TỪ VỰNG TOEIC unit 29

Unit 29 NECRO PALEO CIRCU/CIRCUM MINI/MINU INTER SUR CO SYN Words from Mythology and History Quiz 29-1 Quiz 29-2 Quiz 29-3 Quiz 29-4 Quiz 29-5 Review Quizzes 29 NECRO comes from the Greek nekros, meaning “dead body,” so it's not surprising that it shows up in some unappetizing places A necrophagous insect, for instance, is one that feeds on dead bodies; when homicide investigators discover a corpse, they may use the insect evidence to figure out when the person died necrosis Death of living tissue, usually within a limited area • He had ignored the spider bite for several days, and his doctor was alarmed to see that serious necrosis had set in Cells die naturally after a period of time, but may also die as a result of injuries, infections, or cancer Burns produce necrosis, and the bedsores suffered by nursing-home patients are a form of necrosis The dreaded condition known as gangrene, in which the dying tissue turns black or green, is another form When untreated, the dying cells release substances that lead to the death of surrounding cells, so untreated necrosis can lead to death Treatment usually requires the removal of the necrotic tissue, and in severe cases can even involve amputating a limb necromancer One who conjures the spirits of the dead in order to magically reveal the future or influence the course of events • Her specialty is communication with the dead, and she might once have been known as a necromancer, but her sign says simply “Psychic.” The practice of necromancy goes back as far as the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians and has continued through all the centuries since In the Middle Ages it became associated with black magic; condemned by the church, it had to be practiced secretly In Europe a necromancer might work in a remote graveyard at night, standing within a magical circle he had drawn to shield himself from the anger of the spirits The grave of a person who had died suddenly or violently might be plundered for its body parts; the unused energy these were believed to contain made them valuable in the necromantic ceremony But body parts aren't essential to necromancy, which is now practiced by channelers, mediums, and shamans, and even by groups of amateurs sitting around a Ouija board necropolis cemetery of an ancient city A cemetery, especially a large, elaborate • On Sundays the downtown is like a necropolis, and he was always slightly disturbed by the complete absence of life among all those buildings With its -polis ending, meaning “city” (see POLIS/POLIT), a necropolis is a “city of the dead.” Most of the famous necropolises of Egypt line the Nile River across from their cities In ancient Greece and Rome, a necropolis would often line the road leading out of a city; in the 1940s a great Roman necropolis was discovered under the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica Some more recent cemeteries especially deserve the name necropolis because they resemble cities of aboveground tombs, a necessity in low-lying areas such as New Orleans where a high water table prevents underground burial necropsy animal An autopsy, especially one performed on an • Daisy's sudden death was so mysterious that we paid for a necropsy, and it turned out she'd been a victim of lethal chemicals in our imported dog food Human autopsies are generally performed either to determine the cause of death or to observe the deadly effects of a disease for research or education purposes Autopsies may be necessary when tracking an epidemic; they're also performed to discover whether a death might actually have resulted from murder, and if so, what evidence it might reveal that could help catch the murderer Animal necropsies are actually more common than human autopsies, since a farmer with livestock is always concerned that whatever killed one animal not pose a threat to the others PALEO comes from the Greek palaios, meaning “ancient”—that is, “older than old.” The prefix sometimes gets attached to very recognizable words; paleobiology, for instance, deals with the biology of fossil organisms, paleogeography is the study of geography in earlier geological eras, and paleoecology is the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their environment in those eras Paleolithic Of or relating to the earliest period of the Stone Age, characterized by rough or chipped stone implements • He raves about the health benefits of his Paleolithic diet, the kind that our pre-agricultural, hunting-and-gathering Stone Age ancestors would have eaten Since lithos means “stone” in Greek, the name Paleolithic was given to the older part of the Stone Age The first known period of human culture, the Paleolithic actually covers almost all of human history, from the first use of stone tools around 2.5 million years ago until the invention of agriculture around 10,000 years ago For almost all that time, humans used the very crudest of stone tools, produced by chipping away flakes of stone in order to make an edge for an ax or knife Near the end of the period, animal bones and antlers were being used for tools, especially pointed tools, and sculpted figures and cave art were being