Test 3 - Reading - Passage 1 (1) · Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Vocabulary List

a type of gas with no color and smell that is produced by burning carbon or during breathing out

"Carbon dioxide is a gas."

"Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat causing global temperatures to rise and contributing to climate change and extreme weather events."

any type of gas, particularly carbon dioxide, that contributes to global warming by trapping heat

"Methane is a strong greenhouse gas."

"A greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation"

a gray powdery substance that becomes hard if it is mixed with water and sand, used for construction purposes such as sticking bricks of a wall together

"The cement dried fast."

"The workers mixed cement with sand and water to create concrete for the building's foundation."

to cause something to occur

"The accident resulted in injuries."

"The heavy rainfall could result in serious flooding in low lying areas near the river."

an international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among member countries

"The United Nations sends peacekeepers to the region."

"The United Nations sends peacekeepers to the region to protect civilians from armed groups."

the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, primarily from burning fossil fuels, industrial processes, and etc.

"Carbon emission contributes to global warming."

"Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels were the primary driver of climate change."

the increase in the average temperature of the Earth as a result of the greenhouse effect

"Global warming is bad."

"Scientists are concerned about the accelerating effects of global warming on polar ice caps."

to introduce new ideas, methods, or products to improve or change the current way of doing things

"The company constantly innovates new technology."

"The tech company tries to constantly innovate by developing new features that no other competitor has ever offered to customers before."

an unceremonious and disorganized struggle

"A scramble for seats."

"The scramble for African territory during the colonial era divided the continent among European powers."

(economics) an unprocessed material that can be traded in different exchanges or marketplaces

"The commodity is valuable"

"The commodity prices increased sharply due to global supply chain disruptions and demand changes"

a branch of industry dedicated to creating goods on a large scale, typically using machinery and organized processes

"The company manufactures car parts in Ohio."

"The company manufactures car parts in Ohio and ships them to assembly plants across the country."

to a specific degree, particularly when compared to other similar things

"The house is relatively cheap."

"The house is relatively cheap compared to others in the same neighborhood because it needs some repairs and renovations."

a large quantity or amount of something

"The garden provides an abundance of vegetables."

"There is an abundance of fresh food available in the market during the harvest season."

extremely wonderful, excellent, or impressive

"The view is marvelous."

"The marvelous performance of the orchestra moved the audience to tears and they gave the conductor a long standing ovation."

capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)

"The clay is moldable."

"The moldable clay was soft and easy to shape and the children made small animals and pots with their hands."

an increase in the amount, size, importance, or degree of something

"The city plans an expansion."

"The expansion of the company into international markets required significant investment and careful planning over several years."

a person whose job is designing buildings and typically supervising their construction

"The architect designed a modern glass building."

"The architect designed the building with large windows to maximize natural light and reduce energy costs."

the process of gradually coming into existence

"The emergence of new ideas."

"The emergence of social media has fundamentally changed how people communicate and share information."

to the fullest or complete degree

"The house was entirely destroyed by fire."

"The house was entirely destroyed by the fire and the family lost all of their belongings in the disaster."

the presence of liquid, typically water, in a state of wetness or dampness

"The soil needs moisture for plants to grow."

"The moisture in the air condensed on the cold window forming tiny droplets that ran down the glass in little streams."

easily affected by external factors

"She is susceptible to colds."

"She is susceptible to colds so she washes her hands frequently to avoid getting sick."

an insect or small animal that destroys or damages crops, food, etc.

"The pest ate it."

"The farmer battled the persistent pest that threatened to destroy his entire harvest of corn for the season."

in a direction or manner that goes across something

"Cut the vegetable crosswise."

"Cut the vegetable crosswise into thin slices rather than lengthwise for this particular recipe."

a block of material used in construction work

"Concrete is a building block."

"Lego bricks are a classic building block for children and encourage creativity and problem solving skills."

a person or company that provides goods or services to another business or individual

"The supplier delivers the cement to the construction site."

"The supplier delivers the cement to the construction site every morning before work begins."

an executive officer whose rank is just below the rank of the president of a country and who can act in place of the president in certain cases to fulfill presidential duties

"The vice president led the nation."

"The company vice president made an important announcement during the meeting yesterday."

to make a problem, situation, or condition worse or more serious

"His rude comments aggravated the situation."

"His constant complaining only served to aggravate the tense situation between the two coworkers."

able to flow smoothly from one container to another without sticking or breaking apart

"The liquid is pourable."

"The pourable concrete mixture was easy to spread and the workers leveled it quickly before it began to harden."

designed and made using careful planning, skill, or scientific methods to work in a specific way

"The product is engineered."

"The engineered wood product is made from compressed fibers and it is stronger and more stable than natural wood."

a hard material used for building structures, made by mixing cement, water, sand, and small stones

"The sidewalk is made of concrete."

