
ː lə.dʒɪst/ or astronomer /ə s ˈ trɑ .
ː nə.mɚ/ - borders of the uptown are
might be dangerous or unpleasant being tested each day.
Thomas Hardy set some of his novels in Egdon Heath, a Instinct / n.st ˈɪ ŋkt/ ɪ
the way people or animals naturally react or behave,
fictional area of uncultivated land, and used the landscape to
without having to think or learn about it
suggest the desires and fears of his characters. He is delving Fictional / fˈɪk.ʃən.əl/ = imaginary / mæd ɪˈ .ə.ner ʒ .i/
into matters we all recognise because they are common to Delve /delv/
to search, especially as if by digging, in order to find a
humanity. This is surely an act of exploration, and into a thing or information
world as remote as the author chooses. Explorer and travel Puny / pju ˈ
.ni/ = small; weak; not effective ː
writer Peter Fleming talks of the moment when the explorer Laboriously /lə b ˈ ɔːr.i.əs.li/
in a way that needs a lot of time and effort
returns to the existence he has left behind with his loved
ones. The traveller ‘who has for weeks or months seen
himself only as a puny and irrelevant alien crawling
laboriously over a country in which he has no roots and no
background, suddenly encounters his other self, a relatively
solid figure, with a place in the minds of certain people’. Solid / s ˈ ɑː.l d/ ɪ
certain or safe; of a good standard; giving confidence or support
In this book about the exploration of the earth’s surface, I have confined myself
to those whose travels were real and Confine /kən fa ˈ n/ ɪ
who also aimed at more than personal discovery. But that still
to limit an activity, person, or problem in some way
left me with another problem: the word ‘explorer’ has
become associated with a past era. We think back to a golden
age, as if exploration peaked somehow in the 19th century as
if the process of discovery is now on the decline, though the
truth is that we have named only one and a half millions of Peak /pi k/ ː
this planet’s species, and there may be more than 10 million
to reach the highest, strongest, or best point, value, or 8
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
and that’s not including bacteria level of skill /bækˈt r
ɪ .i.ə/. We have studied
only 5 per cent of the species we know. We have scarcely
mapped the ocean floors, and know even less about
ourselves; we fully understand the workings of only 10 per cent of our brains .
Here is how some of today’s ‘explorers’ define the word. Ran Scarcely / skers.li/ = almost not ˈ
Fiennes, dubbed the ‘greatest living explorer’ said, ‘An
Map /mæp/ = to draw a representation of a place
explorer is someone who has done something that no human
has done before - and also done something scientifically
useful.’ Chris Bonington, a leading mountaineer, felt
exploration was to be found in the act of physically touching
the unknown: ‘You have to have gone somewhere new.’ Then Dub /d b/ ʌ
to give something or someone a particular
Robin Hanbury-Tenison, a campaigner on behalf of remote name, esp.
describing what you think of that person or thing
socalled ‘tribal’ peoples, said, ‘A traveller simply records
information about some far-off world, and reports back; but
an explorer changes the world.’ Wilfred Thesiger, who
crossed Arabia’s Empty Quarter in 1946, and belongs to an
era of unmechanised travel now lost to the rest of us, told me,
‘if I’d gone across by camel /
ˈkæm.əl/ when I could have gone by
car, it would have been a stunt.’ To him, exploration meant
bringing back information from a remote place regardless of Tribal / tr
ˈ ɑɪ·bəl/ = of or relating to a tribe Tribe any great self-discovery. /tra b/
ɪ a group of people, often of related families,
who live together, sharing the same language, culture,
and history, especially those who do not live in towns
Each definition is slightly different - and tends to reflect the or cities Far-off / f ˌ r ɑːˈ f/ ɑː
field of endeavour of each pioneer. It was the same whoever 1.
A time that is far-off, is a long time before or
I asked: the prominent historian would say exploration was a after the present 2.
A far-off place is a great distance away
thing of the past, the cutting-edge scientist would say it was Stunt /st nt/ ʌ of
an exciting and often dangerous act Endeavor /en dev ˈ . / = to try to do ɚ
something Prominent / pr ˈ .mə.nənt/ very ɑː well-known and important
the present. And so on. They each set their own particular
criteria; the common factor in their approach being that they
all had, unlike many of us who simply enjoy travel or
discovering new things, both a very definite objective from
the outset and also a desire to record their findings.