produced The Paleolithic gave way to the Mesolithic (“Middle Stone Age”) period, with its tools made of polished stone, wood, and bone paleography (1) The study of ancient writings and inscriptions (2) Ancient writings • For her thesis on Central American paleography, she spent a winter in Honduras studying rock inscriptions 30 miles upriver from the nearest town The world's oldest literature dates from about 4,000 years ago, from the land known as Sumer (now southern Iraq) Early writing took the form of pictographs, very simple pictures that first represented things or ideas and later came to represent actual words The first actual alphabet, in which each character represents a sound, appeared in the same general region about 500 years later But writing developed in very different ways in different parts of the world, and 1,000 years later, when Europeans first arrived in the New World, alphabetic writing still wasn't being used anywhere in the Americas Decoding some ancient languages has proven to be a huge task for paleographers, and determining the age and the source of a piece of writing can pose major challenges paleontology A science dealing with the life of past geological periods as known from fossil remains • Her obsession with dinosaurs as a child continued through her teens, and no one was surprised when she started graduate school in paleontology Until the 1820s, hardly anyone even suspected that dinosaurs had ever existed In the years since, paleontology has sought to discover the entire history of life on earth, from the era of single-celled organisms up into the human era Paleontologists continue to make remarkable discoveries, such as that a huge meteorite that fell in the Gulf of Mexico wiped out the dinosaurs —all except the birds, the only surviving dinosaurs “Radiometric dating” can reveal the age (often tens of millions of years) of a rock or fossil or a tiny grain of pollen by measuring how much its radioactive elements have disintegrated The study of molecules of DNA, RNA, and proteins has also become important for dating Paleontologists often consult with geologists searching for oil, gas, and coal deposits, since all these “fossil fuels” were formed from plant and animal remains Paleozoic The era of geological history, ending about 248 million years ago, in which vertebrates and land plants first appeared • His geological specialty was the beginning of the Paleozoic, from which the earliest fish fossils date The Greek root zo- means “animal,” so names such as Paleozoic were invented to refer to a period in the development of animal life For geologists, the Paleozoic era is followed by the Mesozoic (meso- meaning “middle”), which is followed by the Cenozoic (cen- meaning “recent”) Eras are huge stretches of time; geologists break eras down into smaller “periods” and “epochs.” Thus, the Paleozoic ends with the Permian period, the Mesozoic ends with the Upper Cretaceous epoch, and the Cenozoic ends with the Holocene epoch—the epoch in which we are living The Paleozoic era produced the first fish, the first land plants, the first insects, and the first amphibians and reptiles; the dinosaurs, birds, and mammals had to wait for the Mesozoic syndrome A group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition • When there is no trembling—the most obvious symptom of Parkinson's disease—most doctors fail to recognize the Parkinson's syndrome Combining its two Greek roots, syndrome means basically “running together.” So when diagnosing a condition or disease, doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms existing together As long as a set of symptoms remains mysterious, it may be referred to as a specific syndrome But if that name is used for a while, it may become the condition's permanent name, even after an underlying cause has been found So today we have Down syndrome, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, sick building syndrome, and many more And since mental conditions often turn out to have physical causes, syndrome is used in psychology as well as in medicine Quiz 29-4 A Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a cohesion b syntax c syndrome d coalesce e cogeneration f synthesize g synergy h codependency The book manages to _ a great deal of material that has rarely been discussed together When foreign students speak, they often employ _ that seems odd in English but would be completely natural in their own language Paper mills are increasingly starting up _ projects to turn their waste wood products into electricity and steam Team _ is always a problem early in the football season, since the kids may not know each other or understand each other's strengths and weaknesses Spouses of alcoholics and drug addicts meet every week in the church basement to discuss the problems of _ Officials worry that these individual terrorist groups may be starting to _ into one large network It wasn't obvious what kind of _ could be achieved by merging an office-supplies company with a tractor manufacturer Doctors had become concerned about a _ involving fever, mental confusion, and extreme weakness that had been appearing in dozens of local residents Answers B Indicate