"Reinforced concrete is a composite material where steel bars are embedded to significantly improve its tensile strength"

to produce energy, such as heat, electricity, etc.

"The turbine generates electricity for homes."

"The solar panels generate enough electricity to power the entire house during the sunny summer months."

any of the available possibilities that one can choose from

"We need to find an alternative route."

"Since the main road was closed due to construction, we had to find an alternative route through the countryside to reach the village on time."

material of a particular kind or constitution

"What is this substance?"

"The mysterious substance found at the crash site required immediate scientific analysis."

to guess the value, number, quantity, size, etc. of something without exact calculation

"She estimates the cost of repairs."

"The contractor estimated that the repairs would cost approximately five thousand dollars and take two weeks to complete."

to increase rapidly to a high level

"Prices will soar quickly."

"The eagle spread its wide wings and began to soar high above the valley looking for prey below."

support from beneath

"The wall will underpin."

"The strong foundation will underpin the entire structure, ensuring its stability."

to substitute or provide an alternative that fulfills the same function or purpose

"They will replace it."

"We need to replace the worn-out tires to ensure safe driving."

a field of study that deals with the building, designing, developing, etc. of structures, bridges, or machines

"He loves engineering projects."

"Her passion for mechanical engineering led her to design innovative solutions for renewable energy systems."

the point or degree to which something extends

"What is the extent?"

"The full extent of the damage caused by the wildfire is still being assessed by authorities."

the size, amount, or degree of one thing compared with another

"The map has a scale of one inch to a mile."

"The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale used to quantify the size of earthquakes based on the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by seismographs."

a feature or quality of something

"It has a nice property."

"The unique property of this material is its ability to change color with temperature."

absolutely necessary and of great importance

"Water is vital."

"Clean drinking water is vital for human survival and access to it should be considered a basic human right."

a part that combines with others to form a larger whole, often separable and functional within a system

"The engine has many components."

"This small component is very important for the proper functioning of the entire machine."

(of a liquid) to assume a solid or hardened form

"The jelly will set."

"Allow the chocolate ganache to set completely before decorating the cake."

related to heat or temperature, including how heat moves, how materials expand with temperature changes, and the energy stored in heat

"He wears thermal underwear."

"The thermal camera detected heat signatures from the survivors trapped under the rubble and the rescue team quickly dug them out."

to strengthen a substance or structure, particularly by adding extra material to it

"Reinforce the structure."

"They decided to reinforce the aging bridge with additional steel beams to improve its stability."

capable of adjusting easily to different situations, circumstances, or needs

"My schedule is flexible."

"The flexible work schedule allows employees to choose their own hours as long as they complete their tasks each week."

in regard to what someone has said or written

"According to the teacher we have homework."

"According to the weather forecast it will rain tomorrow so bring an umbrella."

one of the things that affects something or contributes to it

"Money is one factor."

"Climate change is an important factor that affects the migration patterns of birds across different continents."

to surpass or outdo someone or something

"I beat him."

"She managed to beat her previous record by a significant margin in the marathon."

so outdated or old-fashioned that it feels primitive or backward

"His ideas are medieval."

"His medieval views on women's rights are completely out of step with modern society."

to be the influencing factor that causes something to make progress

"Ambition will drive him."

"Her strong desire for success will drive her to work tirelessly towards achieving her goals."

to direct one's interest or attention toward a specific subject or activity

"I turn to music."

"When faced with difficult decisions, he would often turn to his trusted mentors for advice."

trees grown to be used in carpentry or construction

"The cabin was built from strong timber"

"The house was built from locally sourced timber that had been harvested sustainably."

(usually plural) means such as equipment, money, manpower, etc. that a person or organization can benefit from

"We need resources."

"The non-profit organization struggled to secure adequate resources to fund its vital community programs."

to build a house, bridge, machine, etc.

"The workers construct the new bridge."

"The workers need to construct a solid foundation before they can begin building the walls of the new house."

to apply a substance or process to something in order to protect it, preserve it, or give it special qualities

"Treat the wood."

"We need to treat the leather to prevent it from drying out and cracking."

positioned or directed across or at an angle to something else

"A cross stitch."

"The fabric featured a subtle cross pattern woven into the design."

to create a composite material by fusing together multiple layers

"They laminate wood."

"The manufacturer will laminate the particleboard with a durable, decorative veneer."

a substance, such as glue, paste, or tape, that is used to bind two or more surfaces together by creating a bond that resists separation

"Adhesive sticks surfaces together firmly."

"Adhesive is a substance used to stick two or more surfaces together such as glue or tape."

costumer's need or desire for specific goods or services

"Demand is increasing."

"As demand for electric vehicles increases manufacturers are investing billions of dollars in building new battery factories and expanding production capacity worldwide."

a factor, force, or influence that initiates or causes a particular action, process, or change

"He is a driver."

"Technological innovation has become a significant driver of economic growth in recent years."