TỪ VỰNG TOEIC unit 12

Unit 12 UMBR VEST THE/THEO ICON URB CULT DEM/DEMO POPUL Animal Words Quiz 12-1 Quiz 12-2 Quiz 12-3 Quiz 12-4 Quiz 12-5 Review Quizzes 12 UMBR comes from the Latin umbra, meaning “shadow.” Thus, the familiar umbrella, with its ending meaning “little,” casts a “little shadow” to keep off the sun or the rain umber (1) A darkish brown mineral containing manganese and iron oxides used for coloring paint (2) A color that is greenish brown to dark reddish brown • Van Dyke prized umber as a pigment and used it constantly in his oil paintings The mineral deposits of Italy provided sources of a number of natural pigments, among them umber Since the late Renaissance, umber has been in great demand as a coloring agent When crushed and mixed with paint, it produces an olive color known as raw umber; when crushed and burnt, it produces a darker tone known as burnt umber adumbrate (2) To hint at or foretell (1) To give a sketchy outline or disclose in part • The Secretary of State would only adumbrate his ideas for bringing peace to Bosnia A synonym for adumbrate is foreshadow, which means to present a shadowy version of something before it becomes reality or is provided in full Tough questioning by a Supreme Court justice may adumbrate the way he or she is planning to rule on a case A bad review by a critic may adumbrate the failure of a new film And rats scurrying off a ship were believed to adumbrate a coming disaster at sea penumbra (1) The partial shadow surrounding a complete shadow, as in an eclipse (2) The fringe or surrounding area where something exists less fully • This area of the investigation was the penumbra where both the FBI and the CIA wanted to pursue their leads Every solar eclipse casts an umbra, the darker central area in which almost no light reaches the earth, and a penumbra, the area of partial shadow where part of the sun is still visible Penumbra can thus be used to describe any “gray area” where things aren't all black and white For example, the right to privacy falls under the penumbra of the U.S Constitution; though it isn't specifically guaranteed there, the Supreme Court has held that it is implied, and thus that the government may not intrude into certain areas of a citizen's private life Because its existence is still shadowy, however, the Court is still determining how much of an individual's life is protected by the right to privacy umbrage A feeling of resentment at some slight or insult, often one that is imagined rather than real • She often took umbrage at his treatment of her, without being able to pinpoint what was offensive about it An umbrage was originally a shadow, and soon the word also began to mean “a shadowy suspicion.” Then it came to mean “displeasure” as well—that is, a kind of shadow blocking the sunlight Umbrage is now generally used in the phrase “take umbrage at.” An overly sensitive person may take umbrage at something as small as having his or her name pronounced wrong VEST comes from the Latin verb vestire, “to clothe” or “to dress,” and the noun vestis, “clothing” or “garment.” Vest is the shortest English word we have from this root, and is the name of a rather small piece of clothing divest (1) To get rid of or free oneself of property, authority, or title (2) To strip of clothing, ornaments, or equipment • In protest against apartheid, many universities in the 1980s divested themselves of all stock in South African companies If you decide to enter a monastery, you may divest yourself of most of your possessions When a church is officially abandoned, it's usually divested of its ornaments and furnishings A company that's going through hard times may divest itself of several stores, and investors are constantly divesting themselves of stocks that aren't performing well enough And when it turns out that athletes have been using steroids, they're usually divested of any awards they may have won investiture The formal placing of someone in office • At an English monarch's investiture, he or she is presented with the crown, scepter, and sword, the symbols of power In its original meaning, an investiture was the clothing of a new officeholder in garments that symbolized power The Middle Ages saw much debate over the investiture of bishops by kings and emperors These rulers felt that high religious offices were theirs to give as rewards for someone's loyal service or as bribes for someone's future support; the popes, on the other hand, regarded these investitures as the improper buying and selling of church offices The investiture struggle caused tension between popes and monarchs and even led to wars transvestite A person, especially a male, who wears the clothing and adopts the mannerisms of the opposite sex • In Handel's operas, the heroic male leading roles are today often sung by female transvestites, since he originally wrote them for the soprano range Transvestite includes the prefix trans-, “across,” and thus means literally “cross-dresser.” In the theater, from ancient Greece to Elizabethan England, transvestism was common because all parts—even Juliet—were played by men Traditional Japanese Kabuki and Noh drama still employ transvestism of this sort In everyday life, it's now so acceptable for women to wear men's clothing that the word transvestite is generally applied only to men The