Definite / def.ən.ət/ = fixed, certain, or clear ˈ
I’d best declare my own bias. As a writer, I’m interested in Outset / a ˈ t.set/ = the beginning ʊ
the exploration of ideas. I’ve done a great many expeditions / ˌek.spəˈd .
ɪʃ ən/ and each one was unique. I’ve lived for months
alone with isolated groups of people all around the world, 9
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
even two ‘uncontacted tribes’. But none of these things is of
the slightest interest to anyone unless, through my books,
I’ve found a new slant, explored a new idea. Why? Because
the world has moved on. The time has long passed for the
great continental voyages - another walk to the poles, another
crossing ofthe Empty Quarter. We know how the land surface
of our planet lies; exploration of it is now down to the details Slant /slænt/
- the habits of microbes, say, or the grazing behaviour of
a particular way of showing or looking at something
buffalo. Aside from the deep sea and deep underground, it’s
the era of specialists. However, this is to disregard the role
the human mind has in conveying remote places; and this is
what interests me: how a fresh interpretation, even of a
welltravelled route, can give its readers new insights. Insight /ˈɪn.saɪt/
(the ability to have) a clear, deep, and sometimes
sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation TEST 2 READING PASSAGE 1
Could urban engineers learn from dance? 10
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The way we travel around cities has a major impact on whether
they are sustainable. Transportation is estimated to account for
30% of energy consumption in most of the World’s most Consumption /kən sˈ mp. ʌ ən/ the ʃ
developed nations, so lowering the need for energy-using amount used or eaten
vehicles is essential for decreasing the environmental impact of Sustainable /sə ste ˈ . ɪ nə.bəl/
mobility. But as more and more people move to cities, it is
C1 able to continue over a
important to think about other kinds of sustainable travel too. period of time
The ways we travel affect our physical and mental health, our
social lives, our access to work and culture, and the air we estimate / es.tə.me ˈ t/ ɪ
breathe. Engineers are tasked with changing how we travel
B2 : to guess or calculate the
cost, size, value, etc. of somethin
round cities through urban design, but the engineering industry
still works on the assumptions that led to the creation of the Access / æk.ses/ ˈ (ENTER PLACE)
energy-consuming transport systems we have now: the to be to get to or get inside a able place
emphasis placed solely on efficiency, speed, and quantitative
data. We need radical changes, to make it healthier, more Task (v) /tæsk/
enjoyable, and less environmentally damaging to travel around to give someone a task cities. 11
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something that you accept as true without question or proof Quantitative / kw ˈ ɑːn. ə t .te . ɪ t ɪv/
relating to numbers or amounts Radical / ræd. ˈ ɪ.kəl/
believing or expressing the belief that there should
be great or extreme social or political change
Dance might hold some of the answers. That is not to suggest
everyone should dance their way to work, however healthy and
happy it might make us, but rather that the techniques used by Choreographers / k ˌ r ɔː .iˈɑː. rə.f ɡ / ɚ
choreographers to experiment with and design movement in
a person who is skilled at combining movements
dance could provide engineers with tools to stimulate new into dances to be performed
ideas in city-making. Richard Sennett, an influential urbanist Stimulate / st ˈ ɪm.jə.le t/ ɪ and sociologist /
to encourage something to grow, develop, or s ˌ oʊ.siˈɑ .
ː lə.dʒɪst/ who has transformed ideas about
the way cities are made, argues that urban design has suffered become active
from a separation between mind and body since the
introduction of the architectural /ˌɑ r ː .kə t
ˈ ek.tʃɚ / blueprint. .əl
Whereas medieval builders improvised and adapted
construction through their intimate knowledge of materials and
personal experience of the conditions on a site, building Medieval / med.i ˌ i ˈ .vəl/ related ː
designs are now conceived and stored in media technologies to the Middle Ages
that detach the designer from the physical and social realities Improvise / m.prə.va ˈɪ z/ ɪ
they are creating. While the design practices created by these to invent or provide something at the time when it
new technologies are essential for managing the technical
is needed without having already planned it
complexity of the modern city, they have the drawback of Intimate / n. ˈɪ tə.mət/
simplifying reality in the process.
