The pictures on the left show the same location in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the ones on the right show school children working in an IT suite /swiːt/ and school children using tablets in a class.
Background informationHurricane Katrina is the costliest natural disaster to take place in the USA to date. New Orleans suffered huge devastation and most of its major roads were damaged. A 2007 report found design flaws in its flood protection levees.
levee: /ˈlevi/ a low wall built at the side of a river to prevent it from flooding.
Suggested answers
The pictures on the left show a natural disaster that has caused a change in the environment. The road is flooded in one picture and people are using small boats to get around, so they may have lost their homes. In the other picture, things are back to normal although the road is still wet so the weather conditions must be bad. Other environmental changes include the effects of global warming – flooding again, or dry river valleys – and the results of deforestation, although that could also come
under the commercial category?
The pictures on the right show technological change, in the space of only a few years I suspect? The children in the computer room are working with clunky big machines, whereas the kids using tablets are working in their normal classroom. There are countless other recent technological changes in the world around us, for example wind turbines and solar panels for generating electricity would
not have been prevalent twenty years ago.
clunky: /ˈklʌŋki/ large, solid, and heavy in a way that is not attractive. Heavy and awkward. E.g. clunky leather shoes. Clunky furniture. (Figurative) The movie is ruined by wooden acting and clunky dialogue.
prevalent: that exists or is very common at a particular time or in a particular place. E.g. These prejudices are particularly prevalent among people living in the North. The disease is even more prevalent in Latin America.
2002 edition:
- Maple tree: /ˈmeɪpl/ a tall tree with leaves that have five points and turn bright red or yellow in the autumn/fall. Maples grow in northern countries. Arce. E.g. Maple syrup: jarabe de arce.
- Churn: /tʃɜːn/ 1. a machine in which milk or cream is shaken to make butter. Mantequera. 2 a large metal container in which milk was carried from a farm in the past. Lechera. E.g. The picture shows a dairy churn.
- Phase sth out: to stop using something gradually in stages over a period of time. E.g. Subsidies to farmers will be phased out by next year.
commerce – ial (drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ial’)
technology – ical (drop the ‘y’ and add ‘ical’)
create – ive (drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ive’)
vary – iable (change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘able’) /ˈveəriəbl/
Examples of -ous: ambitious, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəriəs/, monotonous /məˈnɒtənəs/, nutritious /njuˈtrɪʃəs/, rebellious, suspicious
Examples of -ful: doubtful, eventful, fruitful, pitiful, resourceful /rɪˈsɔːsfl/ /rɪˈzɔːsfl/, thoughtful
Examples of -less: countless, faultless, helpless, priceless, tactless, tasteless
Ex 3
KEY
Italics: /ɪˈtælɪks/ printed letters that lean to the right. E.g. Examples in this dictionary are in italics.
Lengthy: /ˈleŋθi/ very long, and often too long, in time or size. E.g. Lengthy delays. A lengthy explanation.
Exhaustive: /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/ including everything possible; very thorough or complete E.g. exhaustive research/tests. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Plea: an urgent emotional request. Sp. Petición. E.g. She made an impassioned plea for help. (Impassioned: showing strong feelings about something)
a predictable
b alternative
c hopeful
d philosophical
Philosophical: /ˌfɪləˈsɒfɪkl/ having a calm attitude towards a difficult or disappointing situation. E.g. He was philosophical about losing and said that he'd be back next year to try again.
e experimental
Experimental: /ɪkˌsperɪˈmentl/ based on new ideas, forms or methods that are used to find out what effect they have. E.g. Experimental teaching methods.
f speechless
g noticeable
h flawless
Flawless: /ˈflɔːləs/ without flaws and therefore perfect. E.g. Her English is almost flawless.
i disposable
j disastrous
Adjectives formed from four remaining words:
adventure: adventurous
identify: identifiable
mass: massive
understand: understandable
Extra vocabulary
From admire:
- Admirable: /ˈædmərəbl/ having qualities that you admire and respect. E.g. He made his points with admirable clarity.
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