whether the following pairs have the same or different meanings: syndrome / depression same _ / different _ coalesce / combine same _ / different _ cohesion / sticking together same _ / different _ codependency / reliance on two parents same _ / different _ synergy / combined action same _ / different _ cogeneration / two-source power production same _ / different _ syntax / sentence structure same _ / different _ synthesize / create from several ingredients same _ / different _ Answers Words from Mythology and History Adonis A very handsome young man • Conversation in the little clusters of girls suddenly stops whenever this Adonis—blond, muscular, with an athlete's gait—swaggers down the school corridor Adonis, like Narcissus (see narcissism), was a beautiful youth in Greek mythology He was loved by both Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and Persephone, goddess of the underworld One day while hunting, he was killed by a wild boar In answer to Aphrodite's pleas, Zeus allowed him to spend half the year with her and half in the underworld Today a man called an Adonis probably has strikingly fine features, low body fat, rippling muscles —and a certain vain attitude of overconfidence Adonises should beware; the boar that killed Adonis was sent by either the jealous Artemis (goddess of hunting) or the envious Ares (god of war) amazon A tall, strong, often masculine woman • I was greeted by the team's captain, a robust, broad-shouldered amazon who gripped my hand with crushing force In Greek mythology, an Amazon was a member of a race of women warriors One of the famous labors of Heracles (Hercules) was to obtain the sash of the Amazon queen Hippolyta, and the hero Theseus married Hippolyta's sister The Amazon River got its name when, in 1542, the first Europeans to descend the river were attacked by Indian warriors who, even at close range, they believed to be women The mystery of these warriors continues to this day However impressive a figure they cut, though, not every tall and strong woman today would take it as a compliment to be called an amazon chimera An often grotesque creature of the imagination • This latest piece of legislation is a weird chimera, with sections devoted to agriculture, defense, welfare, law enforcement, and scientific research In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing she-monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail, which laid waste the countryside in southwestern Turkey It was finally killed by the hero Bellerophon, whose flying horse, Pegasus, enabled him to attack from the air Over time, chimera came to be used for any imaginary monster made up of strange and mismatched parts; today it's the name of several species of truly bizarre-looking fish But more commonly a chimera is a fantasy, an illusion, a figment of the imagination, or a dream that will never come true cornucopia (1) A container shaped like a hollow horn full of fruits, vegetables, and ears of grain (2) An abundance of something desirable • These books were a cornucopia of wonderful stories and poems, and as a child I spent countless hours with them The Latin term cornu copiae meant “horn of plenty,” and cornucopia and horn of plenty have both been used in English since the 16th century Both terms refer to a hollow goat's horn, or a wicker basket shaped like one, overflowing with produce from the harvest The cornucopia has been used as a decorative image to represent abundance since at least the 5th century B.C., when it represented a gift given by the infant god Zeus to his beloved nurse: a broken goat's horn that would always magically be filled with whatever she wanted In the U.S., cornucopias are often seen on altars, in store-window displays, and as table centerpieces, especially at harvesttime or Thanksgiving Elysium A place or condition of ideal happiness; paradise • They had named their estate Elysium, and as we gazed out over its fountains, ponds, and sweeping lawns we could see why This word came into Latin from the Greek Elysion In classical mythology, Elysium, or the Elysian fields, was the home of the blessed after death, the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the pure So it's easy to see how the word came to mean any place or state of bliss or delight When we try to picture heaven, many of us probably see a lovely park; the great boulevard of Paris was named for the beautiful park that originally bordered it: the Champs-Elysées, or Elysian Fields epicure drink; a gourmet A person with cultivated taste, especially for food and • He reads trashy novels and watches junk on TV, but he has an epicure's love of fine cheeses and wines The Greek philosopher Epicurus was known for his original thinking about the nature of matter, but he's best remembered for his ideas about pleasure as the chief aim of life By pleasure Epicurus chiefly meant the absence of pain and anxiety However, over the years Epicureanism has come to mean a delight in fine sensual pleasures, and today an epicure is someone with refined taste, especially in food and wine To display your own refined taste in language, you might try using epicure and epicurean in place of the overused