(of knowledge or understanding) detailed, and
obtained from a lot of studying or experience
To illustrate, Sennett discusses the Peachtree Center in Atlanta, Conceive /kən si ˈ v/ ː
USA, a development typical of the modernist
to bring a thought or idea into being; imagine / m ˈ ɑ . ː dɚ.nɪst/
approach to urban planning prevalent in the 1970s. Peachtree Detach /dɪˈtæt / >< attach ʃ
created a grid of sheets and towers intended as a new pedestrian
to separate or remove something from something
friendly downtown for Atlanta. According to Sennett, this else that it is connected to
failed because its designers had invested too much faith in simplifying / s ˈ ɪm.plə.fa / ɪ
computer aided design to tell them how it would operate / to make something less complicated and therefore easier to do or understand: ˈɑ . ː pə.re t
ɪ /. They failed to take into account that purpose-built
street cafes could not operate in the hot sun without the aid (v) /e d ɪ /
protective awnings common in older buildings, and would to help or support
need energy-consuming air conditioning instead, or that its
giant car park would feel so unwelcoming that it would put / Practice præk.t ˈ s/ ɪ
people off getting out of their cars. What seems entirely
something that is usually or regularly done, often as
predictable and controllable on screen has unexpected results a habit, tradition, or custom when translated into reality. Prevalent / prev ˈ .əl.ənt/ 12
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
existing very commonly or happening often
The same is true in transport engineering, which uses models to
predict and shape the way people move through the city. Again, Awning /ˈɑː.nɪŋ/
these models are necessary, but they are built on specific /spə sˈ fɪ. kɪ/
world views in which certain forms of efficiency and safety are
considered and other experiences of the city ignored. Designs
that seem logical in models appear counter-intuitive in the
actual experience of their users. The guard rails that will be Put sb off
familiar to anyone who has attempted to cross a British road,
to stop someone from doing something, until a later time
for example, were an engineering solution to pedestrian safety
based on models that prioritise the smooth flow of traffic. On
wide major roads, they often guide pedestrians to specific
crossing points and slow down their progress across the road by
using staggered access points to divide the crossing into two-o ne for each
carriageway. In doing so they make crossings feel longer, Counter-intuitive / ka ˌ n. ʊ t . ɚ n ɪ tu ˈ .i. ː t ɪv/
Something that is counter-intuitive does not happen
in the way you would expect it to Carriageway / ke ˈ r.ɪdʒ.we / one of ɪ the two halves of a main road Barrier / ber.i. ˈ / ɚ introducing psychological
something that keeps people or things apart
/ˌsa .ɪkəˈlɑ .ːd . ʒɪ kəl/ barriers greatly
impacting those that are the least mobile, and encouraging
others to make dangerous crossings to get around the guard disruption
rails. These barriers don’t just make it harder to cross the road:
they divide communities and decrease opportunities for healthy
transport. As a result, many are now being removed, causing
disruption, cost, and waste. If their designers had had the tools
to think with their bodies - like dancers - and imagine how
these barriers would feel, there might have been a better
solution. In order to bring about
fundamental changes to the
ways we use our cities, engineering will need to develop a
richer understanding of why people move in certain ways, and
how this movement affects them. Choreography Fundamental / f ˌ n.də ʌ men. ˈ ə t l/ / k ˌ ɔːr.iˈɑ . ː r ɡ ə.fi/ may
more important than anything else
not seem an obvious choice for tackling this problem. Yet it 13
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
shares with engineering the aim of designing patterns of
movement within limitations of space. It is an art form
developed almost entirely by trying out ideas with the body,
and gaining instant feedback on how the results feel.
Choreographers have deep understanding of the psychological, /es Aesthetic θe ˈ t. k/ ɪ
aesthetic, and physical implications of different ways of
relating to the enjoyment or study of beauty moving. implications
Observing the choreographer Wayne Mcgregor, cognitive
scientist David Kirsh described how he ‘thinks with the body’. Cognitive / k ˈ ɑːɡ.nə.t ɪv/
connected with thinking or conscious mental
Kirsh argues that by using the body to stimulate outcomes, processes
Mcgregor is able to imagine solutions that would not be Outcome /ˈaʊt.k m/ ʌ
possible using purely abstract thought. This kind of physical
a result or effect of an action, situation, etc.
knowledge is valued in many areas of expertise / eˌk.spɝːˈtiː /, but z expertise
currently has no place in formal engineering design processes.
