Chapter 1 Unit 3 Flashcards
The rest of the time was occupied with writing a report.
The house hasn’t been occupied (= lived in) by anyone for a few months.
Occupy:exist in , to be in a place
a sparse population/audience
sparse vegetation/woodland
a sparse beard
Information coming out of the disaster area is sparse.
Sparse:
small in numbers or amount, often spread over a large area.
His mood swings between elation and despair.
After a rainstorm in the desert, there is a noticeable swing back to life.
Daily temperature swings of up to 20 C.
He ran happily down the road, swinging his school bag as he went.
Swing: a big and sudden change, to change.
to move easily backwards and forwards or from one side to the fixed point.(back-and-forth movement)
The health-care system is in transition at the moment.
Transition (n,v) transitional. (Adj)
a change from one form or type to another, or the process by which this happens.
Bornstein transitioned from male to female almost 20 years ago.
Transition: v : to start living as a person of a different gender.
The desert fringe, support diverse plant forms that not only have adapted to the harsh conditions but actually thrive there.
Fringe: on the edge, the outer or less important part of an area, group, or activity.
His business thrived in the years before the war.
She seems to thrive on stress.
Thrive: to grow, develop, or be successful.
Successful desert plants are resilient to scorching summers and frigid winters.
Resilient: tenacious
Some environmental stressors consist of…
The main stressor in a desert is lack of rain.
Stress (n,v) stressor , stressful :
Sth that causes difficulty or great worry
These plants need a rich soil that retains moisture.
Moisture:
a liquid such as water in the form of very small drops, either in the air, in a substance, or on a surface.
Some of the most diverse prolific vegetation in the area…
Prolific: producing a lot of something.
Dilute the juice (with water) before you drink it.
Dilute, dilution
to make a liquid weaker by mixing in something else.
These measures are designed to dilute public fears about the product’s safety.
Dilute: to reduce the strength of a feeling, action, etc…
As people accumulate more wealth, they tend to spend a greater proportion of their incomes.
During a successful business career, she accumulated a great amount of wealth.
Accumulate:
to collect a large number of things over a long period of time
A thick layer of dust had accumulated in the room.
Accumulate:
to gradually increase in number or amount.
