Lesson 11A

Vocabulary Lesson 11A

divert (v.) to make something follow a different route or go to another place

surpass (v.) to be better than, or have more of a particular quality than another

collide (v.) to crash into something

replenish (v.) to make something full or complete again

dam (n.) a wall built across a river in order to make a lake

willing (adj.) happy to do something voluntarily, helpful, cooperative

leak (n.) a crack or hole that a liquid or gas can pass through

whereby (adv.) by means of which

inherit (v.) to receive something from people who used to own it

discern (v.) to be aware of something and know what it is

dedication (n.) devotion, being committed to something with time and/or money

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lines lines

Engineering advice and materials control wasted 190 liters/50 gallons labor

inherit surpass

discern leaks willing replenished diverted whereby

surpass dam dedicated inherit discern replenish leak divert

v

Lesson 11B

Vocabulary Lesson 11B

obsolete (adj.) no longer needed because something better has been invented

discard (v.) to throw something away

substance (n.) a solid, powder, liquid, or gas; physical material you can touch

notify (v.) to tell or offi cially inform someone about something

hazardous (adj.) dangerous or harmful

modify (v.) to change something slightly, usually to improve it

infrastructure (n.) the basic facilities of a country or city such as transportation, communications, and utilities that allow it to function

colossal (adj.) extremely large

distressing (adj.) upsetting, causing sorrow, suffering, or pain

pile (n.) a quantity of things lying on top of one another

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recycle developing toxic substances hazardous waste shipments jewelry

infrastructure

pilesdiscarded substances hazardous

d c e a b

whereby hazardous diverting replenish distress

colossal surpassed modify willing

For More Information 9/feature1/fulltext.html hugh-tech-trash/carroll-text

Key Words for Internet Research desalinationdroughtselectronic waste e-waste recycling Irrigated agriculture household energy waste water consumption water scarcitywater recycling

Reading Skills

Reading for Gist Reading for gist is reading to get a general sense of what a reading passage is basically about. In other words, we read to understand the main topic, or theme of the passage. For example, a reading passage might basically be about a new type of technology, or a tourist's vacation trip, or a story about a fictional character.

Identifying Detail Identifying details in a text to answer specific questions (eg: who, what, when, where, why) is often achieved through a strategy known as ‘Scanning’ for details. This is actually a technique often used in daily life when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. Also when you read a newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text for important information of interest.

Identifying Paraphrase Paraphrasing involves the skill of identifying a restatement of a section in a passage that retains the basic meaning while changing the words, often explained in a more simplified form. A paraphrase often clarifies a more ambiguous original statement in the text by putting it into alternative words that are often more easily understood.

Making Inferences When we read a text, the author does not tell us everything. Therefore, we must be able to guess some things and make clear assumptions from the information, facts, opinions and author’s feelings presented in the passage. Such a process of guessing and critical thinking is called Making inferences.

Understanding Main ideas (Skimming) Once we've determined the text type of a passage, and what it's generally about, we usually then read on to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words: What is the writer basically telling us? Or, What is the writer's main message? Understanding the main idea of a text means being able to identify the most important point or information in the passage.

Defining Vocabulary Often a reading passage contains definitions or explanations of new words related to the topic. The definitions in the text may be given through different clues to help you identify how the author has explained its meaning. It is important to understand synonyms or parallel expressions are often used to define target vocabulary items.