A suggested method for transport engineers is to improvise
design solutions and get instant feedback about how they would
work from their own experience of them, or model designs at
full scale the way choreographers experiment with groups of
dancers. Above all, perhaps, they might learn to design for
emotional as well as fractional effects. Fractional / fræk. ˈ ə ʃ n.əl/ forming only a part of something READING PASSAGE 2
Should we try to bring extinct species back to life? 14
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The passenger pigeon was a legendary species. Flying in vast
passenger pigeon = wild pigeon flock
numbers across North America, with potentially many millions
/flɑːk/ = a group of birds spectacle / ˈspek.tə.kəl/
within a single flock, their migration /maɪˈ r ɡ e . ɪ ə ʃ n/ was once one of
an unusual or unexpected event or situation that
nature’s great spectacles. Sadly, the passenger pigeon’s
attracts attention, interest, or disapproval
existence came to an end on 1st September 1914, when the last Geneticist /d ə ʒ ne ˈ .ə t .s st/ ɪ a person who studies genetics
living specimen /ˈspes.ə.mɪn/ died at Cincinnati Zoo. Geneticist Ben Ambitious /æm bˈ .əs/ ɪʃ
Novak is lead researcher on an ambitious project which now If a plan or idea is ambitious, it needs a great
aims to bring the bird back to life through a process known as
amount of skill and effort to be successful or be
achieved Premise / prem. ˈ s/ ɪ
‘de-extinction’. The basic premise involves using cloning an idea or theory on which a statement or action is
technology to turn the DNA of extinct animals into a fertilised based Cloning / klo ˈ .n ʊ ŋ/ ɪ
embryo, which is carried by the nearest relative still in
the process of creating an exact copy of a plant or
existence in this case, the abundant band-tailed pigeon before animal by using its cells Embryo / em.bri.o ˈ / ʊ an
being born as a living, breathing animal. Passenger pigeons are
animal that is developing either in its mother's
womb or in an egg, or a plant that is developing in
one of the pioneering species in this field, but they are far from a seed
the only ones on which this cutting-edge technology is being Band-tailed pigeon trialled.
In Australia, the thylacine / θˈa .ɪlə.si nː/, more commonly known as Strive /stra v/ ɪ the Tasmanian /
to try very hard to do something or to make tæzˌme . ɪ
tiger, is another extinct creature which ni.ən/
something happen, especially for a long time or
genetic /dʒəˈne .t kɪ/ scientists are striving to bring back to life. against difficulties
‘There is no carnivore now in Tasmania / Carnivore / k
ˈ ɑːr.nə.vɔːr/ = an animal that eats tæz m ˈ e .
ɪ ni.ə/ that fills the meat ˈ ɝː ɔː
niche which thylacines once occupied,’ explains Michael Herbivore / h .bə.v r/ = an animal that eats only plants /n Niche t ɪ / ʃ
Archer of the University of New South Wales. He points out
that in the decades since the thylacine went extinct, there has
been a spread in a ‘dangerously debilitating’ facial tumour syndrome which 15
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
threatens the existence of the Tasmanian devils
an area or position that is exactly suitable for a /dev.əl/, the island’s other
small group of the same type Debilitating /dɪ
notorious resident. Thylacines would have b ˈ ɪl.ə.te . ɪ t ŋ/ ɪ
prevented this spread because they would have killed
making someone or something physically weak
significant numbers of Tasmanian devils. ‘If that contagious Facial / fe ˈ . ɪ ə
ʃ l/ = of or on the face Tumour cancer had / tu ˈ .m ː / ɚ
popped up previously, it would have burned out in
a mass of diseased cells that might become a lump
whatever region it started. The return of thylacines to Tasmania or cause illness
could help to ensure that devils are never again subjected to Syndrome / s
ˈ ɪn.droʊm/ a combination of medical
problems that commonly go together and that risks of this kind’.
show the existence of a disease Notorious /no t ʊˈ r
ɔː .i.əs/ = famous for sth bad
If extinct species can be brought back to life, can humanity Pop up /p p/ ɑː /hjuː
to appear or happen, especially suddenly or unexpectedly m
ˈ æn.ə.ti/ begin to correct the damage it has caused to the natural
world over the past few millennia? ‘The idea of deextinction is
that we can reverse this process, bringing species that no longer
exist back to life,’ says Beth Shapiro of University of California
Santa Cruz’s Genomics Institute. ‘I don’t think that we can do
this. There is no way to bring back something that is 100 per
cent identical to a species that went extinct a long time ago.’ A
more practical approach for long-extinct species is to take the
DNA of existing species as a template, ready for the insertion of
strands of extinct animal DNA to create something new; a
hybrid, based on the living species, but which looks and/or acts
like the animal which died out.
