Week 3 (3/9-3/13)
1. high-pitched /ˌhaɪˈpɪtʃt/
- a voice that is high-pitched is higher than usual
From: There is now a dog coallar that makes a high-pitched sound whenever the dog wearing it tries to leave the yard.
2. innovation /ˌɪn.əʊˈveɪ.ʃən/
- (the use of) a new idea or method
E.g.:the latest innovations in computer technology
From: The following are just a few of the surprising innovations based on the phenomenon we called sound.
3. lethal /ˈliː.θəl/
- able to cause or causing death; extremely dangerous
E.g.: Three minutes after the fire started, the house was full of lethal fumes.
From: Unfortunately, the LARD may cause some hearing loss, which makes it controversial, but it is not lethal.
4. offensive /əˈfent.sɪv/
- causing offence
E.g.: This program contains language that some viewers might find offensive.
From: You can get rid of the offensive tune without offending the little girl or her parents.
5. restore /rɪˈstɔːr/
- to return something or someone to an earlier good condition or position
E.g.: The badly neglected paintings have all been carefully restored.
From: Simply activate the machine, point it at the offending target,and your peace and quiet is instantly restored.
6. temporarily /ˈtem.pər.ər.i/
- not lasting or needed for very long
E.g.: The ceasefire will only provide a temporary solution to the crisis.
From: This device produces a deafening sound that is so painful that it temporarily disables a person.
7. recording studio /rɪˈkɔː.dɪŋ/ /ˈstjuː.di.əʊ/
From: In the past, sound technicians worked in the back rooms of recording studios, but many of today’s sound professionals are sharing their knowledge and experience with professionals in other fields to create new products.
8. bystander /ˈbaɪˌstæn.dər/
- a person who is standing near and watching something that is happening but is not taking part in it
E.g.: Many innocent bystanders were injured by the explosion.
From: At the same time, the officer and bystanders are not affected because unlike regular sound that spreads in many directions, the noise from the LARD is directed like a beam of light.
9. affectionately /əˈfek.ʃən.ət/
- showing feelings of liking or love
E.g.: He's an affectionate little boy.
From: Instead, he goes up to the roof and spends his days on his knees, affectionately caring for a field of sweet potatoes fifty stories above the ground.
10. bloom /bluːm/
- when a flower blooms, it opens or is open, and when a plant or tree blooms it produces flowers
E.g.: These flowers will bloom all through the summer.
From: Take the elevator down two floors, and you will see roses blooming, tomato seedlings climbing up their wire frames, and lettuces and pumpkins stretching their leaves toward lights in the ceiling.
11. clamor /ˈklæm.ər/
- to make a loud complaint or demand
E.g.: The children were all clamouring for attention.
From: When the sunlight fades into twilight, he changes his clothes and rides the elevator back down to the bright lights and clamor of the big city.
12. drudgery /ˈdrʌdʒ.ər.i/
- hard boring work
E.g.: the drudgery of housework
From: What is drudgery anyway?
13. fade /feɪd/
- to (cause to) lose colour, brightness or strength gradually
E.g.: If you hang your clothes out in the bright sun, they will fade.
From: When the sunlight fades into twilight, he changes his clothes and rides the elevator back down to the bright lights and clamor of the big city.
14. story /ˈstɔː.ri/
- a description, either true or imagined, of a connected series of events
E.g.: Martha chose her favorite book of bedtime stories.
From: Instead, he goes up to the roof and spends his days on his knees, affectionately caring for a field of sweet potatoes fifty stories above the ground.
15. strain /streɪn/
- a force or influence that stretches, pulls or puts pressure on something, sometimes causing damage
E.g.: The hurricane put such a strain on the bridge that it collapsed.
From: However, unlike those with whom he shares an elevator, Kenji doesn’t spend his day straining his eyes in front of a computer screen.
16. sway /sweɪ/
- to move slowly from side to side
E.g.: The movement of the ship caused the mast to sway from side to side/backwards and forwards.
From: Another room has rice plants swaying in the breeze created by white-coated workers who wander back and forth between the rooms, pushing buttons and adjusting the climate.
17. urban /ˈɜː.bən/
- of or in a city or town
E.g.: urban development
From: I think of young, cool, urban Kenji, a guy with a little dirt under his fingernails as well as a downtown address.
18. wander /ˈwɒn.dər/
- to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction
E.g.: We spent the morning wandering around the old part of the city.
From: Another room has rice plants swaying in the breeze created by white-coated workers who wander back and forth between the rooms, pushing buttons and adjusting the climate.
19. weed /wiːd/
- any wild plant which grows in an unwanted place, especially in a garden or field where it prevents the cultivated plants from growing freely
E.g.:
From: Plants need to be fed and watered, and they need someone to pell weeds, so employees like Kenji are paid to help building owners set up and maintain farms on their roofs as well as offer advice on what to plant.
20. carbon monoxide /ˌkɑː.bən.məˈnɒk.saɪd/
- the poisonous gas formed by the burning of carbon, especially in the form of car fuel
From: The plants also take carbon monoxide from traffic and industry and turn it into good, clean oxygen.
21. cubicle /ˈkjuː.bɪ.kl̩/
- a small space with walls or curtains around it, that is separate from the rest of a room and where you can be private when taking clothes off, etc.
E.g.: I was getting undressed in one of the cubicles.
From: Or is it sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer?
22. gobble up /ˈɡɒb.l̩/
- to gobble; to use a lot of your supply of something, usually money
E.g.: The mounting legal costs quickly gobbled up their savings.
From: For years, cites have been gobbling up farmland.
23. affair /əˈfeər/
- a situation or subject that is being dealt with or considered; a matter
E.g.: She organizes her financial affairs very efficiently.
From: It wasn’t that I didn’t care what my friend was saying; it’s just that the garden, especially in summer, comes in and out of the mind like a love affair.
24. bring up /brɪŋ/
- to care for a child until it is an adult, often giving it particular beliefs
E.g.: She was brought up by her grandmother.
From: You keep bringing up little details and profound events, thinking that maybe this time the person will get it, will see what you see….
25. dose /dəʊs/
- a measured amount of something such as medicine
E.g.: The label says to take one dose three times a day.
From: I’d wandered by the parsley patch looking for my watering can, intending to give the potatoes a dose of sea kelp…before going to dinner.