gourmet exodus same time A situation in which many people leave a place at the • The war led to a mass exodus of Iraq's Christians The second book of the Old Testament tells of the departure of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt and their difficult journey across the Sinai Desert to Mount Sinai, from which they would eventually complete their journey to their home in Palestine The book's original Hebrew name was Shemot, but it's known to English-speakers as Exodus, from the Greek exodos, “departure.” Leon Uris chose the name Exodus for his powerful novel about the founding of Israel in the years after World War II, since the new state's postwar settlers had departed from many parts of the world for their new home in Palestine gorgon An ugly, repulsive, or terrifying woman • The beautiful star disappeared into the makeup room and emerged two hours later transformed into a gorgon The Gorgons were three monstrous sisters in Greek mythology, the most famous of whom was Medusa They had snakes for hair, and anyone who looked directly at them was immediately turned to stone Medusa herself was finally beheaded by the hero Perseus, who avoided looking straight at her by instead watching her reflection in his mirrorlike shield Today the familiar types of jellyfish, with long snakelike tentacles descending from their headlike bodies, are known as medusas Quiz 29-5 Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a epicure b Elysium c Adonis d amazon e gorgon f exodus g chimera h cornucopia Her boss was a _ who terrorized the office As he aged he began to think the CIA was watching him, and even though it was just a _ it caused him a lot of anxiety She spoke about her country place as an _ where they could spend their lives surrounded by beauty He's a serious _, and you have to be brave to invite him over for dinner When the economy is good, a job fair can be a _ of employment opportunities Her departure from the company led to an _ of other employees To everyone's surprise, he ended up marrying a robust, outdoorsy _ an inch taller than he was Everyone thought her new boyfriend was an _, and she liked watching girls' heads turn as they walked around campus together Answers Review Quizzes 29 A Choose the closest definition: circumspect a lazy b all-seeing c careful d winding surmount a increase b overcome c look through d reject interdict a scold b allow c cut off d intrude diminutive a little b cozy c detailed d comfortable surreal a excessive b artistic c secret d dreamlike circuitous a circular b electrical c roundabout d circulating surfeit a surplus b waves c conclusion d topic coalesce a begin b merge c cooperate d end interstice a filling b gap c layer d village 10 minutiae a particles b leftovers c moments d trivia Answers B Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a cogeneration b paleontology c codependency d syntax e Paleolithic f surcharge g circumvent h minimalism i interdict j cohesion He knew his daughter wasn't alcoholic, but he worried about the _ he'd been noticing between her and her husband From the odd _ of the sentences, she guessed that the writer didn't know English that well After going on a fossil dig in Africa in junior year, he decided to pursue graduate work in _ The college's new _ system will use natural gas to produce both electricity and heat To help balance its budget, the city is now considering adding a _ to all speeding tickets We found some chipped-stone arrowheads and took them to a local professor, who identified them as products of the _ period More agents will be needed to _ the drugs being carried north to Panama from Colombia Some people worry about the _ of the European Union, especially as the number of member nations grows and national interests begin to shift Some outside hackers have managed to _ the country's Internet censorship by clever electronic means 10 The critics call her novels good examples of _, since she barely describes people or scenes at all and the action is never really explained Answers C Indicate whether the following pairs of words have the same or different meanings: minuscule / empty same _ / different _ interpolate / fill up same _ / different _ circumference / spiral same _ / different _ intercede / invade same _ / different _ synthesize / perform same _ / different _ necropolis / graveyard same _ / different _ syndrome / group of symptoms same _ / different _ circumspect / visible from afar same _ / different _ necrosis / black magic same _ / different _ 10 coalesce / come together same _ / different _ Answers ... first amphibians and reptiles; the dinosaurs, birds, and mammals had to wait for the Mesozoic Quiz 29- 1 A Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a Paleolithic b necrosis c Paleozoic d necropsy... the door”), but often not very seriously (“We were served some rather diminutive rolls”) Quiz 29- 2 A Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a circumference b minimalism c circumvent d minuscule... just in painting, literature, and movies but also in blogs, video games, and graphic novels Quiz 29- 3 A Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a surfeit b interdict c surcharge d interstice