This complicated process and questionable outcome begs the Strand /strænd/
a part that combines with other parts to form a
question: what is the actual point of this technology? ‘For us,
whole story, subject, or situation
the goal has always been replacing the extinct species with a
suitable replacement,’ explains Novak. ‘When it comes to
breeding, band-tailed pigeons scatter and make maybe one or
two nests per hectare, whereas passenger pigeons were very
social and would make 10,000 or more nests in one hectare.’
Since the disappearance of this key species, ecosystems / iˈ .ːkoʊ ˌ
sɪs.təm/ in the eastern US have suffered, as the lack of disturbance
caused by thousands of passenger pigeons wrecking trees and
branches means there has been minimal need for regrowth. This
has left forests stagnant and therefore unwelcoming to the Scatter / skæ ˈ . t / ɚ
plants and animals which evolved to help regenerate the forest
to (cause to) move far apart in different directions
after a disturbance. According to Novak, a hybridised band-
tailed pigeon, with the added nesting habits of a passenger
pigeon, could, in theory, re-establish that forest disturbance,
thereby creating a habitat necessary for a great many other native species to . thrive
Another popular candidate for this technology is the woolly Wreck /rek/
to destroy or badly damage something mammoth / Stagnant / stæ ˈ
ɡ.nənt/ = not growing or developing w ˈ l
ʊ .i/ /ˈmæm.əθ/. George Church, professor at Harvard
Medical School and leader of the Woolly Mammoth Revival
Project, has been focusing on cold resistance, the main way in
which the extinct woolly mammoth and its nearest living
relative, the Asian elephant, differ. By pinpointing which 16
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG
genetic traits made it possible for mammoths to survive the icy
climate of the tundra, the project’s goal is to return mammoths, Tundra / t ˈ n·drə/ ʌ
any of the very large, flat areas
of land in northern parts of Asia, North America, and Europe where,
or a mammoth- like species, to the area. ‘My highest priority
because it is cold, trees do not grow and the earth
below the surface is permanently frozen /praɪˈɔ r
ː .ə.ti/ would be preserving the endangered Asian elephant,’
says Church, ‘expanding their range to the huge ecosystem of
the tundra. Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears,
thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of
reducing heat loss in the tundra, and all traits found in the now
extinct woolly mammoth.’ This repopulation of the tundra and
boreal forests of Eurasia and North America with large
mammals could also be a useful factor in reducing carbon Boreal / b ˈ r ɔː .i.əl/
emissions - elephants punch holes through snow and knock
relating to the region of the earth just south of the
down trees, which encourages grass growth. This grass growth
Arctic, especially its plants and animals
would reduce temperatures, and mitigate emissions from melting permafrost.
While the prospect of bringing extinct animals back to life
might capture imaginations /ɪˌmædʒ.əˈneɪ.ʃən/, it is, of course, far
easier to try to save an existing species which is merely Permafrost / p ˈ .mə.fr ɝː st/ ɑː
threatened with extinction. ‘Many of the technologies that
an area of land that is permanently frozen below the surface
people have in mind when they think about de-extinction can
be used as a form of "genetic rescue",’ explains Shapiro. She
prefers to focus the debate on how this emerging technology
could be used to fully understand why various species went
extinct in the first place, and therefore how we could use it to make genetic modifications / m
ˌ ɑː.də.fə kˈe .ɪ əʃ / which could prevent n
mass extinctions in the future. ‘I would also say there’s an incredible moral
hazard to not do anything at all,’ she
continues. ‘We know that what we are doing today is not
enough, and we have to be willing to take some calculated and measured risks.’ 17
BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY _ CAMBRIDGE IELTS 15 TRAN HAI DANG moral hazard
a situation in which people or organizations do not
suffer from the results of their bad decisions, so
may increase the risks they take READING PASSAGE 3 Having a laugh
The findings of psychological scientists reveal the importance of humour 18
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Humans start developing a sense of humour as early as six Stimulus / st ˈ m. ɪ jə.ləs/ - PL stimuli UK/ st ˈ m.j ɪ .la ʊ / ɪ
weeks old, when babies begin to laugh and smile in response to
something that causes growth or activity Universal / ju ˌ .nə ː v ˈ .səl/ ɝː existing
stimuli. Laughter is universal across all human cultures and
everywhere or involving everyone
even exists in some form in rats, chimps, and bonobos. Like Bonobo /bə no ˈ .bo ʊ ʊ/
other human emotions and expressions, laughter and humour
a small, intelligent African ape with black or
brown fur, similar to a chimpanzee / Neuroscience provide psychological / ˌn r ʊ .o sa ʊˈ ɪəns/ s ˌ a . ɪ kə l ˈ ɑ .