much newer word transgender describes people who think of themselves as having changed sex, or who simply don't believe in the idea that they're either one sex or the other travesty (1) An inferior or distorted imitation (2) A broadly comic imitation in drama, literature, or art that is usually grotesque and ridiculous • The senator was shouting that the new tax bill represented a travesty of tax reform The word travesty comes from the same prefix and root as transvestite Since cross-dressing often isn't very convincing, the word has usually referred to something absurd So a verdict that angers people may be denounced as a “travesty of justice.” Saturday Night Live specializes in dramatic travesties mocking everything from political figures and issues to popular culture —“disguised” versions intended for entertainment Travesty may also be a verb; thus, Mel Brooks has travestied movie genres of all kinds—westerns, thrillers, and silent films, among others Quiz 12-4 A Choose the closest definition: demagogue a medium-sized city b fiery politician c democratic socialist d new democracy populace a politics b numerous c masses d popularity endemic a common b absent c infectious d occasional demotic a devilish b common c cultural d useful populous a well-liked b foreign c numerous d obscure demographic a describing politics b describing populations c describing policies d describing epidemics populist a communist b campaigner c socialist d believer in the people vox populi a public policy b public survey c public opinion d public outrage Answers B Indicate whether the following pairs of words have the same or different meanings: demotic / common same _ / different _ populist / politician same _ / different _ endemic / locally common same _ / different _ populace / popularity same _ / different _ demographic / phonetic same _ / different _ vox populi / mass sentiment same _ / different _ demagogue / prophet same _ / different _ populous / well-loved same _ / different _ Answers Animal Words aquiline beak (1) Relating to eagles (2) Curving like an eagle's • The surviving busts of noble Romans show that many of the men had strong aquiline noses Aquiline, from the Latin word meaning “eagle,” is most often used to describe a nose that has a broad curve and is slightly hooked, like a beak The aquiline figure on the U.S seal brandishes the arrows of war and the olive branch of peace The word for eagle itself, Aquila, has been given to a constellation in the northern hemisphere asinine Foolish, brainless • He's not so great when he's sober, but when he's drunk he gets truly asinine The donkey, or ass, has often been accused of stubborn, willful, and stupid behavior lacking in logic and common sense Asinine behavior exhibits similar qualities Idiotic or rude remarks, aggressive stupidity, and general immaturity can all earn someone (usually a man) this description If you call him this to his face, however, he might behave even worse bovine unemotional (1) Relating to cows and oxen (2) Placid, dull, • In that part of Texas, many of the veterinarians specialize in bovine conditions and won't even deal with dogs or cats Bovine comes from the Latin word for “cow,” though the biological family called the Bovidae actually includes not only cows and oxen but also goats, sheep, bison, and buffalo So bovine is often used technically, when discussing “bovine diseases,” “bovine anatomy,” and so on It can also describe a human personality, though it can be a rather unkind way to describe someone When Hera, the wife of Zeus, is called “cow-eyed,” though, it's definitely a compliment, and Zeus fairly melts when she turns those big bovine eyes on him canine Relating to dogs or the dog family; doglike • Pleasure in getting their tummies rubbed must be a basic canine trait, since all our dogs have loved it Dogs are prized for their talents and intelligence but aren't always given credit for their independence Instead, tales of canine devotion and attachment are legendary; the old Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin television series featured at least one heroic act of devotion per show So we often hear people described as having “doglike devotion” or “doglike loyalty.” But canine itself, unlike doglike, usually refers to four-legged creatures Canine is not only an adjective but also a noun Dogs and their relatives in the Canidae family—the wolves, jackals, foxes, and coyotes—are often called canines And so are those two slightly pointed teeth a bit to the right and left of your front teeth feline (1) Relating to cats or the cat family (2) Like a cat in being sleek, graceful, sly, treacherous, or stealthy • The performers moved across the high wire with feline grace and agility Cats have always provoked a strong reaction from humans The Egyptians worshipped them, leaving thousands of feline mummies and idols as evidence In the Middle Ages, felines were feared as agents of the devil, and were thought to creep around silently at night doing evil (Notice that feline is also a noun.) The fascinating family called the Felidae includes about 40 species of superb hunters, including the lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, bobcats, and lynxes, and almost all of them are smooth, silent, and independent leonine Relating to lions; lionlike • As he conducted, Leonard