Essential Words for the TOEFL Lesson 28 Vocabulary Test

Choose the synonym.

curative

limited

amusement

security

debilitating

singular

conceivably

alter

depleted

perceive

Less than one percent of all freight cargo is carried by air, most being carried by surface methods. Nevertheless, this curious fact significantly underestimates the importance of air freight. In terms of value of cargo carried, air transport is greater than all other modes. By the early 1990s Tokyo’s Narita Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport were handling in excess of one million tons of cargo per year.

The word underestimates in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Margaret Mead, a well-known cultural anthropologist, was associated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City from 1926 until her death. In the 1980s, her work, in particular her famous study of Samoa, became a subject of controversy. Her critics alleged that her belief in the predominate influence of culture in shaping personality led her to misread evidence and overgeneralize. Her defenders endorsed her undeniably keen observations.

The word undeniably in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

While many people refer to the Arctic as being covered in a “solid sheet of ice,” this trite expression is also incorrect. Ice, a nearly pure solid, contains few foreign ions in its structure. It contains particles of matter and gases, which are trapped in bubbles within the ice. A change in makeup of these materials over time is recorded in the successive layers of ice. This has been used to interpret the history of the environment of Earth’s surface and the influence of human activities on the environment.

The word trite in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Wang Wei was a Chinese poet, painter, and scholar of the Tang dynasty. He left behind both a significant body of lyrical poetry and delicately depicted landscape paintings. These paintings reflected a love of nature and an inner tranquility derived from Buddhism and meditation. He is traditionally credited with founding the Southern School of Chinese landscape painting.

The word tranquility in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

The problem of ocean pollution has been acknowledged at national and international levels. The U.S. Congress passed an act in 1988 that phased in a complete prohibition of ocean dumping by 1991. Also in 1988, 65 nations agreed to stop burning toxic waste at sea by 1994. The legality of the latter measure remains debatable and may be proven unenforceable, mirroring the experience of a 1977 law that attempted the same prohibition.

The word toxic in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Before Alexander Fleming made his great discovery, he had been studying losozyme, an enzyme found in tears that prevents infection. However, he wanted to find a substance with curative powers, something that would keep bacteria from growing and multiplying altogether. By accident, he noticed a mold growing in one of his laboratory dishes that had this effect. It turned out to be penicillin, one of the most widely used antibiotics today.

In stating that Fleming wanted to find a substance with curative powers, the author means that he was looking for a medicine that would_____.

So-called prophetic dreams in ancient Middle Eastern cultures were often used to help the sick. In classical Greece, ailing people came to dream in special temples where priests and priestesses advised them about their dreams’ curative benefits. A similar practice known as dream incubation is known to have existed in the ancient cultures of Babylon and Egypt.

The word curative in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disorder characterized by at least six months of debilitating fatigue that begins abruptly and is usually accompanied by mild fever, sore throat, tender muscles, joint pain, headache, sleep disorders, confusion, memory loss, and vision problems. Once considered an imagined rather than a specific physical condition, chronic fatigue syndrome remains controversial.

The word debilitating in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Fireworms are marine worms that inhabit warm tropical waters. They produce an aggravating stinging sensation if touched. One particular species, H. carunculata, found in the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea, has a body covered with fine, white, brittle bristles that embed themselves in human skin if touched.

The word aggravating in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.

Scientists have tried to find a way to make hurricanes less dangerous by analyzing their component parts and neutralizing them. A hurricane contains huge quantities of supercooled water and silver iodide. Seeding the hurricane could conceivably produce some changes in storm behavior. Aircraft seeding experiments have obtained some minor, short-lived changes resulting in decreased wind speeds for a few hours.

The word conceivably in the passage is closest in meaning to_____.