ː dʒɪ.kəl/ scientists with rich resources
for studying human psychology, ranging from the development
the scientific study of the nervous system and the brain
of language to the neuroscience of social perception.
Perception /pəˈsep. ə ʃ n/
a belief or opinion, often held by many people and
Theories focusing on the evolution of laughter point to it as an based on how things seem
important adaptation for social communication. Take, for
example, the recorded laughter in TV comedy shows. Back in
1950, US sound engineer Charley Douglass hated dealing with
the unpredictable laughter of live audiences, so started
recording his own ‘laugh tracks’. These were intended to help
people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as
a crowded theatre. Douglass even recorded various types of
laughter, as well as mixtures of laughter from men, women, and children. In doing so he
picked up on a quality of laughter that
is now interesting researchers: a simple ‘haha’ communicates a
remarkable amount of socially relevant information.
In one study conducted in 2016, samples of laughter from pairs Pick up on sth
of English-speaking students were recorded at the University of
to notice something that other people have not noticed
California, Santa Cruz. A team made up of more than 30
psychological scientists, anthropologists, and biologists then
played these recordings to listeners from 24 diverse societies, from
indigenous tribes New Guinea to city-dwellers / dˈwel.ɚ/ in
Anthropologist /æn.θrə p ˈ ɑː.lə.d st/ ʒɪ
someone who scientifically studies humans and
their customs, beliefs, and relationships Indigenous / n ɪ d ˈ d ɪ .ə.nəs/ ʒ
naturally existing in a place or country rather than arriving from another place
India and Europe. Participants were asked whether they
thought the people laughing were friends or strangers. On
average, the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide,
people’s guesses were correct approximately /əˈprɑ kː.sə.mət.li/ 60% of the time.
Researchers have also found that different types of laughter
serve as codes to complex human social hierarchies / h ˈ a . ɪ rɑ r ː .ki/. A
team led by Christopher Oveis flom the University of
California, San Diego, found that high-status individuals had
different laughs flom low-status individuals, and that strangers’
judgements of an individual’s social status were influenced by 19
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the dominant or submissive quality of their laughter. In their
study, 48 male college students were randomly assigned to
Dominant /ˈdɑː.mə.nənt/
groups of four, with each group composed of two low-status
liking to take control in a group and having natural authority
members, who had just joined their college fraternity group, Submissive /səb m ˈ ɪs· v/ ɪ
and two high-status members, older students who had been
showing a willingness to be controlled by other people
active in the fraternity for at least two years. Laughter was Fraternity /frə t ˈ .nə ɝː . i/ t
recorded as each student took a turn at being teased by the a social organization for male students at an
others, involving the use of mildly insulting nicknames.
American or Canadian college Tease /ti z/ ː
Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals
to laugh at someone or say unkind things about produced more
them, either because you are joking or because you
dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs want to upset that person
relative to the low-status individuals. Meanwhile, low-status
individuals were more likely to change their laughter based on
their position of power: that is, the newcomers produced more
dominant laughs when they were in the ‘powerful’ role of
teasers. Dominant laughter was higher in pitch, louder, and
more variable in tone than submissive laughter.
A random group of volunteers then listened to an equal number
of dominant and submissive laughs from both the high- and
lowstatus individuals, and were asked to estimate the social
status of the laugher. In line with predictions, laughers
producing dominant laughs were perceived to be significantly
higher in status than laughers producing submissive laughs.
‘This was particularly true for low-status individuals, who were
rated as significantly higher in status when displaying a
dominant versus submissive laugh’ Oveis and colleagues note. ‘Thus, by strategically /strəˈtiː.d .
ʒɪ kəl.i/ displaying more dominant
laughter when the context allows, low-status individuals may
achieve higher status in the eyes of others.’ However, high-
status individuals were rated as high-status whether they
produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one.
Another study, conducted by David Cheng and Lu Wang of
Australian National University, was based on the hypothesis /haɪ p
ˈ ɑː.θə.sɪs/ that humour might provide a respite from tedious
situations in the workplace. This ‘mental break ‘ might
facilitate the replenishment of mental resources. To test this
theory, the researchers recruited 74 business students,
ostensibly for an experiment on perception. First, the students performed a tedious Respite /ˈres.paɪt/ 20