Bernstein would fling his leonine mane wildly about The Latin word for “lion” is leon, so the names Leon, Leo, and Leona all mean “lion” as well A leonine head usually has magnificent hair, like a male lion's mane The leonine strength of Heracles (Hercules) is symbolized by the lion's pelt that he wears, the pelt of the fabled Nemean Lion which he had slain as one of his Twelve Labors But leonine courage is what is so notably lacking in The Wizard of Oz's Cowardly Lion porcine Relating to pigs or swine; piglike • She describes her landlord's shape as porcine, and claims he has manners to match Pigs are rarely given credit for their high intelligence or their friendliness as pets, but instead are mocked for their habit of cooling themselves in mud puddles and the aggressive way they often go after food While porcine isn't as negative a term as swinish, it may describe things that are fat, greedy, pushy, or generally piggish—but primarily fat Porky Pig and Miss Piggy aren't particularly porcine in their behavior, only in their appearance—that is, pink and pudgy vulpine crafty; foxy (1) Relating to foxes; foxlike (2) Sneaky, clever, or • She'd already decided she didn't like anything about him, especially the twitchiness, that vulpine face, and those darting eyes Foxes may be sleek and graceful runners with beautiful coats and tails, but they're almost impossible to keep out of the henhouse Over the centuries they have “outfoxed” countless farmers Because of the quick intelligence in their faces and their cunning nighttime raids, vulpine today almost always describes a face or manner that suggests a person capable of the same kind of sly scheming Quiz 12-5 Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a leonine b aquiline c porcine d asinine e canine f feline g vulpine h bovine Collies and chow chows often have splendid _ neck ruffs The dancers, in their black leotards, performed the piece with slinky, _ grace Proud of the _ curve of his nose, the star presents his profile to the camera in old silent films at every opportunity The slick fellow offering his services as guide had a disturbingly _ air about him Some of the most beloved _ traits, such as loyalty and playfulness, are often lacking in humans The last applicant she had interviewed struck her as passive and _ and completely lacking in ambition Jeff and his crowd were in the balcony, catcalling, throwing down cans, and being generally _ She peeked out to see her _ landlord climbing the stairs slowly, gasping for breath, with the eviction notice in his hand Answers Review Quizzes 12 A Choose the closest definition: vulpine a reddish b sly c trustworthy d furry atheistic a boring b godless c roundabout d contagious adumbrate a revise b punish c advertise d outline populous a numerous b populated c popular d common iconoclast a icon painter b dictator c dissident d tycoon endemic a local b neighborly c sensational d foreign iconic a wealthy b famous c indirect d symbolic feline a sleek b clumsy c crazy d fancy pantheon a mall b road race c trouser store d hall of fame 10 icon a psychic b leader c symbol d prophet 11 urbane a calm b elegant c excited d secure 12 horticulture a interior decoration b food science c horse breeding d plant growing 13 demotic a reduced b common c upper-class d demented 14 luminary a ruler b lantern c lighting designer d celebrity 15 travesty a farce b outfit c transportation d success 16 divest a add on b take off c take in d add up Answers B Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a populist b demographic c theocracy d investiture e aquiline f apotheosis g bovine h populace i vulpine j cross-cultural The _ of the great Albert Einstein seemed to occur while he was still living _ surveys often divide the U.S population by income and education Nothing ever seemed to disturb her pleasant but _ manner He was interested in _ studies that showed that these kinds of cancers don't appear in African tribal populations The _ of the society's new leader was a secret and solemn event With his _ nose, he looked like a member of the ancient Roman senate He had a nervous, _ manner, with a tense alertness and shifty eyes She ran her campaigns as a _, a champion of the common man, though she herself had a great deal of money The general _ has never cared much about foreign policy except when the country goes to war 10 In a true _, the legal punishments are often those called for in the holy books Answers C Match the word on the left to the correct definition on the right: porcine a half-shadow divest b doglike asinine c brown penumbra d public opinion leonine e cross-dresser umber f symbolic vox populi g foolish iconic h plump transvestite i lionlike 10 canine j get rid of Answers ... travestied movie genres of all kinds—westerns, thrillers, and silent films, among others Quiz 12- 1 A Fill in the blank with the correct letter: a penumbra b transvestite c investiture d travesty... was completed in Rome; twice destroyed, it was ultimately replaced by a third temple around A.D 126 This extraordinary domed structure is still one of the important sights of Rome, and the burial... there are also plenty of symbols lurking in the images that advertisers bombard us with daily Quiz 12- 2 A Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a pantheon b iconic c atheistic d iconography